Indiana daily times., 1921-05-16
Kindness Rescues Ann
From, Career of Despair
Unfortunate TrdnsgressOr ShOW51 the Right
W0y' ard FOIIOUs 1t Faithfully.

'. I
day hope to marry Ann" And a joy
GUS smile, the first IN many days, crept
over the face of the girl.
AIDS GIRL
IN EXTREMITY.
believe l shall be forgiven for taking
more time than was absolutely necessary
to telephone about trains, and to nego-
tiate with Miss Markowitz, secretary to
the Judge, for money from the courts
charity fund for AIMS railway ticket.
The judges secretary is a valuable ally
where a homeless girl is concerned.
These matters arranged, we four, Ann,
the two soldiers and probation cffiaer,
crossed over to the jail When the iron
door had closed on the girl she looked
through the bars long enough to catch
the words of her soldier-lover: dot,
be a good girl, and some day l vii
come for you, and we will be happy IN
our own home" Turning to me he said
AZ am grateful for all you have done for
my little Dot, and am sure she is, too"
The following morning Ann emerged
from the Jail fairly radiant. Color was
in her smiling, happy face and Joy In
the dancing eyes
RESOLVES TO
TURN OVER LEAF.
tits all right now" said a CHEEKY
voice, and the eyes said so, too. viii
says he win come for me, but he will
get the consent of mother first. want
to be good now so he will not be ashamed
of me. l will mind mother and help her
until he comes"
AS we walked to the station ] saw
there had been a transformation. Surely
this sweet, lovable girl was not the
"court case" Of yesterday.
The tell-tale, guilty look when all
prisoners have had disappeared. There
was eager hope in the pretty eyes. Ihe
humiliation of the court scene had be-
gun to give place to the blessed for
ward look which only youth knows. she
had been closer to the brink where lurk
defeat, disgrace than she realized.
was looking into the soul of one OF
Gods children, and l was thankful to
have been near her in the crisis.
ANN KEEPS SACRED
HER PROMISE.
A letter followed Ann. Yes, two. One
to the secretary of the Y. W. Z. a. OF
her town, another to the woman there
who above all others loved girls and
mothered them. Months afterwards,
note came saying Ann was keeping her
promise. and that VIII had been there
on a visit and that mother" was
pleased.
1t is lucky for Ann that she was not
born fifty years ago. / am wondering
how a Judge would have dealt with her
then. 1t would have been his duty to
see that Ann was properly punished.
He would have regarded her as crimi-
nal. He would have locked her up
so as to protect society. He would
have made of her an example to deter
others from similar offenses. He would
not have concerned his worthy head,
this Judge of fifty years ago, with AIMS
welfare, either while serving sentence or
after release.
In those days "the State committed
crimes against criminals" and we are
told "did great injustice to young and
first offenders. to those who broke the
law through ignorance or by accident, or
under the influence of great temptation,
or through the stress of circumstances,
or the force OF environment over which
they had no control or were powe1!ess to
overcome"
MORE HUMANE
METHOD NOW USED.
Today "the new and more humane
method of criminal procedure that en-
braces the probation system" says
noted New York Judge, includes the
three elements above mentioned, but 1t
adds another which is far more impor-
tant than either or all of the three. That
Is the reclamation and reformation of
the offender herself By giving her in
Rpfration and encoura cement and afford
ing the opportunity and the means by
which she can make of herself a useful,
self specting and law abiding citizen.
Is it possible to understand girl?
Is 1t possible for her to understand her
self2 Did Ann really know why she
cane to indianapolis
Was it because her town was dull,
monotonous7 Did she yearn for the
thronged streets, the gay shop windows,
the dazzling electric light that adyer-
tised the movies she so loved?
Was II because mother was tired when
she came home from work and ,scolded
because the house was not clean and
sumner ready? Or was sister cross and
fretful and careful to hold to the precious
paw envelope with it's $12 from the fac
tory Saturday night?
AIMS PROBLEM
is UNIVERSAL.
Had a girl friend conffded to Ann that
lots of soldiers were at the camp and
they had dances there?
If Ann's problem were only individual.
It would not be so serious. Since 1t is
universal, 1t IS our problem-yours and
mino.
AS complex as are the forces creating IN
every city and town the girl problem, we
can perhaps learn something of Its fundn-
mental causes
Science tells Us that ''the senses Of
youth are singularly acute, and ready to
respond to every vivid appeal, that nature
herself has sharpened the senses for her.
own purposes and is deliberately es-
tabishing a connection between them and
the future Of the race. 1t would seem,
however, that she was totally uncon-
cerned that this force ruthlessly seized
the youth at the moment when he was
least prepared to cope with it; not only
because his powers of self-control and
discrimination are unequal to the task,
but because his senses are helplessly open
to the world"
HOW MODERN CITY
INCREASES PERILS.
Let us see how the modern city in
creases youths perils.
Jane Adams, Chicago,s Joan Of Arc"
says In her book, 1.-THE Spirit of Youth
and the iCty Streets" 1.-THE newly
awakened senses are appealed to by all
that is gaudy. by the fIippant street
music, the highly colored theater posters.
the trashy love stories, the feathered
hats, the cheap heroics OF the revolvers