The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-11-26
WORKINCOUNTRY
FOR Y. NC. A.
JAMES R. GARFIELD SAYS 4', a, TEN
TON SHOULD BE GIVEN
COUNTRY BOY
.,ke Opportunity for Culture, and
Tnie Lack Might Be Supplied in
c,sat Measure, Says Former Secre-
+.rv of interior.

Now York, Nov. 2O.-The need OF
nociaI county branches" of the
,young Mems Christian Association to
.,rire especially to help the country
,ov the lad who plods behind the pillow
and who trudges to the little red
dollhouse to give him the advant-
ooos the city boy enjoys, was dwelt
or Of the Waldorf-Astoria by James
Garfield, formerly secretary of the
..+or;or on the occasion of the annual
Inner of the International committee
of the association.
EIibu Root and William G. Brown,
.rocident of the New York Central
limos we're the other speakers. Secre-
torios and heads of the different de-
,,ortmpnts of the work, which is under
tho supervision of the international
committee. made short reports for
their branches. The speakers were
George P. Hodge, DR.. George ]. Fisher,
tho Rev. Clarence Barbour, E. M. Rob-
ortson and Clarence Hicks.
~Our problem in this Christian AS
sociation work." said Mr.. Garfield, lis
70 Dive to the country boy the advan-
taops which the city boy has. Our
nIan is to organize associations by
counties. The secretary of the county
association should be a man who
knows how to fire the heart of the
country boy to know more and to be
more than he is today. The country
hoy needs education as well as the
CITY boy. Following the pillow is work,
NOT play. and it will not give him an
al-around development.
There is need, too, for the religious
work of the association. Unfortunate
IL the churches have not been able to
get hold of all the boys. 1t should be
orr aim to get hold of the boys and
arouse their religious natures, not
through Sunday meetings, but as a
part of their daily life.
Our country life has been neglected
in more senses than One,' he contin-
upd. While the movements for social
betterment have been working for up
lift and Improvement in the cities, in
the country there has been stagnatiOn.
| have reached my conclusions after
long and careful inves tigation of the
subject Those who have been born
and reared in the country know too
we'll that the life there is not an in
spring one.
Those of us who have lived in the
country. those who have been there, il
only for weeks at a time, have been
enough in touch with the spirit of
rural life to know its lack of OppOr-
tunity We can see why boys leave
the farm. The farm is a place of
drudgery, when it should be place of
beauty. 1t has lost its hold on the
boys because Of that drudgery.
The country school, with its de-
creasng numbers, has not the in
splration Of the city schools, with their
efficient instructors and their up-to-
date methods"
The speaking was begun by the Sec
retary of different branches of asso-
cation work, who reported the prog
reSS OF the year in their respective de.
partmentS.
Senator Root spoke with approval
OF the work of the association.
have listened with delight" he
SAID, TO the representatives who have
toId us Of the work that has been done.
Is quite as encouraging to see how
well they have shown us the spirit in
winch the work was done. 1 must
confess that l had no idea that the
ioung Mems Christian Association
LAD grown to be such an enormous in
S"Iulon. 1t is surely wonderful
work"