Evening star., 1935-05-19
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

A letter printed in The Star of
May 13, 1885. written evidently, to
c,hoo1, on5 judge from the
SCHOOLS and nom de plume
Hoodlumism. Trustee" by a
member Of the
Board Of Education, thus discusses the
question of juvenile delinquency:
In a recent interview with Com
missioner EdmondS, published in your
paper, reference is made to the opin-
ion of certain policemen to the effect
that the expulSions of boys from the
public school is the most efficient
cause of vagabondage in the District,
and it is hinted that the school au-
thorities should refrain from resort
ing to expulsion as punishment. On
pretty thorough knowledge of the
facts I dissent from that opinion.
The number of boys, both white and
colored, expelled from school and not
restored averages about 100 q year.
Some Of them are put to work. others
leave the city, and few are sent
to private schools; the rest are not
numerous enough to constitute the
gangs of hoodlums that infest this
city and Georgetown.
Besides, the boy does not become
a hoodlum because he is expelled; he
is expelled because he is already one.
He shows himself in school insolent,
shameless, turbulent and disobedient;
he is too tough TO be nodded by school
drill; too far gone in vice and black
guardism to be reached by advice, ex-
poStulation, entreaty or the moderate
punishments permitted in the schools.
At least a point is reached when the
question is. shall the boy be expelled
or the whole school demoralized?
How can he be kept? The school
building is not a police station with
a prison annex; nor is there a whip
ping post, and the teacher Is lady
who has no taste for welding the
cowhide. The public school Is not a
reformatory.
THE true cause of hoodlumism lies
not in the public schols, but in de-
fective or bad homes; in orphanages,
in the neglect, ignorance or brutality
or vices Of parents. Hoodlums do
not come out of happy family circles,
out of homes where the hearts of
children find the affection they crave
and their hands and minds natural
occupation; but they abound where
peevishness, sulkiness, drunkenness,
Selfshness and stupidity have de-
stroyed all the loveliness Of home.
| Children run in gangs on the streets
| at night, because there at least they
find something to interest and make
them forget the tiresomeness. discom-
| forts and ul-humor of the dwelling.
! There too, they learn vice.
Who can make the homes attrac-
tive? Not the teachers or the schools.
These can help good parents; they
can't reform bad ones. This is the
work Of the preacher, the priest, the
church and the press. When par.
ents learn to make home attractive
there will be no hoodlums to speak
Of and no expulsions from school.
"The extent of parental remissness
may be grasped from the fact that in
December, 1888, the whole number
of white children on the school rolls
was l6,479 and in the following June
the average daily attendance was
only 1928. Here was a falling of
of more than 5000, of which number
not more than so were caused by ex-
pulsions! The greater part of the re-
mainder may fairly be attributed to
the Indifference, weak indulgence and
thoughtlessness of the persons having
charge of children. Speaking gen.
orally, the discipline of the public
schools Is far better than that Of
the homes: and. in very many cases,
it is the only means of teaching boys
punctuality, promptness and obedi-
ence to law. But it is folly to expect
it to counteract all the bad effects OF
wretched home surroundings"