The Washington times., 1919-11-26
Being a. Big
Brother
By DR.. VIM. A. McKeever.
IN their well-thought-out scheme

TN their well-thought-out scheme
for taking over a certain part
= of the boy problem the Ro-
tarians are making history. No
general organization Of men has
ever before undertaken a thing OF
the class of social welfare so vas'
in its possibilities The Rotarians
can save the boyhood OF America
and I am going to tell them now
to do It
This fine order has already sent
out general Instructions for boy
survey and Il is the purpose, l be-
lieve. to use the facts thus gath
cred in a constructive service OF
their younger brothers 1t is IN
connection with this survey and It's
possible uses that I especially wish
to offer suggestions as follows:
Piay-Find out whether or no.
the BOYS of the territory covered
have a fair chance to play and to
play at clean and wholesome games.
Marx the Fairgrounds. gymnasiums,
ball diamonds, swimming pool, club
centers Try to make certain thai
an classes alike enjoy the full bene-
fits of their share of these.
work-Determine to what extent
the school. the home situation, the
Y. NJ c. A. the vacation leader
how well these are acting together
upon an all round juvenile indus
trial ogramme. II at least part
OF the year every boy OF twelve
years old and over is not being
taught to do certain developmental
and character-forming work. mark
this defect sharply and try to rem
ely it IL any body under sixteen
Is employed for the sake of mere
economic gain, mark that also as
serious wrong to the boy and to
society. Child labor exploitation Is
q SIN against God and humanity.
Combat-When and how do the
boys of the home community fight?
Al the dawn OF adolescence fight
ing Is more interesting to a boy
than any other game that can pos
sibly break out either on the school
ground or elsewhere. IL this fight
ing Is handled. IL II is made the
means to a lesson-then well and
good. But IL the boy fights in the
community are permitted to take
their own savage course as bloody
affairstthen the outcome will be
bad. Every boy-training institution
is in need of a special committee
for the settlement of fights.
Thrift-How do the boys OF your
city get their money? Are they
taught how to earn reasonably? To
spend thoughtfully2 To save ju-
diciously. To give generously Do
the schools teach these aspects of
boy training?. Do the homes, the
parents, recognize the need of such
Instruction and cooperate with it?
Sociability-make a map of the
place and frequency of the social
Affairs staged for the high school
age. On the average every one Of
these should be privileged to at
tend once per week some big, happy
social affair that is run for the
good IL will do and Is managed by
those who understand the inherent
and radical needs Of this youthful
age.
Coarse public dance halls. caba-
rets and similar amusement centers
offered to the adolescent young peo-
pie must be strenuously opposed as
Aeeding to the depravity of the in
dfvidual and the basest corruption
ef the public morals. Commercial
txed social entertainment for the
toung is wrong and vitiating.
!. Fight cigarettes as destroyers of
I the body, character, and soul Of
F. boyhood-
Religion-Make a religious sur
vey. Assume that every growing
boy must be connected regularly
with some kind OF religious body
Protestant. Catholic, Hebrew, Chris
tian Science, or what-not- Assume
that the boy whom the survey
finds out OF touch with all relig-
fous life is being seriously cheated
and robbed Of part Of his birth
right.
Now, whenever the Botarians
are ready to collect a small library
Of books on the boy problem I
shall be glad to go far out of my
way to assist them in making their
selections.