Juvenilia

Too many poor children are criminal delinquents; yet how can good people prevent these raggedy jackanapes from practicing their malicious mischiefs, committing their public nuisances? Mark Twain was kindly disposed toward bad little boys; he made good reading of them. Nevertheless, many urchins since have unwittingly assumed the habits of his tatterdemalions without their redeeming graces; the U. S. is full of juveniles--some of native, some of alien, some of unknown parentage--who are quick to become dicers, toss-pots and wastrels if steps are not taken to make them demean themselves with proper decorum. Last week, two movements were set afoot which will doubtless greatly further the moral education of these Huckleberry Finns-- Polish, Jewish, Italian, Irish and American.

Knights. The National Child Welfare Association has a unique plan for improving bad boys. "We will make knights of them," it decided, thereupon founded the "Knighthood of Youth" (or "The Order of Character"). These knights do not curse and hold wassail; they do not devote themselves to the performance of high-flown absurdities in the interests of their ladies, brawl with one another with dangerous implements; there is no reveling about any table, round or otherwise; no spurring of jaded stallions; no wearing of women's garters on the cap. On the contrary, these are knights in name only. They are encouraged to perform deeds of honesty, kindness to animals, thrift and purity. Each is furnished with a scorecard on which are printed such exercises as: "I respected the rights of animals. I was loyal to my country's laws. I was not 1) vulgar 2) profane, in speech. I did not take anything without the owner's consent. I tried to do all the health chores," etc. At the end of each day, the knight marks with a check those rules which, after honest self-examination, he finds he has not broken, thus training himself to be more and more like an orderly modern citizen, less and less like a knight.

Endeavorists. Leopold Schepp, Manhattan coconut importer, known as "The Coconut King,"* last week set aside $2,500,000 to found a most original organization. It will enroll boys of between 12 and 16, who will sign a pledge to abstain from bad habits, particularly alcohol, to comply with the laws of any country they may happen to be in, to treat their companions kindly, to make themselves better men for the women they are going to marry. If they keep the pledge for two years, they will receive from $100 to $200. They will be called ''Endeavorists." Said Mr. Schepp: "After two years, they can do anything they like."/-

*Said Mr. Schepp to reporters: "I noticed in some of the papers that they refer to me as Coconut King. Please note, I am not worthy of this title, neither does my firm handle more coconut than others."

/-Mr. Schepp went one further. He ordered his astonished secretary to make a list of all his employes in the Schepp Building, Duane Street, Manhattan. Irrespective of the length of Service each man and woman received a bonus--the highest was $5,000, the lowest $500.

After the day's work the Schepp employes marched out into the darkening street, found genial Mr. Schepp standing before his building munching a banana. To their furtive greeting's and halting words of gratitude, he responded amiably.