Evening star., 1933-11-01
BOYS and Policemen.

To the average city boy the policeman
is traditional enemy. The policeman
is the fellow who chases little boys out
of the parks when they try to play foot
ball. He is the personiflcation Of that
host OF Thou Shalt Nots between which
the city boy must wriggle his way toward
full release of his normal, animal spirits.
1t is not the boys fault that this un-
happy sentiment in respect to the va
rious arms of the law is nurtured, nor
is it the policemans fault In the
crowded streets of the city the police
man and the small boy represent con-
Trajectory forces, and it is natural that
they collide.
But strangely enough, this attitude
toward all policemen in general does
not apply to some policemen in par
tlcular The policemen who are de-
tailed to drill and to train Washingtons
proud army of boy patrols, for instance,
are not cops" One never hears a boy
patrol speak of his policeman instructor
as that cop" He is "Of1cer Smith"
or Officer Jones'" and his name is men
toned in terms of respectful affection
He attains, in the eyes of his small
charges, heroic proportions. He Is all
wise, he is strict but very just, he is
probably the strongest man since Her
cules and woe betide any criminal who
crosses his path. He has only to speak
and every boy patrol becomes his ally.
Such thoughts must be in the back
Of the mind of Major Ernest w. Brown
superintendent of police, when he
speaks Of the establishment OF boys
clubs within the various precincts, utiliz-
ing spare rooms fitted as gymnasia in
the precinct stations and providing po-
lice instructors for games, boxing and
other recreation. If such a plan could
be developed, a good many boys who
are unable to avail themselves Of the
opportunities provided by the Y. NJ
c. A, the Boys Club and other such
organizations, would be taken out of the
alleys and off the streets for some hours
during the day and kept away from GER
tain mischief. At the same time, the
boys would learn to regard the police
men as friends and allies, instead of as
walking delegates Of grief and trouble
Possibly the greatest obstacle in put
ting the plan into effect is the lack Of
facilities. A precinct covers a large
amount Of territory, and while Mai.
Brown probably has the figures and has
studied them, the number of small boys
IN police precinct must be nothing
short Of staggering. How one small
room, or the whole precinct station,
could accommodate them is problem
indeed. A crowd Of screaming (for
they always scream) boys in a police
precinct would doubtless make the
prisoners yearn for permanent incar-
ceration on some Devils Island some
where far away, and would tempt the
policemen themselves to start q riot,
organize a hunger march or do any
thing to get them out and away where
men are men-and not boys. But II
the Club headquarters'' idea were de-
veloped and branches OF the clubs or.
ganized on the school Fairgrounds. for
instance, or even in the schools them
selves, q practical and very helpful or
ganization might result. The i'm
portant thing is to use some Of the fine
young men on the police force to direct
boys at play and develop spirit Of real
and friendly cooperation between the
boys and the police. AS everybody
knows, the small boy can be your best
friend, or your worst enemy.