The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-11-23
Juvenile COURT PROVES REAL FRIEND
Reclaimed Youth It's Christmas Gift to Memphis

candy for an occasion when she
meets child, and she has made
many lifelong friend. They run
to beat each other to open the door
of her automobile when she appears,
and they do it, not because or any
compulsion, but because they know
Judge Kelley Is the best friend they
have-their pal.
Although Judge Kelley has held
several offices in which she has come
before the public, she has never been
a suffragist, and she makes the state
ment with emphasis. Always was
she home woman, and is now, and
when her hour for going home arrives
each afternoon 1t is a mighty big
mission which detains her more than
few minutes.
when my little boy was II years
DID," said Judge Kelley, II realized
that the four walls Of my home were
not my boundary lines. l wanted to
see the school my boy attended, and
the streets he had to walk on"
With this idea Judge Kelley, with
81 other women, mothers of children
of the Snowden school, organized the
III at dI GIlI- ScbNlCt dilDdiAOI III
Memphis. From this tiny nucleus the
$500 women, who have their separate
organizations all over Memphis and
Shelby county.
Mrs. Kelley was president of the
city federation of the Parent Teacher
associations when it had 5000 men,
bers.
Worked in War.
She was, during the war, secretary
Of the city agricultural department
Of Memphis, the only woman on the
entire committee. She registered 2S,-
912 city gardens in Memphis, and
some of the success Of the war gar
den plan here can easily be traced
to her hard efforts.
Judge Kelley was appointed to the
iudgeship of juvenile court by Mayor
Paine, and it is the verdict of city
officials and others who have come
into contact with the court, that 1t
has never in it's history functioneo
as at present.
The entire atmosphere of the court,
and the officers attached to it, has
been changed. 1t is apparent that a
woman's hand has touched things.
Gay window boxes appear where bar
renness was found before, and the
courtroom itself has undergone a
radical change. While 1t Is a court
room it has none Of the harsh air
of the regulation court, and would
never do for a movie" 1t was ap-
pointed for the children who are Its
"guests," and who leave it with a
different understanding than when
they enter.
NAL American boy.
MANY think him bad when he does
some act slightly outside the pale
Of the law" she said, but he is
generally only normal"
Every child under the age OF 10
coming before the police is hailed into
the juvenile court.
But" and Judge Kelley also makes
! this plain, "let it be understood that
there are no morning after trials
here. If the family is a responsible
one we turn the boy or girl over 10
| it. In the event the people are
strangers we require a $40 bond. but
| we generally release them on the
word that they will return Wltnln
three DAYS, Two hours after boy
had been caught for mlsdemeahoL
he generally is back at his home or
at his school"
Only One Failed.
There is only one case on record
here of a child failing to return 70
| the court.
Judge Kelley's officers prepare
themselves to give the Judge a true
"picture" of the boy or girl when
he or she comes to court. There
is none of the guess work. The court
sends to the boys neighborhood.
They lock I'D his home life, his school
life. and in fact they have his entire
background before his case comes
up and this is one Of the secrets OF
the courts success.
I'VE face the youth" says Judge
Kelley mot with his offense, but
with his disposition, Maybe he is
a bad boy. as he has been called, but
possibly it is his home life that is
to blame. I tell them how much
bigger the law is than either they
or myself. If l do have to send
bow to the reform school then l keep
track of him closely. But l feel that
l have failed altogether if every boy
is not better when he leaves my
courtroom.
IL had a girl in here not long ago
shaved eyebrows, high heels--lived
| in a basement, 1 found, where water
was running on the floor.
she had gone to a dance hall to
escape all this. And you say she had
sinned against society. | think So
ciety had sinned against her."
Establishes Gym.
Judge Kelley has converted the
dust covered attic Of the court build
| ing into gymnasium, although this
is not fully equipped, and Judge KEEL
| ley would eagerly accept as gifts a
set of regulation ten pins and a
punching bag for her boys.
| A weed-strewn lot opposite the
building on Fourth street will soon
be converted into a beautiful play
ground, the result of Judge Kelley S
efforts.
Judge Kelley believes there are
three types of children: the sub
normal, the abnormal and the normal
she declares We owe our most careful
| protection to the subnormal child
that we must protect society from
the abnormal child, but that We need
only to love and educate the norma
child and allow him to develop.
I'VE do not want our juvenile
courts to simply stop the current OF
wrong" said Judge Kelley. 1--WE
want them to feed the hungry affec-
tons of child life, and fill the hear
and mind of the child with righ'
ideas as substitutes for the warped
miaconcepts from which they are
suffering.
"I have heen asked what part the