New Britain herald., 1929-12-31

Lion and Kiwlnis club on the sup jcCt 'The Problem of the Small Boy.' A rapid fire speaker, ais voice quivering with mingled cmj- tion and cloqu"nco- he wasted no time in prcliminarics but plunge Immediately into his talk. From the first word almost, the entire au- dicncc Of more than 100 men scarce lN stirred. Words seemed to dart out ii- an explosive stream of forceful language. His lower jaw stuck out as one expects to sec in that of a fighter. He pierced those before h;E with his eyes or pointed a long finger at them. seeming as though he would cmpalc them on the fling ar of criticism as he told the civic club members that while 600 boys in New Britain arc reached by the Boys club, the Y. M. C. A.. the Boy Scouts and the Junior Achievement clubs four or five times that many are going the wrong path 10 ruin because of the lack of human inter- est by adults.
 "One city the size of New Britain had in it's total budget for the Boys club and Boy Scouts only c16,C00. That came city spent $lS,000 an nually to keep Wayward boys in re- form institutions,' he declared.
 You don't owe your boys or girl a college education. That's some thing to give them to better pre- pare them for life. if you can af ford it, but you do owe them an ex- ample.
 You men of New Britain" the speaker never paused but the table shook as he pounded home his en- phasis 'If one hundred men in this city got behind the Boys club. the Junior Achievement. the Y. M. C. A. and the Boy Scouts. it would rcvolu- tiOnize the social work Of the city"
 Did you ever think as you turn the key in your front door and start down the street that a tiny pair of eyes may be watching you and a small voice may be saying. I'd like to be like him when l grow up Can you as you finish your life and prepare for the final light to be turned off, say 10 yourself. Those lives that were patterned after mine cannot go far grong?' Are you giv- ing to every child-arc VIC giving to the child life of the community the ideal it descrved?"
 President Fred C. Tcich of the Lions club presided. w. C. French, principal of the Central Junior high school introduced the speaker.
 Prior to the address. Ralph ko- lodney gave a whistling solo and Thomas Murphy played the violin, accompanied by John Crean.
 "The small boys problem is in deed a man size job, and a job that calls for the highest type of man. hood, and the keenest kind of intel ligence. One of the greatest con- tributory causes of crime is the seri- ous let down in our attitude toward and adherence of the effort to beat the law. Adult life must awaken to the realization that this is recognizCj by young people and becomes new purpose or goal to them at an early age. We talk about our words go- ing over the head of a child, little sensing how the attitudes that ac- company our words sink into the intelligence of even very small chil- dren and become patterns for future action, which we may later pe tempted to brand as incomprehen- siblc.
 Individual Must Be Responsible
 If the problems of individual children are ever to be adequately solved, and what is better actually anticipated and prevented, we must reawakcn the social sense of indi- vidual responsibility, the feeling of every adult in the community indi- vidually, earn Astly and intelligently responsible for every child in the community We must have done with content in the easy way of the dclegating of our responsibility We should be interested in, and support