The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-01
THE BOY IN BIRMINGHAM
What is Being Done for His Future Development-Manv Splendid Institutions Looking After His Physical
 and Moral Welfare
SOCIAL SERVICE DErARrM~r By MRS. SIDNEY M. LILLIAN

Have you boy problem in your city?" asked a letter from the Survey, making a request for some facts and data to collate on this subject, and to answer the question we began a very supificial investigation and found that Birmingham not only had boy prob lem, as we know every large city has, but we found a very large amount of work being done for the boy in many lines, and also found the need of some legislation to meet effectually some of the problems.
 The second question of the Survey is, How would you describe it?" meaning the problem of course. Here we an swered that the problem of illiteracy has made the greatest amount of worry
 and the lack of a compulsory education law was the stumbling block to meet it. The large transient population
 among boys in this city has been a problem, and the lack of inspection for industrial centers was the last. How
 ever, in spite of these a great deal is being done for the youth of the city and the agencies are doing constructive
 and fine work.
 we'll organized Boy Scouts move
 ment to aid the youth of the city, a well established boys club, with it's new branch and clubhouse of Twenty ninth street, a fine course for the boys at the Y. M c. A., a Newsboys Re- public with director; Big Brothers,
 and the Boys Working council, to act as a clearing house for the boys in- lstitutions.
 The organized work for the boys is
 being done chiefly by such persons as Judge Murphy, Ralph Barrow, Mr. Will
 lingham, Professor Robins, MT. Til lory, pr. Ballard, Mir James Childers and many others working under their direction.
 BOYS CLUB AS A MOULDER Attractive club rooms are kept in the
 Farley building for the Boys club. Here are found games and books and super vision by the Boys club director, MT. tTillory, but by no means does this work of the club stop with making the club attractive. Night schools are held, posi- tions found for the boys and every effort made to keep the fellow l straight and clean.
 The new club rooms that have just been opened at the old settlement par ish house of St. Mary's on Twenty ninth street, will be an ideal place for the boys of the Lakeview and Avon dale neighborhoods, though it is un- derstood this club will be for the use of all the boys of the city Here are classes held in bookkeeping and other branches, such as typewriting and shorthand; here is a lovely reading room provided with the latest maga- zines. a gymnasium and comfortab ble quarters for entertainment.
 ] The Boys club maintains an employ
 ment bureau and passes on the neces- | sity of the boy being employed when l of school age. A compromise on the part of the school is sometimes found
 necessary after case has been investi- gated. and it has been proven essentinal l for the maintenance of the family to 1 have the wages of the boy. The Boys club acts as clearing house for tran
 sients, the necessity for keeping down
 town clubrooms can here be seen. The 1 transient boy needs to be directed tc some safe place of amusement, given
 advice as to some place to live, is put