Page:Upbuilders by Lincoln Steffens.djvu/145



mistakes. That’s nothing. I’ve made mistakes myself, worse’n yours, I guess.” Then turning to the policeman, he asks: “What is it, officer?” The policeman tells about the crime, say theft. “Stealing isn’t right,” says the Judge, and he appeals to the boys in the court room, “Is it, fellers ?” Putting his hand on the boy’s shoulder, he gives him a shove back and a pull forward. “It’s weak to swipe things.” That hurts. Boys learn in the street that it’s smart and brave to steal, and the only evil thing about it is getting caught. Lots of men take this view, too, but Judge Lindsey sets up another standard. “I know how it is,” he says. “It’s a temptation. It’s a chance to get something easy, something you want; or something you can sell to get something you want. Wanted to go to the show, maybe. Well, it takes a pretty strong feller to down the desire to take the chance and see the show. But it’s wrong to swipe things. ’Tain’t fair; ’tain’t brave; it’s just mean,.and it hurts the feller that steals. Makes him steal again, and by and by he is caught and sent up — a thief. Now you ain’t a thief, and you don’t want to be. Do you ? But you were too weak to resist the temptation, so you were caught. Ought to cut it out. Not because you were caught. That isn’t the reason a feller oughtn’t to steal. It’s