Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-11-21

mCnlt1eS ana 50 scattered Il the Nm.
est argumen. ever for the need OF
cur work There are more than 5000
boys In kenaebec county between the
ages OF 3 and 20 inclusive 30 that
there are enough to make 1t very
much worth while to give them the
very best we can.
In boys work it is convenient TO
classify them in age groups because
of their different tendencies at the
various stages in the teens and
have taken the trouble to classify
the boys OF each community into four
groups. namely between the ages OF
and II inclusive, IL and II. Is and
II. and 1s.to 20 inclusive. Onittins
Augusta, because the local associa-
ton is responsible for the boys there,
/ find there are 1900 Of the FIRST group.
go Of the second. 115s OF the third,
and SIS Of the fourth.
Because Of the fact that the teach
e-s are the leaders Of the boy and
girl life in the community. We have
gathered information about them and
I find that most of them in the grades
3. least are lady teachers. Teaching
in the elementary schools there are
only II men as compared to s4s la
dies, and in the secondary schools
there are - of the former and 81 OF
the latter. II is interesting to note
that ls0 of the grade teachers are
teaching in one-room buildings, 1ao
representing about 81 Of all our ele-
rnentary Instructors We viii con-
c!ude again that our problem Is a
rural one and also that We have COM
parativeiy few men in that PROBES
sion to help out in an athletic and
all-round boys program. OF course
we have 80 men scattered through
the IL High schools and academies,
bu. there is still a tremendous Held
fer service from our point OF view
amoag those boys who have no or
ganized leadership in boy activities.
l; is worthy Of note thai we have
q. school buildings in Kennebec AM
that Of that number Il are vacant
entirely and 80 are one-rosnl >iruc-
lures orly. This 5 mr.. ,''i",'ce
of IT,. scattered condI.io7 O. CIR
boys, bu: il is en-, UT aging to see
there il so fine a .en1eacy tfwa: d
TIE c..n:l alizat:on .. school wo'k-
The 40 vacant build ngs may De
available 10 some ex.en- for Glib
groups, or manua! traiains O some
thing If the sort Here :ni there
f.x are being usei for prca ling
services and Sunday schools.
The city Schools are having more
and more playground equipment
these days, but there are many q
them without adequate room for out
door features and in this respect the
rural school children have an adyan.-
age over the pupils in the cities.
One splendid law that is keeping
the schools more nearly intact is the
Child Labor legislation which keeps
the boy al school at least until he IS
- and the following figures Of the
totals of the boys il the grades in
the county Gnciuding Augusta) are
evidence tina, il is serving its pur-
pose. There are approximately 4e3
boys IN the 9Th grade. 3is in the sth.
$50 in the 1ta, and as in the stn. Tie
two or three years just following
the srh grade are the dangerous
years as far as the boys leaving
school is concerned and I have OBJ
served that a great many towns are
adopting tire Junior high as means
toward holding their interest through
that critical period. believe voca-
tional talks and discussions of the
value Of an education in the various
walks in life would be most fitting
al that particular stage il the boys
career md / believe we should be on
the G:=rt az ali times TO stimulate
such IDEAS in the m.nes ca our
boys as well as our girls
I have limited at q physical pro-
gram for the rural schools two or
three times and l will now treat
the matter somewhat more COM
rietely as am quoting some facts
that make it natural 10 discuss it al
this time. / find fer instance I,iar
boys in rural localities which num-
Der more than six each and which
are made up Of boys between the
ages Of - to Is. believe one Of the
finest things We can do is to Guilt
vate the acquaintance OF those
groups and make regular visits to
them for the purpose Of instructing
them in organized play and simple
athletics. The school superintendents
are very anxious on the whole for Us
to do that and I am sure it will be
Of great service as an end in Itself.
but more particularly as a means TO
an end.
The end TO which I referred in the
last sentence was that of forming
those groups into clubs. scouts CT into
something Of the kind, in order that
we might carry the other features
OF the program to them. The group
games and athletics can be develop
Cd in competitive way so that q
group spirit will, establish itself in
the lives, de the boys and then YOU
can introduce your American stand
ard program and other features to
carry on the competition into e6u-
cational. social and religious mat
tiers