Evening star., 1933-11-12
- UDDENLY, Washington has be-
come boy club conscious.

come DOy cluD CONSCIOUS.
Maj. Ernest W. Brown, super
~ intendent of police, is rushing
plans to open the first of group
of neighborhood clubs for boys in the
fourth precinct police station at Fifth
and streets southeast.
A number of prominent business men
have urged the District Commissioners
to ask the Public Works Administra-
ton for grant Of 1857, 900 for the con-
Struction of two boys club buildings
one for white and one for colored.
Social and welfare leaders are taking
a keener interest than ever before in
the boy and his problems.
And Washington wonders whyl
Believe City Is Responding.
Directors OF boys clubs. as well as
Mai. Brown, believe the Nations Cap
ital, slow to respond to the boys club
movement, has at last become fully cog
infant of the inadequacy of its recrea-
tional and character-building facilities
for the so-called underprivileged boy,
and the important part the Clubs play
in reducing juvenile delinquency.
Today there are only tour boys clubs
in WaShington-the Washington Boys
Club at Third and C streets is the larg-
ESI, IIlC A1CA1ASh ISOy0 NAAb VA s~NS
Christ Child Society at Sixth street and
Massachusetts avenue northeast, the
Northeast Boys Club at 1868 Kramer
street northeast and the Georgetown
Boys Club at Thirty-first and M streets
Within a week or 10 days, Maj. Brown
plans to have his first police precinct
boys club in operation. II that Is sue
ceSsful. similar clubs will be established
in other precinct stations.
Even then, directors Of the Boys
Club declare, facilities will not be
adeouate-clubs will be lacking in some
of the very communities where such
facilities are needed.
Facilities Lacking Here.
Statistics have been presented to the
Commissioners showing that, of IL Sc
lected cities ef the country. Washing
ton has the fewest character building
facilities. In other words, the Ma
tional Capital does not now provide
such facilities for Sc per cent OF its
boys. This figure is larger than that
for Chicago Pittsburgh and New York
The Washington Boys Club has a
membership of 1.1es. the Merrick, 512;
the Northeast, 400. and the George
town, 300. Altogether, club facilities
for 2.40O boys, or, 1t is estimated, about
Il per cent of the boys in the District
who are eligible to join such organi-
zations.
Advocates of boys clubs point out
these organizations, unlike most chari-
ties. help those who still have their
lives before them. The boys club move
ment in those section Of the country
where it has found strong foothold Is
said to have been amazingly successful
as a weapon against crime. In one Sec
ton of Washington which has club
juvenile delinquency was reduced about
so per cent.
Boys, especially the so-called under
privileged group, it Is argued, do not
Just stumble into good citizenship. How
they use their spare time usually de-
ternines the character Of citizens they
become. The boy who must depend on
the street and the corner gang to pro-
vide his character-determinin activi-
ties between after-school hours and
bedtime. it is declared, usually grows
up into costly liability instead Of q
valued asset to his community.
Would Direct Energies.
Boys club leaders contend that
properly directed, the same energie,
which lead a boy in the wrong direc.
ton will lead him the other way. The,
cite statistics to show that most Of thu
inmates of penitentiaries began theil
lawless habits when boys.
Warden Lewis E. Lawes Of Sing SIM
Prison. who has spent many year
working with the thousands of unfor
tunates In refermatories and Stat,
prisons, is strong believer In the yalu'
Of boys clubs. In q speech before tn,
Boys Club Federation Of America h,
declared:
II like the boys club because
! functions every night In the week, be
cause 1t competes with the street, tn