Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-02-18
YOUTH AND CRIME

The reader OF one Of our exchang-
es. the Boston Herald. turns from
the attractive portrait Of a messen-
ger boy. who at rs years of age be-
comes president Of bank in Indian
apolis, to an editorial from which is
the following:
dishonesty does seem to be in
creasing. Far the majority Of the
dishonest appear to be men. The
service Of unfaithful employees rang
es from six months to three years
before they are detected. Their dis
honesty Is largely caused by the
present-day notion that things now
are necessities which not long ago
were luxuries, to social unrest and
keeping up with the Joneses.' to the
craving Of things that cannot be at
forded on any cash basis and the
almost limitless extension of easy
credit. Family infidelity seems more
common. Evasion Of the law is
deemed a sport and not crime.
Courts are too lenient. There is a
growing disinclination to work.
The striking inference appears
that. contrary to the common belief,
few Of the men who purloin their
employers money are mixed up in
stock speculation. Equally striking
are the age statistics. With the
possible exception of one city the
dishonest are the young, their ages
ranging from II to 80. But most
embezzlers appear to be middle aged,
and even Older"
The Presbyterian Board Of Chris
ton Education has compiled data
from the county in which is the city
Of Indianapolis. These show that
for the decade ending 1923 the av-
erage age in burglary cases fell from
20 to 81; in robbery cases from %
to FL; in wife desertion from 81 to
&c: in criminal assault from SO to
81: in murder from 80 to &c. Evil
IDENTIFY youth is not precocious alone
in reaching the presidency of a bank.
With all the facilities of today for
acc uiring information it is not sur
prising the youth exhibit precocity
ana do not exhibit the restraints Of
mature years. All things considered
it is not surprising that youth along
with all the rest acquires an atti-
tude of not knowing what to believe.
/ The curriculum is so extensive. the
lack Of emphasis on fundamentals is
SO evident, that he acquires smat-
tering which enables him to appear
precocious and too often has little
or no conception of what mastery Of
a subject really means.
So we are led back to the school,
to the church and ultimately to the
home in search for the cause. Along
: with this Is needed a searching Of
hearts. 1t may occur that in the
latter, aid to solution will be found.
Possibly Petronius Arbiter knew
what he was talking about many
hundreds Of years ago when he said:
Parents deserve reproof when they
refuse to benefit their children by
severe discipline" He might have
added: first disciplining themselves.
Are we reaching the place where
tolerance Of youthful misdeeds be-
comes intolerable? The boy that
breaks windows for "the fun Of 1t"
should be compelled to replace them
in the sweat of his brow and the
travail Of his feelings. The minds Of
us all need to be impressed with the
idea that the price must be paid,
sooner or later. So much seems to
us evident. though we would not
venture even to suggest a cure for
prevailing cussedness. This is mere
ly a suggestion Of remedial agents.
We might do worse than to make a
beginning with these, sitter sentence
es by the courts, swifter work among
the criminal catchers and a general
stiffening Of the backbone Of author
ity.