Evening star., 1934-03-21
FIRST LADY LAUDS
MISS FAY BENTLEY
New Juvenile Judge Pub
IicIy Congratulated at
Y. w. c. A. Dinner.

Miss Fay Bentley was publicly con-
graduated on her recent appointment
to the judgeship of the District Ju-
venile Court at a dinner at the Y. w.
c. A. last night attended by Mrs.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
The First Lady said the President
sent his best wishes to Judge Bentley
and remarked it took a long time to
get her where she was and where she
deserved to be. Miss Bentley received
a recess appointment but did not take
her place on the bench until she was
confirmed by the Senate some months
later.
Mrs. Henry Grattan Doyle, vice
president of the Board of Education.
presided. and DR.. William A. White.
superintendent of ST. Elizabeth; Hos
pital, was toastmaster. He said: We
are really here to congratulate the
children of the District. We believe
it is in their interest that she has been
appointed"
COnquerS Prejudice.
Justice Lawrence D. Groner of the
District Court of Appeals, whose job
1t was to welcome Judge Bentley into
the judiciary. admitted he had to con-
quer a masculine prejudice.
I have never until now had the
opportunity of welcoming into the
Judiciary one of the opposite SEX" he
said
This dinner, which was planned as
a Juvenile Court rally, served at the
same time as means of welcoming
Miss Bentley to her position and af-
forded the organizations with which
she will cooperate in her work an
opportunity to greet hor. There were
$50 in the room and an overflow of
some 200 more upstairs. At the head
table were Judge Bentley, Mrs. Doyle,
DR.. White, Judge Groner, DR.. Frank
Ballou, superintendent of schools;
Capt. Rhoda Milliken. chief of the
Woman's Bureau, and Miss Grace Alb
bott, chief Of the Labor Department S
Children's Bureau. Seated at other
tables were the representatives of the
% organizations which sponsored this
dinner.
Miss Abbott explained that the old
theory of punishment as a method
of treating crime was much easier
for a court to administer than the
new conception, which is treatment
of an erring child. She said that in
the Juvenile Court the objective is
cure, not punishment. In 80 per cent
OF the cases the facts are not in dis
pute, the question being what is to
be done to assist boy or girl in es-
tablishing the habit of right social
relationships, she asserted
Resources Held Inadequate.
Miss Abbott said the courts re-
sources for finding out what are the
basic causes of the miSconduc. of
children in the District are inadequate
and the resources for treatment of
the varying causes and difficulties
are even more inadequate. especially
in the case of colored children, who
constitute large percentage of the
Districts delinquent children. She
said the playground facilities are not
good, especially in the areas where
the delinquency rates are the highest,
and that the services which plan for
the care of the childrenS mental and
emotional life in the homes and in
schools and in the churches are in
sufficient.
Miss Abbott spoke highly of Judge
Bentley'S ability to foster a commu-
nifty movement which will change the
conditions that are now creating de-
linquents, by providing better and
more varied facilities for the treat
ment of children who develop wrong
relationships. She said she believed
Judge Bentley, with her knowledge
gained by years of experience with
truant children, will supply the under
standing of children and child life
which is SO necessary for an intelli-
gent planning to meet their needs.
She concluded with plea for more
money to help eliminate delinquency.