Evening journal., 1918-11-08
EDUCATIONAL BUILDING FOR AFTER THE WAR.

r1ERE is something of an official nature that is de
III serving Of the attention Of all Delawareans who
are interested in the efficiency of the schools in the
rural sections Of State
That thousands Of children in rural and small town
communities being deprived of fair chance for
normal development is the assertion Of the Childrens
Bureau Of the United States Department Of Labor in
report just issued conditions which tend juvenile
wrongdoing In the country.
One hundred and eighty-nve New York State children
who implicated in some sort of wrongdoing and
who from tii different families were carefully
studied and their family surroundings scanned in
an effort to discover what had led them astray. Most
OF The children Of normal mentality although about
one-fourteenh were nOticeably deficient But lack Of
opportunity for moral and mental training for recrea-
tion and lack Of variety Of interesting occupations with
promising futures led these children OF normal mental
power into delinquency All these conditions were
found to be accentuated in the subnOal child ho in
addition to the opportunities of normal child needs to
be provided with some adequate of diagnosis and
appropriate treatment
The twentyone New York State communities described
show type OF social life that as the report points out
can unfortunately be matched in many places" Vivid,
detailed descriptions show how the families and
munes of these 1856 little children failed to safeguard
them from early temptations 10 wrongdong which will
doubtless lead in many instances 10 wasted stunted lives
Although in nearly half the the child lived in its
own home with It's father and mother there a lack
Of control the part Of the parents disregard
their part for the rights Of others which have
tributed TO the chid's misdeeds.
The attempt Is made TO analyze the ofenses OF the
children. which range from mere mischief or general
waywardness 10 serious oenses against property and
TO sex denquences. The purposeless mischief often
develops because the loneliness Of the open country
and the "dearness" Of the little give the child
stupid denial TO answer his search Of sociability'
Without wise leadership the youthful energy Is all too
likely 10 run the gamut of small mischief and then
degenerate into serious msdeeds
What these twenty-one typical communities do
ing to themselves from the moral and financial
burden Of caring for the misdemeanants their lack Of
foresight had produced? Prisons for criminals are adj
mtedy expensive way to safeguard the moral fabric
of community
In searching for social factors which make for the
childs sound development the Investigators looked first
to the district school with its honored tradition of useful
service. The report shows how "pitifuy inadequate"
the tiny educational unit in the back country with its
isolation and slight equipment usually is TO meet modern
demands. The church, the report states holds a real
and valuable place in the sociazng OF the country but
1t was found to be making most unequal OF its op
portunity
What is there 10 care for the child who has been
called TO account by the community for his offenses9
The justices Of the peace under whose jurisdiction many
Of the children considered the study came were gen
orally found to give but cursory attention 10 the chill
dren's needs, and TO be l-informed TO how their
cases should be handled Local influence conduces in
many instances TO lenience where serner treatment
would have been for the chids better interest The
port adds TO the evidence which avOrs separate court
for the treatment OF juvenile offenders The Impractical
bility Of securing skilled probation officers and juvenile
court Judges however for each small community leads to
the recommendation Of county Juvenile court the
extension Of the powers Of such courts where they
exist In order that the court may reach the remotes
corners OF each county-hst "a probation officer may
be available in every inhabited section Of rural well
as urban communities"