The sun., 1919-05-18

at this season, so the thoughts Of
y boys and girls and Of their parents
turn to summer camps. Though the
movement for this type of summer
recreation is less than thirty years old,
1, has already become n national insti-
,,tion. lust as are the schools. and the
question is now not shall we go to camp.
mt to what camp shall we go. There
% as much difficulty in finding the right
camp for a boy or n girl as there IL in
dnding the right school, or. as the
rrownups may better understand, In
picking the right place for n home. All
camps are not for all boys or all girls.
Neither is it correct to- suppose that all
boys or all girls are for all camps.
The clue to the situation IL determine
ing the kind of thing needed by a par
t,cular John or Susan, and then taking
the necessary effort to discover Just this
right place, which In the present null
,inlicity Of camps almost surely exists.
The starting point In clear picture
~ what John or Susan needs. This de-
ponds FIRST OF all upon age. II they
are Younger than 10 or IL they need a
children's summer, more OF the farm
type, with a great many things to do,
than the woods kind. where occupations
ara necessarily limited. furthermore.
together, and the very best camps for
this age are thus conducted along edu-
cational lines. The councillors under
stand the natural interests of the chill
dren and draw them out at every point.
The young campers have animals,
gardens, boats and q thousand and one
devices which appeal 70 the magma
ton Of little folks. For the most part
also these camps are conducted by
tro nj hlAa f1,ofy fn
foster the Imaginative faculties which q
man. however attractive he may be.
seldom understands or sympathizes with.
From 10 to IL or - years
the boys and girls need stili q different
hnd Of life Here they may well be
separated, and there are camps which
specialize IN these particular years
when the constructive and the social
eensss are largely 70 be built UP. In
such camps a great deal Of woodcraft.
nature study and some regular occupa-
ton, such as gardening. are emphasized.
The boys and girls do quite wonderful
work in learning the trees, the shrubs.
the plants, the birds and animal and
insect life. and they thoroughly enjoy It.
Furthermore, they start upon organ
ICED games. which have q strong ap-
peal.
boy or a girl in teens II a very
different person from one who has not
yet reached this dignity. Powers de-
velop so rapidly in adolescence that
the child becomes youth before our
very eyes. A great mistake 10 often
made in placing these youngsters In
camps where the emphasis Is either for
the little people or for those older. A
great many camps, moreover, In their
interest in numbers, spread themselves
out over too broad Q field and attempt
the problem OF interesting in the same
establishment, the boy or girl Of 10 and
the youth Of II or IS. Here again the
best results are scarcely to be looked
for because OF the inherently different
interests.
The middle years, from 12 or - to IS
or Il, hold the great competitive eager
ness, the keenest love OF adventure, and
the largest susceptibility to idealisr. The
camps which have lasted longest and
which are recognized as perhaps the
best in the country are those which
have concentrated upon this period.
They MI their programme with things
which are distinctly educational, as we'll
as recreational. Serious work is I'M
dertaken in Boy Scout and Gin Scout
activities. including first aid to me in
tured. signalling. achievements In and
on the water. rough camping and cook
ing, and in such lines as singing, music
and expert tennis and baseball. In these
camps furthermore. she long trips chal-
le7ge the greatest zeal.
Finally for the youths from IS or 16
N Is there are the camps which lay
their greatest stress upon athletics and
upon rough woods trips. They give es-
recial attention, Furthermore. to tutor
ing and college entrance subjects, and in
general, put much less effort upon the
imaginative than upon the real things of
a Youthful eXDprience
Years are not alone, however, the
dividing point between various boys and
girls characteristics are. after all. the
man issue. To send to very large
camp, for example, boy or girl whose
nature responds best to quiet influences.
IS likely 10 prove as great a mistake as
10 send to a small camp a boy or girl
who haTcens to need contact with large
numbers
In this respect there Is as wide a
choice OF camps as there is in the matter
n AGES, Some OF the very best camps
limit themselves to twenty or thirty, and
there are also among the best several
which have as many as one hundred
The finding OF the best IN each field Is
~" prooiem, and this can no more be
done haphazard than can any other
worth while achievement. =.
Surely there Is nothing more worth