Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-09-01
mot for to hide it in a hedge,
Not for q train attendant;
But for the glorious privilege
Of being Observation-Disclosures.
YOUTH AND CRIME

Of being Independent"
YOUTH AND CRIME
The tremendous increase In crime
among the youth Of the land insists
on attention. 1t will not be disre-
garded. When we learn that II
murder continues at the present
rate in this country 1900 will be
murdered in the next year; that only
ono out Of every hundred murderers
II punished. we are indeed dull II
we, do not perceive the need Of do
Ing something about 1t. The war
cannot longer be held responsible.
The youthful criminals were mere
boys and girls when the war was
fought.
It will not Help to undertake in
any hysterical fashion the solution
Of this problem which confronts US,
but there must be no lack Of energy
back Of the undertaking. Dean
Pound sootfes US with a comment
to the effect that there is nothing to
be excited about. If someone dear to
him happens to be included in the
eleven thousand murders that may
confidently be expected in the next
twelve months he may concede there
IL something deserving attention.
The third in a series of startling
and informative articles on THE
Great American Scandal written for
the Saturday Evening Post by
Richard Watson Childs treats Of
youth abd felony. 1t reveals an ap-
palling situation confirmed by facts,
such as that which tells us that in
the Great Lakes zone Is to so per cent
Of the offenders are under rs years Of
age. It Is kind of fact that may
not be lodged; it warrants Mr..
Clrld.s conclusion that we are living
in an era Of unrestrained youth.
While thinking on this it might
help to recall out Of our own expert
ence the rarity Of instances Of youth
that did not need restraint in some
fotm; also to look about and note
thu infyequency. nowadays, of such
restraint. We might recall that it is
but natural for youth to doubt and
toi experiment.. to supplement i'm
mature doubt with the Immature
conclusion. We know. If we know
anything about youth. that it needs
the aid Of others experience. We
wouldn't wish the youth to as
soeiate with a leper in his disregard
for the experience Of others; We
would not permit him to venture so
far in experimentation; this. al
though We indirectly permit him to
associate with moral lepers, by turn
Ing our backs most Of the time.
There is meat in the comment
made by one police chief to Mr..
Childs: youth gets one idea today.
It's this-the law is like fat old
parent who has just enough energy
to. take a child in its lap, and
fofbid a lot and scold a little, and
then cry a little and pet a lot. but
not enough energy to give a spank
Ing"
The woodshed as an adjunct of the
old home training has gone the way
Of the or cart into the shadows of
limbo. A municipal woodshed would
not be an adequate substitute,
though possibly some improvement
on present conditions. Of course
father and mother are too busy with
other details Of this life of abound
Int activities, many of which re-
sehble the antics Of the captive
squirrel in cage, to attend to the
requirements Of the ,woodshed. NUM-
cipal or other. Unless parental
substitute may prove successful the
regulatory influences of parenthood
may also be consigned to limbo.
One of Mr.. Childs conclusions is
that this new era Of youths con-
tribution to crime is clearly marked
by two distinct attitudes. The first
is that the rules of the game may
be. beaten. The second is that they
may be beaten with impunity."
These attitudes. by the way do not
seem characteristic solely of youth
but also somewhat so Of their elders.
Among the many things which some
Of. the parents assume to know is
that they, too, may in their own lives
disregard cause and effect; that the
wages of sin, the rules Of life, may
be. disregarded with impunity. II
there be logic in this it warrants the
conclusion that the modern home is
under grave responsibility and is
open to serious questioning.
What kind of home training can
those have had who accuse them
selves of crime they never committed
for the thrill of the notoriety?
Anything for thrill is the slogan
Of .callow youth, including murder.
How many Of these ever experienced
the thrills Of 3 wellvregulated wood
she'd? Never taught to respect the
rishts OF q properly regulated home
they have only contempt for the
rights of others, the pleasure or pain
Of Others. AMI, from what they read
ana hear. conclude there is nothing
TO fear II they do whatever The i'm
pulse prompts them to 60. Yet we
are owlishly looking for gland dis
orders to account for their cussed-
ness. They think they are smart