The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-11-23

4 room-like courtroom presided
4 over by Judge Kelley. It is
1 greater than anything l have
/ found in the larger cities of the
4 United States. Judge Ben B.
/ tLindsey.
/ In the words of Mrs. Camille KEEL
Hey, judge of the juvenile court of
memphis, the true "Children's Hour"
i OF Longfellow' poem-really the chill
dren's day-has come, and it is cor
Erection, blended with love and true
lkhowledge of the American boy and
8gtrl, that the erring youth needs in
place of punishment.
Il Her Christmas contribution to
Il Memphis will be hundreds of boys
land girls-she calls them my boys
land girls"-who have been reclaimed;
!who are good citizens, without court
lrecords," even though they did what
some call breaking the law"
i A trifle far fetched, but still not
an isolated case, still one which
shows the spirit with which some
look at the misdemeanors of boys
lis the story Judge Kelley, rare
twinkle in her eyes, tells of the
horse thief" aged s, and the castor
oil
E'Tt Is terrible" said a fevered femi-
nine voice over the telephone. There
is boy in the neighborhood who is
Il aeconfirmed horse thief. Something
/ must be done"
i Judge Kelley agreed that the case
needed a firm hand-from the &C
count over the wire. She sent an
officer to the boys home. 1t was
Il O. keen fondness for horses, so IT
seemed, that led Johnny to mount
the seat of every wagon he saw, and
sonetimes-he was only eight-he
"giddaped" to the horse and drove
away.
Even the boys mother smiled at
i the story the probation OFFICER re-
1 peated to her.
i Just as the officer arrived, Johnny
came in with a "tummy" ache and
a small fever. and the officers pun
ishment for Johnny's horse thieVlng
proClivities was the prescription OF a
dose of castor oil, which Johnny S
mother agree1 was the best thing.
4 A big Irish policeman, who mad
long forgotten he ever was boy
himself. caught several ragamuffins
| stealing bicycles. He hailed them
before Judge Kelley in the sitting
/ room court described by the famous
/ Judge Lindsey, of Denver. Judge
1 Kelley, pursuing her usual methods,
did not sentence the lads to a long
term in a boys penal institution, but
j gave them her panacea of correction
and love, sent them home, and never
heard from them again.
But the big policeman didn't like
it. and he made this remark to an
Iattendant:
Judge Kelley is dear little lady,
land a swat little Judge but she's too
Iaisy on the byes."
"Aisy on TIL Byes."
From the standpoint of the judge
of the criminal court, who handles
hardened criminals for crimes COM
mitted in their mature years, Judge
KELLEY is too aisy on the byes," but
seldom do the same "byes" come back
to her twice, and one visit at the
morning session of juvenile court
will convince the most skeptical that
Judge Kelleys method is "the ounce
of prevention" which ninety-nlne
times out of a hundred prevents any
need for the pound of cure" when
the youth of IL or Is reaches ma
turity.
And why?
| The boy or the girl, meets a pal
when he faces Judge Kelley. He not
only meets woman who has not
forgotten that she, too, was a girl
2ut woman who knows what a
SquaN deal is, and metes out a
square deal to every ragged boy and
tattereC, girl brought to her.
CIVIC governments in every corner
OF the United States have their eve
on the juvenile court of Memphis
Judge Kelley is ofttimes flooded with
requests for information as to her
methods. A leading magazine has
sent special writer to her court
from an Eastern city to describe her
work.
She is the only woman Juvenile
court judge in the world who is a
mother and one of the only two
women judges of juvenile courts. The
other woman is Katherine Sellers. of
Washington, d. c., appointed by
President Wilson.
Splendid Record.
/ But even this distinction is not the
1 greatest honor attached to the Mem
PMS Juvenile court. 1t is Judge KEEL
/ ley's procedure, and the results she
obtains, which make it stand out as
being more efficient, with perhaps
one exception-the famous court OF
Judge Ben Lindsey-than any iuve-
4 nile court in America, and that, OF
i course, means the civilized globe. OF
218 cases handled in October BY
i Juoge Kelley, only two were sent t
corrective institutions.
i And how does she do this?
i Leaving for a minute. the delight
i ful kiddie court of Memphis, follow
4 Judge Kelley into the fifth grade
4 room Of the Jefferson special school
a school for habitual truants anC
children who have proven continual
4 disturbers.
i 1t is Mrs. Kelley now, not Judge
4 Kelley" You notice this particular
4 ly as Judge Kelley looks over the
room. The little faces, some of the
brightest found in Memphis, simply
i CLEAN with happiness at her presence
4 Children" she said, you know
when anyone isn't on time in my
i court they are liable to be punished
and the delay puts me out consider
1 ably sometimes.
This morning | was late, and
/ put myself out, and now I'm going tC
| penalize myself. / am going to give
4sAFery child in the school a penny tC
Wput in his school bank account" But
| truly she was not "penalizing" her
self. She enjoyed it more than the
Riddles.
Lemon Drops Count.
Lemon drops have a lot to do with
Judge Kelley's success with the chill
dren of Memphis. Take it as fact or
figuratively, for it is both. Seldom
is Judge Kelley caught without a
stick of chewing gum or q bit OF