offenses confined in the county jail of Cook county (Chicago), Illinois. There were committed to the House of Correction (City Prison) of the City of Chicago, Illinois, for the twenty months ending Nov. 1, 1898, 1,983 boys. This number does not include repeaters or those who were re-committed to the institution from one to a dozen times. The offenses for which these boys were tried were many and various; petty thefts, disorderly conduct, killing birds, fighting, truancy, stealing rides on the railroad, flipping street cars, and similar offenses. Twenty-five per cent were charged with truancy. The technical breach of the law under which these children were committed to the institution was for violation of a city ordinance. A boy was brought before the Police Magistrate and a fine imposed of from one dollar to one hundred dollars. On default of payment of the fine, the prisoner was compelled to work out the same at the rate of fifty cents per day. Conditions were so bad that in March, 1897, the Board of Education established a School District in the institution and named the same the John Worthy School. The boys were compelled to attend school during certain hours of the daythe remainder of the time being spent in the main prison institution, locked in cells.

The Illinois State Reformatory at Pontiac, Illinois, had over three hundred boys under sixteen years of age confined in that institution in the year 1898. These boys were indicted and convicted of some crime and committed to the institution until they became of age, unless sooner released.

The State had long been deficient in legislation for delinquent children. It was one of the few states of the Union which sent boys of tender years to prison for confinement with adults. Some little care and attention had been given to neglected and dependent children. The law recognized its obligation for the foundlings and had also passed two laws providing for the care, education and maintenance for girls and boys of the Industrial and Manual Training

school age. These statutes were known as the Industrial and Manual Training School laws, passed respectively in 1879 and 1883. The great mass of the children, however, truant, neglected, dependent or delinquent, was entirely lost sight of by the State. In case the child had property, the courts were always solicitous about the welfare of the child. A guardian was appointed, the care, maintenance and education of the child carefully supervised by the guardian and complete, detailed, comprehensive reports made from time to time to the court appointing such guardian.

Efforts had been made from time to time by various philanthropic persons to remedy these conditions. As early as 1891, a bill was introduced in the legislature by Hon. Joseph A. O'Donnell, by request of the writer as President of the Chicago Visitation and Aid Society, which provided that in the case of any child who had not proper parental care or that was being trained in vice and crime by the person or persons having charge of it, or was destitute and incapable of providing for itself, the court was authorized to commit the custody and care of such child to any society whose object was to provide for such children. This bill was reported out by the committee but failed of adoption. Other bills from time to time were introduced in the Legislature but failed to become law. The conditions were little better, if any, in the other Some provision had been made for the care and attention of the child after conviction, but no attention of note had been directed towards preventing the conviction of the child of an offense.

Efforts were put forth in Massachusetts, as early as 1736, to care for the dependent and neglected children Various statutes were passed in several states along this line until 1863, when the State of Massachusetts passed a law separating the child in court charged with an offense from the adult.

The beginning of the movement for the enactment of laws relating to delinquent children, under the leadership of that able defender of children, E. Fellow Jenkins, was put forth by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in New York City. As early as 1877, this society secured the passage of a law by the New York Legislature, providing that: "Any child under restraint or conviction, actually or apparently under the age of sixteen years, shall not be placed in any prison or place of confinement, or in any court-room, or in any vehicle for transportation, in company with adults charged or convicted of crime, except in the presence of proper officials." This was the first concise law passed in the United States to separate children from adult offenders.

In 1884, this same society secured the passage of a State Law in New York, relating to the probation or parole of a child. This law, in part, is as follows: "When a person under the age of sixteen years is convicted of a crime he may, in the discretion of the court, instead of being sentenced to fine or imprisonment, be placed in charge of any suitable person or institution willing to receive him."

In 1886, the same legislature passed a law authorizing societies to receive and retain any child at its own expense and also permitting the societies to be appointed as guardian of children. This law was passed to enable the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children to assume jurisdiction over and legal control of children placed in its charge.

A new section was added to the penal code in New York in 1892, at the suggestion of the same society, relating to juvenile or children's courts. This law provided: “All cases involving the commitment or trial of children for any violation of the penal code, in any police court or court of special sessions, may be heard and determined by such court, at suitable times to be designated therefor by it, separate and apart from the trial of other criminal

cases, of which session a separate docket and record shall be kept."

The State Board of Lunacy and Charity of Massachusetts, for years previous to 1891, under the law were notified of every criminal action against a child and were empowered to investigate the charge and to be present at the trial and to make such recommendations to the Judge, as might seem best. In the latter year, an act was passed establishing probation officers in Massachusetts. These officers were appointed by each justice, police or district court. Their duties, as defined by the statute, were: "Each probation officer shall inquire into the nature of every criminal case brought before the court, under whose jurisdiction he acts, and may recommend that any person convicted by said court may be placed upon probation; the court may place the person so convicted in the care of said probation officer, for such time and upon such conditions as may seem proper.

Such were the conditions of the laws throughout the country in the year 1898, when the charitable people of the State of Illinois were aroused. The Board of State Commissioners of Public Charities, having made a complete and comprehensive study of the charitable institutions, decided to take some positive action in regard to the better care and attention of the children. A complete and intelligent report was made to Governor Tanner by the Board, recommending certain changes in the law.

Mr. Ephraim Banning, a member of the Board of State Commissioners of Public Charities of Illinois, during the year 1898, commenting on the work, writes as follows:

"My Dear Mr. Hurley: In answer to your inquiry in regard to the History of the Juvenile Court, as I recollect it, I became interested through the State Board of Charities. In our work as members of the State Board of Charities, Miss Lathrop and myself had to meet the delinquent and defective child question; and this led to frequent consultations in our board meetings. As a result, I was asked to take the matter up with the Chicago Bar Association and I did this by the introduction of a resolution providing for the appointment of a committee to take up the

work of securing legislation, etc. The sentiment previously existing, the practical work of this committee was to crystallize it in such way as to secure legislative action. As one of the first steps, I had a personal consultation with Gov. Tanner, in which the subject was gone over very fully and at the close of which he promised to use his influence in favor of our work-in short to make the bill an administrative measure. I also had a similar interview with Speaker Sherman and he promised his hearty co-operation. As I recollect, similar interviews were had by other members of the committee, but I only speak of those to which I was a party personally. As you will remember, I was repeatedly at Springfield with yourself and Mr. Hurd and others to present the matter to committees, etc."

Mr. Banning, in accordance with his instruction, presented the matter to the Chicago Bar Association at its annual meeting, October 22, 1898. George A. Follansbee, president of the association, was in the chair. George Mills Rogers acted as secretary. Mr. Banning's resolution, which was adopted, was as follows:

"WHEREAS, the State of Illinois and the city of Chicago, are lamentably deficient in proper care for delinquent children, accused or convicted of violation of law, lacking many of those reformatory institutions which exist in other progressive states of the union; and

"WHEREAS, children accused of crime are kept in the common jails and police stations, and children convicted of misdemeanors, are sentenced to the bridewell, where they are kept in immediate association with drunkards, vagabonds and thieves; and

"WHEREAS, the judges having charge of the trial of children in our courts are so overburdened with other work as to make it difficult to give due attention to the cases of children, particularly those of the dependent and neglected classes; and

"WHEREAS, the State of Illinois makes no provision for the care of most of the children dependent upon the public for sup port, other than the public almshouse-unlike many neighboring states which have long ago passed laws prohibiting the keeping of children in public almshouses:

"RESOLVED, that the president of this association appoint a committee of five of its members to investigate existing conditions relative to delinquert and dependent children, and to cooperate with committees of other organizations in formulating and securing such legislation as may be necessary to cure existing evils and bring the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago up to the standard of the leading states and cities of the union."

The President appointed the following committee: Ephraim Banning, Harvey B. Hurd (deceased), Edwin Burritt Smith (deceased), John W. Ela (deceased), and