n jail. Truly
the way of the transgressor is hard--not only while he is a
transgressor, but for some time afterwards.

_Suspended Sentence versus the Gold Cure_

Prejudice against any new method, no matter how successful, was not the
only thing I had to contend with in carrying out my plan. Many members
of the medical profession assured me that a habitual drunkard could not
voluntarily leave liquor alone; that his stomach was in such a condition
from the use of alcohol that he must first be given medical treatment
before any hope of his reform could be entertained. "Gold Cure"
specialists haunted me day and night with offers of free treatment for
those on my parole list, all of which I respectfully declined for the
reason that several persons who had taken such "cures" without effect
had, under the influence of a suspended sentence, become entirely sober
and remained so. Many, in fact, were upon the verge of delirium tremens
when brought into court, but none were too far gone to be restored.

_The Effect on the Children_

The proper operation of adult probation will, in my judgment, abolish to
a considerable extent the necessity for the Juvenile Court, which has
become a new and efficient though expensive institution in a number of
States.

Several months ago a man was brought into my court charged with
abandoning his family. I investigated and found that there were five
children; that a petition was pending in the Juvenile Court to take them
away from their mother and father; that the mother was a confirmed
drunkard, spending her time in saloons and dance-halls; and that the
father, although himself an habitual drunkard and loafer, refused to
associate longer with his wife or to live with her. I put them both upon
probation, giving them clearly to understand that a single infraction of
their promise meant six months in the Bridewell. The man went to work
and he is now making $13.50 a week. They have moved out of the basement
they occupied into a comfortable flat. The petition in the Juvenile
Court has been dismissed, and the children are clean and
wholesome-looking and go to school.

A few months ago the Chicago newspapers reported that the Juvenile Court
had taken six children from a filthy basement and had distributed them
among the charitable institutions. The report stated that their mother
was dead and that their drunken father had deserted them. I handed this
clipping to a police officer and asked him