Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-13
ROTAR|ANS URGED
TO AID BOYS WORK
Catholic Worker Advocates
Spare Time Director as
New Profession.

Direction of the leisure hours OF
boys as a new profession was advo'
Gated by Brother Barnabas, +. S. c.,
director of the national boy-life bu'
reau of the Knights of Columbus and
third vice president of the National
Boys Work Conference, who spoke at
the Rotary Club luncheon yesterday
| in the Willard Hotel.
Declaring that boys naturally seek
male ideal after whom they Will
mold their own ways. Brother Barna-
bas urged the Rotarians to volunteer
their services in the proper conduct
of boys by assuring the youngsters OF
Washington of the leadership OF clean
men in their recreation outside school
hours.
1T takes years to properly train a
man so that he can be allowed to prac-
tice law, and years more of study be-
fore we permit him to minister to our
physical ailments, but yet we allow
any Tom, Dick and Harry to deal with
our boys when they most need wise
guidance and companionship, De
clared the brother, who is touring the
United States in the interest OF boys.
Condemns Reformatories.
He referred to the hayward boy as
a hospital case" and he condemned
the practice of consigning such young
sters to reformatorieS over which the
wrong kind of men preside. Men IN
the positions of heads of refor1na-
tories and corrective institutions
should be especially trained men who
have an M. A. degree, he contended.
Send a kid to one Of the reforma-
tories we have today under the type
of men we maintain there, and he is
released a candidate for the peniten-
tiaries," the speaker said, and added:
There is hardly any blame for this
condition. It is merely a situation
that has grown up without our taking
a great deal Of notice of it, but now
that we are aware of the dangers of
that condition we owe it to ourselves
and to the youngsters who will be the
men of tomorrow to see that they are
properly guided over the rough spots
of their lives"
One trouble with much Of the boy
betrerment work that has already
been done, Brother BarnabaS said, is
that the conductors of that work at
tempted to tie up school work and
curriculum with recreation. He cited
gymnasiums throughout the country
the values of which total millions OF
dollars, and which are almost empty
attend the classes as part of their
regular study.
Holds Real Pal Needed.
''The boy doesn't want to hear any
of the thou shalt thou wilt and
thou must stuff after school hours,
Brother Barnabas declared. What
he wants is a good, clean man, not
woman director-he probably has too
many of them as school teachers now
to say Come on, buddy, let's go,
and have that man be a real, trusting
pal"
A man for that kind of work, the
speaker said, is not an easy one to
find, and that is why he believes an
entirely new profession is needed
one in which men can train them
selves or be trained for boy leader
ship.
The brother told of work in the
larger cities among boys of the lower
sections, who, for want of a real man
to :. idolize and mimic, were copy ,
ing the thug and clarifying in their
conduct patterned after that
kind of ideal" Through the estab-
Iishment of boys clubs in the hearts
Of those districts and the work of care
fully chosen men, he said, in many
instances boys were salvaged and
started on the successful road to good
manhood.
Brother Barnabas was introduced by
Daniel Callahan, member of the Ro-
tary Club. Harry r. Cunningham,
president of the club, presided.