Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-07-12
FAIR
ENOUGH
BY Westbrook
PeeIer


tempts TO deal with hayward
ness in children, but il seems 10
me that their understanding is
Cranped by their politics.
La Guardis has been mayor
Of New York for about 10 years,
and Just at this time 1t is no
eXaggeration 10 say that child
of, say, II, is in greater corrup-
ton in some of the New York
public schools and particularly
in La Guardia's own residential
and political district of the city,
than he or she would be in GER
tain of the slightly gainful sum-
mer occupations which the
mayor proscribes.
Little criminals break into
the schools at night IN vacation
time and destroy furniture, ma
chinery and records and there
have been many cases of stab
hing and shooting, including the
episode in which two little girls
killed another in public school
in the presence of number of
other children and teachers.
Teachers have been punched
around and generally terrorlzed,
too, and there are reports Of
rocks being thrown through Mr..
La Guardia's own Harlem where
his personal and political pro-
tege. Vito Marcantonio, the only
unfalling spokesman of the
Communist party line in Con-
gress, officiates as the presiding
spirit of the New Deal.
THE mayor has reminded his
subjects that newspaper and
publishing plants are forbidden
areas of summer employment
for children under Is. Yet, ex-
cept for the influence of the
Communist members Of the
Newspaper Guild. of which Mrs.
Roosevelt is member, the
young would be better off, NOR
ally. and in less peril physically,
in the office of daily newspa-
per than in those public schools
under his own tight and auto
cratic jurisdiction. where not
mere mischief but downright,
dangerous criminality is ripe.
The Communists. OF course,
are devoted to the intentional
corruption of youth. This pro-
gram and details OF its opera
ton were set forth in the con-
fessional autobiography of Ben
iamin Gitlow the predecessor
of Earl Browder as the Amerl-
can chief of the Muscovite con-
spiracy.
Still, with few exceptions both
allied with the New Deal, the
New York newspaper plants are
so manned that the Communists
could not prevail over the better
example of the American men,
bers of the stats. who are, on
the whole, normally decent men
and women whose influence
would be good.
DOTH La Guardia and Mrs.
ID Roosevelt have indicated a
belief that poverty itself. is
stronger influence for corruption
in the young than the facts show
it to have been. They seem I'M
aware that we have in our midst
kind of people who might be
called Park Avenue Crackers or
rich trash, whose young. girls as
well as boys, turn out TO be buns
because their home influences
were rotten.
I never have seen in any OF
their givings on this subject an
appreciation of the fact that
squalor does not necessarily con-
sist of cracked plaster, bedbugs.
cold water plumbing and clut-
tered fire escapes but exist, as
cons picuous misbehavior has
shown. in certain country man.
sions of the hereditary gentry
and in their town houses off the
avenues.
The fact that relatively few
such children are committed 10
correctional schools may mis-
lead the mayor and the lady
who has demurely identified her
husband as the ruler of the
American people.
Money and position keep them
Ohl vi ldll anu tlICl boiiiNS CiA
the record.
THE mayor and Mrs. Roose-
Il welt have given too little
weight 10 the facts of external
influences. outside The home,
q which have weathered the char
acters of literally millions of
young adult Americans, and
present-day children have been
the most corrupt, greedy and
defantly indecent that have ever
before prevailed in the United
States.
Youth may not read supreme
court decisions htlt they cannot