CHILDREN OF THE STATE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 5558, 8 April 1905, Page 10

CHILDREN OF THE STATE.

At a conference of charities and corrections, Timothy D. Hurley, of Chicago, recently spoke on “Tho Alother State and Her Juvenile Wards.” He said:—

“The greatest progress to the credit of statesmanship in the conservation of the welfare of the dependent, neglected and delinquent children which may be discovered in the history of the world’s legislation is that exhibited by the progressive States of the Union, led by Michigan, in the establishment of a public school for dependent and neglected children. f 'The Alichigan experiment challenged the attention of the friends of the children throughout the globe, and Franca sent a special commission to investigate tli© plan and effect of the new departure. The Michigan idea that the State is the mother guardian of every dependent, neglected, ill treated or delinquent child, and is directly responsible for their welfare, is so well settled in the minds of painstaking students of public affairs that the time cannot be far distant when it will he fully recognised in the legislation of ©very State. ‘There is something very nromiaing in the patriotic rivalry of tho States of the American Union to excel in tho statecraft which insures the greatest good to the greatest number, and now wo have Colorado proudly pointing to her stand in ‘the fight for childhood’ and to the fact that she was tho first and thus far the only State that by positive law places the responsibility for the delinquency of the child upon tho parent and the home. But Colorado is not alone to have credit for this feature of law dealing with juveniles, but also for having furnished to the world in the union© operation of her juvenile court in Denver the most convincing object-lesson of tho value of devotion arid enthusiasm to insure the best results of the administration of laws relating to children, their conduct and their rights which has evei been exemplified by any city in any country. A Denver judge says;—

‘ “ “Without intending any reflection upon the civil authorities or police department, we can gay that the boys in the juvenile court of Denver havo prosecuted and convicted more men for selling liquor and tobacco to children, for selling them fire-arms, junk dealers for purchasing stolen property, men for circulating immoral literature t in one year than the entire police department, Sheriff’s office and all other civil officers combined have done in twenty years.’ And'the Judge adds:—Tt has all been done on the square.’ ”