The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-03-20
HAS THE BOY A FAIR CHANCE?

It is to be regretted that the pres
mt quarters of the Methodist church
ire inadequate for the accommoda-
ion of every person In our communi-
y, when such vital subject as the
Boy Problem is handled in the for
.ible and maSterful way, as was the
case last evening. Those who were
80 fortunate as to hear came away
with the conviction that Rev. ). b.
Vaught knew what he was talking
about.
The boys, the hope of our nation,
are not getting square deal. our
great government, of which we are SC
proud, protects the birds and wild
aniamls, while no thought is given to
the coming statesmen. The business
man, the father of these boys, sits
back in his office, protecting his
stocks. bonds, railroads, gold, silver,
while his boy goes to the devil with
cut a. protest.-Daytona News.
Why is not the boy getting fair
chance? He begins going to school at
he expense of the state at the age
tx years. He continues in school OIL
he bounty Of government until
his graduation. He is not only laugh
the rudiments-known anciently as
he three R's-but he is taught the
classics. Is that doing nothing to.
wards preparing the boy for becom
ing a statesman And see the char
acter of school houses in which the
boy Is taught. No log-built affair,
with puncheon floors, as In the olden
lines. The school building in Ocala
IN which the boy Is to be taught, is
costing the tax payers the sum OF six
ty thousand dollars. Besides that, a
physician, who is paid out of the pub
lie treasury, makes an examination OF
the condition OF the boy every morn
ing. If his teeth are bad, dentist is
On hand to treat them, and If the boy
is poor and INDECENT the work is eth
er done gratis or is paid for by the
state.
His eyes are examined, and If they
are found defective the boy is turned
over in the same manner to an ocu-
list. He is vaccinated gratis.
When the boy graduates at the
high school in this state, he goes to
the University of Florida, where
buildings aud professors are found
costing the tax payers many hun
dreds of thousands of dollars, and
here he finds tuition free, and if the
boy is too poor to pay for his room
and board means are provided to give
him easy employment with which to
pay the same.
My! My! Compare the chance" of
the boy today with those of the early
days of the republic.
Why, when the writer of these lines
was a boy there was not a public
school in Florida and the only chance
he had in obtaining an education was
what was offered him in a printing
office and by Ightwood knot fire.
What does one think Henry Clay,
and Andrew Jackson. and Abraham
Lincoln. James A. Garfield, Henry
Wilson, Alexander H. Stephens, 10
seph E. Brown, and so many others
who were instrumental in making
American history. think of the boys
chance today compared with the boys
chance, when they were boys.
II the boy has anything in him the
boy of today has all the chance in the
world to bring 1t out.
We beg to differ with Rev. s. B.
vaught In toto.
Not only is our government spend
ing millions to give the boy a chance
but the efforts of the government are
being reinforced In q princely and
bountiful manner by our millionaire
philanthropists.
No boy In America need grow up
in ignorance.
If the boy has the making of a man
in him he has abundant opportunity
for fitting himself for all the response
bilities of a noble and uplifting man.
hood.