intendents have approved the idea and the specific project but have been unable to get any money appropriated for it. SCHOLARSHIPS AND OTHER FORMS OF AID The alumni association appropriates approximately $1,500 per year in the form of scholarships to Clinton graduates. The amount, perforce, is limited by the resources available. These scholars are selected by the principal and the faculty as the most deserving on the basis of scholarship, service, character, service to the school and community, need, and promise of future contributions to society. In addition to these regular contributions, the association from time to time answers special pleas brought to its attention. For example in 1958 it gave $200 to a senior in Michigan (former Clinton graduate) who would have had to drop out of school otherwise. In the same vein, $100 was awarded to a sophomore at Dartmouth, who found the rising cost of a college education just a slight bit more than his parents could meet. Once again money, money. In the school at the present time there is a special experimental class in biology. It is studying the techniques of research and experimentation. Most of its equipment, animals, and instruments were supplied by the famous Sloan-Kettering Institute. The necessary concomitants, such as food for the animals and certain pieces of equipment, were lacking. It is a very simple thing to say that the board of education should supply these things. In a huge system such as ours this is impossible. The alumni association granted $125 to keep this project going until June. Money, money. In addition the alumni association has spent freely of its meager funds to send boys to the Shawnee Leadership Camp, the National Conference of Christians and Jews, Boys State, etc. Money. The purpose of this brief report on the efforts of the De Witt Clinton Alumni Association to bring to the current generation the real cornerstones on which democracy rests, as well as to get it to carry the torch that the association has held so high, is to try to interest individuals and organizations with money to make a direct contribution to help carry on and expand the work. Those familiar with it know its value. Without money it must end. Can the most fabulous country, State, and city let its "kids" down? A thousand times no, especially as long as there is money to be had. THE JUVENILE PLANNING GROUP OF ASHEVILLE & BUNCOMBE COUNTY, Re Juvenile delinquency control bill, S. 694. Hon. JOSEPH S. CLARK, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. Asheville, N.C., May 12, 1959. DEAR SIR: The Juvenile Planning Group of Asheville and Buncombe County heartily supports your bill proposing Federal assistance for programs to control juvenile delinquency. Our group, composed of representatives from civic, religious, and professional organizations of the community, devoted to the prevention and reduction of juvenile delinquency, is very active and interested in the welfare of our youth. At our regular monthly meeting held today the group voted to support your bill. You may include this letter as a part of the hearing record. Very truly yours, PHILIP CLARK, Chairman. STATEMENT OF JOHN M. GLEASON, NATIONAL DIRECTOR, BOYS' CLUBS OF AMERICA Gentlemen, Boys' Clubs of America is appreciative of your invitation to appear before this subcommittee which is considering legislation concerned with juvenile delinquency. My name is John M. Gleason and I am national director of Boys' Clubs of America which is chartered by the Congress of the United States. I am a past president and life member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, a member-at-large of the National Safety Council, a director of the Connecticut Mental Health Association and a member of President Eisenhower's Advisory Council on Youth Fitness. I have also served the Army and State Department in Europe as an adviser. I am a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Academy and served for 25 years as a police official, including service as the chief of police of Greenwich, Conn. Prior to becoming national director of Boys' Club of America, I served as chief administrator for the town of Greenwich. I have, therefore, had the opportunity to observe this major problem of delinquency as a law enforcement officer, a public administrator, and currently as head of an organization which has as a primary concern the preventing and lessening of juvenile delinquency. Perhaps it might be helpful to put into the record a brief statement about the Boys' Club movement in America: There are Boys' Clubs in 352 communities in 42 States, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia. There are 500,000 boy members. There are 1,400 full-time adult workers; 3,500 part-time adult workers; and 10,000 volunteer workers and 70,000 adults serving on boards of directors. The national organization is headed by a distinguished board of directors; Herbert Hoover is chairman of the board and Albert L. Cole is our national president. The Boys' Club movement began in the 1860's when public-spirited citizens in several New England communities established facilities and activities to provide boys from lower income families with opportunities for constructive use of leisure time. The movement spread to other communities as the effectiveness of the Boys' Club philosophy and methods became more widely recognized. In 1906, some 50 existing clubs joined together to form the national organization to service the clubs and to assist interested communities in establishing new clubs. In spite of limited funds and little publicity and promotion, the movement spread steadily. Early in the 1940's the movement took on new impetus and began to show a rapid growth of new clubs. In 1942, there were only 209 clubs in national membership. At the end of 1958, the number had increased to 522 clubs. During 1958, a new club was established on an average of one in less than every 10 days. Although most clubs are located in the crowded and poorer areas of towns and cities, a number of clubs have been opened in small communities to serve all boys who have needs and problems. LOCAL CLUB AND NATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS Each Boys' Club belonging to Boys' Clubs of America is an autonomous organization. It is managed by a board of public-spirited citizens and supported by the community chest or united fund, or by contributions made directly to the Boys' Club. Boys' Clubs of America, composed of member clubs, establishes standards and methods; develops program and program material, plans buildings and equipment; recruits, trains, and places club workers, publishes periodicals, booklets, and bulletins; carries on national interpretation and publicity; and furnishes guidance plans and materials for the use of the movement throughout the country. There are seven regional offices and two subregional offices with field workers who give guidance and assistance to the Boys' Clubs in their plans and problems, and aid communities in the organization and establishment of additional Boys' Clubs. THE UNIQUENESS OF THE BOYS' CLUB There are a number of characteristics which, in whole or in part, make the Boys' Club a unique organization. 1. It is for boys. It is an all-boy organization and as such satisfies an age-old desire to have a club of their own. Its members have a real sense of belonging. 2. No proof of good character or pledge is required. Its membership is not limited to boys of good character only. It also wants to help and guide boys who may be in danger of acquiring wrong behavior. 3. Any boy can afford to belong. Membership dues are kept low enough so that the poorest boy can afford to belong on an equal basis with other boys. Νο boy belongs on a special or charitable basis. 4. It is nonsectarian. Boys' Clubs are completely nonsectarian in their organization, management, leadership, and membership. 5. It has an open-door policy. The Boys' Club is open every weekday, afternoon, and evening. 6. It has a varied program. At all times there is something constructive to do for boys of differing inclinations and to meet varying needs. 7. Not just a recreation program. The Boys' Club is much more than just a place for recreation. Emphasis is placed on everyday guidance. Every boy has a chance and is encouraged to develop to his fullest capacity health and physical fitness, mental and manual skills. 8. Gives continuous informal guidance. The Boys' Club is not just a mass of boys. It is composed of individuals, each of whom has his own needs, problems, skills, attitudes, and ambitions. A professionally trained and friendly staff makes possible an individual service and a continuous informal guidance program through which skills are developed, and attitudes are formed and fostered toward right and wrong, the rights of others, religion and our kind of government. For the further guidance of this committee, may we refer you to our annual report to the 87th Congress, 1st session which is submitted to the Congress in compliance with section 14 of Public Law 988, an act of Congress signed on August 6, 1956. In consideration of the specific bills before this committee, it is encouraging to Boys' Clubs of America to observe that the Congress is recognizing that the problem of juvenile delinquency is one which needs Federal leadership and funds. We feel it appropriate that such funds be large enough-because the problem is large so that grants for demonstration projects, for research, for training of personnel, for upgrading of already existing programs can, at long last, be accomplished with sufficient backing so that real progress can be made. Boys' Clubs of America, like other youth serving organizations, recognizes that it has a stake in attacking the problem of delinquency. At the same time, we recognize that although there is much testimony from educators, public officials, public administrators, police officials and court personnel which indicate that Boys' Clubs really have an effect on juvenile delinquency we also know that part of this testimony is not documented by hard solid research. 1 We call this committee's attention to a report in the March 1959 issue of the annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. This study by the Center for Human Relations Studies of New York University is entitled "The Effectiveness of a Boys' Club in Reducing Delinquency." Abstracted, this report says: "The delinquency rates for white boys in three areas of Louisville, Ky., were compared for the period 1944-54. These areas were selected because they were similar in certain ecological characteristics. The delinquency rates decreased steadily over an 8-year period in the area where there was a Boys' Club. The delinquency rates in the two other areas with no youth-serving agencies increased over the same period of time. Some discussion is devoted to the limited nature of any conclusions that can be derived from a statistical study of this type in which several factors cannot be controlled. The study indicates that the Boys' Club was probably one important factor in the decline in delinquency in an area of a city where delinquency was increasing in other sections." Although this study was encouraging since it seemed to substantiate the contribution of Boys' Clubs in preventing this problem of delinquency it needs to be recognized that this was merely a first step, in that it establishes a base line from which other studies can begin. In view of the evident limitations of the procedure utilized in the study, the investigators felt that any similar statistical approach would yield results that probe no deeper than the present study into possible casual relationships. It is the opinion of research workers in the fields of sociology and psychology that an intensive case study and analysis is necessary in order to determine the effect of any social agency on the problems with which it deals. The investigators suggested two basic patterns of research that might be used in order to determine the impact of a Boys' Club on delinquency: Pattern 1 would be a historical-sociological survey in which the research workers would chronicle every happening, every meeting, every interpersonal 1 See appendix, attached. involvement of the club leaders and club workers over a period of time from the opening of the club. Data would be gathered on the attitudes and actions of law enforcement officers, citizens, and other social workers on the problem of delinquency. These data would be supplemented by statistical data on the actual change in delinquency rates during the time of the historical survey. This method might be helpful to spell out partially the contribution of the Boys' Club in the alleviation of the delinquency problem in its community: how much change was due to organization activities of the club staff among the adults in the community and how much change was due to activities with the boys themselves. Pattern 2 would be an experimental approach in which a large number of boys (500 or so) would be chosen from three or four Boys' Clubs in three or four different cities are then matched with another 500 or so boys who do not belong to a Boys' Club from the same cities. These boys would be studied from the psychosocial standpoint, using many different techniques, and observed periodically over a 2- or 3-year period. The incidence of delinquency in each group could be studied as well as other aspects of the behavior and development of the boys. This particular pattern is a very challenging one and would throw real light on the contributions of the Boys' Clubs. It is obvious that this is a rather expensive procedure, but the results should justify the expense. This is admittedly a difficult approach, but it is an extremely valuable one when carried out by experienced and competent research workers. A further embellishment of pattern 2 might involve doing some of the research indicated in pattern 1 at the same time. The investigators believed that there are many ways of arriving at the contribution of the Boys' Club to society on the delinquency problem. They felt, however, that the problems in a purely statistical study limit the value of this method in arriving at the real impact of the Boys' Club on delinquency. We are pleased that this important subcommittee is giving consideration to utilizing national funds to take a depth look through research at the many programs which are supported by private contributions. Organizations like the Boys' Club would be materially assisted if such funds were made available, either directly or through other educational institutions. It makes considerable sense to spend such funds for organizations concentrating on preventing children from getting into trouble and it is in this area of prevention that Boys' Clubs have a particular responsibility. It is recognized that funds to help organizations which have direct service to the delinquent children are very much needed to prevent such children from continuing to get into trouble. There are, however, thousands of predelinquents and an enormous saving of human tragedy as well as money might well be made if there could be such an investment of Federal funds. Such further research as suggested here would help Boys' Clubs of America and other youth organizations determine exactly what it is in their programs which contributes toward preventing or lessening delinquency. Such documented information would help improve and strengthen the effectiveness of such effort on behalf of youth. APPENDIX Herbert Hoover, from an address made in San Francisco, Calif., at cornerstone laying of Columbia Park Boys' Club "These clubs are the greatest cure for delinquency in our country. I could prove it to you by the statistics from 300 cities. In one Chicago district alone, the number of boys in the hands of the police every year decreased from 80 percent to only 12 percent." J. Edgar Hoover, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington, D.C. "Crime continues to rise in a steadily increasing volume. Unfortunately, juvenile involvement in criminal offenses continues in the same general trend. But, in this dark picture, there are occasional gleams of light. One of these is the Boys' Clubs of America. "The Founders of our Nation based their concept of government upon the theory that freemen must accept responsibility or lose their freedom. Today, there can be no finer expression of patriotism than sincere and active participation in work dedicated to the development of responsible young citizens. Certainly, this is true of those who devote their time and energy to the individ ual Boys' Clubs throughout America, for these clubs are proving their worth. They are taking boys off the streets and enlisting them in programs of intelligently supervised, constructive activity. Where they exist, delinquency diminishes. "The children of a generation reflect the soundness of that generation. We owe it to ourselves not only to prevent delinquency, but also to develop the finest qualities possible in American youth. The Boys' Clubs of America strives to do both. "That is why I am proud to be a member of its board of directors. That is why I believe the Boys' Clubs of America deserves the unqualified support of all our citizens in every part of our country." Christian A. Herter, Secretary of State "The Boys' Clubs, not only in Massachusetts but throughout our land, have played a vital part during the past half century in helping boys in congested areas to become useful and healthy citizens." Feature story, Christian Science Monitor, Boston, Mass. "Delinquency is hard to measure, Waltham has had its share of it, like other cities and towns. But its chief of police, Asa McKenna, is convinced that if it were not for the Boys' Club, the delinquency rate would soar." W. F. Peach, chief of police, Newport, News, Va. "In 1946 our Boys' Club was established here in Newport News. We immediately noted a decrease in our juvenile delinquency. Later on Mr. Harry Shoff was appointed as an executive director and under his able guidance our juvenile delinquency continued on a decrease until we have done away with our juvenile department, which was part of our police department. I am sure it was a result of the Boys' Club in our city and the work that they are doing that has reduced our juvenile delinquency to almost nothing so that we were able to eliminate the juvenile department. "I know of no other organization that has been as helpful in preventing juvenile delinquency in the city of Newport News as our Boys' Club." Editorial, Everett, Wash., Labor Journal "*** the fifth anniversary of the Boys' Club observed, and during this 5 years of operation, only one boy holding membership in the Boys' Club has been a visitor of Tom Warnock in his office in the county courthouse. *** one of "Prior to 1947 over 1,000 juvenile complaints were being handled by the sheriff's office each year; this figure has decreased year by year the lowest delinquency rates in the State." Wendell H. Howes, chief of police, Nantucket, Mass. "Since the erection and establishment of the Nantucket Boys' Club in 1950, the Boys' Club program and its influence on boys is proving to be a determining factor in reducing our juvenile delinquency here on Nantucket. "Not only have arrests been reduced, but complaints for undue acts of vandalism have been very negligible. I highly endorse the Boys' Club movement as an effective organization in dealing with juvenile delinquency." Pontiac Press, Pontiac, Mich. "Since the completion of the club on Pontiac's East Side, authorities report that juvenile delinquency has been negligible in that area. Sgt. Henry Hoyt, Pontiac police juvenile officer said, "The rate of juvenile delinquency in the Boys' Club vicinity has fallen from the highest number to the lowest in Pontiac.'" Ira L. Harbison, judge, the justice court, San Diego, Calif. “*** I feel that now, due to our having a Boys' Club, we, for the first time have the equipment to do a real job for the boys, and that there can only be one answer-less juvenile trouble. "I have been a judge here for more than 25 years and for my book the National City Boys' Club is the greatest single movement for boys' work that National City has ever had." William A. Gold, judge, supreme court, Niagara County, N.Y. 66* ** Presiding over both the county and children's courts, I found from my case histories that the background of the boys as delinquent under the age of 16 was practically identical with the background of the boys over 16 charged with |