The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-22

two young men from the q. r. L. -
members Of the Starlight p. c., and |
they had the widest time Of their livea.
Some knockkneed monkey devised the
glimmers. II you want to read . sad
tale Just read what happened:
"A few Of our hard and heavy
hitters let out and I'll tell the world !
that 1t Is no fun to get in the way Of
their swings, because I caught one In
the Jaw and lost two dozen teeth. But
oh. the two new members! At present
they are keeping our treasurer COM
pany In the Presbyterian Hospital.
One Of them has slight injuries
broken nose, couple Of black eyes, .
few teeth knocked out--about Tennis
jaw broken in six places, four or ave
ribs broken, but outside OF that he 10
all right. The other is seriously hurt.
The doctor says II he lives he will 10
a cripple for life.
"A few Of our members did not at
tend the G. F. L. dance, for when the
lights were turned on five Of our menu
bers were missing, and we are still
looking for them or their pieces. 7
fear that they got in the way Of some
Of our heavy hitters." /
Rules of Conduct. i
There are very definite rules laid
down for the conduct of the members
OF the Boys Club, as II 10 obvious that
they could not be allowed to have an
entirely free hand. They must obey
the man in charge OF the building.
there must be no liquor in the place
and there can be no fighting with bare
fists. The club has several sets Of
boxing gloves. and when two boys
quarrel they fight 1t out with the
gloves. with regular rounds and Sec
onds and referee. Usually the ref
eree is Hamburger, and he always
stops the fight as soon as It 10 clear
that one boy is getting the worst of IL,
And invariably the two boys who have
been hghung come out Of the scrap
f1rm friends and sworn companions
They've let on their surplus energy,
they know which is the better man.
and the reason for the quarrel 10 soon
forgotten in the new interests taken up,
The boys conduct all sorts Of activi-
ties. They have dances and moving
picture shows, at which long lines OF
grown folks stand outside and look in
through tho windows. The various
branches have different nights for
business meetings. Across the street
from the club Is a workshop where the
boys are taught carpenter work ana
painting and things OF that sort. linz
tied only by the equipment, which u
being added to all the time
The dances are always largely at
tended At FIRST It was found very dif-
ficult to get the right sort OF girls to
attend them, especially the dances
given by the boys of the old street
gang.
The Girl Question Solved.
But that question was solved. Each
10y was asked to submit a list of the
nice girls he knew, and these girls
were asked to form auxiliaries to the
various branches. They formed the
Starlight Girls Club and the Girls
Friendship League as auxilIaries to
the Starlight Pleasure Club and the
Good Fellowship League the two prin-
cipal branches OF the club. The girls
meet with the Yorkville Service Club
fer Girls In 33l East ixty-eighth
street, and their principal mission 10
to attend the dances in the old build
Ing that was once saloon.
But by far the most impprtsnt work
done by the Boys Club Is in giving
the boys a place for recreation. All
day long there are boys playing in the
club instead Of in the streets. and in
the evening Instead OF hanging about
on the street corners and getting tussv
with the cops they are in the club
deep In a game OF checkers, pool, or
else they are In the back room wrest-
ling or boxing.
And things are so orderly around
tho old Little Bohemia saloon now
that the veteran cop on the beat has
little to remind him OF the days when
Ihe Seventy-first street gang kept
him keyed UP and anxious, and when
petty robberies and nights were as
| common on the street as games Of
checkers are now in what was once
the back room Of the saloon.