New Britain herald., 1924-08-05
PARENTS TOO EASY
 WITH CHILDREN
Which Causes Much Juvenile De- linQuency-Some Local Cases

Too great lsnieney of parents ih dealing silh their children Is respoh' sibls for majority of the delinqusnls reported to the local welfare assoela' tion for remedy, according 10 Miss Cora Reale, the secretary Of Inc or gani1ation, Many parents make no sfori to gmdu or correct their young stsrs, while others are too much ll' elinsd 10 grant every wish Of thelf children, When parents are ill or when one IS dead, these conditions are aggravated and harder 10 Feelliy' but the local bureau is moi discouraged 10 its efforts, which are usually success ful. Harsh or thoughtlsss ireathleht Is responsible for most of the runs sways, the larger part Of whem' when home conditions have been oellefel' show no inclination 10 repeat the at' tempt. If variety is the spice or life' Miss Beale and her assistants are llV- Ing. as may be seen from several "N- smples of tn. work they are called upon to perform.
 A certain school reported that sev- sral girls were missing money rom the eoatroom, One l year old girl was suspected. so she was earelhiiy watched on her entrance 10 sehool and seen to take loose change rom other pockets than her own. She was forced 10 return that money and was taken home. where it was found that her mother had been to lenient with her. Because Of this. she was given smother opportunity. with A warning that any further misdeed would cause her 10 be sen. to the juvenile court. Impressed and chastcned. the girl soon went to work and paid back all the money which she had previously stolen, and no further complaints have been made,
 The attendance buleau reported thata II year old miss was frequent ing the movies. often in the company of boys. Although her attendance at school was fair, her record Of work was poor and she resented the inter ference of the authorities in her ar fairs. She was forced 10 report weekly and showed considerable im- pavement in both her marks and her attitude toward the authorities.
 Got Money For Father
 A girl of IS, who worked but was forced to hand over her money to her father, who spent most of it on drink. sickened of these hard conditions in her home and ran away. Brought back by the welfare association. she was allowed to live with friend for . few weeks, while welfare workers and the family clergy improved her home conditions by talks with her parents. Soon she returned home and is now happily aiding in supporting the family.
 Frequently runaway girls have to be brought home and made to report weekly to the association. In most cases there Is no further trouble. and their school work and attendance show considerable improvement.
 Sometimes the workers run up against what appears to be the fa- nous "immovable object" When children are left without their mother. it is hard for the father to assume the responsibilities of both parents. An energetic, fiery Italian father tried to do this, but failed to realize how his children needed maternal affec- ton, which the welfare authorities were trying to provide. Deeming this Interference" he forced his 12 year old daughter to become housekeeper.
 Her brother. but little smaller than herself, resented being ordered around by his sister and made life miserable for her. She ran away sev- eral times after receiving brutal whip pings for failure to keep the house in good order. The father always asked for forgiveness and the girl returned but welfare workers, seeking to better conditions permanently, were fre- auently chased out of the house. Finding him incurable, the welfare workers have turned their attention to the children, who one by one have been taken from the house by the workers or have left of their own ac- cord: all have turned out well in their new locations
 First offenses rarely call for an ap- pearance in the juvenile court, as a warning is usually sufficient to bring the child back on the right path. If in spite of the warning. the same de- linquency is repeated, a summons to explain to the judge is in order.