New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-02-19
By Arthur Woods,
Former Police Commissioner Of Ne70
York City

Modern city life for boys is full Of
unwholesome features. Boys must be
active, they must play, they must exer-
else their growing muscles and sinews
and their growing brains. l suppose a
boy can be kept still, even day after
day, and perhaps month after month,
but it is not good for the boy and
doesn't help to develop him into the
right sort of man. For real men are
bred from real boys, and real boy is
active, restless; nature goads him into
a state of mental and muscular uneasi-
ness so as to keep him growing. If the
uneasiness cannot find outlet in activ
ity growth is slow or is stopped If
the form of activity is wholesome, if
the fortunate boy can learn and play
as young human animals are meant to
learn and play, then the outlook for
him is promising.
The city boy nowadays is apt to be
hard put to it in the endeavor to find
q chance to play. Pavements and brick
walls are sorry substitutes for fields
and woods and streams. If he tries to
play ball in the street, the first he
knows-smash goes some ones window
or off goes some grabbed grown-up's
hati And the boy is blamed; if he
doesn't look out the policeman's atter-
ton will be directed to him. There
isn't much he can do in the street that
doesn't cause him to make nuisance
of himself to some one, for rollicking.
natural boys and occupied, serious
adults can't get along together in a
small space like city street unless
they make such substantial mutual con-
ing up what they are really after. The
older ones must surrender their desire
to pursue their ways IN quiet undis-
turbed by noise and undismayed by
missiles; and the younger ones must
forego the abandon and recklessness
of play which really is just what is
needed to make it worth while, and,
although they don't know it, to bring
out and foster the qualities of sturdy
manhood.
Change is Needed
Of course. this is an actual situa-
ton and we must make the best Of it.
The trouble is that we have been too
ready to make the worst Of it. The
easiest way is to express regret, to
wonder why somebody else doesn't do
found that boy who's always humping
into me on his roller skates This way
We might as we'll face its fairly
directly calculated TO bring q boy TO
the conclusion that about anything he
does that he wants to do is wrong. And
if the boys parents are not we'll off II
they both have to work 30 make the
ends meet. if perhaps there's only one,
if the struggle to provide warmth and
a.. Da{
there isn't time or capacity to pay any
attention to making home pleasant for
the children, then the boy he's only a
boy-so easily bumps over the obstacle
Of conscience, which never had q
chance to develop, and so easily slips
INTO the habit of doing the things he
likes to do. unhampered by any
thoughts of right and wrong. II we
20 step further and consider the boy
whose home is not only poor. but
poisoned by drunken, or mentally de-
fective, or drug using, or even just
chronically cross parents-what chance
has that boy?
All our sympathies go out to him, the
individual poor boy, and we stand ready
to help. I wonder if we also think
often Of what this means to the nation
this wholesale bringing into the worlc
and rearing TO manhood OF Thousands
and hundreds Of thousands Of youth.
under conditions which do not give
them fair fighting chance to become
the kind Of men the nation needs II i
is to become strong and Intelligent,
governing.
II a city police department wishes
to do all it can TO prevent crime i
must take note Of these boys and try
20 see what can be done TO remove The
causes that lead them into wrong. For
innocent play either Is, in the eye Of the
law, crime, or points the way to it. Anc
# boy has 10 depend on the street fol
his play and has no real home, or
home where the influences are negative
or evil, that boy, though normal il
every way and just as good as any
other boy, is growing UP under condi
lions full Of temptation to crime, an(
must have enlightened 90 ice attention
1t is Z little hard for the policeman
0 givc such boys the kind Of attention
that would be most likely TO help them
In the first place, the officer ISN'T usc'
10 this kind of police work, this dUt.
Of befriending troublesome boy in
stead Of chasing him and trying 20 "ge
him right" Secondly, the hoy ism
used to it, either: for generations h
mas looked upon the policeman as hi
invcterate enemy, and ne views Wit
genuine distrust any attempt At peac
negotiations.
Job for Policeman
A move toward better understand
ing can be made by having policemen
III uniform 20 TO the public schools anc
talk to the children, impressing OF
hem the fact shat the police are tn,
friends of the children and want t,
help them. Junior police forces. too
work very strongly 10 bring about
helpful relationship. There are nov
several thousand Of these young DO
licemen in New York They arc organ
ized IN the different precincts, unde
the charge Of the captains, and or
drilled, exercised and Instructed b
policemen. They have regular mee,
ngs, usually in schoolhouse, and.
possible, in connection with Il cornrnu
nifty centre. They take no direcs polio
action, but they help the police in VA
r4ous ~ays, by their own good conduc'
by doing what they can 10 maze othc
boys behave properly, b. reportin
fninYs they notice, according 10 in
structiOns.
e9S1fyt ~ Princeton rfess. p'lhiisapd ~ sy,Ang,
i"ei& Win Twenty Sn, Century rfess
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