The Washington times., 1911-05-06
THE TIMES DAILY SERIAL STORY
ONE WAY OUT
By WILLIAM CARLETON
Copyrighted, 1911, by Small, Maynard & Company.

|
l didn't know what 1t was, but II
sounded like some sort of philanthropIc
enterprise for the neighborhood, and if
so they ought to be able to answer my
questions there The outside of the
| building was not particularly attractive,
| but upon entering / was pleasantly
surprised at the air of cleanliness and
comfort which prevailed.
There we're a number of small boys
around, and in one room l saw them
reading and playing checkers. 1 sought
out the secretary, and found him
pleasant young fellow, though with
something of the professional peasant
ness which men in this work seem to
acquire.
He smiled too much and held my
hand bit too long to suit me. He
took me into his office and offered me
a chair. / told him briefly that I had
! just moved down here and had a boy
of ten whom | wished to keep off the
streets and keep occupied.
asked him what the boys around
here did during the summer.
| Most of them work." he answered.
| hadn't thought of this.
What do they dor
"A good many sell papers, some of
them serve as errand boys and others
/ help their parents"
| for the first two jobs. and there was
| nothing in my work he could do to
| help. Then the man began TO ask me
| questions.
| He was evidently struck by the fact
| that l didn't seem TO be in place here.
| answered briefly that / had been a
clerk all my life, had lost my position
| and was now a common day laborer.
The boy, ! explained, was not yet
4 used TO his life down here, and 1 wanted
to keep him occupied until he got his
You're r.; right.j he answered. why
don't you bring him in here?'
What would he do here?''
ITS a good loafing place for him and
we have some evening classes"
Il want him at home nights l ans
wered
The Y NJ. C. A. has summer classes
| which begin little later on. Why
| doun't you put him into some of those?'
had always heard OF the Y. NJ. c. A,
but l had never got into touch with 1t,
for thought it was purely a religious
| organization. But that proposition
| sounded good.
I'd passed the building a thousand
| times, but had never been inside.
! thanked him and started to leave.
Il hope this won't be your last visit,
he said, cordially. Come down and
| lot of boys here at night
! Thanks" / answered.
| | went direct to the Y. NJ. c. A.
| building. Here again. | was surprised
to find a most attractive interior. 1t
looked like the inside of a prosperous
| club house.
don't know what I expected, but
! I wouldn't have been starteled IL Id
| found hall filled with wooden settee5
and a prayer meeting going on.
| had a lot of such preconceived no
tions knocked out of my head in the
| next few years.
In response to my questions re-
| ceiVed replies that made me feel Id
! strayed by mistake into some university
! For that matter il was a university
There was nothing from the primary
| class in English to professional eau
cation in the law that a man couldn !
ACQUIRE here for a sum that was
| astonishingly small. The most OF the
classes cost nothing after payment OF
| the membership fee of SO
The instructors were, many OF them'
at a neighboring college. Not oniy that'
but the hours were so arranged as l"
accommodate workers of all classes;
If YOU couldn't attend in the day
time, YOU could at night. l was as
tonished to think that this opportunity
had alHays been at nv hand ana hau
/ never suspected it. ,
In the len years before l was married
! | could have qualified as a lawyer OF
! almost anything else .,
me over the building and showed me
the library, the reading room, rooms
| where the Young men gathered ioC
games, and then down stairs TO the
WeII-oGuipped gymnasium with its show
! Ell baths.
! I'ere boy could take a regular course
/ in gymnasium work under Skllled m
! Structor or il he showed any skill de-
vote himself to such sports as basket
| ball running, baseball or swimming.
In addition to these advantages
amusenents we're provided through the
! year in the form OF lectures, amateur
shows and music. go
II the summer. specia! opportunities
were offered for outdoor sports. More
over the association managed summer
| camps where for q nominal fee the boys
| could enjoy tho life of the woods.
A boy must he POOR indeed who could
not afford most of these opportunities.
| And if he was out of work the employ
ment bureau conducted here would help
] came back to the main office wonder
| ing still how i'm the world I'd ever
| missed such chances all these years. 1t
was a question 1 asked myself many
times during tha next few months.
/ And the answer seemed oslie in the
lead level of that other life. We never
! lifted our eyes; we never looked around
! US
| If We we're hard pressed either we ac-
:epted oar lot resignedlv or cursed onr
| luck. and let il 20 at that. These OPP
! port lnties were for a class which had
no lot and didn't know the meaning of
| luck.
The others could have had them, too
| can have them-for the taking, but
! neither by education nor temperament
are thev qualified tc do so. There's a
! good field for missionary work there for
| someone.
Before I came out of the building
had enrolled Dick as member and
picked out for him GUNNER course in
English in which he was a bit back
| ward.
| Continuation OF This Story Will Be
FOund In Tomorrow Issue
of The Times.D