Note and Comment

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 28, 1912

Juvenile and Divorce Courts

IN every phase of human existence changing conditions create new demands. Our forefathers found little need for courts of law particularly set apart for the trial of divorce suits, and there was but little, if any, demand for the creation of courts to deal particularly with juvenile delinquents. Both of these methods of judicial procedure, however, seem to be necessities of our advancing but not bettering civilization. The growing spirit of moral degeneracy which has invaded all classes of society, and even the sanctity of the home, has created this demand. The old-time simplicity of the home is largely lost. Instead of finding joy and contentment in simple, quiet ways, there is a reaching out for excitement and amusement. Speaking of this, the Sun, of Springfield, Ohio, for Aug. 20, 1912, says:—

The people are more and more finding their amusements in the streets. The moving-picture show, the public parks, and the varied attractions of the city have all combined to lead the pleasure seeker away from home and out into the streets at night. Where a quiet game of the old-fashioned sort formerly sufficed for the family, a night parade about the down-town streets with their usual amusements is now considered a necessity.

It would be too much to expect that this spirit would not have its effect upon the youth.

The children have followed the example of their elders in this search for amusements. They, too, demand a constant change, and it is here that the damage is wrought. Parents no longer demand of their daughters an explanation of their whereabouts at night. Any sort of an excuse is deemed sufficient to account for the three or four hours between supper and the time the girl comes home to sleep. The mothers no longer sit up to await the home-coming of their children, and in the laxity of the parents the ruin of thousands may be found.

In consequence, as portrayed by the Sun, the following conditions may be found in practically every city and village of any considerable size:—

A trip through the down-town streets after dark will show even the most casual observer that the juvenile delinquents are increasing in numbers. Everywhere can be found girls, painted and powdered, in dresses scarcely reaching to their ankles, on the hunt for a good time. They do not hesitate to approach a stranger, and by their suggestive actions and loud laughter seek to attract the attention of pedestrians. Sometimes they travel in crowds, and again they stroll about in couples; but a close watch shows them later in the evening generally in the company of some young boy or man whom they have literally found on the street. Occasionally one of the girls falls into the hands of the authorities of the juvenile court; but the majority of their stories are never told.

These conditions are a sad commentary upon our much-vaunted civilization of the present day. Many commendable efforts are being made at the present time by missionary societies at home and abroad, by charitable and philanthropic organizations, by earnest men and women who are seeking the betterment and uplifting of their fellows; but the fact remains that regardless of all these efforts a spirit of terrible degeneracy is fast taking hold upon the individual life of the nation. Barriers of integrity are being broken down, and we are face to face to-day with painful conditions in our social life. We fear it will be impossible to stem the onsweep of the fearful tide. Our only hope is in raising the warning cry, and seeking to save as far as possible our fellows from being engulfed in the fearful vortex.