Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1913-04-29

Senior u 90 90
Intermediates Is %
The new hand ball court installed
last fall has proved very popular and
is being used by an increasing num-
ber. The Association skating rink
was of course well patronized while
the skating lasted. Al boys have been
taught to swim SO far this year.
The night school work was dropped
this year because of its introduc Uion
on far more comprehensive scale by
our public schools and duplication
of work was not deemed advisable.
Our reading room has been constantly
our best patronized feature and has
we'll repaid all that has been invested
in it for magazines. A debating club,
"The Valy Forum" was organized in
the fall among the younger business
and professional men with member
ship of thirty. 1t has held weekly
meetings for the discussionof current
topics and has been of the very high
est value to those who have taken
part.
Two clubs for the study of birds
have been organized this spring, one
for adults and one for boys. The
scope of the work of these groups will
be broadened to take in other nature
studies later on, as flowers and trees.
Closely allied to the educational
and yet coming strictly under the
religious work have been the two
groups, one of men and another of
ladies, meeting once week during
the winter to study the nature and
training of the AdoleScent Boy, from
the standpoint of the parent and the
Sunday school teacher. The attend
ance apd interest in these classes was
such as to warrant us in the belief
that they were well worth while and
worth repeating another year.
There has been an exceedingly
hearty and helpful cooperation be-
tween the churches and the Associa-
tion and plans are under way at
present whereby this cooperation
will be strengthened into something
very definite in making for greater
efficience in our Sunday school work
with boys and girls.
In the religious work among Junior
boys we have taken up the study of
"Old Testament Characters" in two
classes each meeting once a week.
There has been an average attend
ance in the two classes of 81 and a
total for the year of 369. 29 boys took
the Bible examination at the close.of
the course. The total attendance at
the monthly Bible class suppers for
these groups was 81. The High school
boys have met each Tuesday night
for supper and then in three groups
have studied the Life Problems of
High School Boys" the total attend
ance having been 462 The purpose
has been in this work to get these
boys to think matters of vital import
ance in the building of their own
characters thru to their logical con-
clusion, never, however, forcing a
decision upon them.
The State Boys Work Conference at
Oshkosh was attended by 2l delegates
from Wausau and proved an exceed
ingly helpful gathering in the inspir-
alton and suggestion given the boys.
The Sunday Fireside meetings have
been well attended and very helpful.
The policy has been to conduct a
short informal meeting, with plenty
of singing, an orchestra special music
and a short spicy talk of not more
than 20 minutes. The average at
tendance has been IS men and 30
boys. A total of 629 men, $50 older
boys and l55 younger boys.
Among the boys an organization
known as the High School Boys Club
has been very active in promoting
the work among the boys of the
Association and have had much to dc
with making the Boys Department a
success 52 boys have been enrolled
in active service thru their commit
tees. They have promoted the basket
ball tournament among the grade
schools; the sale of Christmas calen-
dars: the New Years Calendar exhibit;
the Carroll College Quartet, which
they had in our city for three days;