Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-04-26
VIZ ASHINGTON, D. c., April 90
wv Clubs for boys, where the gang in

wv CluDS LOT DOyS, where the gang III
stinCt can find an orderly expression,
where boys can learn how to play and work
and get along with each other, are spring
ing up in many American cities. Probably
every city needs one. Washington now has
a fourishing Boys Club. This is an account
of visit to it.
In the big hallway, the Secretary of the
Interior presented a register for guests to-
sign, and deputed lesser dgnitary, a men,
Der of the police force, to do the honors.
There are two large buildin with a
baseball field between The whole place
seemed sWarming with boys between eight
and eighteen. Visitors day was going off
with bang. A boy scout band was tearing
off the ceiling of the library with profess
sional ease. A steady undertone of laughter
showed that the music was not supplied to
fill in any gap of awkward silence. In the
bay window of the library committee on
refreshments with a mother or two in
charge, worked busily to supply guests with
lemonade.
But the policeman guide did not linger
here He led his group of charges down
stairs and with a sweep of his arm he indi-
Gated the poolroom, one of the most popular
features of the club.
''This is for the big boys" he said proud
ly. And then, to show that his IL years
included him in the intense group around
the long table, he shouted "Hey, FED, I'll
play you in a minute!"
From here, went through the indoor
basketball court and the shower rooms to
the gymnasium, where a wrestling match
was in progress The gym coach, a young
man, was giving directions to the fighters
and much extra advice was being handed
out from the excited .rowd around the mat
The guide informed us that wrestling was
great stuff to put you in shape and led us
off to the shoe shop. This was deserted, but
he explained that the boys learned to repair
shoes and some had already half-soled their
own.
Trades Taught
The printshop, where the clubs monthly
paper, "The Target is printed, was also
pointed out. sign-painting room and car
penter shop showed two other activities open
club members and were told that
wireless, typewriting, and use of the ad-
dressOgraph are to be taught as soon as
apparatus can be obtained.
A glance at the game room, fitted out with
small pool and ping-pong tables and puzzles
and games for the smaller boys, brought us
to the bank and the end of the tour. The
bank was open for business, though it was
beyond all city banking hours The Secre-
tary of Finance was carefully recording the
five-cent .ep sit of a member. He explained
that he took anything from one cent up and
that in three months 1925 had been de-
posted
By this time our guide had done his duty
the president, DR.. W. A. Neil, and vanished
in the direction of the lower regions where
the big boys pool game was in full swing.
DR.. Neil is running the new Boys Club
with the assistance Of a corps of officers
elected by the club from among it's mem
bership. Starting with six boys and house
DR.. Neil organized the club in January. Now
he has 176 members and new applications
are brought in every week
The club here is new one, probably the
newest in the string of 1853 belonging to the
Boys Club Federation. One Of the clubs in
ranton, Pennsylvania, is 20 years old, and
there are others, we'll established, in SO cities
Of the United States. The clubs are financed
largely by public subscription though with
the industrial work of the shop classes. such
as printing and shoe repairing, club IS
sometimes able to pay something toward
maintenance.
This industrial work represents one of the
three functions of the club project. The
other two are to keep the BOYS off the streets
and to improve their health by sports and
exercise. The industrial classes. open to the
boys free, fill definite need in their lives
The boys often have no encoura cement at
home to get a thorough education. They