The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-03-08


anthropic Endeavor Which Has Secured
for Him and His Boys World Wide
Reputation-An Interesting Recital of
Life Within This Juvenile Domain.
large audience attended the meet
ing of the mems club at the United
church last evening to hear President
George, of the George Junior Republic,
speak of the way in which that republic
of juveniles is conducted The work of
the republic, as told by Mr.. George, is
unique and interesting to remarkable
degree. 1t has attracted the attention
of students of sociological problems of
the day as offering possible solutions of
some of them. Prof. Blackman and his
students of sociology met Mr.. George
on their recent visit to New York and
1t was at his suggestion that he was Sc
cured to speak
Mr.. George said in part:
l venture to say that all present are
true Americans, but / presume that not
one would say that our republic is per-
feet in all respects. So l do not claim
the junior republic is in all respects
an ideal one. Some have called it, in
attemting to write about it, a Uto-
plan idea. Now it is nothing of the
kind. 1t is a little United States in it's
social, economic and political condi-
TONS little republic, where the boys
and girls are turned loose among the
conditions they will meet later on
What class of boys and girls is the
republic intended to benefit? 1t is in
tended to benefit four classes. First,
those boys whose highest ambition is
to become the leaders of street gamins,
not lazy boys, but those who fill The
prisons and reformatorieS, namely, the
hoodlums. Second those boys whose
parents are attempting to live on the
community and are bringing up their
children to do the same, the pauper
class if you please. Third, those boys
whose parents are thriftless and do not
seem to know how to make both ends
meet at the end of the week Fourth,
the foreigners who are brought up in
ignorance of our free institutions.
''On the tenth of July, 1895, we land
ed at Freeville in New York with aboue
14O choice subjects, where they were
all the paraphernalia of real republic.
We told them that we We're going to
found republic without seeding from
the United States. That they were to
be paid for what work they did; if
good work. good pay; If indifferent,
then less pay. If they did not wish to
work they would be supported at the
public expense. That they could try
;,, 4L,o flo
police force by passing a civil service
examination Many seemed to think
that this examination was something
good to eat, as it was connected with
the police force, and nearly all the boys
and some of the girls tried for it. In
due time the industrial army was mar
shalled in the various occupations. 1t
wasn't long before we found out that
some members of the republic We're de-
termined Ito get along with as little
work as possible The Industrious chill
dren were accordingly brought into well
spread tables, while the pauper class
were fed in true pauper style. The in
dustrious ones enjoyed their portion
and ridculed the paupers. This arous-
ed all those among them who had any
spirit to try and better their condition,
and soon the pauper class of thirty was
reduced to five or six incurables.
This class was burden upon the in
dustrious citizens until one of the boys
got up in the Legislature and in true re-
former style said, L have a bill here to
stop this pauper business; this ere
bill of mine provides for the sick pau
per, but if he amt sick he can starve, if
he wont work. What say you" And
the rest all said the same. This bill
went into effect on July Is, and when
those who had not worked or paid much
attention to the bill came to enter the
dining hall, they were met by small
blue coated cop who said, That ere bill
went into effect to-day, and you can't
get in here so move on" and they did
move on in the direction of getting
something to do.
"a great many people imagine that
this republic is a great playhouse, but
If they should visit it and see some
criminal breaking stone for several
days. under a youthful officer, for his
offence, they would see that everything
is done in earnest.
1.-THE republic has a thoroughly or
ganized police force and real Jail,
where offenders are placed for various
offences by judges and juries, who ad-
minister the law with a justice and
fairness that to my mind compare ia
vorably with adults.
"I have seen boys who would consid-
er it an honor to be sentenced in
court by men burst into tears when
thus dealt with by a jury of their own
peers.
"They also discuss the same political
questions as you discuss in your larger
republic, such as the tariff and curren
cy.
'"The belief that green appless kill
small boys is rankly heretical. AS to
the boys in the republic, L know from
actual experience. They stole them
constantly from the neighboring farm
ers so that 1 had to refuse the boys
permission to go outside the republic,
pleasure they much. enjoyed. Finally
1 signed a bill allowing boys to go off
at certain hours on payment of five dol
lars of the republics currency. The
passage of this bill was secured by the
thrifty and opposed by those who were
lazy and paupers.
These latter two classes combined
at the next election. however, and gain
ed dcontrol of the lower house of congress
aud Immediately passed bill repeating