Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-03-24
Miseellar,euus.
"fnE DISADVANTAGES OF GIFT Ders." !"

1 Wk0AWvANIA0bN VI
Some months ago. Rev. Washington
GLADDEN., Of Springfield, Mass. believing
that il 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 hundred men
who could fairly he said to stand ut the
head Of the financial, commercial. profess
sional and educational interests Of the
city.
my DEAR SrR:--I desire to find out,
for the benefit Of the boys, how the lead
ing men ot this city spent their boyhood.
viii you be kind enough to tell me.
81. Whether your home during the first
fifteen years of your life was ON farm, in
a village. or in city, and,
"2. Whether YOU were accustomed, dur
ing any part of that period. to eagage in
any kind of work when you were not In
school?
II should be glad, OF course, to have
you 60 into particulars as fully rs you are
disposed to do; but do not wish to tax
your patience, and I shall be greatly
obliged for u simple answer to these two
Questions.
No less than eighty-cight Of the busy
gentlemen who received this circular were
Kind enough to answer the questions, -
some Of them briefly. most Of them quite
fully, and il 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
brief summary of the returns:
or these eighty eight men, twelve spent
the first fifteen years Of their life In the
city, twelve in villages, and sixty-four
were farmers boys.
But of the twenty-four who lived In vii
lagos and cities, six were practically far
mers' boys. for they lived In small Villa
ges, or on the outskirts of cities, and had
the same kind of work to do that farmers
boys have. One Of these village boys
said
IL learned to hoe, dig and NOW; in
fact, was obliged TO work, whether l
liked it or no. In winter went to school
and worked nights and mornings for my
boarl.''
Another said II used to work away
from home some on 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 usc.''
Four others told substantially the same
story. As these were about the same m
farmers boys, we may add them to that
list, so that seventy out of eighty eight
almost four-fifths of all these men,-had
the training offarm-life. 'e'H
Now how was 1t with the eighteen city
and village boys on the list. Did they
have an easy time OF IL? Five Of them
aid 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 circumstances, and
though they lived in cities or villages,
they were accustomed from their earliest
wears to hard work.
''Was generally employed" says one,
''during the summer months, and in va
cations. doing any kind of work that Of
fered.''
Four of the. city boys were newsboys.
One of them says: 1.-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 as-
sistance 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
working, great many others,-sons Of
merchants and lawyers,-were growing
up in Springfield going to school and
amusing themselves as boys Of their class
are apt to do. Where are they? Only five
Of this class are heard from among the
eighty-cight solid men Of that city. Some
of them perhaps, are prosperous men in
other cities. but the number cannot be
large, for IN Springfield only five men out
Of eighty-eight came from this class.
Ninety-four and half per cent. were
either farmers boys or poor and hard
working town-boys.
Mr.. GLADDEN. made his report to the pub
lie Of Springfield, in the form of lect..rc
The mere announcement Of the subject
alone crowded the church, which Is
large one. and the interest in the lecture
was so great that the Mayor and several
of the representative citizens requested .
repetition in the Music Hall. When this
came of, the hail was packed and hum
dreds went away from the doors unable
| to gain entrance.
Mr.. GLADDEN. has rewritten the lecture,
and his interesting facts and logical de-
ductions will appear in one of the leading
magazines for March, He Is now engaged
on Talk with Girls for the same mag
aziDe. II will be printed before long. and
suitedatO their requirements. as this paper
"a tod fr.t ttra h<rra MI