Committed for Under 9 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Total
Larceny 1 2 8 16 16 24 28 19 10 1 125
Incorrigibility 1 4 4 2 7 7 7 8 40
Truancy 2 3 6 4 7 6 3 1 32
Assault and battery 1 1 5 1 8
Burglary 2 1 3
Forgery 1 1 2
Manslaughter 1 1
Other charges 3 1 2 2 8
Totals 1 5 15 26 26 40 52 33 19 2 219
[Table D.] Nationality and Orphanage of Street Workers
Occupations American Negro German Irish Polish French Scotch Italian Jewish Father Living Mother Living
Yes No Yes No
Day messengers 3 1 4 3 1
Night messengers 25 5 3 1 1 1 30 6 30 6
Newsboys 69 59 13 8 3 2 1 1 107 49 119 37
Bootblacks 4 1 5 5
Peddlers 6 2 1 1 1 1 7 5 11 1
Delivery boys 2 3 4 1 5
Cab driver 1 1 1
Totals 110 70 17 10 6 3 1 1 1 157 62 174 45
[Table E.] Hours and Earnings of Street Workers
(In only 91 cases were the hours given, and earnings in only 116 cases.)
Occupations Hours Daily Earnings
Day Night
All Morning Afternoon All Before midnight After midnight Totals Under 50 cents 50-75 cents 75 cents-$1.00 $1.25-$1.50 Totals
Day messengers 3 3 1 1 1 3
Night messengers 6 2 1 9 8 4 1 13
Newsboys 29 10 11 1 4 1 56 47 23 5 3 78
Bootblacks 5 5 1 3 4
Peddlers 11 1 12 6 3 3 12
Delivery boys 5 5 3 2 5
Cab driver 1 1 1 1
Totals 53 10 11 7 8 2 91 55 41 16 4 116
[Table F.] Non-Street Workers in Indiana Boys' School, 1910
Committed for American Negro German Irish Polish English Jewish Swedish French Mexican Italian Hungarian Totals Father Living Mother Living
Yes No Yes No
Larceny156 40 12 7 10 3 1 2 1 1 1234 168 66 182 52
Truancy 66 10 4 3 3 86 62 24 62 24
Incorrigibility 53 7 4 5 3 1 1 1 75 44 31 50 25
Burglary 5 1 1 1 8 6 2 7 1
Assault and battery 2 2 1 1 6 3 3 5 1
Other charges 11 5 2 1 19 15 4 17 2
Totals293 65 23 17 16 5 2 1 2 1 2 1428 298 130 323 105
[Table G.] Non-Street Workers in Indiana Boys' School, 1910
Committed for Ages at Commitment Totals
Under 9 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Over 17
Larceny 9 7 10 20 25 33 46 47 28 9 234
Truancy 7 10 10 10 17 14 10 5 3 86
Incorrigibility 1 7 4 9 8 10 14 8 12 2 75
Burglary 1 2 2 1 1 1 8
Assault and battery 1 1 2 1 1 6
Other charges 2 3 2 3 1 1 1 3 3 19
Totals 19 27 27 44 51 61 73 66 44 14 2 428
[Table H.] Behavior in Institution
Street Workers Non-Street Workers
Good 39or 18% 95 or 22%
Average 175 or80% 321 or 75%
Bad 5 or 2% 12 or 3%
Totals 219 428

By far the largest number of street-working delinquents had been newsboys, these being followed by messengers, peddlers, bootblacks and delivery boys in the order given. From a hasty glance at these tables one might conclude that street workers are not so liable to become delinquent as those who never follow street occupations, because of the smaller number of the former; but it should be remembered that the ratio of street-working inmates to the entire number of street-working boys in Indiana is much greater than the ratio of the other inmates to the whole body of non-street-working children in the state.

In comparing Tables [C] and [G] it is seen that the street workers and the non-street workers were committed for practically the same offenses, and that their distribution according to offense does not vary widely. It is significant that a much smaller proportion of the street workers were committed to the institution under the age of ten years, than of the non-street workers, indicating that street occupations (which are not usually entered upon before the age of ten years), if followed for a year or two, contribute largely to the promotion of delinquency.

From a comparison of Tables [D] and [F] it will be observed that the prevalence of delinquency among the street workers cannot be explained on the ground of orphanage, as only 28 per cent were fatherless and 21 per cent motherless, while of the non-street workers 30 per cent were fatherless and 25 per cent were motherless. This indicates (1) that street work in the great majority of cases is not made necessary by orphanage, and (2) that street work causes delinquency in spite of good home conditions so far as the presence of both parents contributes to the making of a good home. Furthermore, it will be noted in Table [E] that nearly half of the children for whom figures on income could be obtained earned less than fifty cents per day—a small return on the heavy investment in the risk of health and character.

The difference in behavior at the institution between the street workers and the others is shown in Table [H] to be almost negligible, the latter making a slightly better showing.