peace, cigarette smoking, disorderly behavior, and going out of bounds without a pass. It is interesting to watch the face of the youthful judge as he may be disposed to exercise his paternal discretion over two small girls up for calling one another names, or endeavoring to determine the fine that may be both a punishment and a deterrent. There is no hesitation in his decisions. "Case dismissed," "Dollar fine; next offense, doubled," and perhaps accompanied by advice or warning.
One of the most interesting features of Mr. George's little Republic lies in its encounters with the same influences, and struggles with the same difficulties, that disturb the greater nations. One of these was instructively illustrated in the police court.
Two citizens were arrested for disorderly behavior at Sherry's. The first of these was Dover, whose wealth and importance in the community have been set forth. Dover, coming in late to dinner, had pushed one of the small boys out of his seat and eaten his dinner. The small boy had resisted; there was a disturbance, and Dover was arrested. The second was a little boy, also too late, who had helped himself to the coffee reserved for the waitresses, with a corresponding outcry. The case against Dover was especially flagrant, for he was larger and older than the boy he had deprived of his dinner. What gave peculiar significance to these cases was that the principal witness against the offenders was one of the volunteer assistants of Mr. George, delegated to Sherry's. The courtroom was crowded, the citizens being on the alert to see what "Jakey dast do to Dover."
The judge heard the case gravely, evidently aware of his responsibility. The witness for the government was unimpeachable. Very seriously, and as if to gain time, the judge rebuked Dover for using his strength on a smaller boy; then, with a moment of hesitation, he said, "Fifty cents. Next case." Here, as elsewhere, "money talks." Dover, to whom his wealth is dear, promptly paid his fine.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/P017%2C_McClure%27s_Magazine_1893_-_Farmyard_Scene.png/300px-P017%2C_McClure%27s_Magazine_1893_-_Farmyard_Scene.png)
Farmyard Scene.
Meanwhile the smaller boy was before the bar, testified against by the same witness for the government. "One dollar," said the judge, and the little fellow emptied his pockets.
The sociological professors did not dare speak, but looked significantly at one another. It is out of these difficulties, as the young nation has encountered them, that its system of laws has been created. The legislature had a Lexow committee then investigating charges of favoritism and cruelty on the part of the police. The Chief of Police and the warden of the jail were before the committee and sharply examined. The charges were brought forward with conviction, and resisted with the calmness of innocence. The chief, a boy familiarly known as Eddy, was clad in blue denim with gold braid, the uniform of the police, and wore his rank on a crownless straw hat. He was already observed for his calm temperament and the persuasive manner in which he allayed disorder where his subordinates flourished clubs. He had come from more unhappy surroundings than any boy in Camp, but here he was easily seen to be one of the healthful influences of the place. The result of the investigations of the Lexow committee was afterward seen publicly posted:
"Keepers of the prison are hereby forbidden to strike prisoners except in self-defense. A dark cell shall be provided, in which refractory prisoners may be subjected to solitary confinement."
The police force enjoys the same authority and conspicuousness that it does in larger communities. The details are posted at six o'clock, relieved at noon, and again at night, with orderly precision. There