RIGHT WAY TO TRAIN BOYS

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 266, 13 April 1917, Page 1 (Supplement)

RIGHT WAY TO TRAIN BOYS

TYRANNY OF "YOU MUSTN'T DO THAI."

By An Old Hoy.

The wave of crime among boys to winch the Press has called attention is partly tho outcome of ignorance and and neglect on the part 01 the grownup community. If you analyse it you. will find that it is a revolt of the boys of England against the trranny which condemns them to do nothing. Who are the boys who are doing tbeaa startling things which appear in tlie records oV crime ? They are the boy:-, of the working "class'—the sons of our gallant soldiers. Consequently they live in small houses, and m houses there is nowhere that boys can

••let of steam." A boy goes home from school in the afternoon, and, as soon as he has ted, and perhaps done his home work, asks himself: "What can 1 DO?" Possibly ho takes up a knife and begins chipping a piece 01 wood —the instinct for carving, which is good. His devoted motner, with a number of children to look after, a baby to put to bed and a house to keep tidy, at once exclaims: "You mustn't do that, Jimmy; you're aro making a moss." if lie has the instinct for drawing —which .s good—perhaps Jimmy gets his pencil and sketches a soldier on tho wall. Now his ears are boxed, and his loving mother cries: You mustn't do that; you're arc spoiling tho wall-paper. Pcasfjly Jimmy; tlhaa Uhadlettges Tommy" to a frendiy fight, and they knock over a chair. This is the last straw. "Stop it you little worries, ' cries the distracted mother, "upsetting the furniture and making such a row. It you wont to play, go outside. '

PERILS OF PLAY. So Jimmy and Tommy go outside. They aro sent out by themselves, to do just what they like, with no one to give tliem ideas, no on© to lead their games or adventures, no one to teach them anything —until the p.?licoman grabs them by the cellar and exclaims : Now my boy, you're not jllowcd to do that; what's your namo and address?" Then Jimmy and Tommy ;.re brought up tor committing a "crime," when all they have done is to smash something, or play Robin Hood the King of Robbers, or set something on tire, or to do one of tho thousand exasperating things that boys will do when they are left to themselves by a stupid aud shiftless community which merely harries them with the injunction: " You mustn't do that," and does not take tho trouble to tell thorn: "You may do this; come along, my hearties and havo the time of your young lives." They mustn't make a trench raid on the greengrocer's shop and retire laden with apples; they are impressed with the fact that it is a wrong thing to do. So they go for a bombing expedition, and knock every bit of glass out of old Jonc's greenhouse What a lovely spree! But old Jones objects, and the bombing 'party aro hauled up for committing a crime. They meet subsequently to discuss the narrowing prospects of enjoyable exertion.

'•Can't make any raids, you get run in; mustn't go l/ombing, or the policeman chases you; what can we do? Let's have a battle." So they marsha.l the army, secure sticks and stones, and are in the thick of the fight when one of the stones catches a local magistrate behind the ear, and the lads are rounded up for another "crime."

WHO IS TO BLAiIE? Well, who's to blame? Is it sensible to throw boys on their own rosso ureas, to them to "go mit and play." them the run of the dark vtreets.lo offer them no other place to play in, to present no ideas to their eager nnnds, to encourage them in no way whatever to do anything useful or harmless —and then, when they do tuo things which to them seem lovely and of good report, turn round on them and cry out about their "depravity." The"wave of crime" as the '.vutcome of misdirected impulse. The cure for it lies in proper direction. Hero are a few points:— Every boy must have somewhere to play; it is his right; it is our duty. The only placo in a town where he can play in the street or in some building; tho only available building is the school. Therefore, it is the duty of tho parents to insist that the schools shall bo thrown open to the boys at night as dubs, or play centres, where the boys can DO SOMETHING; chopping wood, ir they like, or boxing, or fighting with sticks, or drawing big figures on walls -chalk of various colours on black walls •or learning to tie knots, or identify bird's eggs, or study tho ways of insects, or act plays, or do anything else that wi;l bo useful, or harmless and jolly. Why not have a Boy Scout club in every school, to which every boy shnil belong, with a Wolf Club for the "nippers' ' ? Every boy would run to his club to "do something" after his tea. Our boys aro bubbling over with tho desire to "do something." Every school in the town?, ought to be u club and a "playhouse" after school hours. The revolt of the boys will soon com pel this to bo done.

lv. Down went the nose of the aeroplane in front of me. No longer did I find my.se'f staring vaguely up into the heavens, hut down to the earth beneath, that seemed every second to lie rushing up to meet us. I was surprised no more, alarmed at the speed at which we landed, and quite expo-ted a horrifying jolt as we touched the earth, but was pleasantly surprised to find how lightly wo landed and taxied across to the hangars, where the engine was shut off, and that wonderful craft of power and strengtfi became again an inanimate block of metal and wood.