The Delinquent Child and the Home

Appendix 4: Family paragraphs relating to the delinquency of 100 boys brought into the Juvenile Court of Cook County at Chicago, Illinois, between July 1, 1903 and July 1 1904

Sophonisba Breckinridge and Edith Abbott

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IN the following pages are presented a series of short paragraphs, each giving a briefly summarized statement of all the facts that were gathered relating to the home and family as well as to the alleged offenses of l00 of the 584 boys for whom family schedules were obtained. The paragraphs selected are those which represent as wide a variety of cases as possible and within the various groups those in which the facts collected were most complete and interesting. It is believed that a study of these simple statements of fact will help the reader to see the delinquent child as a human problem and not merely as an abstract question of social policy. The fact that these are grouped under different headings does not mean that we directly relate the child's delinquency to any one factor as a single cause. It is felt, however, that in presenting so large a number of cases, the reading of them will be facilitated and also rendered more illuminating if the histories which seem to have certain features in common are grouped together. The number presented is believed to be sufficiently large to enable the reader to test the conclusions that we have drawn in these chapters and to find the truth, if he wishes, quite independently of the writers' interpretation.

1. IMMIGRANT PARENTS WHO HAVE NOT LEARNED ENGLISH

1. A thrifty Italian family with fourteen children, seven of whom are dead. The mother was fifteen years old and the father thirty-three when they were married, and they immigrated two years later. They came directly to Chicago where they have lived for twenty years. They speak a little English but do not read or write it. The father now owns a little grocery store and they live in a comfortable six-room flat in a building that they own. The boy, receives $3.00 a week, working for his father, and is permitted to keep his own money. When he was twelve

(268) years old he was brought into court as a truant and was sent to the Chicago Parental School for ten months. He refused to attend school because he did not like the teacher. One year later he was arrested for stealing and was sent to the John Worthy School for six months. The probation officer says, "Four members of this family have passed through a routine of truancy, incorrigibility in school, suspension, stealing from the father, and then they have become clerks in their father's grocery and settled down." The parents say the probation officer was a good man because he scared the boy into being good. The officer says he has not noticed any great improvement in the boy's character, but what there is, is due to the boy's independence in having his own money.

2. A thrifty, industrious Polish family with fifteen children, eight of whom are still at home,-the youngest two years old. When they were married, the father was twenty and the mother twenty-four. They immigrated three years later. The father is a common laborer, but has a steady job in a big manufacturing plant. The home of six rooms is neat and pleasant. The mother, who has been in this country seventeen years, can speak no English. She did not think it was necessary for the boy to go to school and "kept him out" a great deal; otherwise the home influence was good. The probation officer thinks the boy's delinquency was due to his parents' ignorance of American customs. When the mother understood that in America it was wrong to let the boy pick coal from the tracks, she kept him away. At the age of eleven, he was brought into court, charged with stealing coal from the railroad and taking it away in bags; he was put on probation. The probation officer visited the home twice a month usually, and sometimes oftener. She advised the mother to keep the boy in school as long as possible; she visited the teacher to arouse her interest in the boy; and took the boy to the circus and picnics. The mother speaks of the officer as "a nice lady" whom she was always glad to see. The boy is working for a brewery, bottling beer, and earns $6.00 a week. For a year and a half he was a laborer in a foundry where he earned $4.50 a week.

3. A Bohemian family with nine children; one is married; one is a servant; this boy is in the John Worthy School; and the remaining six are still at home. Before immigration the father was a blacksmith, and the mother worked on a farm. When he was twenty-five and she twenty-three they married and came to Chicago. Although they have been here twenty-five years, the father speaks little English and can neither read nor write it. The father still practices his trade of a blacksmith but does not earn very good wages. They have a very comfortable home of four rooms, which they own free of mortgage. They also have a vegetable garden and chickenyard. The mother is very easy-going and says she thinks the father has injured the boy's mind by giving him so many hard slaps on the head. The father is very quick-tempered and severe. When the boy was twelve years old he was brought into court as a truant; and sent to the Chicago Parental School. One year later he stole a bicycle valued at $15; and was put on probation. Two months later he stole an alarm clock and lead pipe from an emptv house; and was sent to the John Worthy School. The probation officer says the

(269) boy is very spasmodic in all his habits; he would not report regularly, but she saw him two or three times a month. He is mischievous and easily led, went with bad boys and got into trouble. She thinks him subnormal.

4. A poor, helpless Russian-Jewish family with seven children, three of whom died in infancy. The father was twenty-five years old and the mother twenty when they were married; the father had been in this country seven years and the mother had just immigrated. They speak very little English. They live in a very poor, four-room apartment. The father, who is a tailor, is now out of work but he does not earn more than $6.00 a week when he works and has never been able to support the family, who are now receiving some charitable assistance. This boy has tuberculosis. He worked in Colorado last winter and should be there now, but the mother does not know how to get along without his help because he is the only one of the children old enough to work. She used to go out cleaning, but for the last few years she has not been able to go away from home to work because the four-year-old child is feeble minded and has convulsions. When this boy was thirteen he was brought into court, charged with being the leader of three boys who were committing petty thefts; he was put on probation. When he was fourteen he was brought in again for resisting an officer; he was riding on the fender of a car and, when the officer ordered him off, the boy became abusive and used insulting language; he was again put on probation. He has been under the care of two different probation officers. The mother says that the officers were "a great help."

5. A Lithuanian family with eight children. The parents married when the father was twenty and the mother seventeen. The father, who is a laborer, immigrated fourteen years ago. The mother, who died recently, had been in this country only six years and could speak no English. The family have a poor, dirty home in a very poor neighborhood. The little ten-year-old girl is the only housekeeper, but the father gets the meals for the family. During the father's illness the family received county aid. The boy started to school at thirteen, after he had been here two years, and stopped at fourteen, in the second grade. The father says the boy is very bad and was incorrigible even in Europe. At the age of fourteen he was brought into court on the charge of stealing potatoes from a freight car and was put on probation. He has worked very irregularly and ran away from home after his mother's death.

6. A Bohemian family with six children; two boys are married; two are in the John Worthy School; and two are still at home. The parents are decent and industrious people, who came to this country when they were both thirty-four, and have never learned to speak English. The mother has always continued to wear the old peasant costume, and the home, a very poor two-room apartment, looks very foreign. The father is a teamster; the mother took in washing at first but has given it up now. This boy was the first one in the family to go to school, and he did not like it. At the age of twelve he was brought into court on the charge of incorrigibility because he would nut go to school, stayed away

(270) from home, slept out nights, and associated with bad boys; he was committed to the John Worthy School. At the age of fifteen he was brought in again, charged with having stolen goods in his possession, he was found with chewing-gum worth $1.50 for which he could not account; he was paroled to a workingboys' home. He seemed as unwilling to go to work as he had been to go to school, and he is now in the John Worthy School again. <

> 7. A Polish immigrant family with eleven children, three of whom died. The parents married when the father was twenty-eight and the mother eighteen, and immigrated seven years later. Neither father nor mother speaks English. The family live in a poor, crowded home of four rooms. The father is a common laborer in one of the plants of a well known company; two of the daughters earn small wages "working out." When this boy was fifteen and in the second grade at school, he was brought into court, charged with stealing grain doors from railroad cars. Bad company" was the reason, the mother said. He was committed to the John Worthy School for nine months. On his release he was paroled to a police officer. The officer called at the home once a month, and the boy reported to him every two weeks. He worked in the steel mills for a time, but is now in the navy.

8. This boy is one of four children belonging to an Italian family, who came from Italy only eight years ago. The mother of these children died in Italy, but the father, who is a paper peddler earning from $3.00 to $4.00 a week, remarried before he came to this country. Neither the father nor the stepmother can speak English. The family lived with a cousin after they first came here but they now have a home of their own, a very poor, four-room apartment. When this boy was ten years old, he was brought to court for begging, and was sent to an institution for dependent children. He had been allowed to peddle papers when a very little boy and undoubtedly was encouraged by his stepmother to beg. At the age of eleven he was brought into court for fighting with other boys. He was sent to the John Worthy School for fifteen months. Two years later he was arrested for loafing about the docks and was put on probation. The boy is now running an elevator and earning $6.00 a week, part of which he gives to his father. He has had several positions of only a month's duration. He has been under the care of three different probation officers. The officer who knew him best says that his progress has been remarkable, considering his home surroundings.

[1] School Statement.-I am 17 years old. I left school when I was

(271) 14. I was then in the 4 grade. I began to go to school when I was years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are -I went to school to learn everything I could about-because

9. A Bohemian family with seven children. The parents were married when the father was twenty-four and the mother twenty-three; they immigrated four years later but neither of them has learned to speak English, although they have been here twenty-one years. They have a poor home in a basement apartment. The father is a teamster earning $9.00 a week, and two daughters work in a tailor shop. At the age of twelve this boy was brought into court charged with arson and stealing; he and three other boys broke down a fence and set fire to it; they were also charged with stealing coal and jumping on moving trains; he was put on probation. At the age of sixteen he was brought in again charged with stealing he broke the seal of a freight car and stole 30 bushels of corn valued at $15; he was again put on probation. The boy improved under probation and has worked well, although he has recently been in court again for stealing; he has worked in a tin shop, and for a picture company, and recently nine months in a stove factory, earning $6.00 a week. He "gives in" his wages.

School Statement.-I am 16 1/2 years old. I left school when I was 14. I was then in the 6 grade. I began to go to school when I was 6 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are manutraing because-[Boy unable to write enough to complete the statement.]

10. A German family with three children. The father was twenty-eight and the mother twenty-seven when they were married, and they immigrated three years later. The father is a laborer and rather intemperate. The mother was a paralytic, for years hardly able to drag herself about. She could speak no English and, being unable to see why the boy should go to school every day, was inclined to keep him at home to help her. The boy had an unusual opportunity for loafing on the street and got in with the "P_____ Street gang." The mother died not long ago, and the boy is now living with one married sister, and the father with another. The boy is bright, a good worker, and is never out of work. When he was thirteen he was brought into court charged with malicious mischief. He was accused of entering a car and ringing up a fare on the register. He was put on probation. The probation officer to whom he was paroled did a great deal for the boy. He reported to her every week, and she visited the home twice a month, but the mother did not fully understand why she came.

II. LOSS OF PARENTAL CARE THROUGH THE DEATH OF FATHER OR MOTHER

11. This boy was an only child of American parents. The father is dead, and the mother, who was once a school teacher, owns some property in the country and the building in which they live; she rents the store in front and all the rest of the building. except three dark rear room. She has an ungovernable temper, at times verging on insanity.

(272) The neighbors and the probation officer think that at times she is not in her right mind. She recently put some tenants out and one of them had her arrested for disorderly conduct. She threw eggs in court at the judge who fined her, and she is now in jail serving a thirty days' sentence for contempt. The boy was found at home alone with a dog. He was cooking his supper. He is fond of his mother and wanted to go to jail for her, or with her, but the judge would not allow it. At the age of thirteen this boy was brought into court, charged with malicious mischief. He was accused of throwing stones and breaking windows. He was put on probation under the care of a police officer who was always friendly with him. The officer went to see the boy often but the mother did not like any interference with her authority. The officer says the boy is a good boy now. The boy has had several different kinds of jobs, and when working has always given his mother his money. He was inspector in a large department store for awhile, and agent for a candy store, and errand boy at another department store, but is out of work now. He and his mother are going to the country when she comes out of jail.

School Statement.-1 am 17 years old. I left school when I was 16. I was then in the 7 grade. I began to go to school when I was 4 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are Reading and Writing and Armithict because you can tell where you are and can be in touch with your people.

12. A Polish family with six children. The father was twenty-six and the mother was sixteen when they were married and they immigrated two years later. Neither of them ever learned to speak English. The father is now dead and the mother insane. When the father died nine years ago he left $900 insurance, which the mother spent in one year. Two boys work in the stockyards now and support the other children. The sister keeps the house of four rooms clean and takes care of the three younger children. When this boy was twelve he broke the seal on a freight car and stole some grain for the chickens. He was sent to the John Worthy School for two years, and after his release was under the care of a probation officer who called at the home once a month at first and then less frequently. She was always friendly and tried to help the sister with the children. The sister says she was always glad to see the officer. The boy is now working irregularly in the stockyards.

School Statement.-I am 18 years old. I left school when I was 14. I was in the 4 grade. I began to go to school when I was 7 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are riding and writing because that will get me a job.

13. This boy is an illegitimate child of Irish-American parents. The mother is dead, and the father has never recognized him nor contributed to his support. The boy lived with his great-grandmother until he was five years old when she died, and an aunt with eight children took him to live with her. She lives in a very bad neighborhood; her home is bare and dirty; and her husband a man "well-known to the police." The boy is said to have a mania for stealing; he was brought into court at the age of ten with eight other boys fur breaking open a show

(273) case and stealing five watches valued at $3.75 each; he was put on probation. Seven months later he was again brought in for stealing, and sent to an institution for dependent boys. The aunt says he was put on a farm when released and she does not know where he is. <

> 14. This boy's mother died in Bohemia, and the father, then twenty-eight, brought the boy with him to this country. The father has been here seventeen years, but can speak no English. The boy and the father are very good friends. They live in two rooms, and the boy has always stayed at home and "kept house" for the father. He was left alone all day long with nothing to do. When he was fifteen he was brought into court for stealing $4.50. He was put on probation. One month later he was arrested for trying to steal at a large department store and was sent to the John Worthy School for ten months. He is staying with his father and keeping house at present; he has no other work. The boy was paroled to a police officer and then to a probation officer. The father thinks that the last officer had a good influence over the boy. The boy reported to the officer once a month. Although the boy is now twenty years old, he has worked only three months altogether, except, of course, at "housekeeping."

School Statement.-I am 20 years old. I left school when I was 14- I was then in the 6 grade. I began to go to school when I was 6 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are because-. I worked in printing shop where 1 learned how to feed a goodro.

15. An American family with two children. The mother died of tuberculosis and the grandmother keeps house. They have a very poor home of three rooms in a poor and crowded neighborhood with no park nor playground near. The father, who is a waiter, earns very low wages and drinks a great deal. The grandmother is good to the two children but not very capable of taking care of them. The probation officer thinks she is mentally unbalanced. The boy used to work as a newsboy and an errand boy after school hours and always gave his earnings to his grandmother. At the age of eleven he was brought into court on a charge of incorrigibility because he ran away from school and slept under sidewalks; he was put on probation. He was brought into court again charged with truancy, and was again put on probation. At the age of fourteen he was brought into court again, charged with stealing a bicycle valued at $7.00; he was once more put on probation. The boy was under the care of a volunteer probation officer, whom the grandmother calls "a good, kind woman"; but when the boy's little sister had been seriously burned, the grandmother was very resentful because the officer insisted that she should have medical treatment. Since then the grandmother has not wanted an officer to visit the home.

School Statement.-I am 15 years old. I left school when I was r4. 1 was then in the 5 grade. I began to go to school when I was 7 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are Reading because I use it in my trade and that is the sign painting trade.

16. A German family with four children, all of whom are at home except this buy', who is in the John Worth), School. The mother died

(274) a good many years ago. The housekeeper, who was changed often, could not make the boys mind. The father is a baker, but does not earn very good wages; he has been immoral and a drunkard, although he is now improving. The home is always poor and neglected, and the children are uncared for. The older brothers do very unskilled work; a boy of twenty-two earns only $5.00 a week. The little sister is very backward in school and this boy was not bright nor fond of school. At the age of eleven he was brought into court for stealing a horse from a barn and also for taking a hammer; he was put on probation. Within a year he was brought to again charged with stealing; he, with a crowd of boys, took a blanket and shawl from a buggy; he was committed to the John Worthy School. At the age of thirteen he was in court, charged with disorderly conduct; he annoyed his teacher, used indecent language on the street, and stole; he was again put on probation. At the age of fourteen he was brought in on the charge of breaking into a house and stealing two coats valued at $12, and tools valued at $6.00 he was again committed to the John Worthy School, where he is now. He has worked in several different places, and always turned in his money. The probation officer called on the boy twice a month when he was at home. The officer thinks that the boy is weak willed and that the discipline of the institution has been good for him. "The separation from home influences seems to have caused an improvement."

17. A Russian family with six children. The parents are both dead, but the children live with the stepmother, who speaks very little English. They have a wretched home, a five-room cottage, damp and dirty, in a very poor neighborhood near the city limits, surrounded by swamp and standing water. The stepmother keeps a boarder or two. The father was ill for a long time and could earn very little; he then became insane, was sent to the hospital, and died there. This boy had no home care nor attention. At the age of nine he was brought into court charged with stealing; he had broken into a house, with another boy, and stolen $14 and two rings valued at $ 15; the officer thought the boy gave the money to his parents. He was put on probation. At the age of ten he was again brought into court, charged with truancy, and was sent to the Chicago Parental School, where he is now. The stepmother knows nothing about him. The boy's older sister is at home, as are two small children, the boy's half-brother and sister.

18. An Irish-American family with three children. The parents were both born in America and were married when the father was twenty-four and the mother twenty-two. The father died insane. The mother was a janitress but is now working in a drygoods store. After the father died, the family went to live with the grandfather. The grandfather is now dead, but he left the home, which he owned, to them. The sister is a telephone operator, and the boy keeps house while the mother and sister work. When the boy was twelve he was brought into court for grabbing a pocketbook, and was sent to the John Worthy School for two months. At the age of fifteen he was brought into court again for attempting to stab a boy during a neighborhood race war and he was put on probation. He had three or four positions in the stockyards arts but did not keep

(275) any of them more than two months. He keeps house now instead of going to work. He has been under the care of two different probation officers. The last officer, who visits the home once a month, says she has had no trouble dealing with the child.

School Statement.-I am 16 years old. I left school when I was 14. 1 was then in the 6 grade. I began to go to school when I was 5 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are reading wrtieing numbers because I had to do that to get the work as mail messenger.

19. A Russian-Jewish family with seven children. The parents have not immigrated, and this boy's only relatives in America are two brothers. He has lived with a married brother, who has no sympathy with him and who says the boy is a degenerate, that he was the youngest and was always petted and spoiled, and that he robbed his father in Europe. At the age of fourteen the boy was brought into court as incorrigible, charged with not attending school, with keeping bad company, staying away from home, and being hard to control; he was put on probation. At the age of fifteen he was brought in again, charged with stealing; he was committed to the John Worthy School. He was paroled to a home for workingboys, but the officer in charge of it says the boy spent most of his time "bumming." Several positions were found for him, but he never kept any of them very long. The boy was taken ill, and the offcer took him to a hospital. After his recovery the boy went away, and the officer did not see him again. He is now in the state reformatory at Pontiac.

20. A Polish family with fifteen children, eight of whom are dead. The father and mother were both twenty-eight when they were married, and they probably immigrated the same year. The mother, who was the father's second wife, is dead, and the present stepmother is therefore the third wife. The father is a retired harness-maker. The home, which they own, is neat, clean, and well furnished, and they have a yard with grass and flowers. They rent the upper floor of the house. The father said the boy became so unmanageable that it was necessary to take him to court when he was fifteen years old and have him sent to a reform school. The father said in court that the boy was incorrigible, he refused to work and could not be controlled; he was committed to the John Worthy School. When released, he was put under the care of a probation officer. who says she could reason with the boy and he did very well under her care. She visited the home twice a month. She says the boy wrote beautifully and had a talent for drawing, but the parents did not encourage him. The parents liked the officer. They said the boy did well as long as she visited him. When she stopped, "he quit his job." He worked in a picture-frame factory and went to school nights; then, one day, he drew two weeks pay and left home. The father does not know where he is, but hopes that he will come back. An older brother ran away and never returned.

21. This boy was the only child of English-Irish parents, both of whom came to this country when very young, and both of whom died of tuberculosis. The father died when the boy was small, and the mother

(276) died the year after the boy was first brought into court. He then went to live with his mother's sister, who had a comfortable home but whose husband had been twice arrested for larceny and had a bad influence over the boy. The boy was first brought into court when thirteen years old as a truant, and was sent to the Chicago Parental School. He was brought in again three years later and was paroled to a home for workingboys, but he ran away after one month. He was immediately returned to court charged with being one of three boys who held up a woman and robbed a man. He was sent to the John Worthy School for five months. The probation officer says the boy is fairly steady, but smokes a great deal and she thinks he inherited a weak will and a tendency to steal. He left Chicago three months before the investigator's visit and his aunt has not heard from him, but believes him to be on a farm. She thinks the boy has tuberculosis. He was a wagon boy at one time and was allowed to keep his own wages.

III. WORKING MOTHERS

22. A Polish family with six children, one of whom is now married. The parents were both twenty years old when they were married and immigrated ten years later. The father, who was a tailor by trade, died insane ten years ago. The mother, who can speak no English, took in washing and had a hard struggle for years to care for the family. She kept the house clean but was not able to look after the children properly. When this boy was thirteen and in the fourth grade at school, he was brought into court for cutting telephone wires under the sidewalks and carrying away the wires to sell. He was put on probation and was never brought into court again. He was paroled to a police officer, who says the boy reported to him and never gave him any further trouble. He worked for nearly three years in a furniture factory, for five months in a spring factory, and he is now in a department store.

School Statement.-I am 18 years old. I left school when I was 13 years 7 months. I was in the 4th grade. I began to go to school when I was 6 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are Reading and Arithmatic. Because reading helps me find work by reading in papers and arithmatic helps me count my hours I put in and count my celary.

23. An American family with ten children, not however all belonging to the mother; three are her sister's and three her stepchildren. The father was thirty-five and the mother twenty-four when they were married. The father died of tuberculosis, and during his long illness, as well as after his death, the mother had to go out to work, and there was no one left to look after the children. The mother earns from $7.00 to $10 a week, cleaning. The home is very poor but clean. At the age of twelve this boy was brought into court by his mother as incorrigible, because she had to work and could not keep him off the streets. He had been expelled from two schools and had run away from an institution for dependent boys. He was returned to this institution and then sent to the John Worthy School for three months. When he was thirteen he was

(277) again brought in as incorrigible and was sent to the John Worthy School again for a year and nine months; he was then transferred to the institution for dependent boys and in three months was recommitted to the John Worthy School. The boy was first paroled to a police officer and later was under the care of a probation officer who called at the home every two weeks. The officer thinks the mother" did all in her power to make the boy do right." The boy is anxious to be released from probation, but the mother thinks it is very good for him to be under an officer's care.

24. An Irish family with four children, of whom this boy is the eldest. The mother was nineteen when she came to this country and twenty when she was married. The father died when the children were little, and the mother remarried. The stepfather drank, was unkind to the children, and did not support the family so that the mother has always taken in washing ever since the father died. The home has always been poor and untidy. One of the children was an epileptic and very difficult to take care of. When this boy was twelve years old, he was brought into court for breaking the seal on a freight car and stealing 50 pounds of mince meat; he was put on probation. The probation officer says he belonged to a bad gang, never had proper home care, and was kept out of school to deliver washing for his mother. He has never been in court again. He has worked as a wagon boy in a department store for five months, as errand boy for six months, in a milk depot for two months, and is now a pin boy in a bowling-alley. He gives all his wages to his mother.

25. An Irish family of seven children, five of whom died at birth. Both father and mother were twenty-four years old when they came to this country. The father is dead and the mother is a cook in a restaurant. The mother has gone out to work for thirteen years and has had a hard time supporting the family even with the county help which she had when the children were small. They lived in a very poor home of two rooms in a very poor neighborhood. This boy was first brought into court at the age of fifteen by his mother, because he would not work and because he was abusive to her and had struck her several times. He was sent to the John Worthy School for eight months. When he was seventeen he was brought in on the charge of disorderly conduct and put on probation for four months, but was finally sent to the John Worthy School for the third time. The boy was first under the care of a probation officer and was later paroled to a volunteer organization. The officers of the organization got several positions for the boy, but he had a strong aversion to any kind of steady work. He is very deaf, however, and has had some trouble holding positions on that account. He has worked very irregularly and has had a variety of jobs. He was in a machine-shop for six months, in a harness-shop for three months, worked for a long time on a farm, and is now a lumber teamster. The boy's younger brother is also a ward of the court.

School Statement.-I am r9 years old. I left school when I was 16. 1 was then in the 5 grade. I began to go to school when I was 6 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are rending and writing because I can read and find when I want to go.

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26. A Polish family with five children, of whom this boy is the eldest. The father, who worked in the fields before immigrating, came to this country at the age of thirty-nine, and the following year married a girl of fifteen, who had just come over. Neither of them could read or write English but both could speak a little. The father was killed crossing the tracks when the children were small, and since then the mother has worked as a scrubwoman. The family of six and the two lodgers live in three rooms on the fourth floor of a large tenement. The mother keeps the house clean, but the roof leaks and the rooms are often damp. The mother used to send the boys to get coal from the tracks "because every one did." When twelve years old this boy was arrested on a disorderly charge for stealing coal from freight cars and throwing it at railroad employees. He was sent to the Chicago Parental School. The mother told the investigator that she saw other boys bringing home coal from the tracks and sent her boy to pick some up too, and he stole it. One year later he was charged with stealing from a freight car goods valued at $25; this time he was committed to the John Worthy School for six months. A year after his release he was brought in on a disorderly charge for throwing mud at store windows and was put on probation. The boy is not strong and is probably not normal mentally. The sister says he "has been crazy six times." Atone time when he was believed to be temporarily insane, he was confined in the Detention Hospital. He cannot keep any position long. The probation officer says the boy smokes incessantly and she thinks he cannot improve because his mind is not normal.

School Statement.-I am 17 years old. I left school when I was 14 years old. I was then in the 5 grade. I began to go to school when I was 10 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are Reading and writting, because I worked in the printing offices as errand boy.

27. This boy was one of seven children, whose father was German-American and whose mother was Canadian. The father was thirty and the mother sixteen when they were married. The father was a railroad engineer but lost his position, he says, because his eyesight failed, but there is evidence also of intemperance. He has been working nights now and keeping house during the day while the mother is away washing. The children have been much neglected, with the mother away all day and the father asleep most of the time. The home is very poor and bare. When the boy was nine years old he was brought into court on the charge of incorrigibility; he was found loitering about the streets and his parents said they could not control him; he was put on probation. But within a year he was brought in again as a truant and charged with incorrigibility and was sent to the Chicago Parental School. The parents say he improved greatly after he had been at the Parental School. He has been under the care of a truant officer and he now attends school regularly.

School Statement.-I am 14 years old. I left school when I wasI was then in the 4 grade. I began to go to school when I was 10 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are. I never done any work.

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28. A German family with seventeen children, of whom twelve are dead and two married. The father was twenty-five years old and the mother twenty when they were married, and they came to this country nine years later. The father was intemperate and finally died from the effects of drink. The mother goes out washing but she can scarcely speak any English and can earn only about $3.00 a week. She has always had a loafing crowd of boarders about the house who have had a bad influence on the children. She brought this boy-to court when he was fourteen and in the second grade at school, saying that he was sleeping out at night and that he would not work or go to school; he was sent to the John Worthy School for nine months. The boy was paroled to a probation officer, who thinks he could have been easily controlled had there been more affection at home. There seems to have always been a lack of sympathy between the mother and the boy, but the mother is very anxious for his wages. The boy worked for a year in a piano factory and then spent three years learning the printing trade. He is now working in a printing shop.

29. A Norwegian family with four children. The mother is American born. The ages of the parents at marriage were eighteen and seventeen. After the father's death, the mother did scrubbing and worked very hard indeed. The mother remarried when thirty-two. The stepfather is a mechanic in a tinshop, earning about $18 a week, and they now have a more comfortable home of four rooms. When this boy was fourteen he was brought into court for stealing 30 pounds of sausage. He was found to be a truant and was sent to the Chicago Parental School. When he was sixteen he was charged with stealing china worth $3.75; he was put on probation, and finally sent to a state school for delinquent boys. The boy was first paroled to a police officer, and then to a probation officer. The first officer never found the mother home when he called. The last officer called "just once," but the mother resented her coming and the officer could get no help from the home. The boy reported once a month. One summer the police officer took the boy camping. The boy improved a great deal. He sold papers for a while, then worked as office boy in a drug-store, and recently he has worked seven months as a helper in a foundry. The boy's older brother is also a ward of the court.

School Statement.-I am 17 years old. I left school when I was 16. I was then in the 7 grade. I began to go to school when 1 was 8 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are reading because 1 had to read the names of the streets.

30. An Irish family with six children, one of whom is married. The parents came to this country when the father was twenty-two and the mother nineteen, and they were married three years later. The father, who was a structural iron-worker's helper, died when the children were small, and the mother used to scrub offices at night before they were old enough to help. The house of six rooms is clean, but the family on the whole are shiftless and happy-go-lucky. The mother was very untruthful to the probation officer about the boy and was spasmodically severe in dealing with him. When he was fourteen he was brought into court, charged with flipping cars, and was put on probation. When he

(280) was fifteen he was in again, charged with breaking open a peanut slot machine and stealing $i 1 worth of goods; he was once more put on probation. Within a few months he was brought in again, charged with incorrigibility and flipping cars, and he was this time committed to the John Worthy School. He was under the care of a probation officer, who says she visited the home once a week but seldom saw the boy. She says she had very little help from the mother and could not rely on anything she said. The boy and the mother always quarreled over the boy's wages; both wanted what he earned. He began work at fourteen as a messenger boy, but he has never been a good worker and at present he is not working at all. A younger brother is also a ward of the court.

School Statement.-I am 18 years old. I left school when I was 14. I was then in the 7 grade. I began to go to school when I was 9 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are Arithmatic, Reading, Writing, Selling because they are in use to me in my work. Reivet Heating.

31. A German-American family with six children, of whom this boy is the eldest. The father was twenty-two and the mother seventeen when they were married. The father was a drunkard, and the mother supported the family for years by washing. Four years ago she got a divorce and has married again; the boy's stepfather is a decent, industrious man who works in the stockyards. The home is still untidy and unattractive and the children are dirty. This boy's delinquency occurred when he was fourteen years old while the mother was working and was not able to care for the children. He was brought into court with another boy for stealing hams from a railroad car, and was put on probation under the care of an officer, who says she has never had any trouble with him. She called at the home every two weeks and always talked to him in the presence of his mother. The mother enjoys the officer's visits and thinks that they have a good influence on the boy. The boy is well behaved now and has a good work record. At one time he worked in "the Yards" but he is now employed by a railway company. He has always "given in" his wages.

School Statement.-I am r7 years old. I left school when I was 14. I was then in the 6 grade. I began to go to school when I was g years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are Figureing because It helps me to figure my tune.

32. A Canadian family with three children. The father died a good many years ago. The mother supported the family by washing and cleaning, and the three children were left alone all day. The home was always very poor, and the family had county help for a long time. The two boys would not help the mother when they were old enough, and she is now living with the married daughter and working in a laundry. At the age of fifteen this boy was brought into court as incorrigible. He and his brother were said not to have proper parental care and to be sleeping in basements; he was put on probation. At the age of sixteen he was brought in again on the charge of stealing meat from the cars on the Illinois Central tracks to the amount of $25; he was committed to

281) the John Worthy School. He is now in the County Hospital with typhoid fever. He is a good worker when well. <

> 33. An Irish family with eight children. The father was twenty-four and the mother eighteen when they were married, and they came to this country fourteen years later. The father is a common laborer, a shiftless drinking man, who has never been able to support the family. The mother did night janitor work for fourteen years, leaving the children with no one to look after them evenings. The home was neat and pleasant, but the family have always lived in a very bad neighborhood where saloons, pool rooms, low theaters, and dance halls offer every temptation. At the age of fifteen this boy was brought into court charged with stealing, and was put on probation. He had broken a window valued at $5.00, also a show case valued at $5.00, and had stolen two shirts valued at $1.00. Within a year he was brought in again, charged with disorderly conduct, having been arrested on the street, intoxicated; he was again put on probation. The police officer to whom he was paroled says that the boy tried hard to improve but "his old reputation was against him and he was always being arrested for anything that went wrong m the neighborhood." The boy reported every month until he grew too old. He is nineteen years old now. When the investigator visited the home he was in the House of Correction for two months as a result of being arrested in a hotel with some girls from the country. The boy is a teamster and on the whole is a pretty good worker and good to the family. He is very illiterate, however, and can scarcely read or write. The mother says that a younger brother, who is now in the John Worthy School for the second time, "can't learn well" and hates to go to school, and that is the cause of his delinquency. Two sisters are now working and support the family.

34. This boy was one of five children with an American father and an Irish mother. The parents were married when the father was twenty-five and the mother twenty-two. The father, who died from the effects of a railroad accident, had been an iron-worker's helper earning good wages, but he drank, and the family never got on very well. After the death of the father, the mother went to work in a laundry. They lost their home on which they had paid $600 out of $1600; one of the children died; and the discouraged mother began to drink as her husband had done. Because of her bad habits the family were put out of several houses, and finally the court took the two younger girls and put them in a school for dependent girls. This boy was then twelve years old and, not having anyone to care for him, played truant, ran away, broke into a candy store at 2.3o a. m., and then slept in a barn. He was sent to the Chicago Parental School. Two years later he broke into a coal office and took $1.15 from the telephone box, one harness, and fifteen coal bags. He was sent to a state institution for delinquent boys. An older brother, who is a street laborer, recently had the mother arrested for drinking.

IV. UNSYMPATHETIC STEP-PARENTS

35. An Irish family with three children. The boy's father died of tuberculosis on the same day the boy was born. He had been ill for

(282) some time, and the mother worked as a seamstress almost until the day of the boy's birth. She had come to this country when she was twenty and was married four years later. The boy's stepfather is a drunkard and beats his wife and abuses the children. He works between sprees and has been a laborer in one establishment for many years, but does not support the family and was recently in the House of Correction. The mother kept a little candy and grocery store for a time but "gave too much credit" and was finally obliged to give it up. The family then lived in four rooms back of their store. The boy's older sister works regularly and earns $8.00 a week and "gives in" all of it. The boy's stepbrother, who is still in school, has always been delicate and was blind at one time. When this boy was thirteen, he was brought into court on the charge of stealing. He, with another boy, broke into a store and stole goods worth $to; he was also charged with staying away from home and sleeping out nights and not going to school. He was put on probation, but within a year he was brought in again as incorrigible; his mother said he was an idle bad boy, and that she could not control him. He was committed to the John Worthy School for eleven months. When released he was put under the care of a police officer who says he tried to cooperate with the mother and also tried to break up the boy's connection with a tough gang to which he belonged and to counteract the father's bad example. The officer says that the boy will never really improve unless he stays away from his stepfather and gives up the "gang" with which he has been associating. He says that the stepfather has always been cruel to the boy, and that the house was anything but a home, so that the boy stayed away from it as much as he possibly could. He used to steal the milk and bread from porches. The mother says that the officer did all that he could for the boy. She says the boy used to keep his wages from time to time and then disappear for several days, spending it all with a "tough crowd." A short time ago he spent $28, a month's wages, in this way, and has not been home since. He has been sleeping nights in a coal office where he works. His employer speaks well of him and says he is not a bad boy but "a rover by nature." He has had a good many jobs, chiefly as errand or messenger boy, but has never earned above $7.00 a week. <

> 36. A Hungarian family with ten children. Both parents came to this country when they were children. The mother has been married three times, and this boy, who is the child of her second husband, was in an orphan asylum from the time he was nine until he was thirteen years of age. His relations with his stepfather have never been pleasant. The stepfather is a presser in a tailor-shop and makes very good wages, but is harsh and unkind. The boy is not staying at home now,-he says he is nagged and scolded so much! He has always been inclined to steal, and when his mother took boarders he used to steal from them. He has an older sister who has been in court twice and is now in Geneva. When the boy was thirteen, he was brought into court charged with assaulting his stepfather with a pail. The stepfather and mother both said he was beyond their control and would not go to school. He was committed to the John Worthy School for four months. At the age of fourteen he was brought in again, charged with staling $14 from a boarder. He was again

283) sent to the John Worthy School, this time for one year. When released he was put under the care of a probation officer, who says he co-operated with the school teachers and the principal. The mother also helped some, but the stepfather was too harsh. The boy kept one job for over a year, but has had nothing steady since. His former employer was interested in him, but became convinced that the boy was "unreliable."

37. A German family with four children. The mother is dead and there is a stepmother. They are industrious, quiet people and have a pleasant home. The father has worked fourteen years for one firm as a cabinet maker and earns $15 a week. After the mother's death four years ago, this boy seems to have "gone to the bad." The boy and the father lived with a married sister for a time and no one exercised any control over the boy. The stepmother is pretty hard on him now and is always finding fault with him. He was very slow and indolent at school and was repeatedly sent home. At the age of fourteen he was brought into court with another boy on the charge of stealing three bags of oats and was committed to the John Worthy School. At the age of fifteen he was brought in again on the charge of incorrigibility. He would not go to school and he smoked cigarettes. He was again committed to the John Worthy School. At the age of sixteen he was brought into court for stealing from a railroad car and leaving home without just cause, and was sent to the John Worthy School for the third time. The boy was under the care of a police officer and two different probation officers. The police officer called at the home whenever he was in the neighborhood, and the other officers visited the boy at different times twice a month and helped him to get work. They were "very sorry for the boy, but did not know anything that could be done for him." The father and the stepmother do not think he has improved and the stepmother seems to think that he never will. He was recently in the House of Correction, but for the last two months has been working as a teamster, earning $12 a week. He says he is planning to buy a team for himself within a year.

School Statement.-I am 18 years old. I left school when I was 14. 1 was then in the 5 grade. I began to go to school when I was 6 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are Reading Writing because I had to read and writ out all of the work that would come in and the storage that we would take in.

38. A Polish family with three children. The mother died when the boy was very small; the father married again, and the two youngest children are the second wife's. The stepmother can speak no English. They live in a pleasant, well-kept, four-room apartment. The father, who has always been a day laborer, is a good, industrious man, but has no interest whatever in the boy; and the stepmother does not know and does not seem to care what has become of him. He has always lived on the streets, and when in school went with boys who were habitual truants. At the age of twelve he was brought into court for truancy, and was sent to the Chicago Parental School. Three years later he was brought into court on a burglary charge; he was sent to the John Worthy School for one year. The parents say that at about the time when they expected him back a policeman told them that the boy had been arrested for

(284) grand larceny and had been sent to jail. They have not heard from him and have no idea where he is serving his sentence. He has never been under the care of a probation officer. <

> 39. An Italian family with three children, this boy the eldest. The father was eighteen and the mother twenty-nine when they were married. The mother had just come to this country, but the father had been here ever since he was eleven years old. The mother died when this boy was thirteen years old and the father married again. The boy and his stepmother are not friendly. The family live in five rooms, but formerly had only two. The father, a street-sweeper, used to "go on sprees" but is more steady now, although he does not work as regularly as he did before the boy began to earn money. The father says he got rheumatism from working in ditches and that poor health keeps him out of work. He says the boy gambles and does not bring home all his wages. There is evidently ill feeling between them. At the age of fourteen the boy was brought into court, charged with malicious mischief; he was put on probation. At the age of sixteen he was brought in again, charged with stealing brass; he was again put on probation. The parents say that the probation officer was good to him. The visits of the officer varied according to conditions. He preferred to visit the home because of the boy's difficulty with his stepmother and did not have the boy report to him. He supplied the family with some clothing and provisions on several occasions and secured work for the boy. The probation officer says he is a "decent sort of a boy but works unsteadily"; "his temper and sense of injustice" caused by the attitude of his father and stepmother got him into trouble. The investigator thought the father seemed to regard him as a "vicious, unrelated creature," but was very anxious to get his wages. The boy sold papers for six years out of school hours before he was old enough to get a working certificate and earned about $3.00 a week. When he was fourteen he earned $4.50. More recently he earned $6.00 a week as shipping clerk in a printing office, but the last two months he has been out of work. He is very fond of cheap "shows" and he sings in front of saloons in the summer.

School Statement.-I am 16 years old. I left school when I was 14. I was then in the 5 grade. I began to go to school when I was 8 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are Reading and writing because I vas a shipping clerk.

40. An Irish family with four children. The father, who did not come to this country until he was twenty-three, is an assistant shipping clerk in a factory, earning $14 a week. They have a clean, good home of six rooms, which they own, but the stepmother is very nagging. This boy was brought into court at the age of fourteen by his parents, who said that he ran away from home and would not work or go to school. The father and the stepmother said they had consulted their clergyman as to what could be done to keep the boy in school and away from bad company, and he suggested the John Worthy School as a preventive measure. The boy was sent to the John Worthy School for three months and then was released on probation. He was under the care of a probation officer who "performed her duty satisfactorily" according to the

(284) father. She often called at the home and the boy reported to her every week. She thought him a good boy, misunderstood by the stepmother, and through her by the father. During their interviews she tried to bring about a better understanding between the parents and the child. Since the boy has been away from home he has written irregularly to the probation officer. At one time he was a messenger boy, and later a lineman with a telegraph company. He is now on a farm in South Dakota. <

> 41. A German-Jewish family with five children. The father has married again, and the four children of this marriage are the only ones at home. One of the others is in a home for crippled children, one is in Canada, one is in a home for dependent boys, one is in an institution for delinquent boys, and one ran away from home because he could not get along with his stepmother. The father was twenty-four when he immigrated and the stepmother thirty-five, but they have lived in Chicago only seven years. They lived for a time in Canada and then in New York. They have a dirty apartment of four rooms on the second floor, rear, but use only two rooms and want to rent the other two. The father is a presser and could earn fair wages, but he works very little, drinks, and is cruel to the family, who are constantly dependent on charity. They have received aid from a charitable society, from a settlement, and from the county. The stepmother is a hardworking woman, who washes and scrubs in order to help support the family, but who has little interest m the children. She says, "A person can barely care for her own children. How can she care for or control strange ones?" When this boy was ten years old, he was brought into court for being out after midnight and was sent to a home for dependents. Later he was brought in on a truancy charge and committed to the Chicago Parental School, but the order was changed and he was sent to a hospital for treatment. Two years later he was sent to the John Worthy School on a charge of larceny and the next vear he was in another institution for delinquent boys. After his release he was under the care of a probation officer, who says that the boy has been discouraging at all times. She went to see him every week, and found that the stepmother always had something bad to say about him; the father "was at least truthful." The boy has been in institutions the greater part of the last four years. The stepmother says that the probation officer is very good. A younger brother has had an equally bad school record, has also been in the Parental School, and is now in an institution for dependent boys. The probation officer says the stepmother declared she hated the children and that her only interest in them was due to the fact that they could earn when they were fourteen years old. The boy did well in a manual training class m a Jewish training school.

School Statement.-I am 20 years old. I left school when I was 13. 1 was then in the 2 grade. I began to go to school when I was 10 years old. [The boy could not write any words or sentences.]

42. The parents of this Polish boy were married when both were about twenty and came to this country a few years later. The boy's mother died before he was two years old. and the father remarried.

The father used to get drunk and did not work steadily He died when

(286) the boy was about seven. The stepmother has remarried and the boy has no real home. The stepmother says the boy is "no good"; he would not mind his step-parents, and so they would not keep him. He boards, and the stepmother very seldom sees him. The stepmother says the boy has not improved and never will; she says "he will always be bad." The probation officer says he has done very well considering his chances in life. At the age of fourteen he was brought into court charged with assault; he, with two other boys, assaulted a man and robbed him of $ 1 .00. He was committed to the John Worthy School for seven months. The boy was paroled to a police officer. The stepmother says the officer called to see the boy about four times and the boy reported to the officer once a month. The officer tried to get him to go to night school. The boy is now nineteen years old and was recently sent to the House of Correction on a burglary charge. He has worked a short time in several different places, beginning with a job as an elevator boy at $5.00 a week. His last position was a good one. He worked in a foundry as a core maker for eighteen months. <

> School Statement.-I am 19 years old. I left school when I was 14. I was then in the 4 grade. I began to go to school when I was 9 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are Manual Taraing because rigthig -- [Boy unable to complete statement.]

43. This boy was one of two children of Italian parents who lived on a farm in Italy before immigration and came to Chicago when the father was twenty-six. When this boy was five years old, his mother died and his father remarried shortly after. The oldest boy could not get along with his stepmother and left home three years ago. There are six children by this second marriage, all at home. They have a comfortable five-room home. The stepmother thinks her boys should not work, although they are over sixteen. This boy has worked for his father, who is an electrician, for four years, and receives no wages. The boy is a Catholic, and his stepmother and the rest of the family have become Protestants. This is a constant source of contention. The stepmother says the boy steals, but the probation officer says they give him no spending money and he is not to blame, for he works faithfully and earns more than his clothes. When he was thirteen, he was brought into court on a vagrancy charge; the boy said his father was cruel to him; he was put on probation. The next winter his father brought him to court and charged him with incorrigibility, saying he was disobedient. He was sent to the John Worthy School for one year. Four months later the family charged him with refusing to work and not staying home nights. He was again sent to the John Worthy School for one year. The probation officer says the boy would be a straight forward manly boy if he received good home treatment. The boy has no bad habits and likes to read, but the father will not permit him to read anything but religious books, which do not appeal to the boy. The officer thinks that the parents have become religious fanatics.

V. DRUNKEN PARENTS

44. An Irish-American family with twelve children, two dead. The mother was seventeen at marriage. The father is a steamfitter by

(286) trade, but a hopeless drunkard who spends about nine months out of every twelve in the House of Correction. The mother scrubs and washes, but is quite helpless in attempting to care for so large a family. They live in a wretchedly poor home of four rooms. The probation officer says none of the children started with a fair inheritance of physical or moral strength. This boy's ambition is to be a prize fighter. The mother seems bewildered with her troubles and, if the boys will only work and give her their pay, she does not care where they live or loaf. The eldest son has left home; the second son is like the father and is now in the House of Correction; two other boys are wards of the court; a little girl of seven has tuberculosis. The family have been given some charitable assistance. At the age of twelve this boy was brought into court charged with stealing t t gold rings valued at $30; the mother was unable to control him. He was committed to the John Worthy School for eight months. When he was thirteen he was brought in, charged with stealing grain from the railroad; he was again committed to the John Worthy School for eleven months. When he was fifteen, he was brought in again, charged with stealing brass from a coal company; and he was put under the care of a probation officer who called at the home frequently. She felt sorry for the whole family and helped them all she could; she provided the children with clothes that they might attend school. The boy left home a week before the investigator called. The mother said she had no idea where he was going; he simply did not turn up one evening and she heard he had "gone off" with three boys. She says the boys often do that and she supposes they are as well off as they would be at home. This boy gave his mother his pay when he had any. He was a delivery boy m a large department store for a year and worked as package boy in another department store for a year and a half. <

> 45. A Bohemian family with five children, one of whom is dead, one in the John Worthy School, and one has run away from home. The parents were married when the father was twenty-six and the mother twenty, and came to this country the same year. They can speak only a little English. They live in a poor home in a house that is old and damp; and they take occasional lodgers. The mother drinks heavily and has a bad temper. The father is a decent and hardworking man, a tailor, who did own his own shop, but has "gone down." He is now ill in the hospital, and the family are quite destitute. At the age of fifteen this boy was brought into court on the charge of stealing a suit of clothes valued at $10, and three pairs of trousers valued at $6.00 He was sent to the John Worthy School. At the age of sixteen he was brought in again as incorrigible; he would not work and loitered on the streets with bad boys he was again committed to the John Worthy School. The boy was paroled to a regular probation officer on his release. The officer says the boy has now run away from home. She feels that he has been the victim of bad home conditions and that there is little hope for him. He was a teamster, and his mother says he earned about $10 a week for a time but never brought his wages home. Later he joined the navy but was imprisoned for four months for some offense committed there. He was said to be "very large and overgrown"-"overbearing, and tried to rule every thing." He ran away with a circus two years ago, and the family think

288) he is in Texas. The mother says the John Worthy School did not do the boy much good, but she was glad to have his younger brother, who is now fifteen, sent there, because he could not get work and times were so hard. She seems to want to get rid of all her children.

46. An Irish family with three children of whom this boy is the eldest. The parents were married when the father was forty-eight and the mother twenty-six. The father had then been in this country more than twenty years, but the mother had come over more recently. The home has always been cheerless and unattractive. Both parents drink, and the mother is a "lazy, untidy, dirty, ignorant woman," who is not able to write. The father is a day laborer who sometimes earns good wages. This boy is not normally bright. At the age of twelve he left school to peddle papers with some other boys. He was brought in that same year for truancy, and was sent to the Chicago Parental School. After his release he would not obey his parents, but managed to keep out of court until three years later when he was arrested for throwing a rock through a plate glass window valued at $2o. He was put on probation under the care of a police officer. The officer says that he tried to help the boy, but the mother was not truthful and would give no help, and that before long the boy ran away and joined the navy. Before he entered the navy the boy had a variety of "jobs"-he worked in a ham house, as a messenger boy, and then at "a junction." 

47. A German family with seven children. The mother is American born. The father immigrated at the age of twenty-seven and came directly to Chicago, where he has lived for thirty-three years. The family were at one time fairly prosperous, but the father was ruined by drink. He used to own the saloon above which they lived, as well as a flour and feed store with a house in the rear, which they rented; but he drank to excess, and five years ago lost all they had. Since then they have lived in a rented apartment, very neat and clean but barely furnished. The father has rheumatism badly and cannot work regularly. The mother takes in washing, but does not earn very much. One son has been paralyzed since he was seven months old. At the age of nine this boy was brought into court as a truant and was sent to the Chicago Parental School. A year later he was brought into court for violating his parole and was again sent to the Parental School. At the age of eleven he was again brought into court for using vile language and encouraging boys to stay away from school. This time he was committed to the John Worthy School. At the age of twelve he was arrested for running away from home and attending school irregularly. He was put on probation-first under the care of a special officer and later under a police officer. The last officer seems to have made a persistent effort to get the boy to do better and often went to visit the home and talk with the parents. Several times the officer secured work for the boy, which he would not take. He finally joined the navy, where he still is.

48. An American family with three children at home. The father is a waiter in a restaurant and works fairly steadily, but he drinks and is very quarrelsome. The mother is a hardworking woman, but has a

289) terrible temper. The oldest boy drank, gambled, was immoral, and is now in the state penitentiary serving a ten-year sentence. A sister of twenty-one drinks, and the family were put out of a flat building last year because of the girl's behavior. The father has always been very bad, and has supported the children in their wrongdoing. At the age of fifteen this boy was brought into court charged with breaking the peace; he was put on probation. At the age of sixteen he was brought in again, charged with loafing; he would not work, he said he "didn't have to"; he was again put on probation. Within a year he was brought in again on the charge of stealing a box containing a dress from a delivery wagon; he was put on probation for the third time. He was brought into court a fourth time, the third within a year, charged with burglary; he, with a man twenty-four years old, stole a cash register with $50 in it. He was sent to the John Worthy School and later transferred to another school for delinquent boys. The boy did not improve under probation. The probation officer feels that the parents were to blame for the boy's misconduct and that he might have improved if she had had their co-operation. The parents felt very bitterly about the interference of the court and the probation officer. The probation officer called at the home a good many times but was admitted only once or twice when she took a police officer with her. The boy reported to the probation officer but once. She tried to send him to different places where he might secure work, but he would never go. The boy always said that he did not have to work because his father made a lot of money as a politician. The officer knows nothing of the family at present; they have moved every two or three months since the boy came into court.

49. A Polish family with seven children. The father was thirty and the mother twenty-nine when they came to this country and neither of them has learned to speak English. The family formerly lived in three rooms. They now have a very dirty, bare home of four rooms in a dark rear apartment back of a saloon. The father is a time-keeper and earns very small wages. They seem to be a low and degraded family; the mother and father both drink and constantly quarrel and fight. The mother is frequently drunk. When this boy was twelve years old he was brought into court charged with taking lining out of a freight car in order to sell it for junk. He was put on probation. The boy liked the officer to whom he was paroled and reported to him once a month. He has improved in spite of bad home surroundings and has been working in "the Yards" for two years. The boy's younger brother is also a ward of the court; another is away from home and the family say he is an "actor."

School Statement.-I am 16 years old. I left school when I was 14. I was then in the 2 grade. I began to go to school when I was g years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are -- riten because [Boy unable to complete the statement.]

50. An Irish-American family with five children, four of them still at home. The father, an ex-policeman, has become a teamster. Both parents are intemperate, and the mother is an invalid and probably somewhat feeble-minded as well. The home conditions have never been good, although the family seem to have always been self-sustaining. The

(290) mother thought this boy was taught by his elder brother to use cocaine. When the boy was seven years old, he fell and hurt his back so severely that he was not able to go to school for several years. When he was thirteen and in the second grade at school, he was brought into court for stealing a buggy cushion; he was put on probation. The following year he was charged with breaking into a barn, and was sent to the John Worthy School for eight months. When he was fifteen, he was brought in charged with disorderly conduct and was put on probation. When he was sixteen, he was in court again, this time for stealing chickens, and was sent to the John Worthy School for one year and four months. The boy was first paroled to a police officer and later to a special probation officer, to whom he was very much devoted and who, the mother thinks, "has been the making of the boy." The offcer feels, however, that the parents might have given more help and encouragement. She says the father objected to court interference, and the mother helped only when pushed to extremes. The boy has worked as errand boy for a year, giving his mother all his wages. He has worked in other places but not steadily. <

> 51. An American family with eight children. At marriage the father was twenty-one, the mother seventeen years old. The mother is a shiftless woman who drinks and has the house full of carousing men and women. The father is a switchman, earning good wages. The family now live in eight rooms; formerly they had only six. The principal of the school and the probation officer say that home influences have always been and still are very bad. When the boy was twelve years old, he and two other boys were brought into court, charged with stealing cigars valued at $110 and 12 1/2 pounds of smoking-tobacco valued at $9.00; he was put on probation. The boy is now seventeen; he has worked as a delivery boy for a State Street department store, but during the last three months he has been working in a west side theater. He gives his wages to his mother.

School Statement.-I am 17 years old. I left school when 1 was 15. 1 was then in the 8th grade. I began to go to school when I was 6 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are Writing, Reading, Arithmetic because I studied hard.

52. A German family with twelve children, of whom this boy is the eldest. The father was twenty-four and the mother twenty-two when they were married, and they immigrated a year later. The father is a pipe-fitter who should earn good wages, but who drinks and is out of work. The family have recently bought a six-room house, but have a mortgage of $2200 to pay. At present no one in the family is at work. The mother is shiftless and very lax in her control of the children. The home is dirty and crowded, and the boys in the neighborhood are said to be "a rough lot." When this boy was fourteen he was brought into court with another boy for stealing some grain from a freight car. He was never in court again. The police officer to whom the boy was paroled does not now remember about the case. The mother does not remember that an officer ever called. The boy worked for a time shovelling in a foundry seven days a week, but he is now out of a job. He always "turned in" his wages.

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School Statement.-1 am 18 years old. I left school when I was 14. I was then in the 7 grade. I began to go to school when I was 6 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are Arithmetic and Reading because they help me fill out affidavits.

VI. SEVERE, CRUEL, OR BRUTAL PARENTS

53. A German family of seven children. Both father and mother are now dead, the home is broken up, and this boy lives with a married brother. The father, who was a milkman, became insane and was so abusive to the boy that he had to leave home. When he was fourteen he was arrested, with a boy who had a very bad record, charged with stealing a tent; he was put on probation. Three months later his father brought him in as incorrigible; the court however decided that the father abused the boy, and paroled him to a police officer to whom he reported once a month. The boy is not very bright, and has worked very irregularly He worked in a candy factory for awhile, and drove a milk wagon for a short time.

54. A Bohemian family with six children. The mother died when the boy was very young, and the father committed suicide about two years ago. The father was supposed to be a tailor, but he was a drunken loafer, very cruel to the children. When this boy was eleven the father brought him into court as incorrigible, saying that he stayed away from home and slept out nights; the boy in turn claimed that his father beat him cruelly. He was sent to the John Worthy School for two months. Two years later he stole a box containing $4.00 from a store, and was again sent to the John Worthy School for two months. After his release his father died, and the boy went to live with a married sister and began to work in his brother-in-law's tailor-shop. He has changed jobs since then but seems to have been doing very well. At present he is working in a box factory and earns $6.00 a week. He was first under the care of a police officer and later a probation officer. The last officer says the boy did not have a fair chance until she took him from his home to live with his sister.

School Statement.-1 am 17 years old. 1 left school when I was r4. 1 was then in the g grade. I began to go to school when I was 6 years old. [Boy unable to fill out the other part of the statement.]

55. A German family with five children, of whom one died in infancy. The father was twenty-nine and the mother twenty-two when they were married, and they had both immigrated about five years earlier. The family live in a four-room cottage which they own and which is clean, light, pleasant, and comfortably furnished. The father is a watchman who works regularly, but five years ago had his leg cut off by a train so that he was unable to work for a year. During this period the mother took in washing to support the family. Both parents are industrious and intelligent, but the father is very strict and harsh. He beats the boy severely when he does wrong, and the boy is afraid to go home when his father is there. The mother says that the boy deceives her sometimes, but she is fond of him. She nays that she and her husband often quarrel

(292) about him, and the latter says he wishes the boy were dead. When the boy was five years old he was struck by a wagon, which passed over his head, and his mother thinks this "affected him." When he was eleven years old he was brought into court for stealing a pocket-book, while delivering a message at a house. His parents said that he also stole from them and that they could not control him. He was sent to an institution for dependent children. The court record is incomplete, 'but it appears that the boy has been in the John Worthy School twice, and is now there. The mother says he smokes, steals and lies; he used to take carfare and lunch money, pretending to have work, and then only "bummed." He was at one time under the care of a probation officer to whom he would not report. The officer visited the home once a month, and used all kinds of methods but could make no impression on him. The boy tried working in a machine-shop but had a finger cut off the third day he was there. He then stayed at home and did nothing for six weeks. After this he became a messenger boy. <

> 56. A Polish family with five children. The father has been dead eighteen years. The mother died three years ago and the home was then broken up. After her husband's death she had married a man who was an iron-worker, who proved to be a very brutal and disreputable man. The mother owned the home and he "married her for what she had." The neighbors think he killed her by beating her. She is said to have been a drinking woman, and she and the stepfather were very cruel to the boy who went hungry and half clad. When he was fourteen he was brought into court, charged with stealing a pail of mincemeat valued at $2.40 from a moving car, and he was put on probation. When he was fifteen he was brought into court, charged with stealing seven pounds of scrap copper wire from a freight car, and he was again put on probation under the care of a police officer. The sister says the officer called to see the boy until the home was broken up, but the mother alone would have remembered how far he helped the boy. The boy has worked in a piano factory, a packing-house and a bakery. His present occupation is unknown but he was in the House of Correction not long ago for drinking. His three sisters have married and his one brother is in the army.

57. A German family with eight children, the youngest six months old. The father was twenty-five and the mother eighteen when they were married, and ten years later they immigrated. The mother can speak very little English. They have a poor, crowded, and very dirty home. The father is very cruel and brutal, seldom works, and when he does work, spends all his money for drink. He has cared nothing about the children and when this boy was sent to the John Worthy School said, "Good enough for him." The mother and the boys, however, work hard. One boy earns good wages driving a garbage wagon. At the age of thirteen, this boy was brought into court accused of entering a store with a group of boys and stealing gloves valued at $13.75;. he was put on probation. Within a few months he was brought in again, charged with disorderly conduct and incorrigibility. He stole a bicycle, sold it, and gave the money to his mother; lie was again put on probation. At the age of

(293) fourteen he was brought in again, charged with stealing, and was this time committed to the John Worthy School for eleven months. He was first paroled to a police officer; later to a probation officer. The last officer visited the home or the school once a week. He would not allow the boy to report to him as it gave him an excuse to stay out nights. The officer tried to stir his ambition and make him look to the future. The brother says that the officer came to the house and gave his father "an awful scolding" and made him go to work. The boy is not very bright but is a good worker and very good to his mother and, sisters. He is ill now, but at one time he drove a wagon for a tailor shop; later he worked six months in a spring factory; and after that in a candy factory. He "gives in" all his wages. <

> 58. An Irish-American family with three children. The father, a day laborer, was a drunkard and never supported the family. His health is quite broken now, and he is in bed most of the time. The mother died of tuberculosis when this boy, who is the youngest child, was small. The father was so brutal to her that he hastened her death, and he was also cruel to the children and used to put this boy out of the house. The girl who became the housekeeper after the mother died is married now, and the father and the boy live with her in a four-room apartment. She is very good to the boy, and he is fond of her. An older brother is a drunkard and tramp and has been in the House of Correction. When this boy was fourteen, he was brought into court charged with stealing and vagrancy. He was accused of stealing coal from railroad cars and was found sleeping under a house; he was also a truant. He was sent to the John Worthy School for eight months. When released from the John Worthy School, he was paroled to a probation officer who became interested in the family. She visited the home often, advised the sister, and tried to show the boy that she was interested in his welfare. She sometimes took him to the theater and the circus. The sister says that the offcer was always like a mother to them and tried to get them anything they really needed. She always liked to have the officer call. The boy is working now, selling papers. He earns about $9.00 a week and gives what he earns to his sister.

School Statement.-I am 17 years old. I left school when 1 was 15. 1 was then in the 4 grade. I began to go to school when I was 6 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are Reading Writeing and Arithmack because [Boy unable to finish the schedule].

59. A Bohemian family with ten children, two of whom are dead. The six oldest children were born in Bohemia and the family came to the United States eight years ago, when the father was forty-two and the mother thirty-seven. The father is a laborer earning very small wages and the family have always had four or five boarders. They are quiet, respectable people, well liked in the neighborhood where they used to live. They are now living on a farm in Wisconsin so that all this information was obtained from a former neighbor and the probation officer. The father was very strict and beat the boy severely whenever he disobeyed so that he often stayed away from home after some escapade because he

294) was afraid of his father. When eleven years old he was brought into court by his parents on the charge of incorrigibility; they said he refused to go to school and would stay away from home weeks at a time. He was sent to the John Worthy School for three months, but within a year after his release he was brought into court for stealing a goat, and was put on probation. Four months later he was brought in for stealing from his mother, who said she could do nothing with him; he was sent to an institution for delinquent boys. He ran away and came home, telling his parents he had been discharged; but he was caught and returned. He escaped again, but went to his sister's instead of going home and was returned again to the institution. He was later brought into the Municipal Court to answer to a charge of larceny brought by a railroad; he was held to the grand jury. He told the court he was almost eighteen, although records show him to be only fifteen. The probation officer says the boy is defiant and utterly incorrigible. She had him under her care for such a short time that she could do little for him. <

> School Statement.-I am 17 years old. I left school when 1 was 14- 1 was then in the 5 grade. I began to go to school when 1 was 6 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are Dont know because

VII. DEGRADED OR IMMORAL PARENTS

60. An Irish family with seven children, two of whom are married. They live in a damp, untidy home of four rooms. The mother was a small child when she immigrated but the father was nearly twenty. Their ages at marriage were not ascertained. Both parents formerly drank, quarreled, were accused of stealing, and both have been in the House of Correction. The mother is probably immoral. The family has, however, come onto a more decent plane of living now, due to the efforts of the children. The father is a painter and makes good wages when he works. When this boy was nine years old he was brought into court for stealing fruit from a fruit-store. He had done this before but had not been "taken up" because he was so small. This time he was sent to the John Worthy School. He was brought into court again a year later because he stole silk, and was put on probation. A month later he was brought in again for stealing coal from cars and was paroled to leave town and live with an aunt in the country. Two different officers have had the care of this boy. The last officer says she was "not very strict with him." Her work was chiefly with the family, for "the boy was better than they were." She visited the school as well as the home, and the boy reported to her frequently. The officer regards him as a promising boy, in spite of the bad conditions which have surrounded him. The mother states that the offcer came often and she enjoyed her visits. The boy worked for several months, filling lamps on the elevated road. For a time he drove a grocery wagon; but he is now at home, out of work and without a trade. One of the boy's sisters has also been a ward of the court.

School Statement.-I am 15 years old. I left school when I was 14. I was then in the s grade. I began to go to school when I was 7

(295) years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are Reading and spelling and writting. That 1 liked best because <

> 61. The father of this boy came from a farm in Germany when twenty-two, and six years later married a German-American girl of eighteen, who was born in Chicago. They had five children, of whom this boy is the eldest. The family once bought an eight-room house, but the father died and they lost it. The mother later became a laundress and afterwards married an immoral, shiftless, drinking man, who worked irregularly in the stockyards and who has now deserted the family. They had two children. Their house is filthy, and the mother has a bad reputation. At the age of thirteen, soon after the death of the father, the boy was brought into court as a dependent and put in an institution for dependent boy's to be kept until he could be placed in a home. After his mother remarried, however, he returned to her. When he was fifteen his mother brought him in, saying that he would not work or attend school and that he loitered around with bad boys; he was put on probation. The probation officer says the children are all trained beggars. The family have been helped by churches and by a charitable society. The officer says he visited the boy every two weeks, but the home influences were so bad nothing could counteract them, and the boy has not improved. Two of the boy's sisters were in a home for dependent girls but one of them has been "placed out."

62. An American family with five children. The parents were married when the father was twenty-one and the mother eighteen. They are a very low family, but have a clean, tidy home of four rooms. The father, a carpenter, is a heavy drinker, and the older sons drink. One son and his wife have just finished a jail sentence, he for highway robbery, and she for drunkenness; both have been repeatedly arrested for being intoxicated. Another son was a drunkard and never supported his family. Whenever one of the sons deserted his wife, his mother always allowed him to come and stay with her until he "got ready to go back." At the age of fifteen this boy was brought into court on the charge of stealing; he had stolen $42 from his parents, and they said he was going with a crowd of bad boys; he was sent to the John Worthy School. On his release he was paroled to a police officer and was never in court again. The offcer says he called at the home about once a month, and that he found the whole family unreliable and got no help from them. In spite of the bad influences in the family, the boy improved under probation. He is now nineteen years old and is working as a steamfitter's helper. He has been married about a year but still lives with his parents.

63. An Irish-American family with nine children, of whom three are dead. The mother was twenty-eight and the father thirty-one when they were married. When this boy was nine years old, the father deserted the family, and the child was brought into court as a dependent and placed in an institution for dependent children. The father's desertion was only temporary and he is at home now and works as a day laborer. The family live in a four-room apartment, which is poorly furnished and dirty. The mother is a woman of questionable character, and two of the

296) girls in the family have been sent to an institution for delinquent girls. When the boy was twelve he was brought into court again for assaulting another boy and trying to take money from him; he was sent to the John Worthy School, where he now is. The boy was never on probation.

64. A German family with seven children, of whom one is dead, and four are married. One of the married children, however, still lives at home. The father, who is now dead, was born in this country, and the mother immigrated at the age of thirteen. Their ages at marriage were twenty-four and twenty-one. They have a bare, cold, miserable home of four rooms. The family have a bad reputation for drinking and immorality. The father, who has been dead four years, worked in the stockyards, was a hard drinker, and would not support his family. The mother scrubs in office buildings and she and her daughters drink and are immoral. One girl who still lives at home has an illegitimate child with her. At the age of twelve this boy, who belonged to a gang, was brought into court charged with stealing; he, with two other boys, entered the basement of a church and stole manual-training tools and type; he was put on probation. Within a year he was brought in again on the charge of stealing; this time he, with two other boys, one of whom had been in court with him before, broke open a show case and stole five watches valued at 75 cents each; he was committed to a home for dependent boys. At the age of thirteen he was brought in a third time charged with stealing; he and the same boy who had been in court with him twice before stole five revolvers from a showcase; he was put on probation. Within a year he was in court again with the same boy, charged with stealing one and a half bushels of oats; he was committed to the John Worthy School. At the age of fifteen he was brought in a fifth time, charged with holding up several boys and taking away their money; he was put on probation. The probation officer visited the home regularly because, according to her statement, "there lay the real cause of the boy's delinquency." The boy sometimes reported to the officer. The officer thinks that the boy has made no real progress under probation and she feels that there is no hope for the boy unless he gets away from the bad home influences. He has worked as a stock boy, and for three months as an express driver; at present he is working in a paint factory. He "gives in" his wages.

65. This boy was an illegitimate child of Irish-American parents. His mother was an immoral woman, and his stepfather kept a house of prostitution. The child had no home training and was brought up by his stepfather's housekeeper. When he was fifteen the stepfather brought him into court, saying he could not control him. The boy was sent to the John Worthy School for five months. The regular officer to whom the boy was paroled after his release went to see him every two or three weeks. The stepfather was not interested in the boy and the officer had the co-operation only of the housekeeper, whom the boy did not like. The boy liked the officer but he did not seem to make much progress. The officer said he had a very violent temper and had never learned how to control it. The boy has been married nearly a year now and he and his wife are living with

(297) her grandmother in two very dirty rooms. He does well only "by spells" and at times he beats his wife. <

> School Statement.-I am 19 years old. I left school when I was 16. I was then in the 8th grade. I began to go to school when I was 8 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are my writing and Grammar.

66. A German family with four children, all of whom have left home. Both parents were over twenty years old when they came to this country. Both drink and are illiterate and immoral. The mother speaks English only brokenly. The father never worked, and the mother used to take in washing to support the family and is now working in a laundry. The family did live in a four-room basement apartment, but now the father and the mother have only two rooms. The home conditions were always as bad as possible. At the age of fifteen this boy was brought into court charged with malicious mischief; he, with a gang of boys, broke windows in a private house with sling shots; the father was in the House of Correction and the mother could not control the boy; he was put on probation and was paroled to an officer, who feels fairly well satisfied with the boy's progress. She wonders that he improved at all "in such dreadful surroundings." She visited the home often, as the family needed more of her time and help than the boy. The boy reported only a few times. For two months he had worked in a saloon, and she obtained for him a position driving a milk wagon, in order to get him away from the saloon. He ran away three years ago, and the mother has not seen him since, although he is in Chicago; she has been told that he is a teamster. She says he never brought much money home when there, but ran away when he earned any. The boy's older brother would not stay at home, and his younger brother was frequently "in trouble." The boy's sister, twelve years old, has been in court as a dependent and is now in an institution for delinquent girls; so that none of the children are at home. The mother says she knows nothing about her sons and does not want the little girl who is in the institution.

67. An American family with four children. The mother died a good many years ago. The father was a very decent man at one time, a paper-hanger and in business for himself; but the mother was intemperate and he gradually became demoralized, and since her death has "gone to the bad." The home is a very poor, untidy apartment of three rooms. The father had two different women living with him after the mother died, and one of them had a child, who has been kept in the family. A sister younger than this boy is probably immoral, and the younger brother is in an institution for dependent boys. At the age of fifteen this boy was brought into court charged with stealing. He, with five other boys, had stolen a horse and buggy and driven twenty-five miles out of the city. He was put on probation. The probation officer tried to persuade the father to send the children to his family in another state, but he was unwilling to do so. She once brought the whole family into court on account of the conditions under which they were living. The boy seems to be good in spite of had home conditions. He has been working with his father as a paper-hanger, and his father keeps all that he earns.

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School Statement.-I am 2o years old. I left school when I was 14. 1 was then in the 7 grade. I began to go to school when I was 6 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are reading writting and selling because 1 think 1 could get better work.

68. A Russian-Jewish family with five children, all at home, and all but one at work. The father was twenty-four and the mother twenty-three at the time of marriage, and they both had immigrated a year or two before. The father was a peddler, but he deserted several years ago. The children however, are able to support the family so that the mother, who is a shiftless and scolding woman, does not work. One sister is said to be very idle and worthless, but at times she works in a department store. The family had assistance at one time from a charitable society. The home of three rooms in a basement is dark, damp, crowded, dirty and poorly furnished. At the age of fifteen this boy was brought into court as incorrigible. He did nothing but loiter around, drink beer, and smoke. He was committed to the John Worthy School. When released from the John Worthy School he was put under the care of a probation officer. The officer went to the house every three weeks. She was always severe and firm with the boy, but the mother shielded him so that the officer could do nothing with him. The mother says that the boy was always angry when he heard that the officer had been at the house. The officer says that the whole family is lazy and shiftless,.but she believes that the boy has improved. The mother thinks that the boy was dealt with very unjustly by the court and that he should never have been sent away. The boy has worked in several different places. He was at first an errand boy, later he tried "teaming" for different firms, and he then worked in a picture-frame factory for ten months. He is now driving a wagon for a clothing store.

School Statement.-I am 17 years old. I left school when 1 was-. I was then in the 6 grad grade. I began to go to school when I was 7 years old. The studies which have helped me to earn money are-Nothing help me because I did ne it in my work.

69. A colored family with six children, four of whom are now living away from home. The mother was thirteen years old and the father seventeen when they were married. The father is a teamster, and the mother keeps a low rooming-house of seventeen rooms, which is filthy and dilapidated beyond description. They live in a neighborhood of low saloons and dives, and both parents drink. The boy, who is a good worker, is now employed in the stockyards, earning $6.00 a week. His teacher speaks well of him and so does the probation officer. The boy was brought into court when he was thirteen, charged with disorderly conduct,-he and another boy were accused of stealing chickens. He was put on probation. The mother says bad friends, "Italians," got the boy in trouble and that the probation officer was good for him because she kept him "scared up."

School Statement.-I am 17 years old. I left school when I was 16. I was then in the 4 grade. I began to go to school when I was 12 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are Reading helped me best because I can read a new paper.

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70. An American family (probably Irish-American) with six chi!dren. One of the children is married; one girl is in a school for dependent girls; and this boy is in the army. The father is a fireman earning "good money," and he is steady, hardworking, and respectable. The home is well furnished but dirty and disorderly. The mother is a drinking, quarrelsome woman who has a bad name in the neighborhood, and the children are all said to be "wild." The father himself put the one daughter in a school for delinquent girls when she was eighteen. At the age of fifteen this boy, with two other boys, was brought into court by a police officer, accused of stealing two gram doors from the railroad. He was put on probation under the care of a police officer, who saw him only a few times. The officer says that the mother's bad health was responsible for the boy's delinquency. The boy worked for a time as a teamster and usually gave his mother his pay, but he has now joined the army.

71. A German family with five children, two of whom are dead. The boy is the youngest child. The father was twenty-four and the mother twenty-two when they were married. The mother had been in this country only one year, but the father had come over when he was a child. The father, who died of pneumonia not long ago, was a carpenter, and a cook on a lake boat, and finally the manager of a pleasure boat. He was a man of bad habits and, while he lived, there was much quarreling in the home, and his influence on the children was bad. As his earnings were very uncertain, the mother had to take in washing; she still washes and earns about $5.00 a week. She is a good, industrious woman and keeps the home neat and cheerful. When this boy was twelve years old, he and another boy were brought into court, charged with stealing grain doors valued at 70 cents from the railroad; he was put on probation. Within a year he was brought in again on the charge of entering the basement of a church and stealing manual training tools and printing type, and was again put on probation. He has been under the care of four different probation officers. The last officer says she went to see the boy once a month and the mother gave her full control over the child, but the father's influence was bad. The mother believes that probation officers are very necessary. The boy has greatly improved and has been given an honorable release. The mother says he is not a bad boy, but "he is such a good-hearted fool of a sheep that he would follow any one anywhere." He has worked two years as a wagon boy for a department store and is now driving a milk wagon. The youngest brother is a ward of the court and is said to have decided criminal tendencies; an older brother was fined $7.00 for putting caps on street-car tracks.

72. A very low-grade Irish family with three boys, the eldest of whom died of blood-poisoning. The father was seventeen when he came to America, and the mother was nine; the father was twenty-five, the mother twenty-seven, when they were married. The father is a day laborer and has never earned good wages. He, the mother, and an aunt who lives with them, all drink. The father has been in the House of Correction. The mother sells papers and frequents saloons. When this boy was fifteen and in the sixth grade in public school, he was brought

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into court for throwing stones at a car, and put on probation. But within two months he was brought into court again for throwing stones at a Jewish peddler. This time he was sent to the John Worthy School for a year. The boy is the father of an illegitimate child whose mother he has now married. He has never done anything but odd jobs and is now out of work, living in a house for which he pays no rent, and getting coal from the county.

School Statement.-I am 21 years old. 1 left school when I was 15. I was then in the 6 grade. I began to go to school when I was 6 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are because 1 have been labor and had not used any Reading or Riting or Ritmitch.

73. An exceptionally low-grade Russian-Jewish family with four children, three boys and a girl. The mother was married first at twenty-one and, after the father's death, married again, at thirty-seven, a man of the same age. Both the mother and the stepfather were foreign born, and both were immoral. The home has always been very bad indeed. The mother was burned to death and the stepfather abandoned the family, after criminally assaulting his stepdaughter, who is now in an institution for delinquent girls. The oldest boy is a delinquent and in an institution; the youngest, who is now in an orphan asylum, has bad moral habits. This boy has been in two different institutions for dependent boys and in the Parental School. When he was nine he was brought into court as an incorrigible; his mother could not keep him off the streets nor from flipping cars; he was then put on probation. The next year, when he was ten, he was brought in as a dependent and sent to an institution for dependent boys. The following year he was again brought in as incorrigible, his friends saying they could not control him; he was put on probation. When he was twelve he was brought in again as incorrigible, and was this time committed to another institution for dependent boys. The boy appears to be rather dependent than delinquent. He has been under the care of two different probation officers. The last officer says she visited the home frequently. She says the principal of the school co-operated with her but she had no help from the parents. The officer says this was one of her "hardest cases." After the mother's death the boy had at least half a dozen guardians, each interfering with the others and with the officer, and as a result the boy made little progress. The officer twice secured positions for the boy but he held them a very short time.

VIII. VERY POOR, DIRTY, OR CROWDED HOMES

74. A German family with twelve children, five of whom died in infancy. The parents were married when the father was thirty-seven and the mother twenty-two, and they both immigrated a few years earlier. The family, who have always been desperately poor, have lived for eleven years in a basement flat of four rooms, entirely below the level of the street. The rooms are dark and damp, and the family have almost no furniture. The father is an unskilled laborer whose frequent "drunks" cause him to lose positions rapidly. HP has not had "a steady job" for years but now has a little work m a furniture shop at very low wages. The

(301) mother is said to be good-natured and shiftless. She can speak no English although she has been here twenty-five years. The boy left school when twelve years old. He did not like school and has not found any position which suited him. His parents claim to be fond of him, but the mother says, "If he was only dead and buried, we could say, `Well, anyway, I know where he is."' The family have received aid from the county and from one of the settlements. The boy was brought into court at the age of fourteen for stealing a horse from a pasture and trying to sell it for $3.00; the case was dismissed. Two weeks later he was arrested in the act of stealing small articles from a dry goods store. He was sent to the John Worthy School for two months, when he was released to leave the city and go on a farm. He was never under the care of a probation officer. He worked in a printing shop for a year earning $6.00 a week, and on a farm for half a year for his board. His mother knows that he has had several other positions, but does not remember what they were.

75. An Italian family of nine children, of whom two are dead and one is an epileptic. The parents were married when the father was twenty-seven and the mother sixteen, and they came to this country about a year later. The mother speaks no English. They have a very wretched home of three rooms, dirty and miserably furnished; and the mother and children are dirty and half-clad. The father is a street-sweeper; one sister works in a date shop; the two oldest boys, aged seventeen and twenty, are not working now, but one of them used to help his father keep a "shine stand." This boy was brought into court at the age of eleven on the charge of incorrigibility, He ran away from home, stole money from his mother, and his parents said that they could not control him. He was committed to the John Worthy School, where he spent twelve months. Very soon after his release, at the age of twelve, he was in court again on the charge of larceny, but the case was dismissed. At this time he was still in the second grade at school. At the age of thirteen he was again brought in on the charge of truancy, and was committed to the Chicago Parental School.

76. An Irish family with seven children. The parents were foreign born, but their age at immigration could not be learned. They have a very untidy, shiftless, crowded home. Both father and mother constantly drink to excess. The father is a teamster. but he is in poor health. The mother complains because one of the boys has brought his wife and child home to "live off the family." There are now eleven persons living in one apartment of three rooms. When this boy was eight years old, he was brought into court with two other boys for breaking into a grocery store. The court record shows that he was staying away from home and sleeping out nights; he was sent to the John Worthy School for four months. When he was nine, he was found sleeping under a house and was brought into court and again sent to the John Worthy School for ten months. He is not doing very well now. He was a messenger at the stockyards for a time, but is now out of work. The mother says she hates the court and everybody connected with it except the probation officer. The officer says the boy has improved but does not

(302) have any help at home from his parents. "The parents needed more care than the child." The officer called at the home every week. She secured work for different members of the family and tried to help them in other ways. <

> 77. A Polish family with five children, all of whom are still at home. The mother of these children is the father's second wife. Both parents came to this country after they were thirty and they speak very little English. The family have a clean but very poor home in a dilapidated tenement, which is damp because of the defective plumbing. The other people in the house are disreputable, drinking people. The yard is a sort of dump; the street, which has no sidewalk, is unpaved; and there are pools of standing water about. The father does not work and drinks a good deal. Two older brothers work in the stockyards. One of the children by a former wife has been sent to an institution for dependent children. This boy, who still goes to school, is said to be mentally deficient and unable to learn. The father is very mean to the children and anxious to have them work as early as they can. At the age of twelve, this boy was brought into court, charged with breaking seals on freight cars and stealing merchandise; he was sent to the John Worthy School. At the age of fourteen he was brought in again as incorrigible; he would not go to school, and had a bad influence on his brothers. He was sent to the John Worthy School and later paroled. - The boy was under the care of a probation officer but made no progress. The officer says that the teacher and the mother co-operated "heartily" but the father "only scolded."

78. A Russian-Jewish family with eleven children. The father was eighteen and the mother fifteen when they were married, and they immigrated ten years later. The mother speaks very little English. The father, who is a glazier, but who earns very low wages, used to drink a great deal but has better habits now. The family live in a very dirty, unsanitary apartment of six rooms, but, as three rooms are rented, they really have only three rooms for a family of twelve. One of the girls was married when fifteen years old and is now insane. When this boy was fifteen he was brought into court for stealing property worth $18. He was out of work at the time and evidently was trying to make money by stealing things and selling them. He was put on probation and has not been in court again. He has had various odd jobs and claims to have once saved $100, which his father took and did not repay. He left home once and went to Denver but returned because the family wrote that they would starve if he did not come back and help to support them. He is now working in a printing office.

School Statement.-I am 21 years old. 1 left school when I was 14. 1 was then in the 5 grade. I began to go to school when I was 7 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are-Is pinting and worked for $2I2 a week for 2 years. [Boy told the investigator nothing had helped him.]

79. A German family with five children. The father, who died eight years ago, owned a coal yard, which the mother has kept and man aged since his death. The family has a very unsavory reputation in the neighborhood. The eldest daughter, who is a domestic servant and is away from home, had an illegitimate child, whom she left with her mother. This boy and his older brother used to be bad and shiftless, but they are now much improved and are getting to be industrious. The family own their own home of four rooms, but it is very bare, in filthy condition, and greatly neglected. They live in an extremely poor neighborhood; all the sewers are open; the house is very near the railroad tracks; the sidewalks and fences are broken; the yard is filled with refuse; and everything on the premises shows neglect of long standing. The mother has been arrested twice for keeping the children out of school for insuffcient reasons, and a younger boy was recently arrested for breaking into a car. At the age of twelve this boy was brought into court charged with breaking into a car on the railroad and stealing four pairs of shoes; he was committed to the John Worthy School for five months. He now drives a coal wagon and helps manage the coal yard. The mother says that he plays cards for money in saloons and other places.

80. An Italian family with ten children, of whom six are dead. The parents were married at the ages of twenty-three and nineteen and came to this country four years later. The father is a laborer, earning $9.00 a week. They have a very poor home, two rooms in an old tenement, in a poor neighborhood near the tracks and the river. The father and mother speak very little English. When the boy was thirteen, he was brought into court for running away, loitering in news alleys, and sleeping in hallways; he was put on probation. Within a few months he was brought in again, charged with vagrancy; it was said that he loafed and frequented saloons and questionable places; he was then sent to the John Worthy School. In spite of the efforts of the parents, the school, and the probation officer, the boy did not improve. The officer visited either the home or the school once a week. When the boy was not in institutions, he reported to the officer "occasionally." The officer was never very hopeful of the boy, because the home was so miserable and the parents so unintelligent. At the age of seventeen he was brought in on the charge of stealing an overcoat because he had not enough to pay for it, and this time he was sent to the state reformatory at Pontiac. The mother says that the boy stole because he was poor, and was sent to Pontiac for taking a five-dollar overcoat that he needed. The probation officer thinks that this sentence is unjust, but she believes the boy to be a degenerate. He has a tendency "to rove," and will not work long at anything. He has earned very little but has given all he earned to his mother.

81. A Bohemian family with eight children. Nothing is known of the boy's own father. The stepfather deserted the family, and the mother is very ignorant and incapable. The boy and an older brother now work in the stockyards and support the family. A sister, who is a graduate of the state school for the blind, is teaching. The family used to live in a very poor, damp, dark basement apartment. At one time when the mother was ill and would not go to the hospital, no provision was made for caring for the children and this boy began to loaf about the

(304) streets with older boys who led him into trouble. A neighboring settlement has done much to improve conditions in the home and the family has been enabled to move to a decent, light cottage in a good neighborhood. When this boy was twelve he was brought into court, charged with stealing from a store shoe polish worth $50; he was put on probation. Within a year he was brought in again charged with stealing a bicycle, and this time was sent to the John Worthy School for seven months. He has been under the care of two different probation officers. The last officer thought the mother was so ignorant that it was almost hopeless to appeal to her, but the older boys were helpful. The officer called at the home frequently, and the boy reported every week at first. The officer interested a society of ladies in the family, and they furnished clothes for the children. The mother says the boy does not think of the officer as anything but a friend because she never reminds him of her connection with the court. He is undersized which makes it difficult for him to secure employment but he has tried to earn money since he was eleven, and always gives his mother his wages. <

> 82. A Polish family with nine children, one of whom is dead. The parents were married when the father was nineteen and the mother sixteen. They are both very foreign, although the father came to this country at the age of seven and the mother was born here. The father can read and write but little English; the mother not at all. They are a low-grade family with an extremely dirty home and dirty, ragged children. The father drinks and is very harsh and unkind. He is a teamster, but is out of work a great deal. In spite of this they are trying to buy the tenement in which they live, but it is mortgaged for $2500. An older brother and sister of this boy are wards of the court. At the age of twelve this boy was brought into court as incorrigible; he would not attend school, his parents could not control him, and he stayed away from home; he was sent to an institution for dependent boys. Within a year he was brought in again on the same charge and was returned to the same institution; he ran away from the institution and was then sent to the John Worthy School. He was brought into court again, at the age of fourteen, on the charge of disorderly conduct; he cut lead pipes from a laundry, stole in his neighborhood, and lived away from home continually; he was again sent to the John Worthy School, where he is now. The boy was first paroled to a police officer then to a probation officer, and last to a volunteer officer. The officers did everything they could for the boy, but he did not improve. One of them says the boy is a "dope fiend," and another thinks that he is "not quite right." The mother says that the boy is "off in his mind" and that the father's treatment has made him worse.

83. These two boys belong to a German family with five children. When married, the father was twenty-four and the mother twenty-two. The father is a cabinet-maker and used to earn $12 a week, but is crippled with rheumatism now and unable to work. The mother earns a little by taking in washing. She speaks very little English although she came to this country when she was twelve. The home of five rooms is bare and poor and in an extremely poor neighborhood. The younger of these boys is epileptic and can seldom find work so that the older boy is prac-

(305) -tically the support of the family. These two boys, with another boy, first came into court at the ages of twelve and fifteen for breaking windows. The epileptic boy had had trouble in school and wanted to "pay teacher back" by throwing stones at the windows. They were put on probation. Within a year the epileptic boy was brought into court again for keeping bad company and for truancy. He was sent to a children's hospital society for treatment and was then put on probation. The probation officer who had charge of the boys visited the home every week for a year and tried to keep the epileptic boy under treatment and succeeded in keeping him at a hospital for six weeks. The older boy works steadily and gives all he earns to his mother. He began work at fourteen as an errand boy and he is now a teamster, earning $to a week. He is a good worker and the probation officer thinks that he was never really delinquent,-only mischievous. <

> School Statement.-I am I9 years old. I left school when I was 13. I was then in the 6 grade. I began to go to school when I was 5 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are Arithmetic because it helps me out in my paids.

84. An Italian family with five children. The parents were married when the father was thirty and the mother twenty-three. The father immigrated two years after his marriage, and the mother followed him two years later. Neither the father nor the mother can speak English. The father who is now doing gang work in Montana earns about $10 a week, and the children are earning $i $11, but they are likely to be out of work at any time. The home is very dirty and poor, and the mother is delicate. This boy first came into court at the age of eleven for stealing a purse from a department store; he was put on probation. When he was thirteen he came into court again because he had been one of four boys to rob a slot machine. He was again put on probation and has been doing much better since. The probation officer visited the family two or three times a week at first and, later, two or three times a month. While in school the boy reported to the officer every week, but when working, only once a month. The officer provided Christmas dinners for the family, sweaters for the boys, a doctor and a nurse during illness, and food and fuel for two winters. He also took the boy to camp one summer and got him several "jobs." The parents say they liked the probation officer because he always helped them out of their troubles. The boy liked to report at the officer's home; he said he always "had such a good time and it was so clean." He is now working in a factory, doing "odd jobs" and earning $4.00 a week. He has worked at several places but only for a short time in each place.

School Statement.-I left school when I was 15. 1 was then in the 4 grade. I began to go to school when I was 9 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are railroads because they pay more.

IX. REPEATERS

85. An Irish family with eighteen children, eight of whom are dead. One buy is married, two are working, and there are three children in school

(306) and three small children at home. The parents both came to this country when they were about fifteen years old, and were married when the father was twenty-one and the mother seventeen. The mother says the father was a teamster for one firm for twenty years and earned $2.00 a day, but was always "very stingy with the family"; he paid for rent and coal but never gave her enough for food and clothes. The father is now a motorman. The mother drinks, cares nothing for the father, and takes no interest in the children. The home of seven rooms, which has always been very slovenly and crowded, is on a poor, unpaved street. This boy belonged to the O- Street gang. At the age of twelve he was brought into court, charged with stealing $50 from his mother; he was put on probation. Within a year he was brought in again, charged with stealing a watch from his father, and was sent to an institution for dependent children. At the age of thirteen he was in court again, charged with incorrigibility; he attempted to steal a pair of overalls and the next day assaulted the owner in the school yard; he was committed to the John Worthy School. At the age of fourteen he was brought in again on the charge of incorrigibility; the parents asserted that he was beyond their control, that he ran away from home, that he carried a revolver, and that his teacher could not control him; he was again committed to the John Worthy School, where he remained thirteen months. At the age of fifteen he was brought in once more, charged with holding up school children and taking their money from them; he was sent to another institution for delinquent boys. He was at different times under the care of a police officer and two probation officers. The family refused to co-operate with all of these officers, and the mother always shielded the boy. The last officer called to see the boy about once a month, but the boy refused to report to the officer. The officer thinks that the home and the neighborhood caused the boy's delinquency and that there is no hope for him. The boy has worked only three months and in that time he has had three positions. He never "gave in" his wages of his own accord; so his mother collected them. <

> 86. An Italian family with five children. The parents were married when the father was twenty-seven and the mother was fifteen. They had both been in this country several years then but the mother has never learned to speak more than a very little English. They live in a poor, dirty, crowded home of five rooms, which they own. The father is now working on the city sewer, earning good wages. The mother says the boy has a dreadful temper and is "craze in de head." He has had a bad record in school. When he was twelve, he was brought into court, charged with assaulting another boy; he was sent to the John Worthy School. Within a year he was brought in again, charged with stealing gum and candy from a store; he was again committed to the John Worthy School. At the age of thirteen he was brought in again, charged with stealing from a showcase six mufflers valued at $3.00; he was put on probation. At the age of fourteen he was brought in again, charged with disorderly conduct, with being a truant from school and with shooting craps; he was put on probation. When he was fifteen years old he was brought in on the charge of disorderly conduct for loitering in poolrooms; he was again

307) put on probation. The boy's progress under probation was not very favorable. He was first paroled to a police officer and later to three different probation officers. The last officer had to "keep after him" all the time. At first he called every day at the home and the school, and made repeated efforts to hold the boy to his promises, but he was never very successful. The officer took the boy to camp one summer. The boy has worked for three months as a teamster and for four months has played in the band at one of the- amusement parks. <

> School Statement.-1 am 16 years old. I left school when I was 14. 1 was then in the 6 grade. I began to go to school when I was S years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are my reading and numbers because if I could not read I would not know how to get a job.

87. A colored family with one child. At marriage the father was twenty-nine, the mother twenty-four. They have a home of six rooms, which is neat and clean, and they are said to be quiet, decent people. The father, a hardworking man, is a salesman, earning fairly good wages. The mother has been paralyzed for five years, and the grandmother lives with the family and keeps house. At one time the mother used to help support the family by working out but she is no longer able to work. At the age of ten the boy was brought into court on a truancy charge, and was sent to the Chicago Parental School. A year and a half later he again played truant, and was put on probation. One year after this he stole a bicycle, automobile tire and lamp, and was sent to the John Worthy School for one year. Six months after his release he broke into a barn and forced open a trunk containing carpets valued at $5o. He was hauling away the carpets and also a heating stove, when he was arrested and returned to the John Worthy School, where he is at the present time. He was under the care of a probation officer who called at the home every week or two and found the mother "anxious to help." The officer secured jobs for the boy, but he would not work and seemed confirmed in habits of stealing and lying. He never stayed at any place more than two months. He held positions as an elevator boy, wagon boy and messenger boy, and was allowed to keep his own wages. His mother says that he is dishonest and lazy and that he gambles and smokes and has not improved in any way, although the probation officer has tried to help him. The mother says that the boy liked the officer and reported to her regularly.

88. A German family with eleven children, all of whom are still at home except this boy who has run away. The parents never mention him and say they are trying to forget him. The mother, who was seventeen when she was married, came to this country when she was a little girl, and the father immigrated before he was fifteen. The father is a butcher's clerk, earning good wages. The family lived in a good home but in a very bad neighborhood during the period when the boy was in trouble. The parents finally bought a home in a quiet neighborhood in order to have better influences about the boy, but it was too late. At the age of fourteen the boy was brought into court on the charge of stealing a bicycle and then selling it for 5o cents; he was put on probation. At the age of

308) fifteen he was again brought in for stealing newspapers in front of stores; he was again put on probation. At the age of sixteen he was brought in as incorrigible, accused of stealing from a vacant building lead pipes and plumbing material valued at $400; he was again put on probation. He has worked but three weeks to his life. He was paroled to a police officer, who according to the parents "stood by the family through all their trials with the boy." The parents co-operated with the officer in all his efforts. The mother seemed to think the officer had some influence but it did not last. The boy is now in the House of Correction for the second time. He had left home before he was sent there last, and the parents evidently hope he will never come home again.

89. A Danish family with seven children. The parents were married when the father was twenty-three and the mother twenty-one, and they immigrated a year later. The mother and one child have died of tuberculosis, and the father now has this disease. The father is a foreman for an engineering company and earns good wages. The family did own a seven-room cottage, but they now board. The mother was ill for a long time, and the boy became "wild"; the father was always hard on him and thinks him a "bad lot." At the age of twelve he was brought into court on the charge of stealing; he had stolen $25 from a man and $3 from a grocery store; he was committed to the John Worthy School. At the age of thirteen he was again in court as incorrigible; he was staying away from home weeks at a time, sleeping in barns; he was again sent to the John Worthy School. At the age of fifteen he was brought in again on the charge of breaking into a freight car and stealing tobacco, three bottles of bitters, and paper napkins valued at $6.00. He was put on probation. At the age of fifteen he was in court again for incorrigibility and for stealing; he broke into a shed and stole a brass valve and tools valued at $10. He was sent to an institution for delinquent boys. The boy was first paroled to a police officer and then to a special probation officer. The police officer does not remember the boy. The special officer visited the home occasionally, and the boy reported once a week. The officer found the boy very friendly, and the sister says the boy liked the officer and did well while he was reporting to her.

90. An Irish family of six children, of whom this boy is the youngest. The father and mother were both over thirty-five when they left Ireland; the mother was nineteen when married. They are a very respectable family and have a very decent home of six rooms. At the age of thirteen this boy was brought into court charged with stealing $1.50; at school he was also said to be uncontrollable; he was put on probation. Within a year he was brought in again on the charge of disorderly conduct and not going to school; he was again put on probation. At the age of sixteen he was brought in again on the charge of incorrigibility; his mother said she could not control him and that he "slept out"; he was again put on probation. Within a year he was brought in again on the charge of stealing gloves, an overcoat, and money from an express company; he was for the fourth time put on probation. He was brought into court the third time within a year on the charge of stealing a purse containing a small burn of money, and this time he was sent to the John Worthy School. The

(309) boy and the police officer to whom he was paroled were on very good terms. The officer called whenever he passed the home and became well acquainted with the family, but the mother shielded the boy from him. The officer says the boy was "a deep schemer," was sly, and unwilling to work. The officer tried to persuade him to find a job and keep it. The family think that the boy is all right now. They say he is ashamed of his record and although he has had no job since he came from the John Worthy School, he is looking for one. Before this he worked for a time as an errand boy earning $4.00 a week and later in a box factory where he earned more. <

> School Statement.-I am 17 years old. I left school when I was 14. 1 was then in the 7 grade. I began to go to school when 1 was 6 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are reading and arithemitic because if you were looking for a job who could read the want ads arithemitic helps in counting your pay.

91. A Bohemian family of five children, of whom this boy is the eldest. The father came to this country when a child; the mother when twenty-two. They were married when both were twenty-four. The father speaks English fairly well but the mother very poorly. They have a very poor, bare, crowded home of four rooms, which the mother keeps neat and clean, although she does home finishing. The father is a butcher, and used to work in the stockyards, but he drinks, and does not work very steadily now. This boy was brought into court at the age of ten by a police officer, charged with stealing; he and two other boys had stolen several pocketbooks, ranging in value from 95 cents to $66; he was sent to the John Worthy School. At the age of thirteen he was brought in again, charged with stealing a Leghorn chicken valued at $15, and a China duck he was put on probation. Within a year he was in court again, charged with disorderly conduct; he was accused of prowling around the school house, throwing snowballs at children, and stealing small articles in school; he was again committed to the John Worthy School. At the age of fourteen he was brought into court again on the charge of stealing; he was said to be implicated in stealing a pair of trousers from a clothing store; he was put on probation. He has spent fourteen months in the John Worthy School. He is just past fourteen, and is working as a wagon boy for a department store. The mother and the boy are good friends and the boy "gives in" his wages regularly. The boy has been under the care of two police officers and three probation officers. The last officer says she has no faith in the boy but does not permit him to know it. The parents are willing to co-operate but are unable to control the boy who is "one of the toughest boys to the neighborhood and an awful liar.

92. A German-Jewish family with four children. The father and mother were both twenty-four years old when they were married, and they came to this country about twenty years ago. Although the father has a good business, the family live in a very bad neighborhood, in four rooms back of their store. The home is dirty but comfortably furnished. The father is said to "care for nothing but making money," and he is so stein that the boys arc afraid of him. The mother is not very strong, and is always too tired to take much care of the children. An older brother is

(310) not very bright, and is so nervous that, according to the mother, the teacher will not allow him to attend school. This boy has always hated school and has always wanted to work and earn money. When he was nine years old, he was brought into court for playing truant, and was sent to the Chicago Parental School. Not quite two years later, he was brought in on the same charge and returned to the Parental School. Three months later he was charged with stealing; he and three other boys broke into a store and took groceries and confectionery valued at $45; he was then put on probation. One year and five months later he was brought into court as incorrigible; his parents said they could not control him and that he was thoroughly unreliable; he was sent to the John Worthy School, where he is now. He was under the care of a probation officer who called at the home once a month and found the parents willing to do anything she asked, but the boy only made trouble at home and at school, and "it seemed nothing could be done for him." The mother speaks well of the officer's services.

93. This boy was adopted when a baby and is the only child in the family. His foster-parents are both American. His foster-mother says he fell when a little boy and hurt his head, and she thinks it "weakened his mind," and that this accounts for his bad behavior. He is home only part of the time and goes "bumming" when he is there. There is a great deal of hostility between him and his foster-parents. The foster-father is a "politician" and always has good jobs, and they have a neat, attractive home of four rooms. At the age of fourteen the boy was brought into court by a policeman as incorrigible; he was charged with keeping bad company, staying out nights and not attending school; he was committed to an institution for dependent boys. At the age of fifteen he was again in court on the charge of incorrigibility; his parents asserted that they could not control him, that he left home and slept in cheap lodging-houses; he was then sent to another institution for dependent boys. Within a year he was brought in again as incorrigible; his parents asserted that they could not control him, that he stayed away from home and that he was becoming entirely unmanageable; he was sent to an institution for delinquent boys. The boy has been a packer for a wholesale house, a cabin boy on a lake boat, and has "helped" on a farm, working a short time- at each place. He was never put on probation by the court, but on his release from the last institution he was paroled to an officer belonging to the institution. This officer has called to see the boy but has never found him at home.

School Statement.-I am 18 years old. I left school when I was 17. I was then in the 8 grade. I began to go to school when I was 6 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are farming, Arithmetic because I have tried them.

94. A Polish family with six children. The parents were both about twenty-five years old when they came to this country, and neither learned to speak English. They have a poor and bare home of four rooms; the probation officer says ` an awful house." The father works in a sausage factory but earns very low wages. He drinks and the mother is insane. An older brother was once in the state reformatory at Pontiac but the

311) family do not know where he is now. Three younger children are still at school, and one girl keeps house, while this boy works. At the age of fourteen this boy was brought into court by a policeman on the charge of disorderly conduct; he, with other boys, had broken into a store-room and taken a lot of empty bottles; he was put on probation. At the age of fifteen he was in court again charged with snatching a pocketbook from a woman; he was committed to the John Worthy School. At the age of sixteen he was again brought into court, charged with stealing copper wire worth $7.00, and was again committed to the John Worthy School. He has been in the John Worthy School fifteen months in all. The boy was paroled to two regular officers, but is now released from probation. The officer found it difficult to help the boy because the father "fought every plan." The boy first went to work as a bottle filler in an extract factory; after this he worked in a machine shop four months and then in a twine mill; he is now working as a laborer in a foundry.

School Statement.-I am 18 years old. I left school when I was 14. I was then in the 6 grade. I began to go to school when I was 8 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are dont know.


X. MEMBERS OF GANGS

95. A Bohemian family with seven children, one of whom died in infancy. This boy is the eldest. The father and mother were both about twenty-one years old when they immigrated, and they were married a year later. The father works in a tailor shop as a coat presser but earns very low wages. He drank a good deal and formerly had the reputation of being lazy and letting his wife go out to support him by washing, but his habits have improved. The mother still works out part of the time, as the family are trying to pay for their five-room cottage which is mortgaged for $600. This boy was a member of a gang in a Bohemian colony which was demoralized by one very bad boy. When this boy was twelve he was brought into court charged with breaking a seal on a freight car and stealing apples worth $to. He was put on probation, at first under the care of a police officer, but later under a probation officer who visited the home every week, became a friend and counsellor, and secured help for the family when the father was "laid off." This officer said that one bad boy was responsible for the wrongdoing of this boy and the other boys in the gang. So far as the officer could learn they were all good boys with the exception of the leader. When the gang was broken up this boy was all right. He is working now as a driller for some brass works and "gives in" his wages. Before this he worked for six months in a brick kiln as a laborer.

School Statement.-I am 17 years old. I left school when I was 14. I was then in the 5 grade. 1 began to go to school when 1 was 6 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are Arithmetic, Spelling, Reading and Writing because I could not get any employment without any education.

96. An Irish family with eight children. The father was twenty-six and the mother twenty-four when they were married, and they did not leave Ireland until four y cars later. They are very respectable, industrious

(312) people and have a good home. The father is a building laborer and earns good wages when he is working. He drinks, however, and is said to be "very hard on the boys." This boy got in with the notorious E- gang, which had its headquarters in a neighboring district. When he was fifteen years old he was brought into court by his mother, charged with incorrigibility and staying out at night; he was put on probation. Within a year he was brought in again for flipping cars, and his mother asked to have him sent to the John Worthy School. According to the mother, the boy was never regularly under probation, but "out of friendship for the family, a police officer kept his eye on him" for several years. The officer visited him at his home and often talked with him on the street. He found the threat of the John Worthy School the only means of securing the boy's obedience to his parents. The boy improved for a while under probation and as a result of his stay at the John Worthy School, but his parents thought the gang influence destroyed the progress he had made. He worked in an automobile establishment for nearly a year, and then he gave it up and joined the navy. <

> 97. A Canadian family with eight children, of whom two are married and one is dead. At the time of marriage the father was thirty-two and the mother twenty-six, and they came to the United States ten years later. The father is a carpenter, who is now too old to work. They had a very decent home of four rooms, but the family discipline was evidently very lax. The mother said she could never do anything with her boys after they were twelve years old. She was ill, however, and in the hospital for nine weeks just before this boy was brought into court. He was then fifteen. After his mother went to the hospital he got in with a gang of boys who broke into a house and stole $196 in money and jewelry worth $200. He was put on probation and never came into court again. For one year he worked intermittently as a teamster but he is now in Wyoming and doing very well on a ranch. He was paroled to a police officer who says that he does not consider the boy a real delinquent. The officer made only a few visits to the home, as he had so much confidence in the family's good influence that he preferred to leave the boy to his parents as much as possible.

98. A German immigrant family with eight children, four of whom died in infancy. The father was twenty-six and the mother twenty-one at the time of marriage, and they immigrated three years later. The father has regular work now as a car-cleaner, but the mother used to take in washing to help support the family. They are very industrious, respectable people, and have a good home of four rooms. The parents say that when this boy was fifteen he was influenced by two older boys to leave his home; that after this "bum" he was afraid to come home and stayed away for seven weeks until he was brought into court charged with vagrancy. He and two older boys were accused of spending their time loitering around street corners and sleeping in toilet rooms. He was committed to the John Worthy School for two months and then put on probation. He was paroled to an officer who became a friend of the entire family. The boy reported to her every two weeks and she visited the home occasionally. Though the boy is now released from parole, he still goes to see her. The mother says he enjoyed going to the officer's

(313) home, but she liked to have the officer call at the house for a friendly visit with her. The boy is bright and industrious. He has given up his former companions and is learning the jeweler's trade. He brings most of his money home but "buys his own clothes." <

> School Statement.-I am 17 years old. I left school when I was 14. I was then in the 6 grade. 1 began to go to school when I was 6 years old. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are-None of the studies help me to earn money because

99. A Bohemian family with three children. The two older sons have married, and this boy is the only child at home now. The parents married when the father was twenty-eight and the mother twenty-seven, and they immigrated five years later. The mother speaks no English and the father very little. They are hardworking, quiet people who have lived for nineteen years in a four-room house, which they now own. The father is a lumber-yard laborer. The boy did not "get on" at school and did not get beyond the fourth grade-his parents think because he belonged to the L-Street gang. At the age of fifteen his father brought him into court as incorrigible, claiming that he was idle, disobedient untruthful, and that he loafed with other bad boys; he was put on probation under the care of a police probation officer. The officer visited the home several times and tried to make the boy go to work, but did not succeed. The boy worked for two months, several years ago, but has not worked since and says he never will again. The father seems to be either thoroughly discouraged or else very hard on the boy. He says the boy has never improved, that he is "getting worse all the time," that he has tried everything from beating to turning him out of the house, and wants him sent to the House of Correction to see if that will make him work.

100. An American family with three children, all boys. The mother died of tuberculosis when this boy, the youngest, was about three years old. They had no housekeeper, and the father, who drank heavily, paid little attention to the children and the home was poor and cheerless. One of the older brothers was in the John Worthy School once, but has been in no further trouble. This boy used to go with the A Avenue Gang, but says he finally saw that he had to "cut it out." He was brought into court at the age of twelve for truancy and was sent to the Chicago Parental School. A year and a half later he was brought in again because he " used profane language to a policeman on a public highway" and was charged with disorderly conduct; he was put on probation. The father and the brother felt that the Chicago Parental School did the boy "a world of good." They do not remember the probation officer, who says that she went to the home several times, but could get no satisfaction out of the father, and so did not accomplish much. The boy now lives with his employer, a green-grocer. He plays cards with his employer, goes to bed early, and spends most of his spare time in his room, where he says he has "everything fixed up to suit him." The boy has worked on a farm, as a delivery boy, and as a grocery clerk.

School Statement.-I am 17 years old. I left school when I was r5. 1 was then in the 6 grade. I began to go to school when I was in years ON. The studies which have helped me most to earn money are Writing because I liked to do it.

Notes

  1. It was explained in Chapter VIII (see page 126) that when the investigators were visiting the homes of these boys in order to obtain the family schedules, an attempt was made in every instance, when the boy himself was found at home, to have him fill out a "school statement." This statement asked for his age at beginning school together with his age and grade at leaving school, the schools attended, and the studies which had helped him most to earn money. These statements are attached to the family paragraphs because the information they contain does, in some cases, throw light upon the boy's conduct. The names of the schools are omitted in order to avoid possible identification. In Appendix VI one of these statements is reproduced in the boy's own handwriting.

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