Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-04-12
Boys VS.. the Pool Room.

Boys VS.. the Pool Room.
The writer's attention was recently
called to the daily exodus of school boys
to the pool rooms of the village shortly
after p. m. of each school day. 1t was
argued that pool room was poor place
for boys of ~ to 16 years of age. Such
contention is at least partly right. There
can be nothing wrong in simply playing
pool or billiards. Both are games which
require skill and afford excellent amuse-
ment. Injury to health or morals can
come only from surrounding conditions.
Some boys are not contented unless they
begin early to ape the ways of some men
whom they have seen, and, sad to relate,
in some instances those men whom they
have seen, may be their fathers. If they
play pool they must smoke and use OBJ
scene or prsfane language. If they do
not conduct themselves after the manner
of some men they have seen they are
afraid that on-lookers will suspect that
they are boys. They don't stop to con-
slider that their unshaven lips and crude
manners continually give their preten-
tons the lie. The result is that the air
of the pool room becomes filthy with Gig
arctic smoke and the conversation is not
elevating or even sensible. The imma-
ture boy suffers in both physical and
moral health.
The average healthy boy intends to do
about what is right. He needs counsel
and companio nship more than cuffs and
reprimands. What are the parents of
these boys doing Do they consider
that they have performed their whole
duty when they provide their boys food
aud clothing A boy ought to be hap
pier to spend an hour or two with his
father than with any school or street
chum and he will be if the old man linn
bers up properly and really enjoys being
with the boy and takes some pains to
give him good time.
But not every father because of work
or business can be with his son as much
as he would like to be and ought to be,
and parents and teachers ought to CO.
operate in directing the boys amuse-
ments outside of school, 1t does not re-
quire much argument to show that good
healthy boys ought to be engaged in
outdoor sports as much as pos
sible when not in school. A dingy
pool room with its atmosphere saturated
with tobacco smoke ought to be the last
place in the world boy would resort
to who values good health and clean
living. Athletics are not as popular in
the Bellows Falls schools as they used
TO be. They ought to be encouraged.
There is no gymnasium in town. We
believe that the town could afford to fit
up room in a modest way for the bene.
tit of the boys. There could be no OBJ
lection to pool or billiard table or both
air and clean language and it is ouI
opinion that the boys could be depended
on to do the right thing.
Another great benefit to many boys
would be course in manual training
in connection with the schools and a
well equipped workshop. What the
boys need and what they will have is
something to do. A boy 16 years old
may throw out his chest and swaggel
a little. but at heart he means well
he is not bad; he hasn't had time tC
get bad. He may be headed the wrong
way, but that is not always his fault
If there are no guideboards either al
home or abroad how can he with his
brief experience always tell where hi
present course will land him? Wha
would you expect boy would do af
ter school and during vacation if hi
parents didn't care and his teachers
didn't care and anybody didn't care anC
he didn't know OF anything to do bu
to hang on the street corners or go Il
pool room or some like resort? Give
the boys something to do and deem
place to do it in and the boy problem
will solve itself.
The Bellows Falls Times has -ably
handled the above vexing question. II
our own town the same question hal
arisen many times, and one of the loca
firms handling the largest business anC
employing by far the greatest number
of men, has shown that it has at hear
the real improvement of the morals anC
manners of our young men by providing
an ideal club room for the employees anC
their friends. The building is large
substantial, brick structure, is heated by
furnace, well lighted and provided will
reception, reading and game rooms
They are kept clean and comfortable, ar,
located in the center of the village. anC
will go long way toward making sub
stantial improvement. This move on tn,
part of the Brandon Italian Marble com
pany is one greatly to be admired. anC
it is earnestly hoped that the men, par
ticularly the young men, will take ad
vantage of it.