Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 March 1892 — How Judges Treat Children. [ARTICLE]

How Judges Treat Children.

There is ono time wlion tho Judge loses nil Ids apparent severity. It is wliou a littlo child is brought before him on habeas corpus proceedings. Although there is a groat fondness for following the course of tho old English law, it is not followed in a case like this. According to tho English law a father has tho right to tho custody of his children, without regard to tholr welfare. Here, on the contrary, oaroful inquiry is made to decide whoro the child would be hotter off—with its father or with its mother. Therefore it happens that when there is a dispute between parents as to the custodymf a child, and one of them gots out a writ of habeas, the lawyers are secondary personngos. Tho Judge talks with the child if it is old enough to bo talked to, and finds out as well as he can with winch parent it would prefer to stay. Thou he talks with tho parents, and finntly makes up his mind us to which is the proper person to have tho chnrgo of u little child. It frequently occurs that in making his decision awnrdlng tho custody of the child, ho advises the parents that it would bo much better if they could make up their differences and live together again. This advice, unhappily, is seldom paid much attention to.—[Now York Times.