The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-02-17
ROTARANS ORBIT !.
ABOUT HOME TO
TRAIN POOR BOYS
RY MEMoRY M,coRp.

Just a bunch OF middle-aged. prae-
teal minded business men, plain - an
cid broganA-thatss what folks call the
members Of the Memphis Rotary club
who cluster about the luncheon tables
days.
Formerly they were described as q
rsI -s gr9ep OF esSsoas gSo
and who lived merely 70 throw bust.
ness into their own hands or that OF
their fellow members. Yep, that was
the original purpose Of the Rotary
club, and no honest-to-goodness Rota-
know a few Of the things that the
club now stands for and does, please
meet 11-year-old Herman Harden
Not a hard looking boy Is Herman,
yet he says himself that the reason
he's residing out at he Boys Industrial
home at Bartlett, Is because be swiped
sl5 from a department store at Menu
phis.
Course I'm learning to do different
since / anne out here" he solernnly ex-
planned as he continued TO swkayd-
Scouts uniform. "and it's because OF
that durn Rotary club you folks is got
IN Memphis. Even hear,of the thiriET
he Questioned; no? Wei. neither aid !
rooms at 242 Adams street, and ! got TO
playing any old place, and finally hook
cd that money I told you about. Then
] came here and. oh boy, you ough4
seen them men.
Joy for Kids.
Some punkfns, that's what they Is
n most of them amt a bit pious-
not on your life. They believe 9 feNer
oughta have q good time, and they
what they did? Yessum, they give US
a Christmas out here We amt never
going to forgit, and it's on account OF
that doggone club I'm regTetttng leav-
ing this burg: Honest
you see it's Jest like this. Thenl
men come out here and seen what a
poor playground we fellers had, nuthin
but ground it was-with nary Q ball,
and then what did they do2 Up ana
buyed US a lot Of slides and bars n
things and here am lawns 10 70
and I'd be ready to go II It weren't
for them old Rotarians. !.
Maybe you don't know nuthin' about
t." he whispered, but 1t was tflat
durn club that got this home cleaned
cal the way the thing usta be run
I've heard tell, but now everything is
as clean as a pin and we get plenty
of food and the Rotarians organized
US into a Boy Scout company and we
take a bath every day; Besides them
the coolies We feilers find IN our dor
mitories, and between you and me-
they've been awful few, still Phillip
Lamey, one of the boys here who is an
old-timer, says the rooms usta reeR
with 'em. I've been here nearly SIX
months, and l amt found but one,
and one OF them Rotary men give me a
quarter for it / sure am sorry to leave
we got about 25 white boys at this
~1ooo oN1 about "a aolnpAH ms and
begorra, II them Rotary men amt good
to ever last ore Of us. heard tell
that the club was gonna build 2 reg
ular gym for the place, n that 1t
wuz agonnA cost $500. Lot Nv money
Ing over that Chair The RotarisRs
give me that Christmas, n . cap,
stockings and gloves kept 1t company.
They give me my Scout suit, too, and
teached me how to learn to be a gems
to come in, didn't I? Well, / aim to
do the same thing wner you 60 out
Them fellers said that was the begin
ming of courtesy, and I'm gonna belong
to that shindig when l get big you
betcha." ~.
Membership Grows.
Hernan's opinions concerning the Ro'
tary club are the same as those. otvhif
two chunls, Philip Laney. 24S Marke'
street end Dillard knight, ~ sl ESs
Il County Industrial and Training schoo
have the same sentiments. Although
the institution has been in eSistenct
somewhere near Is years, 1t has enl.
recently commenced to run in a way
that actually appears to be beneficial
to the small boys who are assigned t.
reside there. Some two years ago /;
stir was created throughout the stat,
because of the conditions then existing
in the school, The Rotary club wa
greatly agitated about the way tn
place was being conducted, and dix
much toward lettering the methods 0
training and teaching the little fellow
committed to the states care. Througi
the clubs efforts, H. w. Charles wa
made superintendent last October. MI
Charles was formerly OF Kansas City
and was connected with a traininl
school there. He brought with him l
II. Rayburn, who is his assistant Bot
Mr.. Rayburn and Mr.. Charles are do
ing their utmost to cultivate and car
for the $50 acres Of land owned by tn
institution and to make the II youths /
their care honorable, educated tnep
the Rotary club, which interests itsel
especially in work which concerns II
betterment of conditions ~surroundin
the growing boy,
Approximately 22S members swell tn
membership list Of the club. The organ
i2ation has been in existence almos
10 years. He profits most who serve
Memphis chapter is considered one {
the largest and most prosperous club
OF its kind in the United States, or !
England or Australia. Z. r. Barrow
president, and T. .. Beneke has re
Gently been made secretary,