The Detroit times., 1910-07-20
SAVING BOYS As
TREES ARE SAVED
That Is the Kind of Conservation
That Is Going On in the Ford
Republic.

boy Power Applied" by Frederick
Mather Caldwell in the August Every
body's. IL an appreciative sketch OF
the Ford juvenile republic. where
the youths we call delinquent are CIV
en- fair chance to redeem themselves
and do it,"
In describing the system OF apply
ing boy power In this republic. which
Is such a credit to its founder and TO
Detroit, although Detroit has little ac-
curate knowledge, doubtless, OF the
great work II Is doing, Mr.. Caldwell
observes:
Important as he has always been
individually, the small boy has until
recently held a place of relatively
minor importance in the general social
scheme. But of late he has been
looming larger in the public concern.
The business of saving boys has
commenced to rank with that
OF conserving trees and reclaim
ing deserts. And the keynote to
the success Of this new interest lies
In the fact that the boy has been
studied from the boys standpoint.
This Is the new idea of the boy"-an
idea involving sane application OF boy.
power and gang" energy; an idea
that contrasts sharply with previous
theories of boy life and OF corrective
methods.
THE originator Of this idea and the
pioneer I'm its practical application is
Homer T. Lane, superintendent Of
the Boys Home and d'Arcambal As
ISOLATION Of Detroit. Michigan man
known TO every street boy Of that city.
The Home. private philanthropy, is
the capitol and executive mansion OF
the Ford Republic. II is a social SAM
tarium: laboratory devoted to the
study of boy Psychology.
Ford Is seventy-three-acre juve-
nile republic: a halfway house be-
tween the juvenile court and the state
punitive institution. Its citizen popu-
lation, semi-foating for the greater
part, consists of some 55 boys, alleged
incorrigibles, who have bobbed UP
with a none too gentle jolt against the
strong arm Of the laws of their elders.
Anarchists every one, they are what
the sociologists politely call "mso-
cables" Were II not for the republic,
many of them would long since have
been consigned to reform" or an In
dustrial school
AT Ford's the boys conception OF
his relationship to the law Is investi-
gated, the laws relationship to him
is demonstrated The phenomena OF
self-respect, self-reliance, and self.
restraint-the three RS Of boy saliva
tion-are reduced to terms of boy I'M
derstanding Boy natures are dissected
n nd uy0IohnA anH rod than
put together again to be nodded into
conformity with desirable standards.
In this remolding lies the story of the
republic OF Ford.
Here Is partial report of a tur-
bulent busineEs meeting at the Ford
Republic:
you citizens got no kick a-comin' on
these here minutes, why, then, they're
all right" declares the president as
there any business comm for this
meetin'?'
Mr. President, Mr.. President! Mr..
President"
Half a dozen citizens address the
chair frantically,
"Fat-Mr. O'Hara!"
A sturdy Irish citizen with a shock
OI Teu HhlT duNdDCeS step OF TWO
from his seat and regards the meeting
impressively:
The citizens has had ice-cream n
apple pie a-comin' to 'em fer a week."
he pronounces heavily, but | amt
seen any vet. | moves we begins
havin' 'em for dinner pretty quick"
Mr. President" A Polish boy
waves his arms wildly at the execu.
tive. IL remove that Fats motion be
not passed" he shouts, but we sends
a committee ter asst de steward why
we don't git ut right away"
'Secon' de notion" Seconds de
motion!!" from both front and rear
of the chamber
The committee withdraws. with
blood in It's vindictive eye, In quest of
the steward. Upon finding him the
chairman announces:
We're from de state meetin', n
we wants ice-cream n apple pie fer
dinner ter-morrerl"
i've 81 TO spend for meat tomor-
row." says the steward, but we'll use
II for ice-cream and pie instead, II
they are what the republic wants"