The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-11-05
PLEADS FOR HOME TOG|VE FR|ENDLESS BOYS THEIR CHANCE. Writer Points Out Terrible Handicaps Under Which
 Some of the City's
 Boys Labor

To the Editor of The Age-IIerald:
 It has been my privilege to know more than dozen boys who needed home "a home where they could pay board and live within their earnings, amid the right environments. So few people are willing to take into their homes even the very best boy to board; therefore, he is forced into-oftentimes-the cheapest place he can find, regardless of the asso cia ation It is no wonder we find so much crime among the young men. am speak ing of course, of the boy who is wholly dependent upon himself The boys that I have known were not bad boys, nor were they none the less manly, but were the kind of boys who make the best men of the land. If only a chance is given them.
 If working boys home could really be established one that would be supervised
 by truly good man and woman, whose
 heart and soul would be in the work, it
 could not fail to be of most wonderful value to many struggling young boys and men.
 Many young fellows, after paying their
 board, have very little money left for
 
 they do buy clothes, they often get behind
 with their board. frequently enter games of chance hoping to secure enough per
 haps for the needs of life. After a while
 their debts stare them in the face, and
 they in many instances skip town They lose self-respect and often continue down
 ward, and before great while they have
 become entangled with the law; then, be- fore they realize it, they are in jail for some petty offense, or. maybe several oI- lenses Before they are really grown, their whole life Is ruined, to say nothing
 of the sorrow and heart aches they have
 brought upon their family.
 I believe if a working boys home could
 be established, with firm backing of
 men and women, our jails and street gangs would not show such a big num- Der. ., During my several visits to the jails, I have been deeply impressed by the many young faces, and good faces, seen there. Surely they are not entirely to blame TOT their pitiable state. Somewhere else was the first cause, and somewhere down the stream of life there had to be stopping place which is, as you know, the Jall, public roads, mines or the penitentiary. Can't something be done for the nome life of the working boy that he may De able to maintain his manhood ana sell. respect?
  pa rents. His home was handsome Tn every detail the place was Kept III per feet order but there was no place TOT the boys dogs, other pets. on pau days he was kept in like olru III cage There was no place Tor ms oos friends: they disturbed mothers morn ing or afternoon maps. and they mussea un the house and lawn; their noise was more than could be put up With Ine | l,oxs was soon driven into the streets to | nlay with other children. There ne iedIiieu | the modern games or craps snoosiiie' l smoking. etc He seldom went 10 ouh, | day school or church; in fact soon learl,eo tc make fun of those wno uiu sv l and his chums considered mixing tnliss LIE from their schoolmates great fun. Inis | bahit grew. and before he was lS years 1 old he was an expert forger; put on ac- count of the prominence or hs ialhiiy' | the kind CD law forgave him ana holn- l ing was done. Later. he accepted posi, | tion of trust, and at an early age nao I ,sached his limit in his profession or 1 ga,,,ing He used others money, ana l bis stopping place now is the peniteh- /! tiary .4 e..a, ,nv subject I give it only as in deiense V. l the poor boy, for tis poverty ana many | temptations that force many oene. .t,.,, good boys to a sad and destructive stop | niny nlace But for boy whose par l ents can and are financially in posi-
 t.on to protect him, l still say there IS
 son,e serious trouble before-or, rather behind-hinl. What is the matter With us all? + ,,ra c- If such home for boys couid pe plas l 4,aa,i,, worked out, am sure there would hc lass need for courts, reform schools and other forms of punishment. Agaln, thara are times when it becomes neces- sarv for parents of boys to leave the S,tv for a short time, and they nave no friend or relative that they wisn so ,l'sa no tha;r sons upon, and feel that
 .na,, are cared for properly; but they
 ,so,,,a feel safe and free to pay req
 sonable board for their keeping al the working boys home a .+ the
 Again, when boy makes sooo s-'~