Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1919-11-20

linquent when it is not really
any fault of their own and only
the misfortune of their birth. It
isn't because the father and
mother have neglected or failed
in their duty; it is because they
are not mentally endowed with
sufficient wisdom and education
and knowledge to protect their
children; they don't know how.
Then arises the problem what
should be done with the boy or
girl where the parents fail in
their responsibility. The re-
sponsibility for the dependent
child is nearly always upon the
father or the mother, not always.
Delinquent children are to a
very large percentage delinquent
because of the laxity of the pa
rents or their weakness or their
lack of interest. The primary
question to determine in all Of
these cases after the fact of de-
linquency, dependency or neg
lect has been established is,
what is the best interest of the
child. It isn't very many years
ago that about all a man had to
do was to come in and prove
that he was the father of the
child and he had the custody.
The mother didn't stand very
high. ! remember when l first
practised law that same old prac-
tice obtained; the father was re-
sponsible under the law for the
maintenance, and he was always
awarded the custody of the child,
even sometimes with pay. Our
Supreme Court has cleared the
other way, as shown in a recent
case, where they took the child
away from the father. the Dis
trict Court having awarded it to
the father, and gave it to the
mother. The record in that case
disclosed that there was some
serious cloud upon her morality;
yet they said, What is the best
interest of this child" the
mother is no better than the
father, but the mother can take
care of it better than the father
1t is a perplexing question
sometimes to know what is the
best thing to be done. No one
wants to take children away
from the parents except of ne.
cessity; no one wants to send
children to a public institution
excepting of necessity. I believe
in public institutions for the
care of children only as a neces.
sity. A home is the best place
for a child-an individual home
and next to the home of its
parents is some other home, and
last of all is an institutional
home. What is the best, thing
to be done? If you can always
answer that question, you can
make a satisfactory disposition
of the case, but that is one of the
greatest difficulties that arise, to
know what is the best to be done
When it comes to the question OF
supervision of children. there is
no supervision like an individual
one. where the child is brought
into close relation with the pro.
baton officer; and mean proba.
ton officer; don't care whether
it is a paid official or whether il
is particular individual; it
doesn't make any difference. We
have a great many people in
every community; you have them
where you can select them, and
they are not qualified; they are
not qualified because they are
not familiar with the subject,
and they don't know just what
to do. They think that when
they can tell a child what it
should do. and should not do this
and should not do that. that
settles it. Well, just think back
when you were boys. how many
of the lessons you learned that
the fnachar told va, ,,,ct or,,