Show S SUBSTITUTING FOR THE HOME IE The first federal probation officer an in the United States has been appointed and has given voice to his opinion as to why heis he heis heis is necessary He Ie is Richard B B- MacSweeney 1 of Massachusetts l He says that 95 percent of Juvenile delinquency is chargeable to faulty home training or no home training at all Doubtless th that t is true If home training were perfect in every home in America ica we could scarcely visualize juvenile delinquency at allI all I tie old doctrine of inherited criminal tendencies has been u utterly utterly utter utter- ly abandoned We Ve know now that each young life is practically a clean slate upon which every influence to which it is subjected d does es its writing writing- i. i LI i the I he home influence comes first and is the strongest 11 U Uit be an another other and later influence influence influence in in- it it were e as good as it should scarcely an fluence could nullify it That it falls faIls short of perfection and alwa always Ts has taking the homes in mass as is too true It is is less perfect than it was in former years when American social life was less complete than it now is That is generally admitted d and regretted There was a time when a degree of religious ous training training train train- ing and religious atmosphere existed in almost every homeI home I hat is not no now w so b generally true Nothing has appeared in home effective as that for character training The problem we are now facing s that of what sort ort of substitute substitute sub sub- statute for absent or neglected home training we can provide If not a substitute in all cases then it must be supplemental We Ve have more agencies for this purpose than formerly existed such as Boy Scouts Girl Scouts Girl Reserves clubs of various kinds Sunday Schools Y Y- M. M C. C A. A and Y W W- C. C A. A etc but when the total number of boys and girls young men and young women who become mer members fibers of such organizations is considered we wesee wesee see how liow far short it comes of the number needing special in in- fluence Indeed a large portion of the membership of such agencies c comes from the very families where home training is at at- its its' best instead of its worst Here is the real present day problem in in juvenile character building building- Probation after the boy or girl goes wrong is splendid work but better work would be to render probation unnecessary Price Price Advocate |