The San Francisco call., 1910-12-11
soa5 RETREeT Beno OF oeKAerb.


which was founded for this very pur-
pose, and the organization is one of the
best known around the bay. 1t boasts
a membership of half a hundred or
more boys. Some of them go out
shoulder to shoulder every day into the
business world, while others attend
school for half a day and work the
other half But each and every one of
them nurses, away down deep in his
heart, tiny spark of ambition which
is going to fame up some day and light
the way to greater endeavors.
The club was founded in the spring
of 1901 by f. E. Mummert, and has
steadily grown in membership and
popularity since that time. Many of
the prominent men across the bay are
listed on the board of directors, and it
is the aim of all concerned to, in time.
erect a suitable clubhouse to be owned
by the organization. Pending that
time, however the club quarters are
located on Harrison street. and have
been the scene of many merry gather
ing in the last few years. The boys
own their own gas range and set of
pretty dishes. and have all the convent
ences necessary toward the preparation
of a jolly little spread. These spreads
as a rule put the finishing touches to
their social gatherings which are
marked down on the calender as the
red letter days of the club.
The rooms are open day and night,
and one of the chief delights Of the
members is the reading room Here
may be found any number OF good
books and the boys do not fail to take
advantage of their opportunities. Those
with literary bent particularly inter-
est themselves in the paper or maga-
zine which is published monthly, and
the work from cover to cover is
handled by the boys themselves, as
sisted of course, by their good friend
and comrade, Mr.. Mummert, between
whom and his lads there is the greatest
bond of loyalty. The magazine appears
under the heading of THE Oakland
Boy" and has wonderfully wide cir
culation around the bay. Those of the
members who have time attend to sell
ing the papers themselves. and accord
ingly share half of the profits. One
ambitious lad sells his papers in San
Francisco, and his total sales never
average less than 60 copies. AS the
price of the magazine is 10 cents, he is
the richer by SO, and more as his sales
exceed the 60 copy mark The re-
mainder he turns into the club treasury
to be used toward paying the band in
structors salary and the purchase of
additional musical instruments.
The biggest feature of the club work
is this same band. which includes in its
personnel about 22 players and be-
ginners. The band is the outgrowth OF
the drum corps, which for the first
three years Of the clubs existence was
their sole attempt at anything in the
musical line. The drummers OF the
Boys Retreat are always in demand,
and no great civic parade on the other
side of the bay is ever quite complete
without their accompaniment Two
years ago this coming January 1t was
decided to form the older boys into a
band, and accordingly 20 instruments
were purchased. and the effort was
launched. The project succeeded be-
yond Mummert's most sanguine eX-
pectations, and in the past eight months
the boys, under the direction Of Joseph
Smith, the we'll known musician, have
achieved state wide reputation.
Their first tour was made this SUM
mer most of the towns of Central CAL
ifornia being included in their timer
airy, and at every stand the young mu-
sicians were given a rousing welcome.
Their repertoire includes not only pop
ular airs. but heavy band pieces as we'll
and their piece de resistance is the
william Tell overture From a fnan-
cial point of view their venture was
extremely gratifying, and they brought
home after paying all expenses, $103.
In consequence the annual tour is now
10 be an established institution. Dur
ing the remainder Of the year the boys
give Sunday concerts, choosing some