New Britain herald., 1915-12-24
$S0,O00 CAMPAIGN
 TO START IN SPRING
(Continued from First Page.)

ford the quarters are entirely made
 quate to the purpose
 The club has a membership of 1,400 and an average nightly attend
 ance of 250. Besides a gymnasium ! and game room, there is a carpenter i and cObbling department where the I boys gain rudm entary knowledge of ; the trades and skill in handling tools. l The club was originally formed with | the aim and object of keeping the 1 boys off the streets nights and at the
 same time provide for them recrea~ ] ton and healthful amusement and ex- 1 ercise. For a number of years the 1 club was maintained in the old Holmes
 & Hoffman building on West Main street. R. M. Dame, chief of the fire l department, was superintendent dur 1 ing this period and did good work. La ] ter as the membership increased and
 philanthropic people became interest
 ed in the good work, the quarters on 1 Lafayette street were secured ana un- i der the direction of Superlntendnt ! Crawford the institution has thrived and the interest in it greatly increased. Club Gardens Success.
 Several years ago, the directors de-
 clded that something should be done
 which would give the boys healtilful occupation during the long summer evenings and would aid in keeping the
 membership alive during the whole year. This resulted in the develop
 ment of the club gardens at Smalley and East streets. A large piece of idle land belonging to Fairview ceme- tery was turned over to the club and under competent guidance and ln- struction the youngsters were taught to be gardeners. From the start it was a success. The youngsters proved apt pupils and were soon manipulat- ing the spade, hoe and rake with skill of veteran gardeners with the result that the waste land soon began to smile as nature responded to the treatment. Rows of string beans, peas, onions and carrots and beds of lettuce and radishes covered the hili- side and people travelling on the trains between this city and Hartford were astounded at the wonderful results obtained by these venile gardeners, who but a few weeks before knew more of paving blocks ond grimy side- walks than of the gentle art of agri- culture.
 Tag Day Last Summer.
 One of the most successful efforts ever made here in the interest of the club took place early last summer when a tag day was held to raise funds towards the purchase of a site for the. new club building The school children paraded and the Boy Scouts and other kindred bodies took part and the public took a lively in- : terest in the proceedings and contrib : uted Hberally to the good work.
 The present officers of the club are: E. w. Christ, president; A. F. Cor bin, vice president; E. w. Eddy, sec retary; H. l.. Platt, treasurer, and R. H. Crawford superintendent. A. J. Sloper, one of the directors, has been ! actively connected with the Boys i; Club since it's institution in 1891. He ! has given liberally towards it's finan- 1 cling and was foremost in work of con- ] ducting it. MT. Sloper will act as honorary chairman of the campaign committee, which is to be instituted i next spring for the building and en- l dowment fund. The officers and oth- | CT directors will compose the con- mittee. The remaining directors are: A. F. Corbin, J. M. Halloran, Stanley H. Holmes, E. T. Glass, E. w. Christ, Joseph c. Andrews, Philip Corbin, George w. Traut, J. T.. Meskill, H. l.. Platt. E. w. Eddy, J. B. Comstock and P. Crona