The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-20
MAYOR PENS NEW
ESSAY0N CRIME
Monograph on Duties of Po'
licemen Goes to Heart of
Difficult Subject.

Another of those charming little es-
says on crime which have flowed SO fire.
auently Of late from the prolific pen OF
Mayor John F. Hylan was issued yes
terday by the City Hall Flimsy Press.
Like the others in the series, II is in
tended for and makes its greatest APP
peal to juvenile readers. yet there Is
much In II of value to adults, particu-
larly those adults who have passed the
ripe age Of 20 but who have not yet
quite reached 81. 1t deals thoroughly.
! completely. perfectly, concisely and
clearly with practically every phase of
criminal and police activity with the ex-
ception of the proper guardianship of
tulip beds II Is expected, however,
that this important topic will be made
the subject Of separate essay some
time in the very near future.
Perhaps the most striking feature of
Mayor Hylan's latest literary effort is
the style in which he has treated his
subject He has abandoned entirely the
stilted and silly style in which authors
used to write books for children. Fiji
teen years ago such an essay as the
Mayor has written would have been be-
gun in this manner:
'1Oh, see the policeman!
Yes, see the policeman.
what arA the policeman's duties?
His duties are to prevent crime
But the world do move, and literary
methods move with 1t. Intsead OF max
ing his essay read like a primer and in
stead Of cluttsring It UP with glad little
girls and boys who are considered by the
modern child to be sissies and total
losses TO humanity, Mayor Hylan has
given his juvenile admirers credit for
| some senae and has written his essay
with that idea in mind. He Uses no big
words to send the children scurrying to
the dictionary to find out what he
means he uses no complex phrases and
clauses and eentences, and he makes no
attempt whatever to stir up the baser
emotions OF his readers by nasty ap-
peals to sex.
Crime prevention" says the essays
opening paragraph, 'is the most i'm
portant duty that the uniformed police
of this city have to deal with. The
duties OF inspectors, captains lieuten-
ants, sergeants and patrolmen are to
keep order and prevent crime, and they
should be held strictly responsible for
conditions in their district, precinct and
post The duty of the detective force Is
! to ferret out and appFshend violators of
the law who have eluded the uniformed
police
Several additional paragraphs of the
At of children whose parents are too poor
| to buy them the entire volume:
The business Of pawn brokers, Junk
dealers and second hand dealers in all
kinds of personal property should be
carefully scrutinlzed The thief who
steals 5ewery, clothing. brass. copper,
lead and other personal property dis
poses Of II at the pawn shop or at the
second hand dealer. In many instances
these dealers are nothing more than a
fence for thieves and should be driven
out of business.
The moving picture houses display
Aims which make the young man not
inclined to work for an honest living
believe II easy to pick pockets and to
hold UP and rob people.
Drugs are being sold to persons who
become addicts. and in order to secure
money to purchase these drugs they re-
sort to burglaries and thieving OF all
kinds.
THE honest business man should not
be annoyed and the police should give
their attention to the perpetrators OF
vicious crimes such as burglary. murder.
holdups and speed maniacs"
The volume Is dedicated to Richard
Z. Enright Police Commissioner.
'Cops and Their Relation to Crime,
an Essay by John F. Hylan, City Hall
FlimSy Press Price, one ven