Evening star., 1936-12-13

capable instructor, II they wish. In
! struction Is given in handcrafts.
A band Of So members, thoroughly
trained and real musicians, is under
the direction of Clinton j. Brown, jr.
The band is uniformed in red, white
and blue, and is acclaimed prize
winning unit" wherever it goes. So
many requests for the appearance Of
this band come into the directors Of
fice that it is impossible for the boys
to accept them all. Like everything
else in connection with these clubs,
the services of the band are free, and
so popular has the organization be-
come that the bandmaster predicts
there will be 100 members In 1887.
The club personnel makes every ef-
/ fort TO establish the friendliest atmos-
phere in the club rooms. so that boys
will be completely at ease and happy
in their surroundings. Only those re-
strictions which make for the main
tenance Of good fellowship are i'm
posed, and it is the observation of
Sergt. Scott that practically every boy
who becomes a member willingly COM
/ plies with club rules.
"YOU can get under the crust of
any boy living, If you just are
patient enough and don't grow dis
couraged If you fail the first time, "
Sergt Scott declares. There's always
something in which any boy is par
/ ticularly interested. If you can win
/ his confidence and approach him on
/ that subject. you can get at him and
do pretty much as you like for him
| then.
I'VE don't mind the boys whom
others are apt to call 'incorrigibles.
The club is the very place for them.
| for you can change q bad boy. It's
the good boy who can't be changed,
/ and we're grateful for that. The good
boy-that is, the boy with inherently
sound qualities-stays that way. Bring
| a bad boy into his environment,
with his example, and it's the bad
boy who changes The other fellow
stays the way he is.
You have to know boys. You have
to have sympathy with them. Anc
there's only one way to get that-tc
live among them. Kids are different
Some are used to being left by them
selves at home; they resent the ap'
proach of another person and you've
got to know how to handle them sc
you won't antagonize them and keer
them shut away permanently from
their comrades.
Il was at No. 4 the other afternoon
and in the game room there was lit
tie fellow not day over 6 years old
He was sitting all by himself, playing
checkers, entirely alone. I went over
to him and put my hand on his head
and asked him If he'd like some other
fellow to play with him. He looked
at me, filled with antagonism. Wanna
be alone he said and, by George. he
meant it. He repulsed every effort
I made. When ! offered to sit down
and play with him, he began to move
away, so left him alone. Poor little
fellow, maybe he was one of the hun
dreds who come into these clubs who
know absolutely nothing of compan-
ionship at home. You have to be pa
tient with them and not 60 too fast
or you'll scare them of. That little
fellow probably will be playing with
the rest of them before long, IL we
give him time to get used to having
the boys around him.
Not the least of the excellent serv-
ices performed by the Boys Club IN
the interests of youth is their aid to
the older boy who is looking for job
They assist in every way possible In
securing employment for such men,
bers and follow their subsequent ca
reers with interest.
1--WE have eight boys in the club
who have won scholarships" states
Morris Fox, assistant director of the
Boys Club, proudly. I'VE have one
fellow who just recently entered the
University of Alabama on one OF our
scholarships. They keep in touch with
us, too. letting us know how they get
! along"
Mr.. FOX turned to a sneaf of let
~'A ters in a portfolio. Those are
letters from kids who wrote us OF their
own accord, telling us what the club
has meant to them in their lives. Some
of those letters are heart-rending,
but tell you they make you feel glad
you're tied up with something doing
as much good as that. There's one
little fellow in the club who was left
completely without home or family
ties-abandoned in every sense Of the
word. He came into the club look
ing for a job. We employed him at q
small salary. He's one of the finest
young fellows in the District of Co.
lumbia today. There's picture OF
/ him"
A healthy, happy countenance, with
q fine forehead, intelligent. wide
spread eyes and an ingratiating grin
smiled up from the photograph.
"Nice teeth, hasn't hep" inquired
the assistant director. almost pater-
nally. "we keep them that way. too
at the clinic"
Any boy between the ages Of 6 and
Is can be a member Of q club. As
q matter of fact, boys even older than
this are being attracted by the super
vised activities ut their disposal and
have come in from the street corners
to participate.
1 "It,s fine when those big fellows
come in," Sergt. Scott says, because
the little boys always want to do what
the big ones do
During the week the club rooms are
open from 8 pm. to . pm. and on
Saturdays from $50 am. to . pm.
The clubs are closed on Sundays, but
often there are sports contests On
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