Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-06-12
DELINQUENCY Of
BOYS AND GIRLS
SHOWS DECREASE

| tCpttidt correspondence TO thC cOUrudi
Chicago, June ia million
dollars worth of good citizenship
is what we invested in when we or
ganized the Union League Boys
club" declared Judge Victor p.
Arnold of the Chicago Juvenile
court, one of the founders of the
club and a leading spirit in the
plans for Chicago Boys week,
which has just come to its close.
One of the most forceful means
of teaching boys the lessons of
good citizenship is the motion pic
ture and the screen is put to &C
tive use by every organization
working for the right training of
, American youth. During Boys
week educational films provided by
the Society for Visual Education,
picturing the duties of citizen
and chapters of the story Of Amer
lea, were shown to thousands of
the boys who will be the citizens
of tomorrow.
"There is no more fertile field
for constructive work than the
boy" continued Judge Arnold. 1--WE
say that the boy is the heart and
brains of the community. If so,
let US take care of him. Since our
first Chicago Boys week a year
Iago, juvenile delinquency has de-
creased among boys just 20 per
cent. The decrease among girls
has been IS per cent. These are
the exact figures.
Il attribute this great decrease
in delinquency to the fact that
Chicago is backing the boy. We
are trying to make him realize that
he is somebody, that he has some
responsibility, instead of thinking
of himself as just q waste product
Of the streets about whom nobody
cares an iota until he is earning
money. Boys week not only awak-
ems the interest of the boy in him.
self, but also gives the community
an opportunity to think about boys.
We seek to hold this interest dur
ing the other 81 weeks of the year.
Chicago is one of the best organ
ized cities in the world in the mat
ter of boys. activities. These Or
sanizations are taking up the boys
leisure hours and, according to
Judge Arnold's experience with
lIpbSdiibo VI bONEs ~ Is III JllFl
school hours that their difficulties
arise. TO take care of this leisure
time the Union League club two
wears ago Organized a boys club in
one of the most cOngested districts
Of Chicago An old building was
remodeled TO provide club rooms,
library, gymnasium and swimming
pool, and motion picture equipment
was installed. Every Saturday night
from 500 to 900 boys see program
of carefully selected movies. The
Younger boys pay a membership
lee of five cents a month, the older
boys ten cents.
AT the end of nine months a sur
rey showed that cases of delin-
quency from that nelghborhood had
dropped off Just 20 per cent. To-
day the club has 1900 members,
The boys using the club rooms for
all sorts of recreation instead of
breaking windows and getting into
trouble generally. Other clubs
throughout the country are doubt
less doing equally good work.
Pertinent statistical data was
quoted by Judge Arnold bearing on
the relation of clubs to the morals
OF youth. He said that "of 1000
boys charged with violation of
criminal laws before the English
courts, less than 4 per cent had
.affiliation with any kind of boys
club. OF 10000 to $4,000 delin-
.ouents. only per cent belonged to
the Boy Scouts-a genuine testi-
monial to the valuable work of that
Bodybuilding organization. I sup
pose the percentage in England
would hold good here" More we'll
directed boys clubs in the opinion
Of this authority, would mean less
delinquency and higher grade Of
citizenship.