Evening star., 1946-10-20
Juvenile Delinquency
Womem's Federation Of Clubs
Stirring to Aid Children
By Gretchen Smith
Women's Club Editor

-
club Editor
days OF national conference 70,
the prevention and control OF juve-
nile delinquency under the auspices
of the Department Of Justice. The
conference, however, will be held
next month and the fact that the
Government considers the problem
important enough to hold q ma
tional conference focuses attention
on what to do about it."
Fifteen years ago, long before
the Children's Museum was found
ed, Miss Young helped Introduce
the first children's plays to Wash
ington. She was convinced, she
declares. that children would find
a beneficial interest in good enter
tainment. She was not mistaken
and the plays proved so popular
with both children and parents, it
was impossible to accommodate all
wishing to attend.
Miss Young was equally convinced
that the. museum would prove a
popular rendezvous for children
during out-of-school hours. Again,
she was right in her theories, and
during the four years the museum
existed at the Villa Rosa, hundreds
of children found "a chance to
find their own aptitudes, as the
director expresses it, in art, music
and drama as well as scientific
fields.
No one who attended the annual
birds Christmas tree will forget
the delight and interest OH the
chiIdren's faces when hundreds OF
birds alighted on the great tree
outside the villa to feast on the
strings of berries and nuts which
had been made and placed on the
tree by the children. Most of the
youngsters could tell the names Of
every bird they saw.
Inside the villa weekly art exhibits
were held, the paintings done by
small artists, members Of the mu-
scum. On the grounds during sum-
mer months, children, with love
for drama, interpreted self-written
plays while others with more prac-
tical leanings, modelled clay In a
workshop or built puppets for mari
onette plays.
These are the activities which
Miss Young believes will keep chill
dren off the streets on Saturdays
and help combat some of the prob
lens which are worrying parents
and officials.
Influenced by Plays.
Children's plays, she contends, will
offset some Of the undesirable in
fluences of moving pictures insult
able to juveniles, and the juveniles,
she argues, prefer these plays to the
movies.
Every year when the children's
plays come to Washington, Miss
Young puts aside two large blocks
Of seats in the orchestra for guests
Of 1.-THE Pleasure Fund" These are
underprivileged children to whom
the performance is a treat to be
of weeks before and after
1t takes place.
For the first time this year, Miss
Young explains, over 1000 more
children can be accommodated in
the Lisner Auditorium to see the
children's plays than were in pre-
vious years, when the performances
were held at the National.
Miss Young recalled how few
years ago, local policewoman, in
terested in the question OF juvenile
delinquency over and beyond her
duty, would offer some OF her small
friends the promise Of a ticket to
the children's plays If they would
mend some of their mistaken ways.
These included smashing windows
in vacant houses, hanging around
moving picture houses trying to
crash the gates, and = variety OF
other nuisances. The reward for
good behavior proved so effective
that the policewoman's small cul-
prits rarely became "repeaters" fol-
lowing their first attendance at a
play, Miss Young declared.
The museum director commented
on the efficacy of programs in which
children are invited to participate.
eve could never have succeeded
with the children's plays this winter
if it had not been for some OF our
museum boys and girls" she said.
"They have assisted with the tickets,
answered the telephones, sent out
literature and done innumerable
important things. The only COM
pensation they ask is q ticket to a
play"
Instead of asking what can be
done?" Miss Young believes that a
Children's Museum brought back to
Washington would be step for
ward in controlling the local prob
lem of juvenile delinquency.