Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-11-30

nile court law itself. The extensive
ness Of this legislation, it is averred,
| is the best evidence of the previous
unsatisfactory viewpoint of the law.
How far the states have gone in mod
ernizing their attitude toward the de-
linquent and the neglected child Is
| shown by report just made public by
the children's bureau.
Juvenile court legislation every
| where deals with complicated group
of problems; that of the child &C
cused of breaking the law; the adult
offending against the child; the neg
| lected and degraded parent; the In
competent and unfaithful guardian,
and the family that is simply poor. Un-
der the old law the delinquent child
| was dealt with in the same manner,
| with certain restrictions of age, as the
adult offender He was tried before
criminal court with all the formality
and notoriety of a jury, sworn testi-
mony and confronting witnesses. Ii
found guilty" the child suffered the
penalty. If mot guilty" he went free.
structive help.
Child's. Rights Now Recognized.
Of recent years, however, the law
has recognized the right of the child
to reasonable minimum of care, OF
decency and of well-being. Considera-
ton has been given to the natural I'M
pulses of youth and to the adverse
conditions under which the child may
have been brought up. Because or the
differences in the structure of their
judicial systems the states have had
to meet the problems by various meth
DDS of legislative attack. In every
state. however the attempt has been
made through legislation to solve the
difficult problems involving the I'M
| favorable onditiOns-dOmestic, social
and economic-umder which children
arelivng and developing today.
The report recommends that every
/ Juvenile court, not only in the cities
but also in the rural districts, when
| has to deal with any considerable num-
Der of offenders should have chill
| dren's probation officer. His duty
would be not only to supervise cases
| himself but to secure the cooperation
of teachers, scout masters. officers OF
| boys and girls cl.ibs. and other so.
| cial organizations 80 that every child
| in his charge should be introduced to
one or more of these agencies.
1t seems altogether llkely that the
next congress will take up the ques-
ton of additional federal child labor
| legislation. The subject was discussed
in the campaign in many congressional
districts and a large number of rep
resentatives are pledged to help along
this line. The legislation which Is now
! in effect is not satisfactory to those
persons who are interested in this &C
| tivity. There are many persons who
believe that the whole subject should
be left to the states, hut this is not
the thought of those persons who have
given most time and study to the prob
| lem.
Teacher Supply Short and Poor.
According to the federal bureau
of education, conditions in the pub
lie schools of the country with
respect to the supply of teachers and
the rate of pay have not improved to
any appreciate extent during the last
| two years. Reports to the bureau show
that more than $4,000 schools, or
| about 3 per cent of the total in the
! United States, were at the beginning
of this school year without teachers
of any kind, and that more than 40
600. or about per cent of the total,
were supplied with teachers whose
qualifications -,ere below the minimum
| standards of the states in which they
| taught. The shortage of teachers ap-
plies TO elementary schools and high
schools alike. According to the reports,
it is especially difficult to find COM
petent teachers for the sciences and
technical subjects.
Studies made by the bureau just
! before we entered the World war in
Dictated that ~ theecountry at large
per cent of the rural teachers had
less than eight years of elementary
school; 80 per cent had no high-school
/
| four years of high-school education.
Onl, IS per cent We're high-school
graduates and only 10 per cent gradu-
ates of normal schools or colleges. In
one of the richest states of the North
west only So per cent of the rural
and village teachers were graduates of
normal schools and colleges; 52.6 per
cent had less than highschool educa-
ton. In aae of the Western states IS
per cent of the teachers had high
school education ~ per cent had no
! higher education, and only s per cent
had as much as four years beyond
high schools. In many states, it is
asserted, conditions are still worse.
On the average, the teachers teach
less than 4S months before quitting
school for other occupations. In some
states the average life of the teacher
! is less than half this. The average
age of the country teacher is less than
twenty-five years. In one state the
average of country and village teach
ers was, before the war, twenty-three
wears. and the average time which
thew had been teaching was only two
years.
The bureau says that more than one
half of all the teachers of the United
| States have had less preparation than
two years beyond the high school, and
| more than one-Ilalf did not teach long
enough to acquire the skill which
| couaS from experience
| Accounted For.