JUVENILE IMMORALITY

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8674, 14 July 1906, Page 7

JUVENILE IMMORALITY

— . » .. ..- SOME STRONG ' OPINIONS. Within tlfee laat^few day©, two young girls wero brought before the Magistrate's and the Juvenile Courts respectively, bharged with wandering about the streets at night. In the evidence it was shown that the girls were in, the habit of being about the streets at all hours, in most questionable company ; and the appearance of »t least one of the'girte was sufficient indication of the temble effect of her behaviour was hftving upon one so young. Yesterday, a " LytteltoA Times " reporter made some inquiries in various quarters regarding the prevalence of this sort of thing, rle went first to Mr Smaijt, whose connection with rescue work' enabled him to speak with authority on the subjectMr Jimiail said that there was undoubtedly a great deal of juvenile immorality in Christchurch, though perhaps not more than in other large towns in the oolony. Of the girls who so behaved in their youth, there was a proportion who were infallibly qualifying for a- life of immorality- Mr Smail eaid he thought a great influence in the encouragement of immorality among young people was the free sale of preventives. He was led to believe, by what he had seen and known of those who had come under his observation, that these preventives

w«r« easily obtained. The very best results would, he was sure, follow from some legislation to control the dispersal of the appliances. He did not even hint that the police were hot doing all that oould be done by them to prevent the increase of immorality. On the contrary, they were doing .excellent work, and the whole services of two constables h<md been devoted to this special work. But he pointed out that they were not able to deal with the phase under consideration. They could not really interfere with a girl (unless ahe were committing some other offence) until she was actually soliciting prostitution, and ahe wae in a very bad way by' that time. Mr Smail said another cause of immorality among the young was climatic, influence. Parent* who hiad come from the Old Country did not recognise that children, matured jn tJiis colony at a much earlier age th»n they themselves did at Home. Thus they regarded a girl of, say, fourteen years of age as quite unlikely to become involved in trouble, whereas she_ was as open fct> wrong influence as a girl oi' eighteen in Orreat Britain. In this con r nection it would bo recognised that there was too great a tendency to allow young girl? to go to picnic after picnio unchaperoned. Mr oraail said he had experienced cas-qs in which the parents were absolutely astonished at the poseibility that anything was' wrong or had been wrong when trouble was brought to their doors; and there was, further, a tendency for moraj' mothers never to suspect that -their daughters niight be prone to mischief, and to neglect simple precautions on that laocount. In conclusion. Mr Smail said that while there were many pcopk who might take exception to the diecuesion of the subject in public, it was ope that 6hould be faced boldly, for, if it was not, nothing effeotual coald b« 4one in checking the evil. A. doctor, interviewed on the subject, supported Mr Smail throughout, speaking in the strongest twros. In respect to the appliances inferred to, he aaid the place "feeked with them." They . were procurable with the greatest faoility. Why the Government ehould legislate against immoral literature, whose injui'iousness wae secondary, and take absolutely no steps in regard to these pornicioue things, he could not imagine. There should either be a very heavy duty upocn them, making them a very .expensive luxury, ot they Should be excluded from the colony altogether. . Juvenile immorality was most deplorably rife in Christchurch, among both sexes; and undoubtedly a great factor in this was the early ma- j turing of children in the colony. Furthermore, and apart from the juvenilemisbehaviour, i there was, he said, a terrible amount of disease, some of it in. the most severe forms, in this young country. But the- subject opened up by these two questions was an enormous and cUfficult one, that must not bo lightly discussed, but needed taking earnestly in hand. He considered that venereal diseases should be classed among other ailments of which the Health authorities required to have notice, and that subjects should be kept apart from, the rest of humanity till they were cured. Regarding the wandering of young girls, the doctor said h© was often disgusted at the sight of mere children at 'large at night, consorting with men, and appearing to be

I on speaking terms with almost every jnan that passed. Boys under a certain age were prohibited from smoking cigarettes, because it was harmful ta 1 Lhem. Was it not, then, absolutely fair I that the law should prevent girle under I a certain age being at large, and should j arrest them if they were ?