The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-09-13
-dEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

The boys of Birmingham have the stage just at present, for the drive is on in earnest to. see to it that not one lad in all this great city shall be dis inherited.
 Big-hearted Dan Dimick, with his CO., workers, have mapped out a plan to put it oyer in great shape, and it is going strong for the need has only to be brought to the thoughtful attention of the men and women of the community to have it cared for in good shape The great get-together dinner of the big-four organizations at the Tutwiler showed that in a worthy civic project that Rotary, Kiwanis, Civilians and the Community clubs had made up their minds to father the welfare of the Boy Scouts and the Boys club in a manner to let every lad in this district know that they could count on their big ! brothers.
 | Dan Dimick started off the lunch with 8 laugh by saying that the presidents l of the four clubs seated at the speak, CTS table were solely for ornamental and not oratorical purposes. and for once Morris Bush, Mercer Barnett, Doe Shropshire and James A. Simpson had to sit in august silence, a hard and un- usual thing for this famous quartet of after dinner speakers to do. Dan put the clapper on them to give c. J. Atkinson, executive secretary of the Federation of Boys clubs of New York, chance to make the principal ad dress. Now he is not one of the spread eagle variety of spelbinders, but he cer- tainly knows how to take a subject dear to his heart and make it luminous through facts and figures. He did not give out any sob stuff but when he spoke there was gripping in the throats of all the fathers present.
 He credited us with having a population of 235, 900, and on this basis calculated that there were at least 23,500 boys to be looked after in Birmingham He had taken the trouble to post himself as to the value of the property listed for taxes, the amount of Insurance premiums paid, the size of the fire department as to personnel and buildings in order to monetary worth of the lads to the com munity.
 In the high cost of living, even the value of boy in dollars and cents has risen, according to the expert econom-. ists from 5000 to something over s4O00; but while it may be easy to estimate the price of a lad in currency tesms, 1t is impossible to calculate the worth of a proper chance to come into it's true birthright
 I was glad to see that MT. Atkinson was at pains to speak good word for the work which the r. NJ. c. A has done and is doing for the boys of the country. He also made it plain that the Boy Scouts of America had been of immense service in training thousands of boys in higher ideals; but had little trouble in convincing
 
 zations were not able to reach the class for which the Boys club is in tended.
 It is alright to have compulsory sedu- cational laws, but it is all wrong that having required thousands of boys to come together for study to turn them loose on the streets without any fur ther thought. Study is important, and so is play, and hope to see the time soon arrive when the play grounds started under George Wards admins tration will not only be revived but increased by our present city commits sion. l am sure they will heartily SUD- port any programme which can be fin anced.
 
 Hugh Hill has done everything in his power to make East Lake a play ground for the kiddies of Birmingham. They have been his special pets, and he has seen to it that they had wad- ing pools swings, and other things dear to the hearts of the little ones; but like all city employees he has to be governed by appropriations. I wish to commend his activity and to be- speak for his department a larger ap- propriation next year.
 We need a Jacob Ris in Birming- ham to stir us to the duty of bet. ter caring for the children within cur gates. I believe that the work being done at present under Dan Dimick's lead is going to bear fruit in the fu- ture; not merely in making provision in the way of q better home for The Boys Club and the creation of a larger and better equipped camp for the Boy Scouts but in establishing play centers in every part of greater Birmingham
 The work of Ed Andrews, the man who has always stood by the boys, and of his committee shows what can be done in the way of raising a fund as a nucleus of putting the work on a sounder business basis The meeting brought out the picked men of the city It looked like gathering of the Allied Armies in war times. Monday the lads and lassies will be vending their way schoolward. Lets see to 1t that they not only have better school houses but also better playgrounds.
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