The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1924-02-13

penitentiary terms, in some cases.
In others, they were guilty of infractions of
the moral code, punishable not so severely, but
forbidden by every law Of religion, ethics and So
cial conduct.
A boy his eyes still dimmed with tears of
repentance, and realization of shame which the
judge had brought to him, leaving the court
room.
"What were the parents OF that boy thinking
Of" Judge Hubert said "He is not Is years old
and yet for two three years his parents have
given him full discretion, to come and go he
pleases. They ought to know boys of that age
cannot judge correctly, and are victims of i'm
pulses.
"For that matter, what were the parents of
the girls of the Alpha Iota Sorority thinking of
to permit their daughters to go to public hotel
and give dance in which it possible for un-
invited youths to enter?
"And those parents must have known tina.
some of the boys who attended, if they even both
cred to know a dance was being given by THEN
daughters, would have something to drink
1t is common knowledge high school boys
drink, and think it smart to do So Of course, l
do not include ali high school boys in that state
ment.
81 do not want to. be understood as condemn
than do thousands of other parents who give
their sons and daughters the same discretion.
I know it to be true that the average high
school boy or girl is given practically unlimited
discretionary powers by his or her parents
81 know it is common thing for girls of that
age to start for dances at II o'clock at night.
hat Of and rlc of
that age take automobile rides to club houses and
spend the week-ends there.
81 know that conditions arise through such
unlimited discretion being granted youths with
out matured judgment which would be unbeliev-
able if the facts were not only admitted but ver-
fed
Il know such things are much more common
than five years ago, year ago, and
time.
"The psychology Of the youth? What makes
them do such foolish things?
"Why, it is natural for children of that age
to kick over the traces unless they under
firm, affectonate and wise control.
"They have all the activity and energy and
potential powers of adults with none of the sea.
soning of experiences, rpened into judgment that
''They have all the means of making fools of
themselves automobiles, money, whisky tina:
their elders possess, and have mad nc experience
to teach them those particular types of fires burn
Deep"
Judge Hubert sighed and hestated Their
he said:
"There are parents who do keep control OF
their children of that age They fine people
Yet some say they doubt the wisdom OF their
course; that they are not they are doing
right in not giving their children the same free
dom other children.
"They say their daughters are ostracized and
therefore unhappy because they are not permit
ted the same measure of irresponsible freedom
to get into trouble the other girls.
81 wish could take every parent in Detroit
into my full confidence. l could tell them OF
young girls, many of them, who have beei'
brought into this court with stains upon their re-
putations and characters which will never be
erased, all because of too much liberty at an age
when the child had no right to such liberty and
the parents no right to give it TO her-or him.
81 could tell of many, many parents who
have come to me, heartbroken, begging for ad-
vice as how to deal with darling daughter or
son for whom they had had such high hopes.
1.-THE psychology of the child? 1t is that OF
the home!" -~a~.i <s'