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. CRIME AMONG THE YOUNG.
"It is a painful duty which a jury
has to perform to determine the guilt
or innocence of a boy," said the Chief
Justicp (Sir William Irvine), when sum-
ming up m a case in the Criminal Court
Melbourne, the other day, "but it is an j
important duty when you find that our
community is being more or less honey-
combed with juvenile crime in all diree '
tions It is a dutv you have to bend
your minds to, irrespective of all senti-
ment 'Whatever view you may take of
the guilt Or innocence of this boy who
is in the dock, I think you will recog-
nise by looking at him that he >s a pro-
duct of the conditions ot unwholesome
excitement and demoralising tendencies j
fostered by 'dime' shows, and the phy-
sical and moral unwholesome «urround
inga of many picture shows -l«o of as-
sociating with boys oldei than himself
lui such places as those hilliard saloon«
he has described, vi Inch abound in dif
lerent parts of the city and suburb«
Of couisc that doe« not show in the
slightest dcgice that he may be gui'ty
of cither of the einiges prefurcd
against him but vou see lie is a pro
duct of tao-e p'aees which flourish in
our m dst ind which ire open to oui i
[young people who try to get nioniy lol
avail them elves of those unnatural ex-
citements wh eh cirlici gcneiations v crt
[ f-ee fiom '
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