Evening star., 1939-03-28
Doctors Help
Required in
This Case
Policeman Cannot
Stop Youngsters
From Pilfering
BY ANGELO PATRI.

Bill, aged 6l2, has become a great
problem to his father and mother
He steals anything and everything
he can lay hands on-not just child
ish pilfering for the fun of accumu-
lation, but stealing for selfish ends.
He goes to the grocery store, starts
the clerk measuring out pound and
a half-mind the half-of butter,
and whisks away with handful of
candy bags, three bits of gum and a
bag Of popcorn, good armful. He
stops in at the bakers and helps
himself literally there. The hard
ware store keeper sees him enter
with alarm, for he knows that when
he goes out some of his stock will 60
with him.
His father and mother have taken
him back to the stores. made him
confess his thefts, restore them or
the money, kept him isolated while
his companions played, deprived him
of things he wanted, whipped him,
and still he steals.
I'm going to tell the policeman
about him and ask him to come in
and scare the life out Of him." said
his father. 1--WE tried everything
else and failed"
That will fail, too. Once the officer
threatens him the boy will UNDER
stand that he is another helpless
person who can't do a thing with
him. He may be frightened, shiver
and turn pale, but once that officer
leaves without taking him along, he
knows. Not only will he have lost
fear Of the police, but learned that
they are not so much to be dreaded
as he thought, and soon he will be-
come familiar with them, and that's
the end of him usually. Once boy
gets a court sentence it is very hard
to turn him to normal behavior.
What is to be done with such chill
dren? Take them to responsible
physicians, those who have exper-
ience with wayward children, with
nervous diseases of childhood, the
experts in the clinics for children,
and tell the truth, as fully as you
know 1t, about the child's behavior.
Let him test and examine the child
in search of the cause of his be-
havior. Nothing can be done to cure
him until that cause is found.
This usually takes time and pa
tience, but 1t is the only thing to
be done. Punishment will not help.
Only removal of the cause can pos
sibly work the desired change. Some
times such children need medicine,
sometimes an operation, sometimes
a change of home and school. None
knows until the child has been stu
died exhaustively.
When parents feel that they must
have outside help they should call
on the expert teacher, physician and
clergyman. The doctor knows what
to do for the ailing body. The
clergyman knows how to cure the
sick soul. And the teacher can direct
the parents to the school, hospital
or specialist best fitted for the child S
need.
The policeman is, and hopes to be,
the friend Of children. He finds
them when they are lost, he protects
them from danger, rescues them In
emergency. He hates to be called
in to discipline bad" children be-
cause he knows that he cannot help
in this field and that anything he
can do will result only In more trou-
BILE. He knows because he has life
time of experience in his own de-
partment. He serves there willingly
and well. Don't ask him to do what
he cannot do, what ought never to
be done. Call in the doctor, the
teacher and the clergyman. Cure,
don't punish, helpless children.
(Copyright, 1939.)