Gambar halaman
PDF
ePub
[ocr errors]

less binding, that some successive dare might have taken us into a freight car or hardware store. And then we had been burglars. Not that we entered that store to get loot. We didn't. We entered to get adventure, excitement, to maintain our dare-devil reputation. But when we got in the store it was too easy not to reap the fruits of our daring. We took those pearl knives. The cop caught us. The Juvenile Judge said, “I don't want to do it, but if I let you go your gang will think I'm easy and they'll run wild." The Reformatory got us. And there we stand, except for the grace of God, and the accident of environment, in our own Little Brother's shoes.

I used to have a collie dog and my dad would harness him to my sled and down the street he'd run calling the dog, and me gripping that sled. Thank God for a dad like that. The best Big Brother in the world is the father who realizes and assumes the responsibility of his own children. The best Big Sister is the mother who receives more confidences from her daughter than any chum the girl may have. Such a Big Sister mother was one who came to my office recently with her daughter, a girl just budding from childhood to womanhood, a girl who was dreaming persistently of some dark man pursuing her over cliffs, through tunnels, anywhere, everywhere. I applied the Freund theory of dreams to the case and was able to reach a surmise, which proved true, that some dark little lad was paying persistent attention to the girl. The Big Sister mother got the story, nothing spectacular at all, of a lad who wanted to walk home with Mary and "he wanted to hold me hand, mother." "Oh, did he?" mother said, "isn't that funny? Boys used to walk home with me and want to hold my hand and I always thought it so absurd." "That's just the way I felt, mother." The Big Sister mother gave no advice. But she got her idea across and Mary will have no hesitation talking things over with her mother.

Getting the child's confidence is so important. I remember one time that dad caught me red-handed. I was ashamed and I expected a licking and

dad was no Christian Scientist: "Now, Harry, this doesn't hurt me any more than it doesn't hurt you." But he sort of grinned and put his around me and said, "Harry, I don't like you to do that." And oh, how I loved my Big Brother dad just then and how I hoped he'd ask me to do something for him. And then there was that time at family prayers, when dad's mother was sick and when he said, "God bless my mother and take good care of her," his voice broke and I felt a lump in my throat and some tears in my eyes, and oh, how I wanted to do something for dad. I was so glad to know his troubles. He seemed closer to me.

Why do we all think it so necessary to acquire a reserve? You who have come here, whom do you shine up to the quickest? The person who seems the most open-faced, that you think it is not going to take two or three years to get acquainted with. And if you will go back into your own child life, the person you liked best was the person you could tell your confidences to, and who confided in you.

I never felt so close to my own dad as then; I wanted to help him. That is a big point in Big Brother and Big Sister work, drawing out service from the youngsters and allowing them to take responsibility.

Mac was called the worst boy in Grand Rapids. He was in court so often he was monotonous. When the police patrol came for him he'd say, "Home, James." He had his favorite cell. Why the newspapers wouldn't let him sell their papers. If he did sell them it was for another kid. He knew courts and jails inside and out of Michigan, the impartial cuss. Big Brothers here had worked with him. But Mac seemed hopeless. I maintained some interest, mostly passive and casual, always spoke to him and asked how things were going, never preached (not knowing how) and never seemed to make any impression.

A Finnish boy, Arthur, came to town to make his fortune. He had worked all summer on a farm, had a nice suit of store clothes, a carpet-bag exactly as

10

THE JUVENILE COURT RECORD

on the stage, and ten dollars beside. The first boy he saw when he got off the train was Mac selling papers for another kid. "Hello!" "Hello!" "Where can I catch a job?" (Catch a job! Mac had never even been exposed.) "Where can I get a room?" "Why, don't you now anybody?" "No." "Ain't you got 10 friends here?" "No." "Got any money?" "Ten dollars." (Goodbye, money, goodbye, goodbye! But it was

too easy.) "I know somebody that'll help you." And he brought Arthur to me. I made a fuss over Mac. It was the first time I ever got "under his skin" and (maybe it wasn't fair on Arthur but I took a chance, or rather I let Arthur take a chance). I asked Mac to take an interest in Arthur. "He hasn't any friends here, you know, so be nice

to him." And Mac did. Every Sunday he took Arthur about and played fair as fair could be.

Arthur left town and I lost track of Mac till one day he came in my office for a Y. examination. It seemed unbelievable, joining the Y. and paying hard cash to do so. "Where are you working?" He told me. "How much you getting?" "Eleven dollars a week." "What chances for a raise?" "I'll get $12 next week and in a year or two I ought to get $18 or $20." All of which I confirmed from the factory. The worst boy in town, saved. How? Was it that act of service? I believe it was. The worst boy in town himself played Big Brother, and helped Arthur? Sure. And likewise himself. There's a slogan for us. We help kids help themselves.

I

That Angel Boy

By Emma Shaw-Lowe

SENT for his father," stated the judge dryly. "You certainly are not his father nor yet his mother." "No, but I'm his sister, please sir,” answered the girl, "and I'm the best we can do. Ma's sick and Father has to start to work at six and times are so bad they mightn't hold his job for him if he was late."

The boy was a fat, lazy, happy-looking youngster of eleven, while the sister was about sixteen, a bright slip of a girl, but' with a careworn face. The strength of will which should have been divided between brother and sister was evidently possessed by the girl alone.

Twenty-nine times had the boy been absent from school with never an excuse to give the teacher save a good-natured smile. She had sent note after note to his parents but without effect. The truant officer had tried his hand with no better luck, and now it was left to the court.

"What's the trouble?" asked the judge. "Don't you like to go to school?"

"Sure, I don't mind," drawled the boy.

"It's because he's afraid," interrupted his sister. "You see he doesn't get up in time and when he's late the teacher punishes him, so he's afraid to go."

"That's the poorest excuse I've heard for some time! Why doesn't he get up? Why doesn't someone get him up if he can't do it himself?"

"There's no one to wake him, sir. Ma, she's too sick and I have to go tend the store before six and Pa goes at six. We wake him up but he goes right to sleep again."

"What kind of a store do you work in?"

"It's ourn a little grocery store. Ma and I run it, but now Ma's sick I have to do it alone."

"Humph," said the judge, "you lazy rascal, you ought to be up helping your sister in the morning. What do you

mean, sir?"

"Oh, no," cried his sister, "he's too young. I want him to lie in bed until school time so he'll do well in his lessons."

"Too lazy, you mean, not too young

too lazy to be any help, I suppose. What grade are you in at school? The third? Pretty poor, pretty poor. I see you don't like studying any better than getting up in the morning. And the teacher reports that you're a naughty boy when you do go to school-always up to something," added the judge, glancing at some papers in front of him. "Draws faces on the backs of girls' white aprons. Puts caterpillars on girls' hair. Locks the teacher's desk and loses the key. Principal tired of talking to him. Has never studied since he has been in school.' Well, I think we'll send you to the reform school for a while and give your sister a rest. She needs it."

The boy took this calmly, but his sister became much excited. "Oh, no, sir," she cried. "I don't need a rest. I couldn't get along without Joey. Don't send him away, don't, sir."

"Pleasure to have him around, I suppose. Doesn't trouble you at all at home; you aren't always having quarrels with the neighbors on his account and trying your best to make peace. It seems to me the probation officer mentioned a few little things of that sort. Good boy he is, I suppose?"

"Yes, Judge, he is. He's always helping me about the house, and running errands at the store, an-an-"

"Oh, I see-regular angel boy." "Yes, Judge, please he is."

The look that angel boy gave his

sister just then made me quite certain she would be reminded of this rash statement if she ever again ventured to correct the young man. "I've got you all right now, sister," the look joyously said.

"Even so," continued the judge, "I don't see how you're going to get him up in the morning any better than before, and a boy his age in the third grade certainly needs to go to school."

"I know what I'll do, Judge, if you'll only let him be. I'll shut up the store for a few minutes at seven and I'll go home and see that he gets up. It's only a little way, Judge, and I can do it all right." "Sure he's worth it, are you?" "Yes, please, Judge."

"Shall we try him this time?" he asked of the truant officer. "All right? Well, Angel Boy, you report back here every Saturday and don't let me hear anything but good of you in the future."

Then after a look that was meant to assure Joey that the judge understood completely what a lazy, mischievous youth he was, and didn't intend that his sister should be worried by his behavior any longer, Rosie and Joey were allowed to depart.

Rosie stopped a moment at the door to confide in me. "I do love Joey," she said, "and besides, Michael Denan's going with me now and I'm afraid he wouldn't like to have a brother in the reform school. So I just had to get Joey off," she concluded.

[graphic][merged small]

How to Keep Your Children Well

T

By Mrs. Max West

Infant Expert of the United States Children's Bureau.

HESE suggestions are not intended to be a substitute for the care and advice of a physician. But since many mothers are so situated as to be unable to command the services of a physician at once, it is well for the mother to understand something of the symptoms of illness and be prepared to deal intelligently with the emergencies that may arise. The life of the child may depend on the coolness and wisdom of the mother.

Most of these suggestions apply as well to older children, as there is no hard and fast boundary line to separate the ailments of infancy from those of childhood.

Diarrhea-The normal, healthy baby usually has one or two stools a day. If the number increases to four or more the mother should be on her guard against diarrhea. The doctor should be consulted at once, if possible, for even a slight attack of diarrhea, unless correctly treated, may lead to a severe disturbance such as cholera infantum. Diarrhea is far more frequent in summer than in winter. Therefore in hot summer weather all babies should be kept cool as possible. They should be outdoors except when it is cooler indoors; all unnecessary clothes should be removed, a band and a diaper being sufficient clothing; frequent cool sponge baths should be given, and the amount of food on especially hot days should be reduced to two-thirds the ordinary amount, large quantities of water being given in addition.

The disease is more frequent in bottle fed babies. If it occurs in a nursing baby it is usually because the baby has been nursed too often or at irregular intervals, or has been given food other than milk.

Extend the nursing interval and allow the baby to nurse only five or ten minutes. If the trouble continues, withhold the breast altogether for some hours until there is an improvement. Give a little water to drink now and then.

For bottle-fed babies, if the disturbance is slight, the amount of milk used in the feedings should be reduced by half, skimmed and all sugar omitted. If the trouble is more severe, all food should be stopped, only plain boiled water should be given, and a physician should be consulted at once.

It will take from ten days to two weeks to restore the normal condition of the digestive tract. A second attack of illness occurs much more readily than the original one.

Constipation-A nursing baby often. responds to this condition in the mother. The mother should have a free evacuation of the bowels each day. If she is regular and the baby is still constipated, he must be held over the chamber at exactly the same hour every day in the effort to induce regular movements. Persistence in the establishment of a regular bowel habit in the baby prevents much of this trouble.

Orange juice may be given once a day an hour before his mid-morning feeding after the baby is six months old. Other remedies are suggested in connection with the treatment of the bottlefed baby.

Constipation in a bottle-fed baby is more difficult to relieve. After the baby is five or six months old oatmeal gruel may be found useful in this condition, and fruit juices as well. Orange juice may be given at five or six months and the strained pulp of prunes or baked apple in the second year. Massage of the abdomen may be tried. Just before hold

ing the baby over the chamber undress him as much as necessary, and let him lie on his back. Moisten the hand in warm olive oil, albolene, or vaseline, and gently massage the abdomen, using a light circular movement and very little pressure.

Begin just above the right groin, carry the hand to the ribs, then across the body and down on the left side. Keep this up for five or ten minutes, but do not let the baby become chilled.

Enemas are not to be commonly employed. If resorted to frequently they cause the bowel muscle to lose its tone. The ideal treatment consists in the education of the intestine in the regular, unaided performance of its natural function which is best achieved by persistence in a suitable diet. Do not give drugs.

If the baby is constipated, a soap stick or a gluten suppository may be tried. Take a piece of firm white soap half an inch thick and about two inches long and shave it down toward one end until the point is about one-quarter of an inch thick and perfectly smooth.

Wet the soap stick or dip it in vaseline before using it. Hold the stick by the thick end, insert the other end in the anus, and allow it to remain in one or two minutes. Gluten suppositories may be purchased at a drug store and are accompanied by directions for their use.

exposure to cold. Care should be taken to avoid these causes. When the trouble is in progress, gentle massage of the abdomen or placing the child face downward across the mother's lap will sometimes afford relief. A few drops of water to drink may help.

Colic This is caused by indigestion due to overfeeding. Improper feeding, or too frequent feeding. The bowel is distended by gas giving rise to severe pain. The baby cries sharply, alternately drawing its legs up to the body. then kicking them away. One of the best means of relief is a small enema of warm water, which will serve to relieve the pain by driving out the gas from the intestine. The feet and legs should be kept very warm, and the abdomen may be massaged with warm oil.

Do not feed the baby while the attack lasts. Though the introduction of warm milk into the stomach may quiet the baby temporarily, the pain will return with greater intensity. Warm water may be given if the baby will swallow it. Colic is peculiarly an ailment of young babies and usually disappears by the third or fourth month.

Colic is also caused by cold, and if the baby has been chilled in any way it is well to place him in a warm bath for five or ten minutes, wrapping him warmly after taking him out of the water. The temperature of the bath should be about 100 degrees.

Convulsions-This is, to the mother, one of the most alarming illnesses of infancy. It is always a symptom of some disturbance and the cause may be slight Accordingly, in case or very serious. Or any sort of twitching or convulsive motions are noticed, it is wise to send at once for a doctor.

If the baby is badly constipated and needs relief at once, an enema may have to be given. For a baby six months old or over use a pint of warm water (95 degrees) in which a teaspoonful of common salt has been dissolved, and half as much or less for young babies. if the constipation is specially severe, one to two tablespoonfuls of warm olive oil may be used instead of the salt solution.

To give an enema, use an infant syringe, which is merely a rubber bulb with a nozzle on one end.

Hiccough-This is a spasm of the diaphragm. In infants it is usually due to an irritation of the stomach caused by overfilling the stomach or by swallowing air with food. In some cases it may be brought on as the result of a sudden

[ocr errors]

If a convulsion occurs before the doctor comes, keep the baby as quiet as possible, with cold cloths to the head. An enema of warm soapy water may be given. Have plenty of hot water ready so that the doctor may give a hot bath if he desires. Constipation is one of the causes of convulsions, and it is most important to keep the bowels freely open if a child shows a tendency to this trouble.

« SebelumnyaLanjutkan »