Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-28
Combat MDDoral Evil.
Proposition of Y. NJ c. A. to Introduce Christian
Effort in High Schools--Solve Problems of
Fraternities - Combating Modern Evil
in the Advanced Public Schools.

building. Each of these school clubs IL
taught by a professional man. lawyer,
a physician and two preachers. All meet
at supper Frtda.- nights. each boy paying
older boys belong to normal Bible class.
and every member of this Is himself
teaching class OF boys somewhere in the
city.
A surprising innovation in Buffalo is the
holding OF religious meetings for boys by
boys throughout districts OF the city.
Every house In a given nelghborhood is
furnished with an invitation To a boys
meeting somewhere In the neighborhood
Sunday afternoon. Out of each Of these
meetings. which move from neighborhood
TO neighb0rhood every Sunday, at least
one Bible class is developed by the boys
themselves.
The Buffalo boys also have a social
service committee. which works i'm the
various church social settlements Of Buff
falo, devoting themselves to the boy
end OF the social settlement service.
Boys at the Helm.
The development of boys themselves
in leadership Is striking aspec- of this
new development OF religious work. |
locked in at the large crowd OF boys who
had been taking supper together one even
ing in the Washington Y. NJ. c. A.. and
CHANGED to hear Gordon Leech-the
boy who carried the ssage to the
President in the last stage of its journey
during the boys relay race few months
ago-making speech to the fellows
about the summer conference of boys
The genius of the success OF this whole
enterprise has been the ability to get
hold Of leading boys. AS one Y. NJ. c. A.
man said: I'm every high school. as in
every community. there is one group OF
boys who determine the standards Of the
crowd. They are tie real leaders. We
have been surprisingly successful in
getting hold OF these particular boys and
putting them in charge of the Bible study
and other work of our high school clubs.
Naturally. this shaping influence affects
athleticism among the students. In enc
city the high school boys had engaged
a coach who made liberal use of whisky
as stimulant to the athletes under his
care. The situation had come TO such
pass that it babe fair to break out
into a civic scandal. The Y. NJ. c. 4.
man was too wise, however, to put the
coach. or to himself come out in an.
tagonism of the present practice. lie
quietly wrote to all the foremost coaches
in American colleges and got their opin-
stimulants for athletes. That body OF
letters was turned over to the student
athletic committee. In short order the
coach was gone.
A Prize Winner as Leader.
Much Of the rapid growth OF this high
school work has been due to its leader
ship. The department Of high and pre-
paratory schools of the International
Young Mems Christian Association COM
mittee has been given over to David r.
Porter of Bangor, Me, a Rhodes scholar
with a unique record. His personality
appeals to the students because of Incl
dents in his athletic and scholastic career
He has the record for having made the
longest run ever made In a foot ball
game on Harvard oval. when he carried
the ball from Bowdoins ten-yard line to
Harvards goal. In his sophomore year
at BoWdon he passed the Rhodes scholar
ship examination. He went to England
In 1904 with the first Rhodes scholarship
men.
, At Trinity. in oxford, his career was
somewhat spectacular. He won from
the British students in the purely British
games. He made the cricket and tennis
and rugby teams, became secretary of
the track club, made the debating
and literary society. was champion ham
mer thrower and shot-putter and was
secretary and then president of the
American Club.
At Oxford there is a famous history
examination for which men usually make
three years special preparation. Porter.
on a dare. took the examination after
six months study, during which time he
kept up his athletic activities. He passed
the examination. although half of the
entrants failed. He was the first Rhodes
scholar to take an honor degree in the
history school at Oxford.
Associated with -'orter in pushing this
new high school work are the whole fel-
lowship of college-bred Y NJ. c. 4.
men. who are adding the weight of their
influence and effort to the promotion OF
the best type OF character among the high
schools. All this strikes the observer
a pretty significant sort of patriotic, edu-
cational and religious service.