The Washington herald., 1912-03-16
LONDON TRIBUTE
TO YOUTHS RULE
Introduction of the Junior Re.
public in England
Greeted.

party OF students visited Canaua ana
America in the autumn. and spent
a couple of nights as citizens of the
National Junior Republic" and con-
formed in every way TO their laws
This. in itself. is an education, and no
easy one.
The seventy or eighty members Of
this republic" varying in age from
fourteen to twenty-one, have a stern
code, and on their territory Of about 1000
acres, reached through the woods from
Annapolis Junction (America). no loaf
ing is allowed. The boy who is not
working during working hours is ar
rested as a vagrant, brought into court,
and tried by the youthful judge and
sent to prison, where, under the au-
thOrity of the young commissioner OF
police, he has to work without pay,
only getting food and lodging in one
of the six prison cells. All this is ar
ranged by the boys. They are their
own lawmakers, and, though many OF
them have been in the Juvenile Courts
of America, and some have been sent
by their parents to the estate given
by Col. Newbold, when once they have
become citizens of the republic they
speedily learn that the laws made oy
their feiIow-citizens have to be obeyed.
IL is this esprit de corps that holds the
community together, and It is seldom,
81 ever, that the adult. superintendent
himself no veteran, has TO interfere to
enforce the legislation Of the republic
The Rates of Pay.
He and the farmer, the hotel keeper,
The technical instructor, and a school,
mistress are the only grown persons resi-
dent in the republic" The council re-
sponsible for its existence pay periodical
visits of inspection from their headQuar-
ters at Washington. Although this little
republic Is not actually self-supporting
raw material and machinery having to
be brought from outside-it is certainly
self-contained. 1t has its own president,
very important parsonage, who may be
eighteen or twenty, and is elected each
year by a ballot OF citizens; he is paid
I2s Sd a week for these duties. Then
there is the attorney general and the
police commissioner, each receiving los
Cd weekly. The policemen chosen by the
young commissioner are paid about 2s
a week, and there is some competition to
get into the ranks of the police force.
The ordinary employment. besides
household duties, includes building. poul-
try, and general farming, carpentry, open
ing up new land and draining, in fact the
work usual on an estate. Everybody is
paid for his work. except, as has been
mentioned, the prisoners; these, by their
cheap labor. afford the prison authorities
excellent opportunities of making profits
out of the contracts they undertake. The
usual wage to an ordinary laborer is
cents, about 3izd. an hour, though a good
workman can earn I'D. This cannot be
called excessive, when the following time
table is considered:
c a. m.-Rise. "a citizen is liable to
arrest II still in his room after 6:2O)
6:45-Breakfast.
7:30 to E:50-Work
12-Dinner.
] to 5-Work.
6-Supper.
S-Bed
Can Pay His Way.
But the wage enables a citizen TO pay
his way and save a little besides, even IL
he never rise above the level of an un-
skilled laborer. The daily cost of food
in the republic varies between q cents
90 1-2d.) and IS cents Qs. 10 1-2d.) In ad-
dition, a citizen pays Sd a night for his
btd IN a dormitory, unless he is
rich. when he can get a separate room
for 1Od; and his laundry bill may be Sd a
week
These youthful citizens have their own
down to scent pieces-in tin:
also they have checks payable on the
superintendent, who is the republics
banker. but no paper money. Each citi-
zen has his own banking account and
makes his own payments, whether for his
keep or for labor employed on his con-
tract; at the end of his citizenship, which
is on an average four years, any savings
he may have are cashed into American
currency at an exchange of 81 American
to SO National Junior Republic.
The constitution consists Of a president
with a council of five, and what is called
the Towns Meeting" an assembly in
augurated to avoid the problem Of two
chambers, of the whole community, which
meets once a week to discuss legislation;
the superintendent is a member of this
meeting, but with no privileges of speak
ing above ordinary citizens. At these
the oratory is often impassioned
and the argument scathing. The laws
once made are enforced; nor are there
many rebels. The boys see to that; and
a prisoners lot, on the scent fare, doing
the toughest work without pay, in en-
forced silence, is not enviabIe. The
rayety and night life of the community
is representated by gramaphone and or
Chestral entertainments, a gymnasium,
and, in leisure hours of the day, swim
ming, football, and baseball.
BY Boys for Boys.
II will be thus seen that this is a real
republic Of boys, governed by boys for
toys-and governed properly as a con-
stitutional body. One. at least, of their
the children of other COM
nurities would wish adopted universally,
that is the payment for attendance at |
school. On consideration this must be |
20. If the citizens are to keep themselves
cecause during the school terms half the |
is at work and half at school !
Otherwise, TO all intents and purposes, |
this miniature republic is as other re-
publics. without, however, foreign poll |
cy. To enter it you must become a citi- |
zen in deed as well as name. doing your |
work and earning your keep like the rest |
and obeying its laws.
The students of the International In
erchange Association found this out, and |
hey found the work quite hard enough, !
md the laws more so-in fact, two were |
lrrested early in their stay for carrying /
obacco. which, like alcohol, is forbidden
within the boundaries. Another was ar
'ested for trespassing on the pleasure /
aTns in work time-circumstantial evil
.ence that he was loafing-and Il was only
,y contribution to the monthly maga-
,ine, for which he received one dollar.
hat he was able to earn his fine before
saving.