The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-04-09

The problem OF this half year has
been to meet our opportunities. For 1t
has been a season OF opened doors; or
genuine interest on the part OF the
boys; of widening influence and pres
tige; of better, surer work on our part
Certain laws of boy life-habits, de-
sires, possibilities, are known, mapped
and available for guidance. Yet 1t has
been a half year of results more than
investigation or experimentation To
scientific investigation we can give
data To our friends we can show
boys in five parts of the city oelng
trained to self-control and enjoying the
training. These same local gangs are
receiving from the entertainment
course (more properly university ex-
tension) much instruction about geo
graphy. travel, natural history, gold
mining. And all that comes to them
after a short school training is what
we are giving them. And it is due the
volunteer lecturers to say il has been
OF n high order.
/ am thankful for the remarkable
growth which has come, but confess TO
a vision, which is not visionary, OF a
more wonderful future, sometime, I'M
der someone's hands. of work along our
| lines. for boys here and in every city:
Listen to the reasons for such a vision:
| BOYS TRADE SCHOOL.
We began this term on the End of
| September. From the first the classes
have been full, at times too full. Gag
| er boys have pushed plane and saw till
they were heated and blistered. They
have learned how to use compass, saw
and spokeshave and some have learned
the name and use of every tool of a
carpenter shop. We have made wood
Ell guns for the drill, tables and chairs
for the club. have turned Indian clubs,
dumb bells, billiard balls, baseball bats;
every boy has turned a calabash and
some have turned over new leaves. For
there are morals and manners in manu- |
al training. We took the carbons out /,
OF the stereopticon, and using them as
a plain arc light. built an annex,
which is being used as the advance
or commercial shop, under Mr.. Gear.
Fer six months there was an average
OF over twenty boys in the afternoon
classes and over twenty-five in the
right. / venture 20 believe that more
hours beyond the days task have been
given to self-improvement by these
boys than by any equal number OF peo-
I,le in this city.
Seventy boys have partaken OF the
class privileges for periods OF more
than two months while taking off more
is not only very gratifying but indeed
The experiment is such
no more. There will be times OF less in
terest, perhaps, but the strength OF that
hour can rekindle it.
THE CLUB ROOM.
This was opened in September for !
the first time. The trade school filed {
IL with all necessary furniture, games,
and gymnastic apparatus, and lately
finished a stage front and dressings I
rooms. The reading matter has come {
from Mrs. Berger, of the Associated ]
Charities, and from the Y. 81. C. A. I
The popular things are the colored, c
comic papers, as Puck and Judge, and S
Yardley's local skits. 1 have noticed I
strengthening reading habit, such l
books as Alice in Wonderland and Rob- ]
nson Crusoe, being dipped into. In the t
the popular things run in I
his order: Punching bag, drum, i
horizontal bar, ladder health lifts, In t
Ian clubs, etc. In treating the club t
Dom in a critical way 1t is hard to be b
ure of the real drift, for these rea- o
Cns: ID Large numbers of boys; CD o
many, of these are not yet of our clubs "
I school and do not know our require
1entS in manners and morals; go the
Tub room director was the Trade =
=
pened at 4:30 and most of the boys q
ave worked one and a half hours by y
so by opening at 7:15 by a helper and u
unning 1t myself from Sis to $3.50, 1 n
ept a hold on things. On Saturday IN
light we have over a hundred in and :.
ct this is naturally our smallest night. =
tut we are using Mr.. Richards Ian -
srn, and by means of ii we are giving ~
course on world travel and history y
nd have received an interested hear II
lg from seventy-five boys. This club n
pom is a growth and is on a solid ba- N
s. 1t would repay any young man to !.
Ike 1t a certain night of the week
nd measure his native force against ~
iese fresh. unframed young lives; all y
ses, all races, and various degrees of y
nth and training. -
One observation; the pleasure and -
-ofit found in our simple gymnasium
lpresses upon me the deep and abid- =
e power which would come TO the -
hole affiliated work by the compile -
on and use of our athletic field. L n
link it very. very desirable for the n
rigade's sake. as all our spheres of m
ork are reacting to mutual benefit.
FORECAST. -
The clubs are doing well. Years will "a
ing results. They must. Patience AZ
Id perseverance are the principal
ings. with a constant remembrance
at a boy is a boy. only this and -
thing more" Military drill should be q
iitary to be efficient. Discipline m
ould be respected. But we should be ne
mrades. not official superiors. The /.
ade school Will provide its own help
s, and evolve its own methods; but -
III be compelled to be a shop more y
an a school; to make rather than q
lch: and Il will be compelled to n
ange it's work to keep interest alert. M
lie club viii be a constant source OF g
lpfulness and comfort to boys and
'rkers: and 1 think 1t viii present no
ally difficult phases. I should sug- U