Show Truancy Often ten First Step to in Delinquency Two year old Salt Lake City boys attempted to stage a couple of armed holdups the other day They used a loaded caliber 38 gun in the attempts Fortunately their overly realistic play I at being bandits did not lead to anything any any- I thing more serious than astonishment and indignation on the part of two women and the boys' boys capture a little later by police The incident might easily be shrugged off as a bit o of childish a acting ting out of a movie or comic book plot but there is a aI serious side to it and it-and and we think a a. a I moral These youngsters might just as I easily as not have pulled the trigger of that gun We have had plenty of cases where youngsters that age and younger have committed murder in just such circumstances We Vc were lucky The moral lies in the story back of this robbery atte attempt pt It shows how easily a youngster can get into trouble I As happens happens' so frequently in delinquency cases this incident started with playing hookey from school Juvenile authorities authorities authorities ties have found that school truancy is isa a often ten the first indication of a drift inI in r I the wrong direction And that's a point for parents to remember Second step commonly is petty thievery In Inthis Inthis Inthis this case the boys found the loaded revolver in the course of a car prowl A little while ago these boys were just truants Then they were just petty thieves Now they have suddenly become become become be be- come attempted armed robbers robbers and and they could ea easily ily have been killers The road to serious crime is wide and easy once the first wrong rong turn is taken How important it is for parents for school teachers for police and juvenile juvenile juvenile juve juve- nile authorities to straighten wayward youngsters out promptly when they take that first wrong turn |