The Federal Bureau of Criminal Investigation has published some very interesting data concerning criminality among American youth.

Thus, for instance, from January 1 to September 30, 1935, a great number of young people were arrested for committing crimes, namely: 16 years old or younger, 5,290; 17 years old, 9,140; 18 years old 13,041; 19 years old, 13,986; 20 years old, 12,384; 21 years old, 13,654; 22 years old, 13,553; 23 years old, 12,915; and 24 years old, 12,326.

In these nine months 44,649 youths 19 years old or younger were incarcerated. Among those committed to jail were minor offenders under 15 years of age.

In the same period 9 murders were committed by boys less than 15 years old, 210 murders by 15-year-old boys, 28 murders by 16-year-olds, 83 by 17-year-olds, 121 by 18-year-olds, and 160 by 19-year-olds.

The Federal Bureau, of course, is very much perturbed by the growth of criminal tendencies among young people. E. Hoover, the head of this Bureau, seemingly does not believe in the possibility of the prevention or the reduction of crime by the punishment of young offenders; he has for this grave problem a different solution. He considers that crime among young people can be reduced only if children are their country's laws, and [that it may be still further reduced if] parents and teachers will instill into their charges' minds [persistently] an interest in the arts, the sciences, sports, professions, and honest work[instead of that desire] for easy gain which is so prevalent now.

We should have expected Hoover to point out the importance of religious training and to declare that the fear of God is an ennobling factor in the 3life of youth. However, this statement is questionable. To every criminologist, and to Mr. Hoover among them, the indisputable fact is well known that the profession of religion or the lack of it has nothing to do with crime, for among criminals we find both religious and antireligious elements.

The main factors in breeding crime are poor training and evil environment. For that reason we cannot help agreeing with Mr. Hoover when he says that it is very necessary to instill into children respect for their parents and to develop within them interest in the arts and the sciences.