The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-11
OUR BOYS-PApER NO. Q.



He must be kept occupied. IAN idle brain 10
the devils workshop" Satan always finds
work for idle hands to dor These are old max
the devil open the moment those Of legitimate
toll are closed. Dissipation hides its face in the
presence Of honest toll. During the day, when
the busy world is at labor, even crime retires to
Its lair to come forth for It's prey after nightfalL
know no one cause that leads so many boys
to ruin as truancy, Every boy that we receive
ct the Reform School can trace the origin of his
downfall to truancy. Instead of attending the
day school he sneaks away to some MINOR or
skating place and spends the day will com
panions whose aims in life are low. and who
respect neither the authority of parents nor of
the law. For all such there should be truancy
laws, and in large cities truancy schools. These
schools should be places of temporary restraint
and under a truancy officer approved by the
school boards. The cities of Canada, as well
as those of many of our New England cities,
have such schools in successful operation.
This is what truancy leads to: non-attendance
at school You cannot pass through a city in
the State but you will see crowds of idle boys on
the streets. This is a crime. The time has
come when every good citizen should unite in de-
handing Of our legislatures compulsory educa-
ton laws. Secure such laws and then enforce
them. Compel every child to become edu-
Gated as a measure of security to our republican
institutions. 1 believe it was Horace Mann who
said, I'VE must educate, we must educate, or we
must perish" The 2,400 Hoosier boys who have
been sent to our Reform School were almost en-
tirely from this class that seldom saw the inside
walls of a school. Shame upon our boosted civil
izattDp that 1a1,lao tfoole Nth Dvo%or.o .,l
sham. We point the world to our magnificent
common-school fund, to our grand system of
public schools, and yet we do literally nothing
to compel each child to become educated. How
sidered, we are but ''pigmies" in comparison to
the real civilization of Germany. There it is
understood that a boy must do two things, viz:
complete his education and prepare himself for
some business. Let US urge upon the next Leg,
islature to give us a law that will
compel the attendance upon some
school of every boy in the State.
With this secured, there is still a great want to
be met in cities. This want is not felt in the
country. There, boys must hurry home from
school to feed the stock. and do other chores.
But what Is there for the city boy to do? How
shall he spend the one or two hours between the
dismissal of school and suppera How shall he
pass the three hours after supper, before bed
time2 If there is no labor for him to perform,
what shall be his sportsl 1t Is with difficulty
that be can find room to play agame of ball. In
wintershe buys a dainty sled, and hitching it to
carriages, is hauled along the streets. His coun-
try cousin makes his own sled, and seeks the
highest hills, and coasts in freedom. "God made
the country, and man made the own." TIL
natural far excels the artificial. The moral adj
vantages of country life far excel those of cities.
and it behooves US to devise ways and means to
supplement the defects in our cities.
In order to aid parents in providing against
these defects, I will cite instances that have
come under my ewn observation. An Indian
Ia ~ -l<l $1,000 1885, "a L 49,
and on Saturdays, gave his attention to taxider-
my. His stuffed birds and other animals
attracted the attention Of all. There is room
for others in this field.
Another boy procured a set of carpenters
tools and appropriated q portion Of his fathers
woodshed for his shop. He began repairing
chairs and old broken furniture. AS he grew in
years and experience his field of usefulness
widened. He Is now a leading mechanic and the
support OF his mother and sisters. Parents, is
there not room for your son to do lkewise2
A schoolboy went to q blacksmith shop near
his home and asked the smith If he might not
come there after school hours and work the bel
lows and do chores. The earnestness of the lad
awakened the admiration Of the "Knight of the
Forge and the boys wish was granted. He is
now a leading manufactures. having grown to
be such from q humble blacksmith. Why may
not other boys do as this boy did,
A bright city boy in the High-school who had
absolutely no chores TO do at home. solicited a
physician to clean his Office and take care of his
horse. His duties in no wise interfered with his
school duties, and he performed them so well
that ere he was through school he was q medical
student. He is now q leading physician. Will
any one deny that this same avenue is open to
other boysa
Can't you let me work about your shoe -shops"
said q young lad from the day schools. His re-
quest was granted and before his school days
were ended he was the owner Of a kit of cob
blers tools and was q fair cebbler. Without
a cent of money he started to col
H.
p~ittance for cleaning the college and ringing the
bells. He would call at students rooms and So |
licit the repairing of their boots and shoes. |
Thus he paid his way for five years at college
and three years at the theological seminary. He
Is now a distinguished minister of the gospel.
One OF the messenger boys at the Office of the
Western Union Telegraph Company at Indianap-
oils acquitted himself SO well that promotion fol- |
lowed promotion, until he is now the head of one
Of the most extensive grain firms in the West.
Let parents and teachers impress upon the
minds of our boys that labor is honorable and
idleness Is a disgrace. Let boys not be put to
any labor which takes them upon the streets. I
rejoice at the prospect of making every boy who
sells newspapers take out a license and wear his
badge. 1t will Danish the crowds of s,street
Arabs who 60 from city to city until arrested
for crime.
The introduction of manual labor training |
schools is an enterprise which Is doing great
good in most of the large cities. Indianapolis |
should establish one of these in connection with |
her public schools. These training schools teach
boys the use of the saw, plane and chisel, as we'll
as the file. wise and drill. Such schools do not
interfere with the course Of study. On the
other hand, they add interest to q boys school
life. They divert attention from the learned
professions now overcrowded with starving
mediocres and awaken a taste for mechanical
pursuits. What Purdue University and the
Rose Polytechnic Institute of Terre Haute are
now doing on q higher plane, let these manual
labor schools do on a lower plane. Twenty
years of my life have been given to the educa-
ton of the young. The welfare of boys has
been my especial study. Six years have been
devoted to the reformation of the boys who have |
sfallen by the wayside." I have lived constantly
in their company. have heard
the story of their lives, and I
have become confirmed in tie belief
th;a morla I hald L