Official proceedings of the annual meeting: 1929

i66

HANS WEISS

worse than a circus clown who may not have wisdom but at least
has a sense of humor.
In its application probation involves four-cornered teamwork. The judge and the clinic should be filled with the same
spirit of leadership based on genuine interest in the child. With
them lies above all the responsibility for reactions of the child to
his first contacts with those who are to guide him. Their approach
may build or destroy the bridge upon which the probation officer
is to meet the child on their common journey. And during this
journey judge and clinic should be aware of its course, and when
serious obstacles are encountered they should be ready with a
helping hand to both probation officer and child. Instead of following a more or less mechanical procedure timed by continuances and terms of probation, as it is practiced in almost every
juvenile court, the method should be as elastic as possible and
close to the needs of life.
The chief responsibility rests on the probation officer. He has
to direct this teamwork. He takes up the threads laid bare by
judge and clinic and he is to build on the foundation begun. If
court and clinic succeeded in awakening confidence in the child,
the probation officer is confronted with the difficult but fascinating task of developing it into a really constructive force. The
probation officer is the executor of the plan worked out and he
organizes the net of helpers to be called upon-judge, clinic,
parents, older brothers or sisters, teachers, club leaders, and
social agencies.
The central link in the ring is naturally the child. Unless he
is won over to the realization that he is in the team-and not one
of the opposite side-our efforts are bound to be futile. He
should feel and experience that all the steps taken are in his interest. The use of force in any form obviously prevents such
cooperation. There are situations in which we may feel that we
have to place our ward before the choice of following a certain
course or facing commitment to an institution, but we are the
losers if events have cornered us in such a fashion. Our chance
for constructive work has passed.