The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1916-11-23
THE SMART ALECK AGE
School Head Says 1t Is Period
When Lads Need Friends.

When Lads Need Friends.
The church, the home nor the school
adequately understands the boy of the
adolescent period, according to Super
lntendent of Schools Francis. The best
results so far as school, is concerned,
he thought were obtained by keeping
the boys of this age separate from
| those Younger or much older than them-
selves and letting them occupy them
s5lyes largely in working out problems
by the skill of their hands.
Describing this period, Superintend-
ent Francis said: THE boy is neither
man nor child. He is loosely organized
physically. mentally and spiritually.
His feet are too large; his hands are IN
his way and other peoples; his acts are
crude and awkward, and although pre-
eminently religious at this time, he as
sumes the attitude of Indifference to-
ward the deeper and more serious
things of life.
Without being fully able to achieve,
his greatest ambition is to be a man.
Lacking in mature judgment and in
the coordination of his powers and in
the ability to achieve as do men, he
resorts to bluff and pretense. This is
his Smart Alecky' age-the age lie; st
understood and tolerated by either
grown folks or children. He is inclined
to bully those younger and weaker,
and to conceal from those older and
stronger in his real life.
"The unfortunate thing of it all is
that never before in his life has he
needed so much understanding and
friends, and never again will he be so
sorely in need of them. Nor does he
need friends to participate too closely
into his personal affairs, but those who
know and hense can tolerate keeping
in the background, creating proper
conditions for him and allowing him
to grow into fuller physical. mental
and spiritual maturity.
"Most of the mistakes that he must
master, or that will master him in after
life, have their inception in this period
Of his existence. Most of his weakness
ses that he must overcome or will oyer
come him easily could be avoided at
this time, if every thought and under
standing were applied to the solution of
his problem. Possibly in no other phase
of its organization and work has the
public school made so signal a failure
as in dealing with the lad at this time.
Usually he has been left in school to
associate with the child whoTcomposes
a large majority Of the school he at
tends. This has been unfair, first to
the child with whom he associates and
dominates, and to him, who finds it al
together too easy to exercise the least
desirable qualities of his individuality
upon those who are younger and weaker
than he. If placed in the proper en-
vironment he would be compelled to de-
NeiOp u6epGT anu ulOTc peTIHduSHJ
qualities within himself
HE is motor minded demanding an
opportunity to exercise his physical
powers. He desires to produce things,
and his final mental and spiritual
qualities beat can developed through an
opportunity to combine them In work
ing out physical problems. Ohio
Journal.
THERE is an object slesson in the
present freight car shortage that should
not be lost upon those who are opposed
or Indifferent to the development of ex-
istlng and the establishment of new
water routes. Within the last two
years there have been numerous block
AIDES and embargoes in freight traffic,
due wholly to the inability of existing
transportation facilities to meet the de-
mands upon them. 1t is more than
mistake, it is blunder, and an absurdity
in economics, that waterways are not
developed as auxiliaries to the railways.
The opportunity of moving an immense