The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1910-12-16

He has one boy about thirteen years
old. who has been carefully reared.
but last summer the boy got to smok-
ing. His father says, Nov John
you must nc smoke any more:' and
John promised to stop. The next
time his father prayed with him, and
John promised again, only to break
the promise. The third time he whip
ped him, with the same result. At
last, in despair he said to his wife, Il
don't know What to do with John. ]
have tried every plan ] can think OF,
only to fail" His wife, smelling the
fumes OF cigars on her husbands
breath, says, looking him in the eye,
yet; you havn't tried quitting the
habit, YOURSELF The doctors coun-
tenance fell, and he says, That's SO.
| never thought of that before. I'll
quit if you think it will have any ef-
feet on John" So the next day after
dinner, the father says. John. I've
quit smoking for your sake: will you
quit for my sakeI" John looked at
his father a moment, the tears coming
to his eyes, and he says, Yes. |
will, father" The result has been
that two have quit smoking instead of
one, and the father looked cleaner
and more handsome this summer,
than ! ever saw him look before.
do n think that | need to ask the
question, ''Does religious work among
boys, paw yet l want to refer you
to a few facts and figures before we 60
further.
,, But does the work pay? We,
Americans. want to know: if it does,
We will be interested. w. A. Hills,
Il Sl1nopi pfap1art nf tho An,arioon Snn~
day School Union, Of Cleveland,
Ohio, says, mine thousand children
on the Pacific coast were taken from
the slums: heredity was all against
them: they were trained up to seven
years of age, and only one of them
was ever arrested, and the charge was
proven to be false
The Secretary of State for Michigan.
said in his seport, There are nine
hundred and four boys and men in
the Michigan ~penitentiary: ten of
them on being received, said, "We at
tended Sunday School regularly.''
eighty five said, I'VE went irregular
ly' and eight hundred and nine said.
I'VE never went to Sunday school,
Comment is unnecessary.
The Chief of Police for New York
I reported, Among n thousand two
hundred prisoners in the p~enitentiary,
not ne had ever received Christian
|. training up to seven years of age
I Mr.. Huns also says, ''In my work Of
thirtt en- years in eighteen different
? states, | have found but twenty per-
sons who we're Christians, and had
l not attended Sunday School before
they were twelve years of age. In the
! same cOnRreg atoms, l have found
. more than thirty thousand who were
Christians, and said, "We attended
r Sunday School before Ne were twelve
r years rOf. age"
i, Whom We consider the fact that boys
e lost to the Sunday School are lost to
the church, and often lost to every
thing else that is really good and up
lifting, We ought to awaken to the
fact that We. OF the present, owe sOme-
thing to future generations.
II 10 we'll to bear in mind that the
, solution Of the boy problem does not
l begin or end In the Sunday School.
, Those who are interested in public
about, also, for they have come near
e or failing in holding the boy, than the
: Sunday Schools. Less than one
third of the graduating class from our
public schools in the United States
last year we're boye. And it is claim.
ed that only about five per cent of the
entire day school enrolment ever
graduate, but this only deepens our
~perplexity, and makes the problem
harder.
= Someone has summed up the causes
\ for the boy dropping out of school,
and especially the Sunday School, as
\ follows: First. primary causes with
out the Sunday School.
I /. An insatiate desire for money
on behalf of parents and boys.
2. Loose morals in city and public
life.
and private devotions.
4. Laxity regarding the sanctity of
\ the Sabbath.
5. Want of comradeship between
I father and son.
6. Secret and social societies.
claims upon fathers and mothers.
7. Late hours for the boys home
coming.
8. Trashy literature and yellow
back novels.
8. on-attendance of parents at
Sunday School.
10. Want of home cooperation
with the school.
IL, Laxity of parents regarding
the adolescence period.
II. The daily papers advertise and
speak we'll of the things the school
condemns.
Second. primary causes within the
Sunday School: In not seeking a
solution-sitting down hopeless: treat
ing boys as children-''kids'-an eff
feminste gospel by the teacher; non.
appreciation of the manly in the boy
failure t understand the boy life:
loose management, bad order, and
poor music: want OF efficient teachers
not knowing the bog in the homA. on
the street. and in the school: fear Of
seeking personal salvation: Partially
towards girls, etc.
Many cures have been proposed,
such as Letter teachers, separate
rooms, INC 70 social meetings, class
organization, boys brigades, etc.
M 6nnht thnan ARA all nnn6 In THAR