Was it wise for Jem to tell Scout not to tell Atticus about Bob Ewell?

In the end, it wasn’t wise for Jem to keep the threats of Bob Ewell quiet.  If Jem or Scout had told Atticus, he might have taken the revenge Bob Ewell wanted more seriously.  Atticus was a little naive in this situation; it was especially uncharacteristic of the Atticus who seemed to have so much insight into people throughout the story.  Atticus should have taken the break in at Judge Taylor’s home seriously.  Atticus had been working hard and was worn out and tired from the trial and his trips to the state capitol as a representative.  Atticus probably never thought that someone would take his revenge out on his children rather than him.  However, that was exactly the type of coward Bob Ewell was.  He abused the weak like Mayella and Tom, and it was natural for him to look for an innocent target like Scout and Jem to carry out his demented vengeance. 

If Jem had told Atticus that he heard from Miss Stephanie that Bob Ewell said, “One down, two to go,” the traumatic episode where Scout or Jem were attacked by Bob Ewell might not have happened.   However, there was no better way for the book to end but with the poetic justice of Bob Ewell’s death and the extreme heroism of Boo Radley.