The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1946-12-20
A Yonk Teaches
Youth Of
Germany
American Ways
BY IRENE
AP NeWsfeatures

AP Newsfeatures
Berlin.-Long before Secreta-
rv of State Byrncs laid down
at Stuttfart the new American
policy towards the new demo-
cratic Germany a 25-year-old
army sergeant named Earl AL
bers was bringing the Ameri-
can conception of life to en-
thusiastic German youngsters
of Berlin via softball and other
sports fields.
Today, with winter closing
in and softball becoming an
impossibility, the young SER
geant from Crab Orchard, Neb.,
has moved his youth re-educa-
ton program indoors and is
running a club for youngsters
which from its inception has
been the very negation of ev-
erything they learned in their
Hitler Youth movement.
No one gives orders in this
American-sponsofed youth
home in the u. S. sector of
Berlin; no one tells the kids
they will play ping pong on
Monday, do calesthenics on
Tuesday, and dance on WedneS-
day.
Do AS They Ples-e
Instead we allow the kids to
come in here and do whatever
they want: read magazines,
play games. dance, listen to
the radio explains Sgt. A'bers.
This is their youth hens to
do with what they will--out-
Side of burning it down, of
course"
The crowd of laughing Young
sters who every night fl the
seventeen rooms of the rambl-
ing gabled house are proof that
the seemingly casual approach
of the young American SER
geant and his four l9.year I'D
full-time CT assistants is up
idly making the Hitler Yc0th
movement a dim memory.
Yet behind this first youth
home run by the American ar
my in Berlin is the story e a
young American who feels nat
the best way to bring demccra-
CIV to the children is to each
them to play the game.
More than five months ago
Sgt. Albers preached to Mai.
P. -. Ryan the idea of teach
ing softball to the youngsters.
Receiving a tentative okay, the
sergeant and four other will
ing CTS on their own free time
held their first instruction pc
riod. Nineteen youths showed
up, but in two months time the
five Gf's were carrying the
softball message" to an yer
age of 700 Youngsters a day.
When Albers brought up the
idea of setting up a building
where youths could spend their
time the major gave him whole
hearted support, and with the
army behind linn the young
sergeant dug up glass for brok-
en- window panes, paint for
peeled wallpaper, furniture for
bare rooms, a piano, radios,
games, ping-pong tables, a Ii
brary of 1000 books, magazines,
and coal for heating-in short,
all the requirements necessary
for the running of a club house
whihc is open from 9 a. m. until
10 p. N.
Today this club house is run
ming full blast and is gaining
more adherents every day.
WED take in more, but we
just haven't enough room," de
clares Albers. $50 far we've
had to turn away 1000 kids, and
if we had three more houses
like this they'd be filled up be-
fore they were opened"
Candidly, Albers admits that
a goo6 many of the youngsters,
especially the older ones .be',
tween Is and ID. are suspicious
of the American-sponSored club,
just as they are suspicious to-
day of every attempt at indoc-
trination.
They can't figure out this
setup,' explains Albers, They
keep waiting for the lectures
for a hint that we're frying IN