The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-02-18
CHILD PROBLEMS
ARE DISCUSSED
At CONFERENCE
Action Toward Helping Youth
Of City is Planned by Social
Workers.

court of Indianapolis; r. G. Clarke,
scout executive Of Gary: Harry Reeves
DR.. Alexander Purdy OF Earlham col.
lege, Miss Ethel Clark. secretary OF
the social service bureau and N. C.
Heironimus, principal Of Garfield, were
the speakers at the series Of confer.
ences for boys workers held at the
Y. M. c. A. yesterday afternoon and
evening.
At the close Of the conferences. Or
vile NJ. Brunson, boys secretary Of the
Y. NJ. C. A.. was appointed to head and
appoint committee representative of
the churches, both Protestant and
Catholic. Of the city. public schools,
Commercial club, Social Service bu-
reau, Rotary club, Women's clubs, and
the Y. NJ. c. A.
Judge Frank J. Lair who has had
years Of experience with boys, and
has been Judge of the juvenile court
of Indianapolis for four years, spoke
before the Hi-Y club at the dinner
hour and afterward addressed the
workers, most of whom had remained
for dinner with the high school boys.
Urges Teaching Power
II have found It to be an absolute
fact that boys want to learn and learn
everything, II they can see the value
of It," the judge told the Hi-Y boys"
The power of teaching was taken
up In a forceful manner by Judge
Lair after the Hi-Y boys had with
drawn and the conference work OF
the evening was begun. He said:
II have been greatly surprised since
arriving in your city. was raised In
a Quaker settlement, and remember
1t as the nearest place on earth to
heaven. / had imagined that Rich
mond was one of the finest and best
towns imaginable, too. and think SO
yet. True, have heard of your
troubles and the tasks that confront
you, but there is no reason in the
world why you cannot meet these
questions and successfully cope with
them.
II am often surprised, however, at
the perplexity Of human folks. Some
parents would never get at the seat
Of the trouble with their children II
IL were not pointed out to them, and
that Is one of the tasks juvenile
court has to do. On an average have
about 1000 cases year in the Indi-
annapolis court: one-half of these are
never tried formally, but consist of a
heart to heart talk with the child's
parents or guardians. And in a great
majority of these 1000 informal cases
the delinquent is not brought up again.
but is taught successfully by the
parents from then on.
Juvenile Court Work.
1.-THE Juvenile court from one point
has become laboratory In which In
tensive study is made of human be-
havior, not only of the child itself but
of the parents and home and every
thing that will throw light on the life
and character of the child. When a
boy is found stealing, smoking cigar
cites, playing truant or refusing to go
to school, or guilty of any other form
Of juvenile delinquency. the first prob
lem Is to find out why he has done
the particular thing; and second.
whether there is not something which
can be done to produce proper social
behavior in the child"
Harry B. Reeves described an ideal
Sunday school boy.
HE is not sissy, but square
jawed fellow, with cap on the back
of his head, and plenty of pep" he
said.
Boys want action, and if we inter
est them in Sunday schools we have
to give them action, good. lively songs
and teachers that are interested in
their work seven days in the week.
Teachers should also have the conf
dence of their boys, and this the
right kind of a teacher will always
get"
Ralph r. Clarke, the Scout execu-
tive of Gary, made a strong appeal for
more interest in in Richmond, and ex.
planned that there are hundreds of
boys ready for the activities of Boy
Scouts in every community, but that
the lack of leaders is the problem.
II could give fifty men leadership
positions in Gary today" he said.
I'VE say do, not don't in our scout
ing gangs, and we get long, long
ways with that sort of teaching"
The gang spirit" its possibilities.
uses and vices were pointed out by
DR.. Alexander Purdy of Earlham col
lege Biblical department. DR.. Purdy
said that three out of every four boys
belong to q gang, especially younger
boys between IL and 16 years old.
N. c. Heironimus, principal of Gar
field school discussed the dangers of
the cigarette habit among boys under
II years of age.
In discussing the truancy problem