Evening star., 1925-04-11
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

above shows that boys will be boys,
all right. Who on earth would want
them to be anything else?
They broke windows, It is true,
while playing base ball, but they paid
| for them. They tampered with an
automobile, as boys will, and serl-
ously annoyed several residents by
| other mischevious acts"
But they held "get-together"
meeting and thrashed the affairs out,
voted themselves demerits and gem
| orally had the thrill of acting decent.
Think of all the small boys through
| out the land who are perpetually al
| lowed to put Themselves in the posi-
| ton OF always being wrong. always
being hunted, always being blamed.
1t is pretty poor psychology.
| Bows ought TO be brought up with
| a certain pride in themselves, q GER
| tain real manliness, If you please, so
that they can know the genuine feel
| ings OF having done good deeds.
There are too many boys nagged
into the penitentiary. There are too
many lads "bawled out" all the time
and made to feel as II they never do
anything right or ever have q right
thought
Boys have occasional right thoughts,
Just as their elders do, but, being
boys are more ashamed to admit
| them. Put them IN an organization,
| however, IN which the first virtue is
| to be decent they. will come across"
| Just as we'll as their fathers.
The advantage Of such plan as
the Thrlfton Village Junior Govern
ment is that It allows the boys to get
the idea of property protection in a
form of play. The gang" instinct Of
| which we hear so much can be cor
rallied and made to operate for up
/ building. as we'll as allowed to run
wild with no other idea than de-
structiveness.
Walt whitman said that to have
| great poets you must have great
readers. too.
So, to have abiding children
| boys and girls interested in property
protection, you must have fathers and
mothers who know how to handle the
kids.
wherefore II is difficult to know
who to congratulate the most in
| Thrifton Village, the fathers and
mothers, or the boys and girls.
Perhaps the best thing TO do is to
congratulate all, and let 1t go at
that. For the boys and girls OF that
bright hamlet are learning valuable
lessons at the same time they are
enjoying themselves.
Some OF the worry OF parents and
annoyance TO householders is van
ishing, bit by bit, so that by the time
the children grow 10 the estate OF
men and women themselves they
Will have a firm grip on some of the
essentials of true Americanism.
They are learning fair play. clean
| hness, decency, reverence for the
village form OF government, with It's
| ancient lineage. They are learning
not TO be ashamed of u thing because
| IL is old and tried.
They are learning, also, that the
| great Government OF their country, OF
which the village organization is an
integral part, Is worthy of all the
reverence they can give 1t today.
| Thence, they are learning re-
| newed veneration for the basic Law
of their land, the Constitution of the
| United States, the great document
written in letters OF light" for the
safe guidance OF this republic.
These are privileged boys, these OF
| Thrifton Village. While in other
| places lads are being allowed TO grow
up incipient thugs and destroyers
secretly ashamed OF their basic laws
these boys are being helped to help
themselves to the great truths Of our
| own land
| Law, order. decency, under the pro-
lection Of the Stars and Stripes, with
the old Constitution as the best guide.