Arizona republican., 1920-01-12
BOYS ARE FIRST
 WITH ONE OF q.
 LOUIS b|G MEN
M. J. Collins, One Of Lead ing Missouri Citizens, Pre- fers Boys To Golf And Spends Much Of His Time Tn Aidinp Them
In Aiding Them


 Vice president of the Graham Paper
 company. director of the Cardinal club president of the Missouri School
 for the Blind. president of the Park
 and Playground association Of St.
 Louis and chief of former Governor
 Hadley's staff, Martin J. Collins, one
 of the big men of Missouri and well known throughout the United States,
 devotes more of his time to the Big
 Brother organization perhaps than 10
 any other of his many activities. MT.
 Collins is vice president of the organ
 izAtion. He is doing big things Tor the
 '1kiddies in the alley" and he says he
 knows how because he himself was a
 boy of the streets.
 The vice president of the largest
 paper house in America was one of ten children. According to his own words
 there were -four sets of twins and SIX children" in the family. He was only
 a bit of a lad when he carried milk
 over the city of St. Louis and still child when he worked in one of the factories there for a period of three
 years. When he became a messenger boy his job led to the paper concern In which he is now such an important
 figure At present he is on a tour of the country visiting the many branches
 of the company. His few days in Phoenix which ended yesterday, were for the purpose of Investigating his interests here. MT. Collins, with other customers, is the owner of a large fruit farm across the canal from IngIeside.
 T prefer the boy game to golf" de- clares MT. Collins. But after he is once launched on his story of the boy he does not leave the impression that | he gives the lad only his idle hours, but many moments that belong to his own personal business are as well de- voted to his cause. He is a firm be- liever that in doing for the boy one is l building prosperity permanently. The record that he and his co-work- | CTS in St. Louis have in cutting down 1 juvenile delinquency fifty per cent 1 demonstrates his belief is not without 1 foundation.
 While always interested in boys-he 1 has five of his own-Mr. Collins be- | came particularly concerned in their i problems when selected by Governor 1 Hadley to investigate the police sys- 1 tenn of the country. He then came in | at the present time there is a Big 1 Brother representative at each session l of = juvenile court in St. Louis
 Last year 905 boys. from the court l found Big Brothers" work and en- couragement and out of the vast mum | Der only five had occasion to ceme
 again to the court.
 l One does not give up the pleasure
 of motoring because he happens to
 come across a bad road, and neither
 should one give up good work because
 occasionally a boy fails to stay or the right path" says MT. Collins.
 He believes one of the vital factors
 in bringing youths into the juvenile 1 court is the moving pictures.
 Tn three bank hold ups in St. Louis | recently in two of the instances the 1 offenders admitted that they had got I-~r.. srx, 1 picture theater. I have seen photo 1 plays in which the young criminal is featured in hold ups, robberies and
 other crimes, and in the end this youth l who has robbed men and women has
 taken his i'll gotten gains to Califor-
 mia where he has established his
 mother in a vine covered bungalow
 He is a hero? What can the home l do against that? Unquestionably pie ! lures of that type have a bad influ-
 ence and can be most damaging"
 MT. Collins is certainly not opposed 1 to giving the boy good wholesome
 amusement In fact, it is to him that
 the kiddies of his city are indebted
 for many of their joys. It was he who 1 engineered the campaign for S5,0OC
 which helped develop the playgrounds providing the youngsters with CO.'S | tunes for folk dances, giving them
 balls and bats and a teacher who is all | t+dyS loOfSluss tiit iiuHibCi 1Oi . l Caruso or a Kubelik, for even violins have been purchased for the '1iddies | of the alleys by the "Papas," which is | the name by which the Park and Playground association is best known
 But the biggest thing in the way of
 pleasure that has been given the boys | is professional baseball When the | business men of St. Louis bought the | Cardinals they did so on the boy basis | according to Collins. Each man who | owned a share of stock in the club 1 was given a pass and for as many | shares of stock they were given an equal number of passes, making thou sands in all, which were given to the newsboys, the boys clubs, orphan asylums and other boy associations No swearing or cigaret smoking IS permitted the boys. who have theiI own grand stand and select their own l cheer leader. The fans range in age | from 10 to 16 years and not one of the | 3S,600 who enjoyed the last season | games could have been present if they | had not had the joy through this | agency.
 "AH the time they are enjoying the | game they are learning discipline | They hear the umpire call out and l the man goes out without arguing the