The New York herald., 1921-01-23
JAILING GIRL TRUANT
REVEALS NEW NEED
Magistrate Brough Says Insti-
tuition Should Be Provided
for Wayward Youths.

A new need has been developed by
New York's truancy law, which provides
that an employed girl or boy past six
teen years of age without high school
certificate must attend continuation
school. Magistrate Brough. before
whom these older truants are brought
by the attendance officers. decided this
after he fined Agnes Mullady SIS last
week and gave her her choice of paying
the fine or enjoying the hospitality OF
the Tombs.
Agnes's Is the first case of truant
to go to Jail. The need that Magistrate
Brough discovered then is for some
place to send girls. most of whom are
incorrigible, where they would be under
the supervision of kindly women. who
would talk to the girls and possibly
check a career of independence or in
corrigibility before 1t is too late.
Magistrate Brough said yesterday
when seen at the Municipal Term Court
where every Thursday from rs to 100
truants are brought. that he did not
want to send any young girl to Jeffer-
son Market Court or the Tombs, al
though there was no alternative in
Agnes's case but to enforce the law. He
emphasized the fact that he had imposed
the lightest fine permitted by the law.
The truancy law was passed by the
1919 Legislature and it had the support
of the labor organizations, Magistrate
Brough recalled. 1t was thought at that
time that the law would compel en-
pioyers to permit their employees to at
tend school. 1t was not expected to re-
act against the employees. Instead Of
desiring to keep their young employees
out of school many firms have arranged
for them to attend school. some have
l,.I. e.lN T.. II
ings or In nearby buildings which the
employees are invited to attend free of
charge.
Girls Record Put in Court.
Agnes Mullady, the first girl to be
fined under the new law, is considered
an incorrigible by her family. said Mag
istrate Brough. Her father admitted
that he could not control the girl, he
said. Before Magistrate Brough was
complete report by an attendance Off
GER. which covered a period of several
weeks. 1t showed that the girl was ir-
regular in her employment and that she
would not obey her parents. He con-
tinued:
"The parents of many of the girls
and boys brought to us are hard work.
ing and most of them are foreigners
Ahty w iOt SpSeth VI uLQtI StdIu Oul
language. Bhe girls and boys learn
quickly and they put 1t over their
parents, particularly about attendir g
school.
The attendance officers try to find
work for a girl or a boy who needs it,
They tried to help Agnes Mullady, but
she would work only few days.
1T costs the city a great deal OF
money to maintain staff of some 800
truant officers The city operates
truant schools for the younger pupils
and continuation schools for the older
ones.
"A girl or boy who is past the age
of 16 and who is not high school
graduate is expected to attend con-
tinuation school twenty hours a week II
unemployed and four hours a week IL
employed. Most of them go without
causing any trouble. but occasionally we
have a stubborn case like Agnes Null
lady
i've put n number of these young
folks on probation. We don't treat any
of them as criminals. They are not
criminals. No girl or boy is handcuffed
when brought to court by a warrant
officer. And no girl or boy is sent TO
prison, or will be sent to prison, when
she Is trying to do the right thing Ten
per cent. of the continuation school
truants come from The Bronx and the
rest from Manhattan"