The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-21
THE SONS OF THE RICH
THEY ARE NEGLECTED. WHEN THE
.BoY PROBLEM II Considered.
A New York Clergyman reiis Exrer-
fences with Them-know Little
of Poorer People.
New York Tribune.


were gathered from All over the Uniied
States. the rich boy was mentioned only
once This VAS when one man asked II
anything had been done 10 interest the
sons Of the rich Ia the sons Of the poor.
There was no response. and the subject was
not again opened.
And yet" said a clergyman associated
with one OF the largest. richest and most
fashionable churches In New York TO
Tribune representative-"and yet. il seems
10 me that for the sake OF both the rich
and the poor that Is a theme of prime I'm
portance All over the civilized world there
il concerted movement among people who
study such things for the solution OF the
boy problem. But IL Is entirely In behalf
OF the poor boy. Nobody seems TO mind
anything about the rich boy. And yet. In
few years. the rich boy Is going 10 be the
employer OF the poor boy. The poor boy.
In maturity. Is going 10 be an atom In the
working world. The rich boy Is going TO be
a power. A few poor boys may rise out OF
their environment. and few rich boys may
sink out OF theirs. But the vast mass Of
each will remain in the position which the
circumstances Of their lives have marked
out for them. When once they are mature
not much can be done TO change their char
acter. 1t is nodded and cooled in the
mold. You can interest boys in each other
in n way that you cannot men. IL the
friends OF the poor boy want the next gen
GRAFTON Of rich men TO feel more response
bility over Industrial conditions than their
fathers have why don't they try to catch
the rich boy while he is young and interest
him?
There are about $500 such boys In New
York" he continued. taking as a basis
the pupils OF the thIrty-od private schools
for boys in the city. That does not seem
large number but you must remember that
the families OF the rich are small, that |
am not counting boys under eight or over
sixteen. and that in some uptown districts.
where the social atmosphere In the public
schools Is good. boys Will be found In the
upper grades who come from families OF
fully as nigh standing as some OF those
In private schools. Generally speaking.
however. these $500 or so boys I'm the pri-
waite schools are the sons OF millionaires,
who are going 10 inherit great power in
financial and social world IL you convert
such a boy 10 altruism you secure the
benefit. not OF an Individual but OF an in
dividual plus tremendous powers added TO
him by virtue of his birth.
A VERY BUSY BOY.
'one reason why there Is not more mis-
sionary work for him, TO answer my own
question" said the clergyman. looking out
OF his study window. lis that he II a very
busy boy The son OF the New York mil
lionaire Is probably the hardest worked
boy In the world. In the first place, his
school hours are very long. One school In
New York has hours from I'll $50 This
includes certain intermissions for play and
opportunity TO prepare lessons under the
supervision OF Instructors. Other schools
dismiss at 40. and none earlier than 500.
After school the boy has lessons 10 pre-
pare Sometimes tutors go To the house
| TO have supervision OF this particularly IL
the boy Is backward In any particular
| branch. Then the boy probably belongs to
| the knickerbocker Greys. 1t is an ac-
cepted thing for boys OF from eight 10 ff-
| teen from the best families In the city TO
/ belong TO this aristocratic military organ
| ization OF twenty years standing. IL has
a governing board OF women of accepted
| social position. who pass upon applications
/ for membership. and its object IL exercise
| military drill and the useful social ac-
| quaintance which the boys form there III
| the boy belongs 10 the Greys that takes
two afternoons a week. Then dancing
school ILLS two other afternoons, and les
| sons in music and other accom- pills hmentS
notably riding and driving, must be crowd
ed In somewhere during the week. Friday
1 night and Saturday are usually given up
/ TO social pleasures-theater parties. dane
| ing parties, luncheons and so on MANY
| OF the boys spend the weeks end at the
| where.
From this schedule IL will be- seen that
| the private school boy Is pretty busy. Hut.
In addition TO that. IL is more difficult to
| interest him than any other boy. IL is
harder TO break the Ice. harder 90 command
| his attention, harder 10 become his friend
| rms Is not from any snobbishness his
| part 1 frmly believe that the natural boy
| left 10 himself. has no snobbishness IL he
| develops H. II Is from association with the
| older members OF his own class. But the
| single fact Is that he has so much I'm his
| own life that a stranger must have peculiar
| quaiincations In order TO command his In
| tcrest.
| ITO illustrate. when I was tutoring In
| one of the greatest OF American universities
| l did good deal of church and club work
| among the boys OF the better middle class
| OF the town 1 found them eager 10 Know
| me. Why? Because I lived on the campus
| and knew the members OF the college teams
| ''>-sonally. That's very simple thing
out very natural thing among boys. But
| with these young plutocrats such "A thing
as that .euts no ice. They take II as a
matter Of course. That man should be 4
college man; up In all college athletics.
| familiar with European travel and so on.
| aTouses no sort Of interest IN them lie
| must furnish them new food for Thought
| II be expects TO command their attention.
| How have | done it, Well you will
| hardly believe IL. perhaps. but IL was sim
| ply by the presentation Of moral aud eth
ieai standards FROM the standpoint OF their
are interested Ia the consideration ~ sneh
| themes Ia - new TO them. how new you
| would hardly suspect. and IL ls rather
| shocking 90 tell. For instance I found In
| them an abynmal Ignorance as 10 the life
| OF either the working bop the slun boy.
| have ciub Of them which has been
meeting In my study once a week for ave
| years now. and have tried 80 teach them
! something Of how the other half lives
! They were surprised and somewhat startled
By the fact that there were every night a
! thousand homeless boys Ia New York
| have had people who knew about such
| things come and talk 20 them I have
! taken them on journeys % exploration "a
/ such places the the Catholic Protect0ry.
IA. shsltering Arms and other juvenile IN
| situations. And arranged some basksthal 4
games for them with teams 81 poor boys
| az various settlements parish houses.
| new shoys' lodging houses ard 80 on.
POOR BOYS BEAT RICH BOYS.
They Invariably met their opF-onent- IN
just the way they would meet any others
Their sslf-possesslon and SAVIOR fare wefs
| perfect. Inde~d. u - In these two qualities
that this kiEd % boy differs chiefly from
other boys. On the part 81 THE poor boys
there was a slight hesitation and eonsusaou
AZ nfst. tn the presence % the 'swslis. bal
this were OF during the progress Of ths
game Who e<atE The peer boys. ever
time. They seemed. IA each instance. Go D.
| little stronger. Our afhixtsc director
| classes. says that the ~orslag boz has a..
| nays a nttse more muscular strength thar
| ghe stch boz 81 the safus &Ee and alze H0W
/ 1ld EheF take their b<affnEHT on Nth :