Evening star., 1929-12-08

units of the schoolboy patrols
sponsored by the American
Automobile Association, are
growing by leaps and bounds, moi
only in the District of Columbia
but in the counties of neighbor-
ing States.
The work of these school chill
dren is meritoriouS. Undoubtedly
they are playing an important
part in safeguarding the lives OF
many tots on their way to and
from school, and it is true also
that many adults have been pro-
tected from injuries from time to
time by the alertneSS of the patrol
members.
Criticism Unwarranted.
Some criticism may be made in
q few instances of the patrols be-
cause one individual may have
been a little too playful and not
Serious-minded enough But these
cases are so infrequent and al
most always corrected that even
thought of them seems to be un-
warranted. These patrols are
playing a great part in the life and
affairs of the National Capital.
and lessons from the present work
is sure to leave a training of care
fulneSS in the minds of these chill
drer long after they have
grown up.
The schoolboy patrol has the
Endorsement of the director of
traffic, the traffic bureau, mem
berS of the police force and heads
OF the majority of civic organiza-
tlons. The citizens of Washington
should be unanimous in their CO.
operation and praise.
During the last month the Dis
trict of Columbia division of the
American Automobile Association
has organized 26 new units in the
schools of this community, bring
ing the total number of patrols
to 174, which is SO more than were
operated in the District and vi
clnlty during the school year 1928
29. One of the interesting fea-
lures of this growth has been re-
corded in nearby Virginia, where
10 new patrols have been eStab-
IShed so far this year. Maryland
has participated also in this re-
Spect by organizing two new pa
trolls. To all of these the Ameri-
can Automobile Association sup
plies the distinctive white Sam
Browne belt and metal badges for
the. use of the boys of the patrol
while on duty.
Other A. A. A. Activities.
In addition, in furtherance of
the safety campaign, plaSterS are
sent each month as a means of
VlSuallzlng some safety lesson, and
most of the schools also avail
themselves of the specially pre-
pared safety lesson sheets which
are published by the A. A. A.
These have been arranged by an
educator and are so planned as to
fit into the regular school curricu-
lum as parts of the various courses
already being given.
There are at the present time
128 patrols in the District public
schools, two in private schools and
"a in the parochial schools of the
city. Alexandria and Fairfax
Counties, Virginia, lead in the out
of-town patrols with six each,
while Fauquier and Loudoun
Counties have three each. The
Maryland patrols are located at
Cabin John and Silver Spring.
This growth of the A. A. A. pa
troll movement means that there
are at the present time about 1000
school children who are daily
practicing safety measures and
who are at the same time in
SlStlng that their schoolmateS dc
likewise. According to reports re-
celved the total number of chill
dren thus protected in Virginia
and Maryland alone by the 20 pa
trolls is $500 and in the District
of Columbia it is estimated that
$4,000 children are being safe
guarded.
"Teacher-Judge" SchuIdt.
Gus A. Schuldt, presiding magis-
trate of the Police Court and often
judge of traffic cases, is having the
title of "teacher-judge" given him.
1t is indeed complimentary and
is made note of in a recent pub
lication of the American Road
Builders. 1t states, in part: Since
assuming the bench, Judge
Schuldt has become intensely in
tereSted in traffic matters. He be-
lieveS in traffic education and is
constantly streSSing the doctrines
or traffic law obedience. He has
been called the teacher Judge be-
cause of his practice of teaching
traffic ViolatorS the meaning Of
the regulations. Before each de-
cislon the judge gives little talk
as to the regulation, why it was
adopted, the need for it and the
consequences of its violation. The
defendant thus. often the first
time, viSualizes the regulation and
its Importance.
That the Judge is proud of his
new appellation is evidenced by
his sending the above clipping to
this column.
The Low Number Appeal.
Each year in Washington and
elsewhere is a demand for low
numbers on license tags by many
motorists. Some just want to be
different from the rest and others
have misguided idea that a low
number will influence a police
man in letting the driver off for
some traffic violation. The motor
iSt thinks that the officer will be
impressed by the low tag number
and will think that the owner
must be one of some Importance.
Such an nnininn is certainly a fall