The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-03-07
DISCUSSED BOYS.
Prof. Hancock Reads Interesting Pa
per on Tendencies Toward Crimi-
naIity During AdoIescent Period.

The Social Science club held very
interesting meeting Tuesday evening,
at which Prof. J. A. Hancock read
most interesting paper on Tendencies
Toward Criminality Among Boys Dur
ing the Early Adolescent Period. - He
treated the subject as extensively as
possible in the brief time allotted him,
following the tendencies which tend
to criminality in boys at that age.
One trouble he thought was that
the boy was not sufficiently understood,
he is repressed when repressiVe
measures are not the best mode of
handling him. He is full of young
life, living under full head or steam,
as it were, and these features should
be given full play, but quietly led
in the right direction. He followed
the criminal tendency of the boy;
much of what he does is out of pure
mischief but often leads to the point
of criminality and many times farther.
He quoted from one writer who had
collected data in this direction, giving
the testimony of many men, as to
their doings during this period of
their life. Many admitted committing
thefts of various kinds, and were into
all sorts of scrapes bordering criminal
ity, but surrounding influences led
them into better paths He also gave
account of work being. done at differ
emit schools, some of which were estab
lished to take care of boys from the
big cities who have no homes, and no
one to look after them. The main
feature of these schools is to arouse
interest in the boy, when this is done,
the rest is comparatively easy.
/ Prof. q. o. Cox opened the discus
sion, endorsing the lines taken by
Prof. Hancock's paper. He spoke of
other instances along the line alluded
to by the paper, and referred to the
necessity of arousing interest in, and
taking an interest in, the boy The
general discussion took wide field
and aroused much interest. Some
thought the school and church were
not doing just what they should in
behalf of the boys. One speaker
thought enough time was not devoted
to the boy by the father. Said this
, past winter he had been giving at least
an hour a day to his boys and was
we'll pleased with the results of it.
Others thought the fathers did not
become fully acquainted with their
boys, do not enter fully enough into
those matters which interest them.
! In fact do not take enough interest
! in what the boy is doing. Dime
novels was cited as great evil for
the youth, giving him wrong ideas.
The boy is full of hero worship, hence
the necessity of directing his attention
into field which will be uplifting.
Another speaker thought the RESPONSE
bility ought not to be shouldered off
entirely on to the school or the church,
but placed largely where it belongs
in the home. More interest should be
taken in the boy. Not only should ne
be taught to mind, but he should be
interested in different ways. Interest
should be taken in him. Games should
be played with him, supervision of his
reading should be had, and in this
connection the newspapers came in fol
mild criticism for publishing in toe
great detail matters which excite the
morbid curiosity, and breed tendency
toward criminality in the young who
read them, as we'll as in other persons
many times
Prof. Hancock in closing the discus
sion said he thought the time would
come when it would be recognized
that the long summer vacation wal
not the best thing for the boy, and
that steps would be taken to proftably
employ his attention through those
months, though the course of study
followed during the other portions o
the year might not be taken up.
The next meeting of the club will b.
held on Tuesday evening, March 1Stl
when Rev. Geo. W. Davis will read
paper on ''Social Conditions il
France and E. L. Patterson will
Load the diacussiOn