Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-07
BIG BROTHERS MADE TO
ORDER BY SOCIETY
BUSINESS MEN ADOPT LITTLE
FELLOWS
Most Curious Organization in the
World Has In New
York-Waifs Taken
Care OF

| NEW YORK, June 6.-Making broth
ers to order-and big brothers at tha
fully grown up and endowed wit
hair, teeth and wisdom, is the worl
of what is probably the most curious
| organization IN New York. ..
1t is not science which has thus ap
parently improved on nature, how
ever but philanthropy, for the Bis
Brothers organization, numbering
more than 800 members, exists simply
to look out for the waits of the city
who have come within the grasp OF
the law.
Each member of the Big Brothers is
a business or professional man who as
sumes responsibility for one boy, CIV
ing him practical help and especially
friendship and advice, which is otter
the thing most needed to give the
homeless boy fair start.
The work which these men have sci
themselves is simply that of making
bad boys good, the boys who have
run counter to law and order and
come before the chidrens court. Al
the headquarters of the Big Brothers
the executive secretary receives in,
formation from this court and various
Juvenile asylums of boys standing III
need of friend and assigns the case
to a particular Big Brother. Most oi
II
their first acquaintance with the condi-
tions imposed by grinding poverty
upon a vast part of the city's popula-
ton and OF the difficulties of growing
up right that are encountered by tens
of thousands of boys in this city. In
deed the work of this unique organi-
zation is as curious and interesting as
its name. The task of "big brother
ing" the city's stray youngsters not
only leads into the strangest sur
roundings, but is also surrounded with
many difficulties. Many queer cases
arise of which the following as told by
fair example:
Reason for Belief
"a case which came under my OBJ
servation a short while ago." said he.
twill serve to illustrate both the rea-
son for our belief that most of New
York's so-called bad boys are In reality
only unfortunate and that a little
friendly help at critical times Is all
that is needed to keep them from
growing up into criminals and to en-
able them to become useful citizens
The boy in the case was sturdy lit
tie German who had been arrested
and brought before the children's
court, charged with collecting trans
fers and selling them at reduced rates
at junction points of the street car
lines. OF course we always find out
everything possible about children
brought into court since there are
usually reasons back of their appear
ance aside from the act charged
against them. In this instance 1t de-
veloped that the lad had run away
from a stepmother in a country town
in Massachusetts,, being furnished with
money for the trip by neighbors be-
cause of the inhuman treatment he
received. He had grandmother here
and went to her upon his arrival. She
kept him over night and then turned
him into the street. Then he looked
up an aunt who agreed to keep him
for SIS q week. He was not able to
make over SO working in a butcher
shop, and so resorted to the expedient
of selling transfers. His aunt didn't
trouble to come to court when the boy
was arrested and investigation showed
that what home surroundings the lad
had were not beneficial to say the
least.
"He was a manly little chap before
the Judge and evidently needed only a
little real help and friendliness to get
along. There was no need to send
him to an asylum, II only just a small
boost were given and 1t is just these
boosts that the Big Brothers try to
give. The deputy clerk of the chill
dren's court called up and asked the
aid of the organization. Well. what
the boy needed was first of all a place
to sleep, and next, job. We took
care Of the first requisite easily enough