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Show SECRETARY COX OF THE Y. M. C. A. j TELLS ABOUT BOYS PLAYING POOL Secretary Cox of the T, M. C. A., in answer to criticism of boys loarniug to play pool at the association rooms, has made a thorough investigation and has tho following to sa3'; Members attending day school, under IS ycara of age. and over 10, may play pool and billiards dally until 6 p. m., and. in addition, until 0 o'clock on Friday evenings. even-ings. All other boys who aro in day .school and under this ago are allowed to play only upon the presentation of a game card, bearing tho Indorsement of the assistant as-sistant social director, who consults with parents In case of any doubt as to the ndvlFablllty of Its Issuance. There arts twelve such permits now Issued. All members who work during the daytime and who are under IS years of ago may play at such hours as they can como to the association, up to 0:30 p. m and provided the.y have game cards. Issued as above. There aro at this tlmo llftcen euch permits Issued. Wo have very l'ow employed boy members under 11 years of uge. Through the courtesy of Mrs. Young of the juvcnllu court I have been given tho nnmes nnd addresses of the three hoys concerning whom an article appeared In the Sunday papers relative to their playing play-ing pool at tho association. One has been a. member of the associa-' tlon since 1005 and has for a year and a half plnyed pool and billiards In tho association. as-sociation. Ho will bo IS years of age in March. Ho says that he has played nowhere no-where else than the association, with the exception of once in ono of the men's clubs of the city and a few times in two public halls. He thinks that he learned to play In this association, and says that if he had not been able to learn here he-would he-would have learned elsewhere, ho believes. be-lieves. ' r 'cl The second boy has never been a member mem-ber of the association, and says that ho learned to play pool and billiards two yeurs ago ln Twin Falls, Ida., and that ho has been In the Y. M. C, A. but once. The third boy has not been a member of the association for three years, but has come to tho building a few times In the last few months, so he says, aa a guest of other boys. On one of these occasions occa-sions he played either pool or billiards with those who arcs members. His par-, cuts tfcll us that they are considering the matter of taking out a membership in tho association for him. In order that he may have a place where ho can play theeu games under helpful environment. Two years ago, In company with one of the moat prominent educators of the city, wo counted seventy-five high school boys ln public pool and billiard rooms at 5 o'clock In the afternoon. It seemed that as workers for boys wo could not fairly censure the uso of these Innocent and helpful games even under the vicious Influences In-fluences which we found them, unless wo should provide the same games under helpful Inlluences. Consequently ive have, so far as our means and space would permit, per-mit, furnished an opportunity for young men and boys to play pool and billiards under such guidance nnd supervision as counsel with educators and others interested inter-ested In boys' work has suggested as best. It 1g not claimed that tho supervision super-vision ls perfect, but the arrangement as now mado Is the best that our present knowledge and equipment will permit. For two years tho association has been encouraging what wc believe will result ln tho supervision nnd direction of those sports which are most popular with boys. In the summer the open-lot baseball Held has no ourpasFcd agency for cultivating habits of foul thought, profane language and unfairness. Thceo should be supervised, super-vised, so that they would -not only be turned Into agencies for cultivating manliness manli-ness and honor, but alf.o for securing Increased In-creased physical bonofltK. If liOOO boys play baseball each sum-.mer sum-.mer under such Inlluences, which any one may verify by a tlve-minuto walkV'it would take a good many weeks and dollars dol-lars expended In mental and normal education edu-cation to bring tho embryo citizen back to normal. What baseball Is to the boys of the town In summer billiurds and pool uro to them In tho whiter. Those in charge of the association gamo rooms tell me that It is very seldom Indeed that a boy is found who will admit that he does not know how to play gomes. We' have not had a half-dozen requests for instruction instruc-tion so far. I hope that tho lime will come when some organization, or the city, will provide facilities where boys, under proper nnd wlso guidance, may play pool and billiards in a pbiec of ample capacity and In an atmosphere of honor and culture. cul-ture. The guidance of the "play"' instinct of tho boys of the city Is an acute and pressing press-ing problems. While tho association Is ablo to do far less than wo lind needs to be done, we are now conducting annually an-nually half a dozen athletic le.-igncs. basketball.' baseball and track, for tho boys and young men who are not members mem-bers wjth us; and I slnceroly hope that the ability of the association may bo so Increased that we may be ablo to overcome over-come evil pool and billiard rooms with good pool and billiard rooms. It took tho Association of America fifteen years to do this In tho gymnasium Held, but tho associations all over tho country are taking up the matter of pool and billiards so strongly that wo may perhaps hope for larger and earlier efficiency ef-ficiency on that score. I am firmly convinced that In dealing with all these matters our methods should be to guide and direct tho normal desires nnd activities of boys rather than to ro-prc3s ro-prc3s them. Repression In this regard mcuns hoodlum gangs, rlvur-bank caves and broken windows. Propor direction means much toward strong, sano character. |
