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Show r i I J V n v 'j u UViL m north on route 38 between Dryden and Freeville, Thriving - New York, you come upon a scattered group of modest white frame houses where a dramatic experiment is taking place. Here, on 600 acres of wooded farm land, lies a tiny teen-ager- s, ' -;;. throughout the world. Labor. ent - ; t v time he made a knockdown virtually every .time he made a convert. Thereafter, the Bowery boys listened to George with respect. One summer in the early 1890's, he asked a group of boys to spend the summer with him at the little farm in Freeville where had spent his childhood. The experiment went off fairly well, but George realized that to make it successful he needed to hold the boys for a morer continuous period. He called a meeting afhd asked for volunteers to stay on the farm through the winter. Five boys .stepped forward boys who la;er became distinguished citizens. After, a while, George began to notice that the boys were taking advantage of his generosity. They were grabbing everything that came their way, beginning to think of him as something of a "sucker." George decided they would appreciate things more if they had to work for them. So one day he held up a suit of clothes: "Who wants to work to earn this suit? he asked. There were scornful murmurs. Then one boy stepped forward. He was the first citizen to set the guiding principle of the Republic: Nothing Without republic governed entirely by where are paid for going to school and justice is metedyoungsters out by a seventeen year old boy in a black robe. This is the George Junior Republic, founded 58 years ago by the late William "Daddy" George, a soft spoken manufacturer of paper boxes. Revolutionary for its time, the Republic is still startling educators with its approach to teen rage Citizens of problems. the Republic, 125 boys and girls from 13 to 19 years of age, are troubled youngsters who need guidance through the difficult years of adolescence guidance wmcn tneir own families are unprepared or unwilling to give ..... them. There is no psychiatrist in residence at the Republic, yet psychiatrists who have visited the school have been impressed .with the effective way which these youngsters given a chance to govern themselveswork out their problems. The George system of youth has been copied self-governm- J WW ' , ....... t 'j "Daddy" George was not a man who ran from a challenge. In his twenties he served as a Sunday school teacher in New York's Bowery district, an area not known for its angelic inhabitants. George used to roam the streets talking to the A - ; fter he had earned the suit the boy came running up to "Daddy" George one day, crying out that somebody had taken it. "Do you think it's fair for a guy who don't work to steal from a guy who does?" he asked. The other kids didn't think so. They got together and sought out the culprit themselves. When they found him, they persuaded him to return Bowery toughs but never getting very far. finally to overcome the handicap attached to his position as Sunday school teacher, he took to boxing with the young toughs. Every the suit. Thus, the principle of self-governm- emerged. ent They learn to be good citizens by doing! This is their own country. "fr v if ; n V IT L i. ' ' , i i ........ - Working with modern machines, citizens turn out much of the furniture and equipment used in the Republic. FAMILY WEEKLY MAGAZINE JANUARY 17, 1954 After court sessions, when he takes off robes of his serious office, the Judge becomes "one of the guys." t.4 - - - - - i r" chapel is a vital part of Republic life. Both Protestant and Catholic chaplains live on the campus. The r i . |