Getting Down To Grass Roots The JUVENILE COURT NEWS-

IXTTER, issued quarterly by the Wisconsin Board of Juvenile Court Judges and the Wisconsin Association of Juvenile Court Workers, announces u series of Nine Regional Meetings lo r the purpose of perfecting and accking to eliminate the “bugs” from their HANDBOOK FOR JUVENILE COURT WORKERS.

The following is taken from the an- nouncement of the Series of Meetings:

Handbook Meetings The Hon. Byron B. Conway, Chair-

inan of the Study Committee on Juve- nile Court Services of the State Board of Juvenile Court Judges, has an- nounced plans for area meetings in May and June to discuss the contents of the Handbcok for Juvenile Court Workers. The Handbook has now been drafted and discussion of the content with Juvenile Court judges. Court Workers, Welfare Directors, and State Welfare Field Personnel is desired.

As announced by Judge Conway, the planning for these meetings is, in general, as follows:

Copies of the draft of the Hand- book will be distributed to inter- ested parties throughout the state; Thereafter, nine regional, one-day meetings will be called with in vitations to attend extended to the Juvenile Court Judges. Wel- fare Directors, personnel who pro- vide scrvices for the Court and State Welfare Field Supervisors in each region; At the meetings three chapters will be reviewed and discussed with the audience; The program will be presided over by a judge on the Study Commit- tee. Also participating in the pro- gram will be other members of the committee and Kenneth Ram- minger and Betty R. Brown, who have provided staff services f o r the Studv Committee.

structive suggestions and opinions can be elicited for the guidance of the Study Committee.

A farmer was once stalled on a mountain road by a balky mule. A friend came along and watched his futile efforts to move the animal. Answering this friend’s inquiry, the farmer said he had tried everything h? knew to get the mule to go hut without avail. The friend stated tha t the farmer was going about it the wrong way. “You can’t force a mule,” he said. “You’ve got to talk to him and reason with him. I know. I’ve done it.” To this the farmer replied: “If you know how to do it that way, sup- pose you try.” The friend went over to the side of the road and pulled a rail off the top of an old snake fence. Then walking over to the mule, he lifted the rail and brought i t down with crushing force on the mule’s head, knocking him flat. “Now you’ve done it” said the farmer, “why in thunderation did you do that?” “Well” said the expert on mules, “before you can talk to a mule you’ve got to attract his attention.” Now, while this story under no circumstances should. suggest the use of brutality in the training of a child, the wise parent will be sure to impress on his young- ster the fact that he is serious and means what he says.

-Judge John Warren Hill

“The rate of delinquency continues to soar. We have written on this a t length in recent years. And, as we have had occasion to say frequently, we believe that the reason for this increase lies largely in the dangerous nonsense which a current school of thought is teaching, telling parents not to punish children. declaring that discipline curtails and hampers growth and that unhindered self-expression is essential to character development. This fools’ gold philosophy is re-

It i s hopei that by this method of sponsible for the wave of disrespect area presentation and discussion, for authority and hatred of restraint Handbook chapters can be presented which is very much in vogue today.” to interested persons and that con- -Judge John Warren Hill

JUVENILE COURT JUDGES JOURNAL, SEPTEMBER 1959 1 1