Evening star., 1936-03-06
SOC|OLOC|STS HAIL !.
BOOK BLANT0N HIT.
"Boy and Girl Tramps of
America" Accepted as
Scientific Work.

Representative Blantons charges in
the House yesterday that ''vile in
decent and blasphemous" book is being
circulated by the Public Library and
its branches developed the fact today
that the volume in question, boy and
Girl Tramps of America is accepted
by Sociologists as perhaps the best
scientific study available on the sub
ject of transient youth.
The book was written by Thomas
Minehan. professor of sociology at the
University of Wisconsin. and repre-
sented the sum total of actual case
studies observed in Summers of riding
in box cars, hitch-hiking and living
in the wayside "jungles" of thousands
of boys and girls forced by the de-.
preston to take to the open road.
Librarian George F. Bowerman, in
response to an inquiry from Repre-
sentative Ellenbogen, made it clear,
however, that the circulation of the
book is restricted. to adults. In a
letter dated March 4. DR.. Bowerman
told Mr.. Ellenbogen that ''the book is
regarded as a valuable sociological
study, very significant from the point
of view of large group of the youth
Of the country
Professors Among Readers.
Among those who read it, DR.. Bow
erman continued, ARE included pro-
fessors of sociology in the various local
colleges and a number of social
workers"
In this DR.. Bowerman was borne
out by DR.. Carl D. Wells, professor
of sociology at George Washington
University, who uses the volume as a
reference in his class work and de-
scribed 1t as the best piece of re-
search in America to date regarding
the problems of the country's young
tranSientS."
During debate on the District sup
ply bill in the House yesterday after
noon. Representative Blanton had this
to say:
Mr.. Chairman, here is book that
is in every library and branch library
in Washington. Under the law the
libraries of Washington are made q
part of the school system. This is the
vilest. most indecent, most blasphem-
Gus book that was ever published
And over here in the Southeast
Library it has been taken out so much
that the cover is worn off and is now
being rebound. 1t ought to be barred
from sale and run out of the country"
Applause Follows Remarks.
The Congressional Record lists that
applause followed Blanton's remarks.
At request Of Representative Ellen
bogen, DR.. Bowerman on Thursday
sent him a schedule showing with
drawals of copies of the book in the
library and branches. This schedule
showed the single copy at the South
east Branch had been taken out 26
times in the 10 months it has been in
circulation. The book has been taken
from the library only once since last
September.
The Central Library has four copies
and there are seven others in the
branches. The II copies have been
Withdrawn from the library and
branches 245 times in~the 10 months
since they were stocked.
DR.. Wells said he embodied much
of the content matter of the volume
in his class instruction. The book
represents a scientific approach to
the subject" DR.. Wells said and the
material which from one point of view
may seem salacious is purely inciden-
tai.
The book details the fact that girls
on the road regard prostitution as a
matter of course. The book does de-
scribe some things which might be in
terpreted as immoral, but scientist
cannot shut his eyes to facts on that
account.
Conservatism Held National.
II used to teach in Texas, can
appreciate the point of view of cer-
tain conservatives from my experience
there. BY that, do not imply that
Texas has any monopoly on that sort
of conservatism. Tt is national in
scope, just as the transient youth
problem is national in scope.
This conservative group has be-
come adjusted to one set of social
standards and when a change comes
along they find it difficult to readjust
their old ideas to fit the actualities
OF the present.
The book is only a true life pic
ture Of problems confronting boys and
girls on the open road" .-