SOCIETY AND THE BOY

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 79, 27 December 1907, Page 3

SOCIETY AND THE BOY

'! Any .!intelligent observer • who makes;, a study, qf the comparative: statistics 'as' to.' the waywardness of girls and boys, and who. also takes'irito consideration that, as the' child- . Ten.s?,.,both sexes in any class.of the com-munity.-arc,, born of ; thc same parents and ajl'ected. by identical .-influence's of environment/and school, the theory' , that-'.the' b'oy is fi'ari^lji^ppcd'in tho. race for right living.by tne",#osscss'ion of total depravity .m greater do'gr£o than his. more moral'."sister 'is'.a wjhplly/, untenable one, must,admit .that the the".boy's greater propensity for 'wi'flngdrjing. is to be ascribed, to something otthef- than original , 'sin. The odd -circumslii'lipf} is that,, although such iristitutionsas the;.-''Childron!s> Aid Society have. ;beeiv .-for lpij'g:'.years an■ o.bject ; lesson ■ in saving, the children of the gutter, whose parents in rainy instances';- represent the dregs , ' , of hiimaiiity 1 ,. those' actively interested ■•in , tjic sal'vatUm. of,' tb'e'/boy•' have not , perceived bei'pre'..now that -he is tho product and viciita of ivjcii&ps. systems of training,, unconsciously oxercise'cl' by/. pa'reii ts,' guardiaii s*'. arid toaeh-'ijjrs'.Vv-it wb'uldj.of course, %i •neither 1 feasible ji.or"'desirable- that the 'precise! methods 'of the'(/hildfeiVs'Aid Society, be generally foljcrjye/l,'! but/ !the..fact-that".the .organisation .has-.successfiilly : mot a : boy- .MprbMom" complicated .by slum heredity and environment ejipuldv long , before now have ; suggested.to Boy-jsa-vionrs' generally the need- of>.'radically ■revising,'■theirvestiinato of■ hirij-.in• Jiis.irelatiorf'tp. Tiopiety. As "ah '.illustration, 'let-, us t'ak'e itjyeactual..case of {.three, boy's'under' ten y,ears',.'pf :,age' (two'of them ministers', sons) ,whb,.- became/ tlie:-. delighted - possessors> .this. ,aij'tu,mri of. bean-shooters. .'.'-Upoii bniug,ques-.tjbned-,concerning '/them '.the little' fellows .ad--.mitted that 'they/;knew it was'illegal to iisn .and., said'(that'. they hid 'them-.'when, the .."cop" .camey-jn !s.igh't'.- ; 'And they alsoadmittedSby eloquent', silence 'that the. reason,-..they,.''had .riot killed..any',birds iwas -because; tjiey had' nbt up , to.tliat/tiroo .be.eij able to-hit itherii.- Now 'those who : give boys " : bran-shooters. ; and • parents' /who allow children.;to iise \thom',■ .would./''doubtless- ha to .'bo. accused of/training boys .at. an impressionable, age; 'to-bo .'lawbreakers, '• dcceitful; : - and' 'cruel' to 'birds-, and animals—thus doing. thenv'Vn amount of harm .-.that' • years of/attendance: ■ in , ; Sunday. Schools -and',-church. -would .be powerless ', to', counteract-r-but .'such' , , would •Hβ"/.-/a.'/'just '■.'■. statement'.>'■ of'. .'.facts'. IV would, occur.'to. only : .a- m'ost> exceptional parson , to-:give- hean-shopters /to., little. girls ■iii .'the SQcial to/which .those ■ small ■ boys bejo'ng;. it is., also .most. : improbablo:,that mothers' would allow their girls' to, l go.'about using • theni, and t-His difference in"■ the treatnient; of the • two • seso.s^'"in;'extreme' youth i;uns.through' y all tlip boyVand'the Rixlin the ,ma,joritjy.-.of/families^.rich'.'or.'paor. .fj'lie.,,male child..froiu his corlicst ; .mbiitns is '.eiic;6u'raged .to -bo self-assertive,;'selfisli^'' and in a.' thousand-• ways ith'ntv would ..not jia; tolerated iii tlie , " girl;;and if he.becomes, a 'prpbiem , ' the fault is "not; his'but" , that ''bfvthe lamijy'.and .society .which ; doyclbps 'iii;..him ra.Jicense/that'tunis.ihina ■ tb'w'rong-dping'.'; .In the Jh'obdluni'.phal) classes' -society:'.U: reaping what.: it •'sows'.7-''The Vogue," ;New A'orkl.: .