Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-02-16
"The Disadvantages orCity Boys.

Some months ago, Rev. Washing
ton GLADDEN., Of Springfield, Mass.
believing that if he couldfnd out how
the active and prominent men of hi,
own city spent their boyhood, itwoulC
help 10 solve the problem OF what j,
the best training for boys. prepared
the following circular, which was Sent
to the one hundred men who could
fairly be said to stand at the head Of
the financial, commercial, profes
sional and educational interests Of thC
city.
MY Dear Sir-I desire to ksd out
for the benefit of the boys, how thu
leading men Of this city spent theil
boyhood viii you be kind enough
to tell me
II. Whether your home during the
first fifteen years of your life was OF
a farm, in a village, or in a city, and
"2. Whether you were accustomed
during any period, to engage in any
kind of work when you we've not il
school?
II should be glad, OF course, t,
have you go into particulars as fully
as you are disposed to do; but | dc
not wish to tax your patience, and
shall be greatly obliged for a simpl,
answer to these two questions.
No less than eighty-eight of tht
busy gentlemen who received this cir
cular were kind enough to answer tht
questions, ,-some of them briefly
most of them quite fully, andit turned
out that few had been brought up lik,
most Of the boys who crowd the ball
grounds and ill the streets of ou
cities in these later days. Here is
brief summary Of the returns.
OF these eight eight men, twelv,
spent the first fifteen years Of thei
life in the city, twelve in villages, ant
rixty.four were farmer boys
But of the twenty four who liyct
in villages and cities, six were practi
cally farmers boys, for they lived il
small villages, or on the outskirts 0
cities, and had the same kind of worI
to do that farmers boys have. One 0
these village boys said
Il earned to hoe dig and NOW: il
fact, | was obliged to work, whether
liked it or no. In winter went t
school, and worked nights and morn
ings for my board.
Another said. fused towork ava
from home some on farm in the sum
mcr and fall. In the winter, whe
going to school, We three boys used t
work up the wood for winter use"
Four others told substantially tn
same story. As these were about tn
same as farmers boys, we may adj
them to that list, so that seventy GU
of eighty. eight-almost four-ffths @
all these men-had the training q
farm life.
Now how was it with the eightee
city and village boys on the list? Di
they have an easy time of it? Five G
them did, as they testify; five of thei
had no work in particular to do, bu
Que Of the essays that he studied la'
when out of school, and that was nc
exactlyplay. The rest of the eightee
| were poor boys-nOt paupers, by an
means. but children of the humbl
classes, many of them in narrow an
| needy circumstauces-andth though the
lived in cities or villages, they were aC
customed from their earliest years (
hard work.
Was generally employed say
one, during the summer months, an
in vacations, in doingany kind of wor
! that offered
Four of the city boys were new,
boys. One of them says. "The las
year | was connected with the press,
earned one hundred dollars befor
breakfast,
Another: II have paid my ow
way since eight years of age withor
any assistance except my board iroi
my eighth to my eleventh. year.
0fall these eighty>eight boys, fiy
only had nothing particular to do.
| While these boys were growing an
WORKING, a great many others-sOns
merchants and lawyers-were CROWN
up in Springfield, going to school an
amusing themselves, as boys of the
cIasq are apt to do. Where are they
Only five Of this class are heard fro
among the eighty.eight solid men
this city. Some Of them, perhaps, al
prosperous men in other cities, but Il
number cannot be large, foF in Sprin
field only FIVE men out OF elghty-elgl
, came from this class. Ninety-fol
Sld a half per cent. were either farm
era' boys or poor and hard workil
town boys.