Evening journal., 1916-12-19

maybe two years. Realize what a hope
less thing it would be if there weren't
a system of rewards of some sogt Of
fered II you.
"How would you feel if you believed
that no one expected anything honor
able or fine OF you. but instead that
people were constantly expecting you 70
do wrong, and watching you in the ex'
pectation that you would do wrong!
"On the other hand, suppose you were
trusted; those about you had confidence
in you, they expected better things OF
you, thty were constantly encouraging
you TO unfold your finer nature and TO
let blossom the finer things in you.
This is what the new Juvenile Court
movement does
"You can therefore see why the wo~S
Of a Juvenile court begins where tis
work Of the old court stopped. The old
theory was when you remove a child
from a home you went on working with
the child and paid no more attention to
the home. Our work begins where here
tofore it stopped. The moment we find
a home producing children that need the
care of the State, We attempt to build
up that home and make it decent, and
make il Il normal place for the child 20
be. We do not propose TO let the home
exist in this bad state and still feed into
Us those other children, nor do we pro-
pose TO permit it 10 remain n rotten spot
in the community spreading its contag-
ion to other homes.
"The great advantage of this new ju-
dietary is that instead of aiming TO cure
wrong doing by mere punishment, the
effort is made to lend a helping, kind
hand. instead Of a mailed fist.
"a great step forward is that Of using
probation officers, and using them 20
cure the delinquency or dependency, and
further using them to prevent delin-
quency and dependency.
~In Philadelphia the court had devoted
most Of its time 70 prevention and cure
and very little to punishment. We are
building up homes. II the parents neg
lect has been such that tha child must
suffer by going to an institution. we see
to II that the parents suffer likewise by
a prison term, unless they show a desire
to reform their home and make II what
il ought 10 be for the child's sake. When
they are ready 70 do this every help and
every aid at the command Of the court
or Of the social and philanthropic agen-
cies Is brought TO bear on that home 20
make it what il ought to be.
"The result Is that less than seventy
commitments month are being made
as against five hundred per month
under the old system.
"EScrywhere throughout this broad
land the effort is at last being made TO
give to this generation a chance in life.
In the far Western States ihey are
spending millions Of dollars for this pur
pose. In the Central West they are lib
eral spenders, and at las in the East
they have wakened M To the Importance
of this work and in their zeal they have
gone way ahead Of anything that the
world has seen. AZ last the Christian
people and the American people realize
! that the tiu,e has been reached when
! Christianity can he more than preached
1t can he practicad. The people from
the Atlantic slope have reached across
the continent until they CLASP hands
WITH those on the Western slope Of this
gr5at country in a solemn pledge thai
everything shall be done 10 give this
generation and the next a chance 10 b'
what they should be. good, strong. clean
| living, upright, patriotic citizens, II
order 20 make and keep this countr!
( what she is and ought 10 be. the crea
pioneer IN blazing the pathway Of civ
! ilizRtion for the rest Of the world &
! follow"