The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-02-24

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Of New York. the young citixens post-
ed themselves on the New Zealand
eignt-hour system. 1t seemed particu-
lariy fine. 30 the Legislature met and
enacted similar law. The day n
went into effect the republic arose Al.
o:so the girls cooked breakfast and
me boys did their various ta1ks until.
onner After dinner they went to
work again. but knocked off early in
assembled to find the dininx-room AMI
kitchen empty. with never q crumb in
sient. The eight-hour law had applied
also 10 the girls and their domestic
helpers. A supperiess night caused an
extra session OF the Legislature to be
called early next day. and the
obnoxious law was repealed.
In these republics certain boys lease
the hotels. employ help. and board the
OF these hotels. AMI ambition makes
fsiiow want to work hard enough to
eat at the best. The merchants are
citixens. and there has been little
chance OF a monopoly of any one in
dustry 90 far, for. a. in the case Of
the boy who cornered the market on
backing and charged twenty five
cents shine. the legislature promptly
put a prohibitive tariff on backing.
100 ssAS SAtASOhS VI thS republic WSuI
with unshined shoes until the monopoi-
fst came to terms. A. respect for the
republic and the principles OF honor
ana manliness that II represents 10
somehow soon fnculcated in each citi-
zen. Perhaps It il because he has /
pride In having helped make It. At
any rate boys who have deserted have
more than once come back Of their own
Will. Recently one walked eighteen
miles to give himself up again to the
boy officers OF the National Junior
Republic. He had learned that
vagrancy and inaction were a disgrace
and he preferred to finish his course
in the republic TO going to the bad on
the outside.
The Junior republic had its origin
with William r. George OF Freeviile,
New York. In 1890. He had been taxi
ing boys and girls from the New York
siums to his country home every sum
mer, where they lived at the expense
Of the community After four sum-
mers' experience he thought It all over.
The children were learning to be self
ish and greedy. They were learning
nothing else. and there were better
things to know. So Mr.. George an
nounced that all who ate or got clothes
must work. OF course there was
mutiny but one by one the children
fell In with his ideas. He had freely
administered corporal punishment,
with little moral betterment. 80 he
instituted trial by jury, and appoint
ed his worst boy as sheriff to see that
the decree of the jury was carried out.
He found that law breakers can be
turned into the best Lawmakers. that
all the average bad boy OF the world
needs 10 q chance to become indus
trious, Intelligent and helpful. and he
meant his new institution to offer that
chance.
From the New York republic alone
500 or more boys and girls have gone
out into the world or these, eight
have failed and two or three have not
been traced. The rest have made
| good in college. in university. in bust
ness or in agriculture. And remember.
these republics are composed OF the in
corrigibles the drift-wood Of the child
world. A visitor once asked little
| girl in Junior republic: what do
you little citizens possess that we old
err persons do not?' And the child
answered: SELF control" There is q
big idea behind that answer.
Copyright. 1909, by Frederic J. Has
kind :-s' = ~
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of Child
Life.
Iv.-The Children's Theatre.