Farm Boys and Girls

by William A. McKeever

How to conduct the work

One of the first steps in conducting the new work is that of making a survey of the entire county. The names, ages, and location of all the boys must be secured, together with some items respecting their present social and religious affiliations. In fact, the more personal items included in the first survey, the better. Some boys will at first look with disfavor upon the new movement, believing that it is merely another scheme to convert them to religion and get them into a church. Care must be taken to disabuse the boy’s mind of this thought from the very beginning. Therefore, it may be well not to try to hustle him into a Bible-study class the first time he is invited out. While the main issue, namely, that of spiritual development of the boy, is not to be forgotten, he must nevertheless be led to this goal through the path of many very common instrumentalities. A Y.M.C.A. athletic meet would most probably prove a better opening number than a Bible-study class or merely a religious service. As the work proceeds, the occasions for a great variety of exercises and programs will present themselves. Among these perhaps there would be the following:—

1. Local and county athletic clubs.—The athletic event is one of the easiest to put on in a newly organized boys’ club. An able leader, perhaps the county secretary, should be present to preside over the event, inducing the boys to form a baseball club, or a basketball team; or at least to arrange for some event in which they can all participate, although that may be as simple a thing as swimming or jumping. Introduce at once the thought of practice and the development of skill, holding out the plan of a county organization and a county field meet in the future, which all may attend and in which the ablest shall have promise of a conspicuous part.

2. Debating and literary clubs.—There is always the possibility of a literary society, provided the thing be carefully instituted. The secret of successful debates among persons of any class is to find a “burning” question. So, avoid such matters as Tariff Reform and the World Peace Movement and come right down home to some perplexing problem in the lives of the boys of the club. Something about their work, their lack of recreation, their chances against those of city boys, and so on, will arouse interest and bring out rough debating material. Find latent talent of other sorts in the club. Some boy can sing; perhaps another can play a musical instrument; still another one may be a natural-born storyteller; a fourth may be an expert acrobat and tree climber; a fifth a shrewd hunter or trapper of wild animals. In this way, nearly every boy can be led to take part in a general program.

Thus, while contributing something toward the entertainment of all, each boy’s active participation will go far by way of awakening his personal interest in the new life.

3. Receptions and suppers.—After the boys get fairly under way with their club, they may need to arrange an oyster supper or some such affair at which they will discuss their many mutual problems. On some such occasions they may desire to invite their parents to come and enjoy the program, also to participate in the discussion of their affairs. This form of close association will be found especially enticing to the boys, giving them a good, clean place to go for social enjoyment and something to look forward to in their thoughts during the somewhat prosaic hours of the day in the field.

4. Educational tours and problems.—The boys may find it feasible to go in a body once or twice a year on an educational tour—to the state fair; to study some particular thing in the city; to gather data for the solution of some local problem; to make a study of the habitat of some bird or animal; to gather specimens of rocks or plants; and so on. In case of any such trip there is not a little necessity of some college-trained person as overseer, so that the study may be made intensive and not become dissipated in mere sport and fun. It is usually advisable to make a careful study of only one thing at a time.

Plate XVIII.