The Irish standard., 1918-03-30
Holy Name Member A
Specialist in Saving Boys
Continued from Page y

the New World is typical. In all, 80
times was Mr.. Powers called upon by
the police to interest himself somehow
in the case of boy who had fallen
into the hands of the department But
there is still third way in which Mr..
Powers becomes acquainted with de-
linquent youths or with those who are
making themselves liable to that clas-
sification. Mr.. Powers reputation as
a specialist in bOy-saving is spread
pretty we'll through the locality in
which he resides. Seemingly this is
not a neighborhOod in which the rails
ing of youths to God-fearing manhood
is extremely simple. There are par
ents in number whose hairs are being
tinged with gray as they see their con-
troll over growing boy slipping away
as he pays less and less heed to their
advice and shows ever a decreasing
inclination to be obedient to their COM
mands. Formerly such parents often
went to the police stations, or to the
courts, there to have their sons ad-
vised and impressed with their duty to
be respectful and subservient to their
parents.
But the parents of this sort in the
locality in which Mr.. Powers lives
have now another method. Even as
they would take their son, were he
physically sick, to physician, so
when they fear that he is passing out
of their control and treading the way
that threatens to make a law-breaker
of him, they take him to Mr.. Frank
Powers. Ninety.eight boys in all were
recommended to the specialists" care
in the year, principally by parents.
An HabituaI Visitor.
It is wholly unnecessary to state
that as consequence of the number
of boys who have come under his SUI
pervision, Mr.. Powers finds his time
fairly we'll occupied. For there is only
one certain way of meeting with sue
cess in this particular line and that is
by keeping the boy under personal
supervision to as great an extent as
possible. Mr. Powers attempts to do
this, as is shown by his record for
visiting boys. He made total of 1872
such visits to the various boys. BY
far the greatest number, 622, were paid
to the boys in their homes. Again, 21O
times did he call upon boys who were
Yin the hands of the police and being
held at the stations.
1t is the story of these visits that
would prove most fascinating were it
possible to incorporate it into this
brief rehearsing of work that took
the greater part of a mans time dur
ing year. Incidentally, it may be
said that one virtue of every special
list must be perseverance. In fact, the
specialist often earns his reputation
because he succeeds in doing the
things that others have given up as
impossible. Accomplishments of this
sort most usually have their basis in
perseverance, unwillingness to let go
when one or ten or twenty attempts
have failed. Our boy-saving specialist
found that success came sometimes
only after AZ attempts. That is the
number of visits he paid in one in
stance before he actually came in
touch with the boy he was seeking to
meet.
Then those who like to hold their
breath while they watch the villain
stealthily pursue the hero would find
satisfaction in another chapter of Mr..
Powers story. Those submitted to his
care are, Of course, not always meek
and submissive. There is even record
ed among his experiences an instance
when kind words were met with blows.
But the bruises soon lost their sore
ness when he, who was responsible for
them, was recorded in the list of the
specialists "cures."
The methods Of the specialist are
always of interest. The foremost of
T those adopted by Mr.. Frank Powers is
easily read in q brief summary of his
work. In all, over half of the boys
who came to his attention were given