The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-01

| ment bureau and the big brother move
ment Through our employment bureau
so far this year we have found positions
| for about 95 boys. The employment bu-
! reau puts us in touch with the shiftless
and dissatisfied boy, and gives us an in
! sight into the home and community con-
ditions of the neighborhood where the
| boy lives, as well as to try to meet the
needs by taking, up his individual case
| securing work. returning him to school,
| giving him medical attention and physi-
! cal examination. Whenever we come
across a boy who seems to need a friend
we make an effort to tie him up to big
brother. Just a few examples of how
the big brother idea works: Boys, IS
| years old. has had six positions; held
| them from one to two weeks; has mother
and two younger brothers: mother unable
to work; big brother secures him posi-
| ton in railroad office; after one week
| the boy demands bicycle. but is re-
fused; but his big brother gets him
pair of skates and membership In the
| Y. M. c. A.: gives him friendly encour-
agement; visits his home, and he is now
after three months. a capable and happy
office boy. His big brother intends to
get him into school next fall.
| Boy, is, works in candy factory: big
brother places him in night school at the
| Y. M. G. A., and through personal in
terest gives him encouragement and stirs
his ambition.
| The big brother is standing on the
| street corner talking to the superinten-
| dent, when Pete" u years old boy
who needs a big brother. approa ches
tom, this is Pete-Pete, this is Tom,
and the work is begun. These brothers
have been seen on the streets together
| time and again, and only the two know
| Just what is in the air, at any rate they
are mighty good friends
| Boy 16 years old, is given physical
examination by physician at big brothers S
request, and it is found that impediment
In speech can be remedied. A boy. Il
years old, is preparing to leave school
to go to work on account of strained
financial conditions at home. Big brother
| arranges with officers of his church to
\ give the mother pension of SO a week
until the boy is able to go to work al
the end of the school term. A boy, 1s
years old, is sick at the Hillman hospital.
Big Brother visits him regularly, taking
flowers, books and cheering him up gen
| orally. These are but few of the
cases which will give you an ides of
what the big brother movement means
We have such men acting as big broth
ers as Mr.. Frank Fowkes Mr.. Sidney ]
Bowie, Mr.. Alvin T.. Brown, Mr.. r. J.
Estes, Mr.. Stanford Persons, Ir., Mr.
| George Ward, and others"
| And these principals you are trying to
use in equipment work?' / suggested.
| Yes, was the answer. that is tho
| idea, The boy who comes into the office
wants to join the Boy Scouts. but instead
| OF allowing him to join our troop we ha We
/ found that he is attending the St Paul's
! Sunday school and urge him to organize
a troop at his own church, tell him how
to get up the interest and offer to help
them to get started. We have done this
work in connection with several churches
and have placed adult leaders in three of
the local settlements. The same thing is
| true in our dealing with the newsbov.
| We have placed the burden of self gov
ernment upon him and in every school
district have tied them up more definitely
under the direction of school principals. .
"Will these plans have any effect upon
the summer camp arrangements | in
CURED
Yes it win also change our plans for
summer camps We shall cooperate in
every way with the Boy Scout troops
with organized Sunday school classes and
all other groups of boys who want to go
out on camping trips. We intend to put
our equipment at the disposal of boy
| scouts for several weeks, organized SIM
| day school Glasses for several weeks and
whenever we can find a group of boys
who have the camping fever we will do
our best to furnish them with a compe-
tent adult leader. Several of these leaders
have already been promised.
"All of these camps will be con-
Quoted along the Boy Scout lines. the
Toys TO do their own cooking house
keeping, etc. This will keep down tie
| expenses considerably and will give the
| boys what they want, genuine Camp
! life" said Mrs Nesbitt. 1--WE now have
three vacant lot gradens under the
Idirection of competent public school
teachers and we hope in year or two
to arouse so much interest in 1.-THE va
cant lot idea that every schbol inn
| provement association in the city will
| have at least one vacant lot in culti-
walton by the boys. So you see that
very little of our work heads up in
the office. while we have waiting
room and a library we do not encour-
age the boys to make it a loafing
ground, and for this reason the uni
formed person who looks for the Boys
club and expects to find several dozen
boys having a good time is usually
disappointed and surprised upon visit
ing our office which Is nothing more
than an office althc,Nkh over 100 boys
call at the office everyvmonth for con-
ference. OF course the Nme will come
: = lien either the Boys cNb or the \,