Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-14
Judge Baritone Tells
of Juvenile Court Work


the methods in which the state institu-
tons are generally conducted, in ad- !
dressing the social service department I
OF the Rock Island Woman's club, and /.
their friends at Masonic temple, last
evening. Judge Baritone deplored the /
TACT that in the institutions provided
for the care of delinquent children
especially, there is not more of the
personal touch and interest that are
needed to bring out the good in the
child that is the aim of the institution.
She spoke of the need of the encour-
agement of love in the hearts of the
children at an impressionable age, of
the personal interest and care that
should be theirs. singing them out
from the herd and making them more
than Just one of the many. Judge
Baritone spoke on the general subject,
Work of the Juvenil. Court With
Girls and illustrated her address
with many most interesting stories
and instances taken from her every
day work. Illinois was the first state in
the union to enact laws dealing with de-
linquent children and before the jul
Venlle court of Chicago alone there are
between 4,500 and 5000 cases annual
{ ly. Aside from this number, she said,
there are approximately 5000 annually
that are taken to the complaints de-
partment and rs per cent of these are
settled out of court. In her own work,
! that OF the care of the girls that come
/ to the court, Judge Baritone has
heard annually about $50 cases, and
! of these so per cent are cases of sex
immortality. OF the number she at
tributed at least 80 per cent due to
lack of parental care. One of the chief
causes of delinquency, she said, was
the fear OF the child of its parents,
which causes that child to resort to
means to get away from its home and
into places that are conducive to its
delinquency. She spoke especially of
the parent that prohibits the child
from returning without having secured
a job threatening punishment or ex-
pulsion from the home in case she
does not find work. She recited manv
instances that had come into her court
OF just such caseS-where girls rather
than go home without securing a job,
would walk the streets all night, ride
on the elevated trains, sleep in desert
ed Easements or houses and frequently
go with strange men who contribute to
their delinquency. The indulgent par
ent, she said, was another cause Of the
downfall of many girls-parents
/, shielding their children and pamper-
; ing them to such degree that they
ruin them, the children taking advant-
age Of their Indulgence to their own
detriment. She spoke too of the neces-
= sity of parents instructing their chill
dren to hold sacred those things that
= are sacred-to make of them the high
est things in the world rather than
: the base and vile. 1t is a serious mis-
, take, She said, for parents to fail to
do those things that could prevent
many of the sad things that come into
the lives of the children. She pleaded
, for a personal interest in every Child
that the child might feel that its com
| ings and goings and acts were of some
} concern to some one and me.nt some
thing to some individual person.
Judge Baritone spoke Of the work
that she is trying to do in Chicago in
= the interest of girls. She told of a
fiat that has been made just as at
tractive as a home could be where
girls are sent for time to keep house
TO get themselves in fit physical con-
dition, wash their clothes and get into
: shape to accept positions that have
! been found for them. 1t has had the
g influence of giving them special
pride in themselves and they go into
their places of employment with an
= increased self respect. She said at
= present there are in the child placing
/ department 1873 cases under the care
f of probation officers and of these "a
p have bank books with savings ranging
from 81 to s143. This has been a
means of increasing self-confidence in
> the girls and they invariably make
good.
She made an earnest plea for char
ity towards the girls of the city-vic-
tins often of circumstances over
which they have no control, and urged
that they be not misjudged, that they
be given personal care and attention
and interest.
Judge Baritone is a most interesting
speaker and her large experience in
the work has given innumerable in,
. stances to illustrate every phase OF
her work. 1t was a rare opportunity
10 have the pleasure of hearing heI
and the regret is that the weather pre-
vented more from enjoying the excel
!, lent talk.
Preceding the address by Judge
Baritone the monthly business SEES
sion of the department was held and
, routine matters attended to with the
. chairman, Mrs C. H. Castetter presid,
: ing.
/ Miss Mile Beck, accompanied by
. Frank Freitat, sang IAN Evening
: Song" by Blumenthal and II Heard G
, Thrush at Evening" by Cadman. and
: Mrs. w ]. Krull read a story, "The
End of the Task" Miss Bessie Freistat
. and Roscoe Lyons giving a cello duet
at the close of the business session.