The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-05-20
'ETHE DISADVANTAGES OF CITY
BOYS"

Some months ago, Rev. Washington
GLADDEN. of Springfield, Mass believing
that if he could find out how the active
and prominent men Of his own city
spent their boyhood, it would help to
solve the problem Of what is the best
training for boys, prepared the following
circular, which was sent to the one hun.
dred men who could fairly be said to
stand at the head of the financial, COM
merCial, professional and educational
interests Of the city
"MY DEAR SIR Il desire to find out,
for the benefit of the boys, how the lead
ing men Of this city spent their boyhood.
Will you be kind enough to tell me.
81. Whether your home during the
first fifteen years Of your life was on a
farm, in a village, or in a city, and,
"2, Whether you were accustomed,
during any part of that period, to engage
in any kind of work when you we're not
at SCHOOL,
81 should be glad, of course, to have
you go into particulars as fully as you
are disposed to do; but 1 do not wish to
tax your patience, and shall be greatly
obliged for a simple answer to these two
questions"
No less than lightweight of the busy
gentlemen who received this circular
were kind enough to answer the q1es
lonesome of them briefly, most OF
them fully, and it turned out that few
had been brought up like most Of the
boys who crowd the ball. grounds and
fill the streets Of our cities in these later
days. Here is a brief summary Of re-
turns:
or these eighty.eight men, twelve
spent the first fifteen years of their lie
in the city, twelve in villages, and sixty
four were farmers boys.
But Of the twenty four who lived in
villages and cities, six were practically
farmers boys, for they lived in small
villages, or on the outskirts of cities,
and had the same kind Of work to do
that farmers boys have. 0ne of these
village boys said:
II learned to hoe, dig and NOW in
fact, | was obliged to work, whether /
liked it or no. In winter l went to
school, and worked nights and mornings
for my board"
Another said 81 used to work away
from home some on a farm in the sum
mer and fall. In the winter, when going
to school, we three boys used to work up
the wood for winter USE"
Four Others told substantially the
same story. As these were about the
same as farmers boys, we may add them
TO that list, 80 that seventy out Of the
eighty ~eight-almost four ffths Of all
these men-had the training Of farm
life.
Now, how was it with the eighteen
city and village boys on the list Did
they have an easy time of it? Five of
them did, as they testify five Of them
had no work in particular to do, but one
of the FIVE says that he studied law when
out of school, and that was not exactly
play. The rest Of the eighteen were
poor boys-not paupers, by any means,
but children of the humber classes,
many of them in narrow and needy cir
cumstances-and though they lived in
cities and villages, they were aCcu9.
toned from their earliest years to hard
work.
"Was generally employed" says one,
during the summer months, and in va
cations, in doing any kind of work that
offered"
Four of the city boys were newsboys.
One of them says: "The last year | was
connected with the press, | earned one
hundred dollars before breakfast"
Another: II have paid my own way
since eight years Of age, without any
assistance except my board from my
eighth to my eleventh year."
OF all these eighty. eight boys, FIVE
only had nothing particular to do.
While these boys were growing and