Ipswich High School - Tiger Yearbook (Ipswich, MA)

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inated, more cities must follow the examples set by Cleveland and New York. We have come this far in trying to prevent juvenile delinquency, but it is apparent we must go still farther. It is cities like our state capital, Boston, that are for behind in curbing this social disease. The city blames delinquency on public apathy and ignorance. Whatever the cause, little has been done to counteract it. Vandal- ism among school children alone costs Boston schools around $150,000 annually. The school bill for broken windows alone runs between $70,000 and $90,000 a year. In the year 1952 juvenile cases in Boston jumped an unbelievable fifty-four per cent. And only recently the front pages of our newspapers were darkened by the report of such enormities as the vicious beating of a Boston College professor by a teen-age gang and the ruthless murder of a respected Jewish rabbi. This is certainly concrete proof that Boston, our largest, most dignified, and most cultured city, leaves much to be desired by way of controlling its youthful crime problem. There are several steps which, if taken, would help to end juvenile delinquency. For instance if all parents concentrated on a better environment for their children, a huge portion of delinquency cases would be reduced. If through our citizenry, we support a better equipped and more efficient police department, better results will be forthcoming. The community must also play its port in the liquidation of this evil by offering more recrea- tional facilities and opportunities to its younger popula- tion. We all know the serious problem that lies ahead of us, and knowledge is the first step in correcting it. If all cooperate, we can eliminate delinquency. It is time the people of this country face the cold facts and take positive steps to eradicate an evil which, if allowed to grow, can only result in social disintegration. THE BEAT GENERATION by ANN KELLEHER During the last few years we have been constantly confronted on every side with articles, stories, and discus- sions pertaining to the youth of today. Much of this publicity has been unfavorable and, in every group, there is someone who is ready to proclaim the moral and ideal- istic degradation of this younger generation. This situation is certainly not unique. During the period following World War I the same conditions prevailed. Then, however, the flapper, instead of the bobby-soxer, ond the open roadster, instead of the hot-rod, symbolized, that younger generation. Like their famous predeces- sors, the lost generation, today ' s young people are imbued with a restlessness and nervous tension common to adolescents whose childhood is disrupted by the stress and turmoil of a world conflict. Clellon Holmes, writing for the New York Times Magazine, in November, 1952, called this the Beat Generation. This term, in my opinion, casts a dark shadow of hopelessness and despair over the future. It seems, moreover, that while their predecessors in the twenties lowered their moral and idealistic standards in a spirit of disillusionment, today ' s young people participate in debasing activities to satisfy their curiosity. No generation can be labeled by the actions of a few individuals. The boy whose widowed mother confessed to authorities that he stole from her in order to procure money for the purchase of narcotics cannot be considered o typical teenager; neither can the girl, described in a recent magazine article, who helps care for her fatherless brothers and sisters, works in a drugstore, maintains honor marks in school and arises at five o ' clock each morning to work on a science project. Neither of these is typical, and yet both seem to typify the spirit of this restless generation. Practically every community in America is, to some extent, plagued by teen age wildness and recklessness. Party crashing, drinking, rowdiness, and wild driving are some of the most common manifestations of the desire to try something new. West Hartford, Connecticut, for example, was confronted with this problem to a very serious degree. In that community, every family contain- ing a teenager was acutely aware of the seriousness of the situation. The parents in that city, under Parent Teacher Organization leadership, adopted a set of seven principles evolved by Merrit A. Hewitt, headmaster of Kingswood, a private boys ' school near West Hartford. In explaining the set of principles, Mr. Hewitt reasoned that young people, utilizing automobiles, range over a greater distance than ever before and thus escape many parental controls. Moreover, they are given more priv- ileges, without being required to accept the attendant responsibilities. What is needed, said Mr. Hewitt, is not a code of conduct for young people, but a set of principles to guide parents so that the young people will know precisely what is expected of them. ' The suggested principles for parents are these; 1. Insist that your boy or girl go to no parties to which he or she is not invited, and insist that no one be allowed at your party who is not invited. 2. Have no parties at your home unless- you are there. Every party of teenagers should be adequately chaperoned. 3. Impress upon your son or daughter that when he or she is driving someone in a car, he or she is responsible for that person ' s safety. 1 This Is The Beat Generation — Clellon Holmes. New York Times Magazine, November 6, 1953 — page 10. 1 Connecticut Tomes Its Teenagers — Hortzoll Spence, Satur- doy Evening Post, October 4, 1952 — page 24. 125 ]

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JUVENILE DELINQUENCY-A GLARING SOCIAL PROBLEM by BRUCE QUINT One of the most glaring domestic problems of our time is that of juvenile delinquency. Yet os conspicuous os this grove issue is, careful investigation will prove that very little has been done to counteract and correct it. It seems very strange indeed that a country so advanced and civilized as ours would let such evil con- ditions exist. Now that this problem, which is found in most large cities, is so out of hand we must try to solve it. In the first place, a juvenile delinquent, as the name implies, is a youthful offender or criminal. Many reasons have been advanced as the outstanding cause of juvenile delinquency. Actually, delinquency varies with different cases, and hence it is impossible to establish a set cause for it, but rather we can attribute its prevalence through- out the country on such a large scale to several under- lying causes and laxities on the part of parents and cities. Just as in any contagious disease, this vicious evil has reached the stage where something drastic must be done, or this country will face a period detrimental to social progress. Before we make any resolutions or decisions of an analytical nature, the problem must first be dissected to learn its chief causes. The most numerous causes of juvenile delinquency, perhaps, can be found in the home. Any child who comes from a broken home or from one where habitual arguments ar drunkeness prevails is quite likely to become a delinquent. All of these conditions lead to the same result. Because the child can ' t stand his life at home, he turns to the streets for seclusion. His home now becomes just a place to eat and sleep. The chief result is that his character is farmed on the street instead of in the home. Because the child has no sense of security, he turns to youthful gangs or slippery characters for protection. By this time he is well on his way to becom- ing a delinquent. Still another cause for delinquency is the lack of op- portunities for students of nonacademic backgrounds and inclinations in our school systems. If the student reaches the paint where he feels his school offers him exactly nothing, he will undoubtedly leave. Anything seems more alluring to him than the dull monotony of a school course from which he reaps no benefit. At this time he decides to terminate his school days and becomes a truant, thus starting his life as a delinquent. Regardless of how you feel on this controversial issue, it is safe to say that some comic books, radio programs, and television shows corrupt the minds and thoughts of younger children. They are so influenced by many of these factors that they actually apply some of these criminal actions. Whether you believe it or not, many children idolize characters such as Willie, The Actor , Sutton. Many of these cheap radio thrillers so terrorize younger children that they are unable to sleep nights. All of these factors occupy children ' s minds with crime and in some cases, are damaging to their health. From the slums of the cities comes a very serious prob- lem in juvenile delinquency — namely tha.t of gangs. The members of these gangs who usually come from poor, inconspicuous parents feel that they have nothing to lose by turning to crime. To some the lust for easy money and the dream of becoming a crime czar are too tempt- ing for them to endure. Still others band together in gangs for protection, trying to eliminate their feeling of insecurity. They depend upon crime as a livelihood and disgrace the larger cities of the United States with their savageness and brutality. No matter what their reason for banding together, all lead to the same inevitable road — a life of crime. These are some of the causes of juvenile delinquency — the most flagrant ones in any case. They all create problems which involve law enforcement. It is helpful to understand the evils brought about by delinquency before the problem is further discussed. Once a person becomes a delinquent he is associated with crime and criminals. Crimes such as gang warfare, drug addiction, drunkeness, robbery, beatings, and even murder flourish among delinquents. All of these actually fit into a chronological pattern. Gang warfare is prev- alent among various delinquent bands, for in the under- world only the toughest survive. Any delinquent who is a member of a powerful gang usually has a false sense of superiority and attempts to exhibit it by drinking and taking dope. In his twisted mind he believes that people actually idolize and respect his actions. When this stage is reached, he has become morally callous, and in order to obtain money for his expensive type of living, he turns to any type of crime as a livelihood. Thus it is easy to see all of the evils o delinquent can bring about and how they disgrace the reputation of a city. At this point it may be well to consider what some progressive cities have done to counteract this evil. There are also excellent methods which have been devised for the future. Perhaps the most effective way of reducing delin- quency is to make sure that these crimes are not com- mitted again by these youthful offenders. The best way to do this is through the juvenile courts in our country. This type of court gives the delinquent a fairer chance and a better attitude toward the law. Before the days of juvenile courts the young criminals in our country were sentenced to jail terms with hardened, vicious pris- oners. When the delinquents were freed after serving their prison sentences, they were worse than ever. But now the juvenile court has corrected this. This type of court is run by a judge who talks privately with the boy, his parents, and his friends to obtain all possible informa- tion before reaching a just decision. By having a clearer and more sympathetic look at the problem, the judge is in a better position to render a helpful verdict for the youth which will give him a second chance. Many cities are striving to combat juvenile delinquency through modern methods. New York City contains the largest slum area in the world. This progressive city, however, has done much to eliminate the existing eye- sores. Furthermore through the Crime Prevention Bureau of New York City the law enforcement agencies are trying to establish friendly relationships with the children while keeping in close contact with the home. One of the greatest curbs to juvenile delinquency in New York is P. A. L. or the Police Athletic League. Working in conjunction with the police department, P. A. L. offers all types of recreational opportunities for the children supervised by experienced instructors. These are the big reasons why New York leads in reducing juvenile delinquency. Another city bent on destroying juvenile delinquency is Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland is reputed to have one of the finest court systems for handling juvenile delinquents in our country. There too, tremendous public play- grounds are provided and tournaments are sponsored in which the children participate as a part of their recrea- tional program. If juvenile delinquency is to be elim- |24J

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4. Think of this! Do you, os a parent, hove the right to serve intoxicating liquors to someone else ' s chil- dren? If you do servd them, or have alcoholic beverages available, then you, as an adult are responsible. 5. Do not allow your children to have or attend parties which run into the small hours of the morning. Please insist that your boy or girl call you if he or she is to be out later than has been agreed. 6. We feel that boys should ask the parents of their girls what time the girls are expected home and comply with the parents ' wishes. They should also advise parents where they are going. These rules, which were adopted and supported by a large majority of the city ' s families, have worked to the mutual advantage of both parents and children. Al- though, at first, party crashers had to be ejected bodily, and parents at teen age parties were forced to guard the light switches, there has been a great drop in the number of wild parties staged in the city, while drinking and wild driving are practically non-existent pastimes for West Hartford youngsters. Moreover, the young people profess to enjoy themselves now more than they did in the previous wild days. West Hartford, however, is not a typical American community. Most of its inhabitants are in the upper financial brackets, and a large proportion of its young people attend private schools. What was accomplished there would be impossible to accomplish on a universal basis. Perhaps the most critical areas in -our country, as far as lawlessness and wildness are concerned, are the slum sections of our large cities. Here the Y. M. C. A., and the Y. W. C. A., Boys ' Clubs, Girls ' Clubs, the C. Y. 0. and other religious and civic groups have done much in aiding young people and in influencing them to pass their spare hours in constructive recreation. Most cities, however, are in desperate need of brooder and more inclusive civic recreational programs for youth. It seems to me, moreover, that material recreational innovations are superficial. I believe that mental and spiritual changes, changes in attitude, must take place in young people and adults as well. Certainly the young need to take a more serious and mature attitude toward their responsibilities and obligations. They are, however, so besieged with publicity about themselves in every periodical they read, they as a group, are so used to being publicly pampered one minute and censured the next, that many young people have come to consider themselves as a group set apart from the rest of the human race. On the other hand, parents, in many respects, are more in need of a change in attitude than are their children. Certainly any mother who would write an article in a national magazine, as one mother did in a recent number of McCall ' s, criticizing her children because they have become spoiled through her indulgence and lack of dis- cipline, is more deserving of criticism thon are the children. ' Perhaps the adults ' responsibility can best be summed up in the words of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen; If youth is accused of being delinquent or of being resentful, it may very well be that they are rebelling against the older generation which failed to bequeath to them their just heritage, strong loye of neighbor, of country, and of God. - I believe if these standards can be restored, there will be no need for anyone to label this the beat generation. ■ “I ' m Fed Up With Teenagers — McCalls. -Television Program Bishop Sheen — Tuesday, January 27, 1953, 8 P. M. GRADUATION HONOR SPEAKERS Elizabeth Nelson, Bruce Quint, Ann Kelleher 126 ]