Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 1.djvu/654

 Number of children having neither parents living 14

Number of children having one parent living 191

Number of children having both parents living 477

Children of native American parents 348

Children of foreign parents 333

Children of vicious or immoral parents 76

Children of incompetent or careless parents 362

Children of capable parents 246

Delinquents dismissed with warning 334

Results, good 302

Return to court on other charges 32

Apparent reformation, resulting in uniform good conduct in. . .377

Great improvement in 121

Some improvement in 75

Failed so far (at Reform School) 17

Ran away, not returned 4

The observation and conclusion of the judge of the juvenile court is that the youth who is convicted of a serious crime, as a rule has been known as a bad boy for several years.

But there are exceptions to all rules. Not every criminal begins so young. But so large a majority of them do that we may safely say that if boys did not form criminal habits, there would be practically nothing for the criminal courts to do.

Parents whose boys grew to the age of twenty without having committed any crime, may rest in confidence that they never will. The chance is very remote for a beginning in crime after that age.

Another fact accepted by all who have made a study of the subject is, that the adult criminal is rarely reformed. The man who has once been in the penitentiary is almost certain to become an habitual criminal. Much work has been and is now being done in the effort to encourage discharged prisoners to lead honest lives; and, I understand, with some success; but it is uphill work. Police authorities everywhere know that a man once a criminal is almost sure to commit another crime at the first opportunity; and for that reason they make it an invariable rule to keep a close watch over such persons.

Recognizing these facts: that criminal habits are almost always formed in youth, that they have their beginnings in early childhood, and that if they continue into manhood they can rarely be eradicated.

In fact, the importance and necessity of care and watchfulness in the rearing of children on the part of parents, has been recognized from time immemorial. Among all nations, the parent is expected to instruct, restrain and correct his boy, to the end that he may grow up to be a useful and honest man. And parental control is today, as it always has been, the most important factor in the proper bringing up of children.

It seems a curious fact, in view of the recent development of ideas on the subject, that while almost all nations have made provisions for the care of the property of minors, until recent years practically nothing has been done to safeguard their characters. The child has never been considered by law capable of caring for or managing his own property. If he attempted to make a contract, he was not bound by it. He was not competent to vote upon any question; but after he arrived at the age of 7 or 8 years, old enough to understand the nature and quality of an act, was held as fully responsible for any infractions of the law as an adult. It is true that for many years a distinction has been made in the manner of punishing children, separate institutions have been provided for their care and reformation; but until the juvenile courts were established, no distinction was made between the responsibility of juvenile and adult offenders; and