Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-11-02
BOYS NOT SAVAGES
Exceptions Taken to Remark
by Presbyterian Minister.
CALLS 1T INDEFENSIBLE
A. v. Cushman's Comment on Ad-
;. dress Of Speaker at the Bal
timore Synod.
CALLS 1T INDEFENSlBLE

To the Editor IF The Star
In your issue of the Both instant, under
the startling caption Boys Are Savages.
is noted a conclusion reached by the Rev
Josiah H. Cudlpp of the Presbyterian
Church. accredited to Baltimore, Nd. as
a resident and specified as speaker be-
fore the Baltimore synod of the denomi-
nation affected by him.
Verbatim quotations from his address
(the correctness of which there would ap-
pear to be no reason to doubD make him
responsible for the following assertions:
"Boys are not in the twentieth century
vet: they are away back among the cave
dwellers. They are still in state OF saw
agery.''
AS reported. this ex cathedra opinion Is
supported by an analysis OF the seVerai
stages through which a boy passes In
the transition period from babyhood 10
manhood. and a course OF prosecuting is
advocated, by means OF whlch the saw
ages may be attracted to the cnurch'
Says Remark Was Brutal"
The endeavor to attract to the church
whatever its denomination is iaudaoie
and should be encouraged. The un"ar-
ranted. brutal and utterly lnde1enslole
characterization of boys INDUCED IN Dy
this person of the cloth is calculated TO
ALLEVIATE rather than attract, and II would
indeed be strange if any thinking pov,
whether in the early, the middle or the
late stage of adolescency." did not re-
sent the structures lad upon him ana
lean away from that cnurch "hoSe opus
tie so malignS him.
II has been my privilege and pleasure
to know intimately many boys. AS reia-
lives connections, friends ana employees
I have observed them in all the stages
A few have seemed, Tor the monien.. no.
everything that one could wish. but
1.-THE of that charity which the teachings
of the church advocates would remove
even these far from 1.-THE classification in
dulged in by the reverend crltic.
Clear-Eyed and Pure-Minded.
The average boy, God bless him. is
clear-eyed. pure-minded being. vibrant
with the red blood of youth. bubnling
with the enthusiasm OF life, hiled WIN
strong probabilities for good and carry
ing bare traces of possibilities Tor eVh.
No better wal can be devised TO develop
those latent possibilities tnan expressions
such as have been indu ged In by the
person who addressed the synod on TINS
subject No more convincing answer 10
his fallaciOus idea can De Iouno thdi
the multitude or CIedn-illHutu, cream
bodied little chaps which fills our secular
and religious schools. Before such an
army of refutants the absurd premises
and the necessarily absurd and puerlie
conclusions of Cudlipp are blaringly ex-
posed. 4..,y,,.t .-.. ,ss<s ,.,..x.
| The pity of it Is. however. that in this
dav OF en- ightenment and growth 1t
should be possible. even If the desire
exists. for any one to indulge himself
in public in such attacks on the young
of the race. with no chance Tor redress
for the calumny.
Evil may be woven about the divin-
tics if the desire exists for so doing, but
this attempted sgnirching of boyhood by
the illy disposed or dyspeptic fortunately
falls idly on the shining head of youth.
Comfort fol- the Boys.
It is to be hoped that those boys who
may be so unfortunate as to read the
article in question and who may possibly
take il seriously will comfort themselves
with the thought that their father and.
most OF all their mother, who live in
them and see in them the future of the
race. will remain unconvinced of the
savagery attributed to them, and that no
retrogression OF their Kind To the cave
! dwcIler's'' condition is likely tn come
about desDite the dire predictions of this