Page:Upbuilders by Lincoln Steffens.djvu/137

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the Court. Fortunately, there were laws in existence under which juvenile offenders could be brought into court as ‘dependent,’ ‘neglected,’ or ‘delinquent’ children, and these laws were enough as they stood for the starting of a Juvenile Court. We hoped to get other laws later; but those that we had would enable us to treat the children, rather than the children’s crimes.”

Judge Lindsey went to District-attorney Lindsley with the request that all children’s cases be brought to his Court; and that they be accused there of delinquency instead of the particular crimes for which they were arrested. The District-attorney was willing. Lindsey’s request was regarded as “queer,” but nobody wanted the bother of these “kids’” cases, so the Judge was permitted to found his “kids’ court.” And he founded it, and it is the “kids’ court,” their very own. It is run in the interest of the “bad” boys and girls, and therefore of the state, and the children needed the Court, and so did the state.

While the Judge was “thinking,” the question arose in his mind: “What sort of a place is the Industrial School where I have been sending boys so freely?” He went to Golden to see. Nobody up there remembered ever having been visited before by a judge on the bench, and this Judge