AN EXPERIMENT IN CITIZEN TRAINING. in 



the lorde: thy substance most pure what tonge can describe? thy 

 signes are so wonderous, surmountinge mannes witte, the effects 

 of thy motions so diuers in kinde: so harde for to searche, and 

 worse for to fynde — Thy woorkes are all wonderous, thy cunning 

 unknowen: vet seedes of all knowledge in that booke are so wen — 

 And yet in that boke who rightly can reade, to all secrete knowledge 

 it will him straighte leade." * 



AN" EXPERIMENT IN CITIZEN" TRAINING. 



By WINIFRED BUCK. 



SO far as the present writer knows, Mr. Jacob h^. Riis was the 

 first person to say that it was a boy's energy and love of or- 

 ganization — not his badness — that made him join a street gang; Mr. 

 Riis also added that energy and love of organization are just the 

 characteristics to make the best members of a " boys' club." 



Mr. Riis and Mrs. Van Rensselaer (the President of the Public 

 Education Association) have succeeded through their energy and 

 perseverance in gaining permission of the Board of Education to 

 open in the evenings certain rooms in one of the Tenth "Ward school- 

 houses. In these rooms, as soon as possible, clubs are to be opened 

 for both boys and girls. To describe the restrictions and regulations 

 concerning the organizing of these clubs would be out of place here, 

 but it is hoped that in a few years every schoolhouse in New York 

 will open certain rooms for the purpose, as the demand among boys 

 and girls for such organizations is very great. 



The first club which will be opened (called " club " in distinc- 

 tion from many organizations which are really more in the nature of 

 " classes," having definite instruction as a regular part of their pro- 

 gramme) is to be " Junior Good Government Club No. 2." This 

 kind of club has no connection whatever with the more famous 

 organizations of nearly the same name, but the title so well describes 

 its chief purpose that it was thought best to adopt it. Junior Good 

 Government Club No. 1 has been in existence for about four years 

 in the University Settlement in Delancey Street. As it is the only 

 one we know of which consciously follows certain principles, a 

 description of it may be of interest to those who perhaps think of 

 starting some such club themselves, or who might care to know what 

 the first schoolhouse club is to be. 



The club in question is composed of thirty-five boys, whose ages 

 range from twelve to fifteen years. A greater number than thirty- 



* Preface to Robert Recorde's Castle of Knowledge, 1556. 



