Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-01
INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL
FOR WHITES ASKED
BY JUDGE SELLERS
Existing Facilities for Boys
"UtterIy Inadequate
She Declares.
REPORT SEEKS POWER
OVER RELIGIOUS WORK
Juvenile Court Receipts Show In
crease to $751; e2 in Year, With
Fewer Delinquents.

Characterizing existing facilities for
the care of delinquent children as ut
terly inadequate" Judge Kathryn Sci
lers of the District juvenile Court, in
her annual report made public today.
recommended the establishment Of a
proper" industrial school for white
BOYS which would be comparable to the
Blue Plains Industrial School for COL
ored boys.
Such an establishment, Judge Sellers
contended, would reduce the commit
ment of boys to the National Training
School for Boys.
In her report Judge Sellers demand
ed authority to regulate the religion OF
custodial agencies and persons.
Would Foster Religion.
I'VE all believe" her report asserted.
shat unless We hold the children IN our
churches, the churches will cease 10
exist. 1 am personally of the opinion
that one reason for the falling on IN
church attendance of the younger group
is that the persons responsible Tor tnelr
rel rious training have so few nXeo
opinions In regard to religious matters
that they are unable to make lasting
impression upon the child In their care.
Granting to every human being the
right to change his or her religious II
filiations, we still must agree that sucn
change better would be deferred until
wears of discretion are reached. In this
dav of changing conditions, so many
things seem unstable that every effort
should be made to hold the child nrm
in the tenets of the faith in which ~
has happened to have been born.
I'VE ought, therefore, to safeguard
these children when removing them
from their homes and so place them
that their religious training Will De
carried on according to the renglous
views of their parents. 1t Is well, now
ever. to consider this from the point oil
view of the child; that Is. consider the
childs religion. II the child has been
baptized in a certain religious group
the child belongs to that group. II I'M
baptized. it should belong to the re-
ligious group to which its parents be-
long"
Court Receipts Increase.
Judge sellers report revealed that
receipts of the Juvenile Court for the
fiscal year just ended exceeded those OF
the previous year. The total receipts
for the past fiscal year were $75.592.l2.
This sum has been exceeded only once
IN the rs years of existence OF the
court, the report pointed out, and that
was in 1928, when the courts jurisdic-
ton was expanded and the receipts
totaled SIS, 1880
Receipts during the 1s29-30 fiscal
year aggregated $74,692.25.
Significance also was attached to the
fact that IS fewer children were co n
mitted to training schools this year than
last. thus resulting in a saving Of
$40. 900 for their upkeep.
The total number of delinquent chill
dren cases handled during the fiscal
year lust ended was 1873, compared
with 2,0o3 the year before. A large
ma jority of the cases handled were
those OF colored boys. In addition to
1913 delinquency cases disposed Of Of
ficially. 498 were handled unofficially.
The court also exercises jurisdiction in
HO8 adult cases.