These two vagabonds were sent to live with an honest mountaineer, to have a bed, a place at table to eat regularly and to attend school. After four years of this life, those boys were completely transformed and reformed.

HOPELESS CASES.

In vicious and criminal children, the cause of their degeneracy can often be traced to hereditary antecedents, yet in some cases, as we have seen, careful but severe treatment will save them, where otherwise their bad instincts would lead them to destruction. If, however, such treatment through neglect of parents, or others, be delayed until the child is somewhat grown, it will in most instances fail, for criminal taint has had opportunity to develop and permeate the character. Such a child is morally frail, with little power of resistance and liable to fall under the least temptation. A few seem to have a sort of blindness and want of comprehension, being absolutely under the sway of their instincts and impulses. For these there is little or no hope.

INCAPABLE OF REFORMATION.

Boy, 14 years of age, father dead; length of head 170 m.m., width 155 m.m., height 150 c.m., sitting height 77 c.m.; he had a club foot and congenital paralysis. His father was an alcoholic, dying at the age of 35 of pleurisy. The mother had good health. She was treated brutally by her husband, while with child. Two other children, a boy of ten and a girl of seven, showed nothing unusual. The boy's paralysis did not prevent him from being active. He could read, but wrote with difficulty, though he had attended a number of different schools, private and public. He became involved in an immoral affair which was his undoing before the court where he served as a witness, and gave the details of the scandal. His imagination was perverted.

The child was sent to a reformatory, but without success in treating him. He attempted murder in the street. The defect in this boy was aggravated by the circumstances of his life, it was impossible to reform him.

GIRL, MORAL Degenerate.

Girl. One (age 13 years) had an extraordinary physical development for her age; the mother had married again. The girl was brought up by grandparents, who lived in a factory town. The child early showed vicious instincts which frightened the family. She was arrested for a series of thefts of goods displayed at stores. It was a case of precocious puberty. She went to a convent with the formal promise that she could leave

after three months. As the time approached, she declared if she was kept any longer she would set fire to the building. Then she was placed in several institutions, but all were glad to get rid of her. At one convent where she remained 48 hours she refused to eat, pretended there was something the matter with her eyes, so she could not sew. At another place where she remained but one night she frightened the sisters and boarders by twisting herself so when laughing that they thought her insane. At the convent where she remained some time, she acted still worse, she would attack the sick, scandalize the personnel by her words and jests. She was vicious by nature. She suffered from a cerebro-spinal trouble and excessive sexuality.

RELAPSES INTO OLD WAYS.

Boy, 13 years of age; orphan; large for his age, he could neither read nor write, and had little mental capacity. His father was a habitual criminal; his mother had a doubtful character. He was cared for by uncle and aunts, with little means. He showed brutal instincts, stealing jewels and then breaking them to pieces. He was arrested and taken before the court. The local society took him in charge and found him a home in a good family; in two years though not reformed he was somewhat changed for the better, but he went back again to his old ways, himself recognizing that he could not adapt himself. After being returned by his guardian family he began to steal.

BOY WITH HEREDITARY TAINT.

The boy was eleven years old; his father was nervous, violent, a drinker and gambler. His mother was extremely nervous, becoming exceedingly angry on the least provocation.

He was an apt pupil, when so disposed. But he was lazy, greedy, untruthful and jealous; he played truant at school continually, declaring he had had enough of school. For two months he went out every evening attending balls and other entertainments, not returning until after eleven o'clock. In the day he did not wish to do anything; he was always away. It appears that his father when a boy had the habit of sleeping outside. The son had little affection for his mother; he did not wish to kiss her, nor have her kiss him. Brutal and treacherous, he would strike his sister, fourteen years of age, defective in many ways and as bad as her brother. He would abuse every one and become violently angry, threatening to break everything. Every effort was made to help this child: nothing could be done.

DEGENERATE GIRL WITH BAD PARENTAGE.

Age 15, mother dead; length of head 171 m.m., width 151 m.m., height 166 c.m., sitting height 85 c.m., arm reach 168 c.m. There was a scar on the upper right jaw, another on the middle of the left jaw.

The father was an alcoholic, and led a bad life. The girl was large and had the appearance of being 20 years of age; had excellent health, with the exception of an enuresis.

Reared by an uncle, she was put under the care of a good pastor, where she proved to be impossible. Arrested for theft, she was sent to a convent.

This is another case of cerebro-spinal trouble, and excessive sexuality. She was sent to work in a manufactory, but she left and returned telling a story she had invented. In spite of

all the efforts to reform her she did not grow better. At the last convent she lived in, she broke a door to regain her liberty.

IMPULSE TO RUN ABOUT PREVENTS REFORMATION.

Boy, age 16, orphan; length of head 187 m.m., width 144 m.m., height 156 c.m., sitting height 84 c.m., arm reach 158 c.m. Eyebrows near each other; dimpled chin; scar at end of chin; tattooing on left wrist, asymmetry of face.

This boy was reared by a brother-in-law. He was employed in a hotel. He stole three dollars from one of his fellow servants. He was placed with an employer in the city and for three months with another employer, where he saved a little money. Unfortunately his impulse to be on the go, brought him into the street, where it was not long before he was arrested.

VAGABOND NATURE TOO STRONG.

Boy, age 17, father dead; length of head 177 m.m., width 149 m.m., height 150.3 c.m., sitting height 79 c.m., arm reach 155 c.m., health good.

The mother earned her living with great difficulty. Her boy in company with an Arab was arrested for being a vagabond. He appeared gentle, maleable and manifested good intentions. He was placed in a family of a well-to-do farmer, who seemed disposed to aid him as best he could. For a few days everything passed quietly, but the boy associated with all the vagabonds coming that way. He was returned to his mother, who found him a place with a former employer. She had little hope that he would continue to do well any length of time.

PRISON COMPANIONSHIP Caused ReLAPSE.

Boy, age 18, father dead; length of head 175 m.m., width

156 m.m., height 172.3 c.m., sitting height 93.6 c.m., arm reach 180 c.m., good health.

Arrested for theft, he was sentenced for the first time to three months in prison. After serving his time, his mother died. He was placed with an employer where he gave satisfaction. But he met a confirmed criminal (recidivist), with whom he had been in jail. He suddenly left his employer to take up with his former prison companion.

BOLD ROBber.

Boy, age 13, length of head 165 m.m., width 152 m.m., height 135 c.m., umbilicus was prominent. This boy had a badly shaped palate (pointed arch); he had an enuresis. When eight years old he was very sick. He spoke with difficulty, half French and half patois; was wholly illiterate. He was placed in service with several employers. His father was a grave digger. The boy was very backward mentally. There were five other children, about whom nothing is known. This boy was sentenced to a house of correction for 19 years, on account of a number of bold thefts; getting upon the roof, opening the scuttle and going down into the house.

CHILDREN NEEDING PROTECTION.

There are three general classes of children, especially needing protection and study: Abandoned children, vicious children, and criminal children.

The abandoned children constitute the greatest number needing care. They consist of:

1. Foundlings whose parents are unknown. 2. Those deserted by their parents. 3. Paupers, without parents and without means of subsistence. 4. Those whose parents through disease or physical or mental incapacity, or detention or sentence for crime, cannot care for them. 5. Children where parents expose them to vagabondage, begging and idleness, or children who through bad treatment are ignored.

By vicious children are meant not only those who may be vagabonds or beggars, but such as do not submit to their parents and so withstand education, as unruly children in school.

Criminal children, whose age of responsibility may vary.

SOME METHODS OF REform.

These methods of reform are in accord with the opinions of many engaged in practical work and are offered merely as suggestions.

PROTECTION of Child Before Birth.

It is important to protect the intra-uterine life of the child,

special care should be given to the woman with child, by, maternal care, by relief at domicile, by arrangement of work: by creation of asylums, and of private maternities, and by examination into the paternity of the child.

PROTECTION IN EARLY LIFE.

The conditions of social life often do not permit taking a child from its mother and she is not always capable of giving the child the necessary care; there should be established institutions for rearing children according to the best methods.

SCHOOL LIFE.

Hygienic principles should be established in the schools. No teacher, according to a French specialist, should have charge of more than 20 or 25 pupils. A physician or specialist should be present at the formation of the classes. He should always examine any pupil showing himself incapable of adaptation to the conditions.

JUVENILE CRIMINALS.

Young vagabonds, less than 16 years of age, should not be committed to jails or police stations, or houses of arrest, but should be sent to an institution for observation, to determine what to do with them. Such inquiry should be made by a commission, one member at least being a physician.

The youngest should be assigned to families; the others should be sent to some reformatory school, or to a clinical school, whose head should be a physician or specialist. Adolescents (16 to 20 years of age) should be sent to some reformatory, without fixing in advance the length of time they should remain.

LOMBROSO'S METHOD.

According to Lombroso, one of the best methods of prevention for the "born criminal," is moral nursing; that is the rearing should commence in the first months of life, in the country, on the farm, in colonies, out of the reach of criminal association. A fight against alcoholism should be carried on by associations, by religious, political and temperance societies, by journals, etc., all these agencies should be in connection with medical treatment.