I came to America
to feel, on every hand, that exactly the opposite was true. Laws were
passed, but were not enforced; the spirit to enforce them was lacking
in the people. There was little respect for the law; there was
scarcely any for those appointed to enforce it.
The nearest that a boy gets to the law is through the policeman. In
the Netherlands a boy is taught that a policeman is for the protection
of life and property; that he is the natural friend of every boy and
man who behaves himself. The Dutch boy and the policeman are,
naturally, friendly in their relations. I came to America to be told
that a policeman is a boy's natural enemy; that he is eager to arrest
him if he can find the slightest reason for doing so. A policeman, I
was informed, was a being to hold in fear, not in respect. He was to
be avoided, not to be made friends with. The result was that, as did
all boys, I came to regard the policeman on our beat as a distinct
enemy. His presence meant that we should "stiffen up"; his
disappearance was the signal for us to "let loose.
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