The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-29
IS GUARDIAN ID
 NATIONS JACK|ES Unique Position of New York FhiIanthropist SPON SOR FOR MANY BOYS Work Grew Out of Effort To Give Chance In Life To Homeless
 Youngsters Drifting Into
 the Metropolis.
SPON SOR FOR MANY BOYS

Official guardian of something like 10001 boys-that is the probably unique title held by Herbert Van Dyke of New York, we'll known in connection with the Newsboys' Home and various other New York phil anthropies MT. Van Dykes title is not an empty or fictitious one for he IS the legally constituted guardian of all minors In the navy of Uncle Sam who have no parents to sign the consent which may be obtained before a boy can take up naval apprenticeship, Likewise he assists them in handling the blts of red tape which are to bind them to the service.
 For 23 years MT. Van Dyke has been chaperoning boys into the navy, some times at the rate of as many as 1000 q year, plling guardianship up on guardian ship until he stands as the head of what is probably the largest legal family in the world, even though the coming of age of it's members deprlves him of sev- eral hundred each year. The first use he made of his name for this purpose was in 1883. when during his presence one day in the Surrogate's court a bright little fellow came in who had been sent there by recruiting officer to transact the naval preliminaries. He lacked however, any living relationship which might be transformed into guardianship by which to effect the legal consent that would make his contract binding. From all evil dences he was as desirable a young re- cruit as could be found, and on the other hand the navy was as highly promising a solution of his homelessness as anything that could be thought of. Thereupon the court suggested that the difficulty be overcome by MT. Van Dykes acting as ia it, ba mhi iob he ct rts ph xyp did, to the ultimate satisfaction of all concerned
 Shortly after that it became necessary for several other boys to be guardianed by MT. Van Dyke, who was subsequently, asked by Captain Wiltsie of the Mime sota then receiving ship at New York, to perform the kindly office whenever it be- came similarly necessary, and the authori- ties at Washington soon afterward dele gated complete powers to Mir. Van Dyke as guardian, abolishing the need of formal procedure in each individual case. h. directly MT. Van Dyke recruits most of those for whom he acts as guardian and to hundreds of the boys whom he has assisted in this manner his offices have meant the opening up of useful life in place of vagrancy worse in this city. For the training school of vice or crime. the training school of Uncle Sam Is substi- tuted.
 The field is fertile one, for 1t Is said that from 50 to 150 stray boys wander into New York every day, runaways from good homes or bad, or mere wanderers without homes. single units in the large army of boy trampdom, many of whose numbers, unless aided in some way, eventually join the army of crime. Of course some of these boys are restored to their homes, generally to stay, but the majority must be taken care of in other ways by those who are striving to make them into good citizens. Some land in the Newsboys' lodging house, where they may be put wise" to good position through MT. Van Dyke and others or they may be taken in charge by any one of the chldren's protective societies of which there are several in