Verhovayak Lapja, 1947 (30. évfolyam, 1-24. szám)
1947 / Verhovay Journal
/ gAGE 10_____________________________________________________ Verhovay »OUR PART IN PREVENTING JUVENILE DELINQUENCY (Continued from page 9) ration but it will not be difficult to control them. On the whole the child will go after what attracts him and not pay too much attention to undesirable and harmful distractions. The foregoing does not mean that teachers are to be upheld by the parents even to the point of obvious injustice. Teachers are human and, as such, subject to unreasonable sentiments which, occasionally, may drive them to be unfair to a certain child in their class. If that situation cannot be remedied by a heart to heart talk with the teacher or principal, some other solution must be found, like transferring the child to another school. Such situations, however, are exceptional. In most instances they exist only in the imagination of the parent, or the child who has not been properly helped in adjusting himself to the class-room atmosphere. If all parents would establish close contact with the teachers of their children, they would be better able to cooperate with them and, thereby, merge the influences of school, church and home. The Fraternal Group. Parents have various interests in common in addition to that of having their children attend, school and church. ►Some of these interests have little, if anything, to do with the children even though they may be and should be included in those forces which must be used for the strengthening of influences beneficial to the character development of the children. In this respect, fraternal societies represent one of the most important, unlimited yet hitherto rarely used opportunities. The protection of family and home is one of the main purposes of fraternalism. Such protection must not be reduced to mere financial assistance in times of need. It includes moral and spiritual values which fraternalists always were ready to defend against the evil forces that threatened the safety and integrity of the American Home. That is why fraternalists maintain youth activities, that is why they offer educational opportunities to their students. Fraternalism is much more than insurance business: it is a moral force. For. this reason fraternal societies cannot escape the obligation to help eliminate the danger of spreading juvenile delinquency. The future of fraternalism depends on the measure in which we are willing to meet this challenge. Speaking of our own Association, the burden of this task must be assumed by the branches. Up to now very little attention has been paid to the kind of atmosphere prevailing in a branch. In most instances these membership groups have never given any consideration to whether or not the branch represents a desirable influence in the community. The endless squabbles which made up the major part of all branch-activities certainly were not conducive to turning the branches into sources of wholesome influence. In fact, they already have alienated the greater part of one generation from the Association because many of our young adults are firmly convinced, on the basis of childhood impressions, that the “branch” or “lodge” is nothing but aymarketplace of petty jealousies, intrigues, fights and dirty politics. These impressions, of course, did not contribute to making the aims i and ideals of fraternalism attractive to the children. On the contrary: many of our young adults have nothing but cynical disregard for the high sounding phrases with which fraternal activities were decorated in the feeble attempt to cover up those shortcomings which have made lasting impressions on our young folks. If we want the future generation to be interested in fraternalism, we must make our activities convincing and attractive to our children who know very well what is going on at the meetings, from the conversations of their parents. The cynical disregard in which religion, education, society, politics and fraternalism are held by a great part of the young adults of our age is an indictment against the older generation which has given little reason to its children to believe in them. Only after clearing the atmosphere of our fraternal activities of destructive influences can we proceed to the development of a program for the children for whose development we are responsible. No matter how excellent plans we develop, no matter how efficiently they are carried out, they will have no effect on the children unless the general atmosphere is made to harmonize with our fraternal ideals. In fact, if unbrotherly attitudes are permitted to persist, our program will have the opposite effect, for in their minds our professed aims will be identified with our attitudes both of which they will ridicule and oppose. Our children are in dire need of the beneficial influence of wholesome, inspiring and joyful fraternalism. This is the first task to be accomplished and it shouldn’t be difficult considering that we do it for our children whom wre profess to love. Then we must proceed to attack the problem at its ioots. In most branches and lodges, the officers and members have no idea what to do with themselves at the meetings. Here is something that can be done and should be done. Invite a teacher, or the principal to your branch-meeting asking him, or her, to talk to you about the parents’ part in guiding the character development of the children. Most parents have no education whatsoever for the greatest and most important task of their lives: the rearing of children. Here is an opportunity to make up for what they missed. Teachers, educators will be happy to comply with such requests and the members would find something that would make it worth their time to attend these meetings. The next step would be to provide wholesome entertainment for the children. The individual parent can do very little for providing the children with playgrounds. This is a comunity project which demands the united efforts of parents banded in groups. The fraternal society is able to exert the pressure needed for the execution of such projects and it can help in providing for equipment, maintenance and supervision. Another step would be to provide a club-room for the children. Every community in which this project has been tried, reports outstanding success. The older folks have places where to go, yet the children’s need for such facilities is much greater than that of their elders. Equip these clubrooms with games, tables, chairs, a juke-box, and you have something to take the kinds off the streets and its uncontrollable influences. Provide for competitive games, contests, stage-shows and similar events and display the proper interest toward these activities. Fill the lives of your children with excitement, expectancy and wholesome attractions and you’ll have cut the roots of juvenile delinquency. All these are things desired by every parent. But the individual parent is unable to provide for any of them. This Journal_________ October 8, 1947 WRITE-A-LETTER WEEK October 12 to 18 We have before us a letter from the United States Post Office requesting that we devote some space in he Journal to the National Letter Writing Week to be observed October 12 to 18. Enjoying the benefits of a second class permit, naturally we cannot do anything but cooperate wit the request of the Post Office and, therefore, we quote the following sentiments from the postal authorities’ own printed pamphlet: “Any personal letter you write is your own work of art. It is your common carrier of happiness. Your letters transport love and affection, news and pleasure, gaiety and amiability. They bring people together and keep together those who live apart; they span the distances and the years. Even if they must sometimes carry sad news, the very nature of these missives is personal, thoughtful, decent. They are priceless paper monuments to man’s good will — person to person literature that runs its course from heart to heart. A letter is a unique creation imposing little on its creator. Its effects are compounded, for every personal letter could — or should — inspire another. You need not write much or even well. Implicit in every letter you write are good will, good intentions and consideration — the ingredients that dispel doubt and fear. There are hearts you can fill with happiness. There is an empty mail box you can fill with letters. Write that letter today!” Golden words, true words, indeed, especially if taken to refer only to letters written between the 12th and 18th of October, or, for that matter, of any month. It’s a pity the Post Office did not designate, for instance, October 26 to November 1st as National Letter Writing Week. Then, indeed that week' would spread pleasure and joy all over the nation, for surely the depai’tment stores and utility companies would enter into the spirit of things by sending out pre-cancelled bills . . . But that’s perhaps the reason why the U. S. Post Office picks a week in the middle of the month. Thus we are in no danger of escaping any overdue bills . . . Still, the thought is a nice one and though we have pity for our overburdened mailman, we’U join the Post Office in urging our readers to write that letter . . . especially the one Dad and Mom, brother and sister, or that good friend of yours is waiting for . . . Write it today! A negro track laborer had been moving timbers and ties all day until he was completely worn out. At the end of the day he ap proached his foreman and said: “Boss, you sure got my name right?” The foreman looked on his list and replied: “Yes. Here you are Simpson, John Simpson. Isn’t that right?” “Yas, suh, boss, das right. Ah thought mebbe you had me down as Samson.” The way to fight a woman is with your hat. Grab it and run. is where the parents need help and it is the fraternal society, the lodge, the branch, which can give the kind of help that is most needed. And that is our part in preventing juvenile delinquency. I
