The Penn's Grove record., 1923-03-02
-AaAGA.
Work With Boys
The Finest of Service
Delivered By Joseph NJ. Wright,
Supervisor of Schools, at Car
neys Point Y. Nj. c. A.

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gang of boys who had wrecked the
windows in the Franklin School.
These boys might have been arrested,
convicted and sent to the Newark
City Home, a modern reform school
for boys.
Who or what is responsible for the
attitude of mind of these boys?
Surely you will say with me that it is
the home, the school, the Church. The
school stands at one end of the street,
the home and the Church stand at the
other. Leaving the entire street
throughout its length and breadth to
the devil as a training ground.
Where do your children spend their
leisure2
Are the homes and the Churches
conducted too largely along the lines
of adult life? Are we still followers
of the faith that children should be
seen and not heard?
The home in many instances is in
terested in diamonds, ball room gowns,
automobiles, and not enough in ging-
ham aprons, tools and tables for the
boys and girls. The home should be a
center for children's activities. All
furnishings and equipment should be
bought and replaced with but n
one thought in mind-its fitness to the
requirement of the family.
The school though hampered by
tradition is fast coming to realize its
lack of adaptability to children of
different propensities. When the de-
signers of the courses of study awaken
to the fact what the kindergarten and
primary school trains or prepares for
this life and for the life that is to be
and that the grammar trains for the
high school; the high school for college,
they will come to realize that 94R
finish the Kindergarten and primary,
60R finish grammar school, 300 en-
ter high school, so enter college, and
90 graduate from there. Then and
not till then shall we have schools
that will interest and instruct the
children of the industrial community
and save them from the temptation
of the street. At that time we may
hope to prepare for their life work
those of a mechanical turn of mind
by giving them something educational
and instructive rather than allowing
them to be discharged by their recur-
ring failures at the game of text
books.
Statistics show us that S763, 900 900
are spent annually in these United
States for education. Something is
wrong in the expenditure of that vast
sum else it would not be necessary
for our national government to APP
propriate for the enforcement of law
and order for this fiscal year. This
amount in addition to the vast sum
spent by State and municipal courts
is appalling. Surely something is
lacking in the home, the school and
the Church.
National statisticians tell us that
36% of our young men were unfit to
bear arms for their country in the
World War. | would that | could tell
you how many are unfit to create a
home-a real home. Statisticians can
not tell US how many mothers are UNI
fit to bear and real children for their
country. However, the following
figures may help US to arrive at some
conclusions: 100000 children enter
first grade each year-1,0 10000 of
these fail in promotion. This cannot
be laid wholly to the fault of the
school. Since after the first year the
rate of failures is but 1917.
We are met here today in the in
terest of the boys of this town. The
above conclusions show US that we
need to do equally as much for the
girls who will sooner or later be the
mothers.
I said a few minutes ago that 36%s
of our young men were unfit for to
bear arms for their country. Com
pare this 36%t who failed with the
failures in the first grade, 1870. These
were fresh from their mothers arms.
A high but comparative proportion
is it not?
We must not be too critical of the
home, the Church, the school, until
we look carefully at the work of other
institutions hat are and are to be. |
shall ask you in a minute to go with
me, back through the pages of history,
that we may see that there has been
a steady growth of the spirit of al
truism, philanthrophy, and love. |
believe then we shall agree that other
institutions are doing much for suffer
ing humanity and that somewhere in
the distance when wars are no more,
men and women will live for their
children and for the sake of posterity.
When | think of the m~omentous-
ness of the task for which We have
met here today I think of the words
of him who on the battlefield of Get
tysburg said, owe are met here to
dedicate, but it is more fitting that
we be dedicated to the cause for which
we have been called together" My
most earnest prayer is that we re-
solve here and now to be dedicated to
the cause of aiding the youth of Car
news Point.
William Penn said: "It is not what
we leave our boy, but how we leave
him"
I wish to say at the beginning, it is
not what the school teaches or gives
the boy, but what remains after he
forgets the things we have taught
him.
I hope to think with you for a few
minutes on what education means to
a boy; How it effects his behavior, if
you please; How it effects his appre-
citation of Culture, Love, Service. Let
us first define education.
u, 1.o.4:~a NToone tho nToy win r