against than sinning; you are the product of a defective civilization; society has sinned against you," how much good is that going to do him? A thorough shaking up is what he wants, an arousing of the latent mentality. The moral sense has to be aroused. We must not treat them in that dovelike fasion, because it does not do any good. They should be treated firmly, humanely. Too much cannot be done to improve their moral and physical condition. But what is the result of present methods? Can any one say that crime is decreasing? We were never so hard worked as we are to-day. I never in all my life worked as hard as in March and our calendar is crowding upon us.

Sometimes I must be a little insistent with the probation officer and ask for further reports. I write sometimes to every one of the principal cities in the Union myself. I send photographs of defendants where I think that the probation officer is mistaken. Never fail to co-operate with the detective bureau of police headquarters. They want to co-operate with you; they want to give you all the information possible. My suggestion to them has been to have a sort of "Directory of Crooks." Probationers are not analyzed. The average one borders very near the crook; he is on the border line. We should have a directory of crooks, a "Who's Who in the Underworld."

Remember every time you make an erroneous diagnosis and the judge makes a mistake, we not only do an injustice to the individual probationer, but we do an injustice to probation itself.

UNEMPLOYMENT AND ITS RELATION TO CRIME, DELINQUENCY AND PROBATION

MR. WALTER L. SEARS, SUPERINTENDENT OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT BUREAU: Unemployment and Its Relation to Crime, Delinquency and Probation," is a particularly appropriate subject for discussion at the present time. Nonemployment or idleness is largely responsible for crime. Court records in every large city show us that there is more crime committed during periods of business and industrial depression than during prosperous or even normal times, also that hoodlumism, vagrancy, and the use of drugs, especially cocaine, is on the increase.

Idleness begets mischief, and its ultimate result is

crime. When the people are busy in a productive capacity, they have little time to think of crime.

For more than twenty years I have had an opportunity to study the problem of the unemployed at close range. The principal causes of unemployment are:

Strikes or lockouts, lack of work or material, consolidations, repairs, stock-taking, sickness, accidents, unfavorable weather, failures, removals, fire, adoption of labor-saving devices.

There is too much leniency somewhere, either at home or in the school, which results in the disobedient, unruly and disrespectful child. The average parent of to-day does not know how to rear children. Parents expect society and the public authorities to ethically and industrially educate and train the child, they are too often indifferent as to the future welfare of their offspring. The use of the telephone, gas, electricity, steam-heat, janitor service, laundries, lunch-rooms, restaurants, hotels, delicatessen stores, bake-shops, conveyances and other modern inventions, has lessened the opportunity for the industrial training of the boy and girl at home. Formerly, many duties were performed in the home. At the present time, the boy or girl works for somebody else performing similar duties for pay, and then we complain of the increased cost of living.

Why is it that such a large percentage of the army of tramps and vagrants is recruited from the American born? In my judgment, it is the education, training, environment, and the fault of modern society as a whole that is responsible for this condition. Employers are largely to blame for the number of misfits mainly because they do not exercise care in the selection of their help, and also because they do not have a proper understanding with the newcomer, especially boys and girls, as to their future. As a result, these young people are shifting about from place to place, not remaining anywhere for a great length of time. This would be obviated to a certain extent if an understanding was had between both parties, and especially if the help was selected with a view to its particular fitness for the work to be performed. The employer is too much concerned about the commercial end of the business, and the office often does the hiring, whereas if a com

petent employment manager did the hiring, the percentage of "turn-over" would be much less, with a corresponding reduction in the operating expenses of the plant. The boy or girl is often put to work knowing little about what his or her future is to be, and after a while they leave, and go through the same experience in the next place. When they reach maturity, they are then too old, or think they are, to commence all over again. This method of handling help by employers or their representatives is largely responsible for the increasing army of misfits; it increases the army of idle men and women from which is recruited the tramps, vagrants and unwilling workers, and promotes crime, delinquency and the number of probation cases.

I believe that it is the duty of organized society, through its representatives, to determine each child's aptitudes and its mental and physical abilities, and then to train him and endeavor to find a suitable place for him. This work is properly a civic function. It can be done, and society would be better off as the result, and the number of misfits would be materially reduced. This policy, judiciously carried out, would lessen the number of delinquents and criminals, and proportionately the amount of work for probation officers.

"Idle land means idle men, and idle men mean poverty, crime and sorrow." Idle men and women drift downward on the stream of life more quickly than working people. Industry increases. thrift, morality, love of home, and respect for our laws and civic institutions; while idleness increases the desire to exist with as little effort as possible; subsequently, because of yielding to the temptations to get along without working, a man is brought before the court; first, for some minor offense, and then for a more serious crime. Because of the crowded conditions of our correctional institutions, the police and courts are lenient with first-offense cases. If offenders realize that there is no room for them at the institutions, and the courts will therefore be more lenient with them, we lessen to a certain extent the lawbreakers' respect for our civic institutions. Paroling of prisoners and probation of delinquents. and first offenders is often recommended to relieve the community of the expense of caring for the increasing prison population.

Every large city has its share of idle men and women, which may be divided into two classes-temporary and permanent

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residents; the former class may be divided into two classes - the tramps, hoboes, vagrants, and professional non-workers, who are simply barnacles on the wheels of progress, and a menace to society; all of this class who are able, should be made to work at the "rock pile" or "farm colony;" the willing worker, who becomes unemployed through no fault of his own, should be assisted to get back to his home town, if possible; the permanent resident, provided he is a worthy employable, should be given every assistance possible. If he is unworthy, the "rock pile" or "farm colony" is the place for him. The unwilling worker is in a sense a parasite. These parasites would soon leave any community if they were confronted with the "rock pile.' If he is willing but unable to work, every proper effort should be made to assist him.

Very many of our temporary residents or newcomers, including very many human derelicts and parasites, are attracted to the city as the result of the innumerable inducements, implied or otherwise, held out by our generous public benefactors to accept our hospitality. It must be admitted by every one who has made any study of the question of "relief work," that it is better to have a thorough investigation made of each case for relief, so that only worthy applicants may be assisted, than to have no expert investigation and its result indiscriminate alms giving. During the past winter, there has been too much indiscriminate alms giving, with the result that we have an army of at least 100,000 unemployed, recruited from all over the country, who must live by some manner or means. These people must live somehow. If they cannot get it honestly, they get it dishonestly, and the producer must bear the expense. The sentiment that "it is better to give alms indiscriminately to ninety-nine unworthy people, than that one worthy applicant should starve," may possess merit, but it seems to me that we should provide ample safeguards around every form of charity, whether public or private, and be exceedingly careful not to do anything which will tend to increase the number of dependents upon society for support.

Every employable, who is willing to work, but who cannot find employment, or who is willing but unable to work, is entitled to every assistance possible from the regularly organized, permanent institutions. The homeless man and woman should be provided for

by organized society. I am strongly in favor of the " farm colony " for the fellow who can, but won't work. He should be placed upon the land where he would be producing something, which would not pauperize or bring him into competition with free labor.

My theory is that a very large percentage of the willing employable unemployed could be placed on the land. We can compel those who are able, but won't work, to go on the land. Many others would go if they were only properly advised by the government and given a little encouragement. Obviously, many people refuse to be exploited by land speculators and promoters, or to have their misfortunes capitalized by mercenaries. There are enough people who would gladly go on the land if given an opportunity, and this would relieve, to a considerable extent, the congested conditions in our larger cities.

"Idle land means idle men, and idle men mean poverty, sorrow and crime." On every hand we hear of schemes for the amelioration of the condition of the unemployed, and while a return to the land is not a new idea by any manner of means, it has not as yet received that serious consideration it deserves from those entrusted with the duty of solving "the problem of unemploy ment." Every dollar of money expended upon the land would more than repay for the cost of labor, because it would increase in value as the result of tillage and development, and no one could be pauperized by this method.

We should endeavor to adopt some constructive program by which to remedy the conditions of which we complain. You cannot do it all, nor can any one individual or organization. We should make an attempt at least to impress upon society the imperative necessity of doing those things which to our mind will result in the making of the better man, and a respect for our laws and civic institutions.

GENERAL DISCUSSION

MR. ALEXANDER H. KAMINSKY, PROBATION OFFICER, COURT OF GENERAL SESSIONS: When the judge in the Supreme Court or Court of General Sessions suspends sentence upon a prisoner he says to him, "I want you to lead a decent, honest and upright life and the probation officer will take care of you." When the State Board of Parole sits at Sing Sing and has before it the various.