New-York tribune., 1905-06-27
TO GUIDE GANG SPIRIT.
Mr. Lee Thinks Boys Could Be
Made Good If Trained Right.

The gang instinct doesn't exist in girls, &C
cording 70 Joseph Lee. vice-president Of the
Massachusetts, Civic League. Girls don't run in
pscss like wolves and boys. but n clunps, like
sses--two or three girls walking up and down
tia street with their arms around each others
waist.
But all this was really only an interesting
aside TO the addrses which Mr. Lee delivered
Yesterday at the Summer School Of Philan-
thropy, No. los East z2d-st. the subject OF
which was Fresh Air Work; Fairgrounds.
CHICAGO has fourteen Fairgrounds" said
Mr Lee and they the best In the country
They have ball grounds for the older fellows
sand gardens for tae kindergartners. open air
and covered gynnaeurns for boys and for girls
and all they need to round out g. complete
scheme Of education are school and library in
.Ach If they had faose it would only De neces-
nary 10 put a grammar school master IN charge
% the whole plant 60 say, Now. mister. you've
got the whole boy. You haven't got only his
head or his hind legs: you've got the whole boy.
Now go ahead and educate him.
.san,e bows are converted by baseball some oy
manual work It isn't good for one man to nave
one avenue of reaching boy. another announcer
ana so on That is like having one man play
I'd to c. then another take his place ana con-
t.nue the tune. Each teacher should have all
the methods at his command. to reach every
kind Of boy
Mr Lees remarks t'touchin' on an apper-
tainin' to the genus boy were illuminating.
There doesn't seem TO be much he does not know
about boys The life Of the average boy. e ssios
<sr1. into three periods. up to six years is the
dramatic age with child. this being about the
onIv time in their lives when boys and girls are
auke This is the period when they love to play
house and home Almost anything amuses them,
exceut automatic toys. They like to play in the
dirt and II the dirt is moist, so that IL can De
made into things, much the better They
love rhythm too and will sing Ring around a
rosy and other games which have lost COM
pleteIv whatever meaning they may once nave
had by the hour, just for the sake OF the nlt
and swing of the theme.
The period from six TO eleven. Mr.. Lee caarao-
terzed as the big Injun" period, the age OF self
assertion. when boys take to doing stunts Tor
the sheer love of danger and difficulty and when
thsy seem 10 find their chief diversion IN teasing
people and playing mischievous tricks
This" said Mr.. Lee, ''is the time when they
turn on the faucet in the bathroom for fun, and
tie tin cans to dogs tails, etc. This period gene
rally begins with disilusionment, an early synp-
tom being tendency to stick up your nose at
the anusements Of the smaller boys. About
this time boys stand round aimlessly. tracing
rings in the dust with their toes, and the follow
ing dialogue takes place daily;
Let's play something
oh, rats
'FBoys OF this age skeptical OF everything.
From eleven begins the age Of loyalty, when
ade gang takes its rise The gang spirit is not
a spirit of lawlessness, as many have thougnI
although II may lead to breaking the laws but
ft is the budding instinct Of citizenship, OF race
solidarity. With right direction it becomes team