Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-10-21
MADE FRIENDS OF BOYS.
How to Do 1t Was Big Problem and
Solved by Long Efforts
Only.

to me that one of the surest ways ia
eliminate many of the puZZlins features
| of the soc.oi0g cal ana economical ques-
| tons that affiict the times is to pay
| more attention t1 these budding youths,
! to strain every enGeavor 10 make of them
| men i'll the fullest and nOblest sig
nihcance of the word. The poet who
wrote The boy is father to the man"
| compressed into single line world OF
| wisdom. Yes. think on it seriously. The
| boy of today will III few short years
develop into a man; ana whether he
will be Il good, bad or Indifferent man
depends Il great deal upon the care and
attention that is bestowed upon him dur
ing the formative period of his life.
The characteristics that mark the boy
will be emphasized in him when. as man,
he becomes husband and father; and
this being the case, it surely ought to be
worth our while to ever keep before us
the thought that the boy will one day
discard his youth-that although today
he may be of no especial Importance in
the scheme of things, he will tomorrow
be "A factor with which to be reckoned
The average boy is made of good stuff ;
as rule he is frank and sincere, honest
and upright. The raw material is there
but it needs shaping.
As young man | had attached my
self to number of societies, one of
which had a junior association connect
ed with it. The juniors were boys rang
ing from ii to Is years, and | became
their patron and friend. / joined in all
their sports; | was their leader in their
meetings and discussions and they be-
came my devoted friends. The junior
organization became very popular, and
was extended to Il number of the neigh
boring states.
About this time l also took charge Of
a primary school, where | found still
better opportunities of studying boy life.
The methods | used to win the friend
ship of the older boys, | applied to the
smaller ones and | found that the re-
suits were satisfactory in both cases.
But | was thruGt in more with the
smaller boys, and consequently could ex-
ecute my plans more systematically. Ev-
cry evening during the warm months
after school hours, | took them to battle
in the river and they became expert
swimmers. Later on we extended our
aquatic sports. | purchased a boat for
Them and rowing became one of their
popular pastimes This form of exer-
else. moreover, helped very much to de-
vclop them physically, a point not to be
overlooked in the building of a healthy
manhood. Then, too, upon occasions
took the crowd into the neighboring
MObuS. anu - ~ SdlueEtt Win nONClS'
locusts, persimmons, blackberries, and
huckleberries, or whatever was in sea-
son, they absorbed almost unconsciOusly
Il love for the beautiful in nature.
| had made the school q military one;
the arms were furnished by the com
monwealth, and funds for further equip
ment were raised by entertainments, to-
ward the success of which the lady
friends of the boys lent helping hand.
An annual camp-meeting was one of
the interesting features
After awhile, as the boys grew older,
| organized a dramatic club. and during
the winter months we gave plays, realiz-
ing a neat little sum out of the perform
ances we gave in the course of a season.
Debating societies were quite popular
in those days. and of course we followed
the times and set aside certain evenings
of the month for the discussion of cur
rent questions. 1t was splendid drilling
for my boys, some of whom subsequent
ly became prominent as lawyers and
judges, some even taking a hand in the
affairs of state. From my fifteenth year
| had been an aspirant for the priest
hood. but circumstances prevented my
becoming a priest until | was 66 years
of age (apC i'll passing | may mention
that | am the oldest priest ever ordained
in the United States. | am now nearly
so years old.
As assistant pastor a new field of la
Dor opened itself to me. Fortunately the
pastor was himself much interested in
the question of making men of boys, and
he co-operated with me in every possible
way. Jointly we instituted basket pic
Mes and outings for the altar boys and
first communicates. Then, too, we gave
considerable attention to the giving of
fairy plays and the like, for which
purpose we had erected movable stage
in the basement of the church As the
children grew older we organized n
Young Mems union for boys over 10.
and our joint efforts to do something
for the young men were amply re-
warded,
Finally | was made chaplain to a col
lege near Fortress Monroe, and | now
have the supervision of the religious edu-
cation of the boys | try to be very gen
tie and kind to them, and use persuasion
only in getting them to attend to their
religious duties. In consequence every
Catholic student who lives in the college
approaches the Sacraments monthly, and
many, through the same persuasion. at
tend the 6 o'clock mass. / make my ser
mons suitable TO their years. using boys
language, and | receive the closest atten-
ton.
l have little room left for advice to
parents. but | want to say to them: Re
member your own childhood and watch
your boys closely. Tell them Mt an early
age of the temptations they will encoun-
ter: keep them out of the streets and
make home pleasant and attractive for
them. 1t is usually between the ages of
| II aud Is that boys have the most ter
| ribie temptations of their lives. Advise
them, gain their confidence and induce
| them 20 tell YOU their falls into sin.
have had the confidence of Catholic as
well as non-Catholic students often. and
| have helped them, ana you will find it
/ practicable if YOU try. Few mothers eau
| raise boys successfully: they do not un-
/ dcrStand boy nature and have no idea Of
/ boys temptations. Their boys are to
/ them angels without wings. while their
/ neighhors know them as they are: no one
| knows less of her boy than his mother.
Key. Richard l.. Carne, Chaplain Old
/ Point Comfort College, in Men and
/ Women.
A New Cult Foreshadowed
/ The cult of the feminine U-alli,., Sti.l-