St Johnsbury Academy - Lamp Yearbook (St Johnsbury, VT)

Page 8 text:

G THE ACADEMY STUDENT but as weaklings they succumb and follow the path of least resistance, that of becoming a criminal. With a money-mad craze they sacrifice reputation, honor, and self-respect to obtain the riches which they think will purchase happiness. An energetic, thoughtful group of people realizing the catastrophe befalling our future citizens introduced a bill into Congress for an appropriation of $3,500,000 to be used to aid the unemployed young people. This bill was not passed, but it did arouse public interest in the situation. Even had the bill been passed, it would have helped out superficially for a time: the change within the boys and girls themselves which must take place before they return to normalcy would not be effected. Truly, something must be done to keep them occupied, healthy, and happy. Many clubs endeavor to interest youth in all kinds of activities, but I know of none which have a program so diversified as that of the 4-H Clubs. Every state in the union has its enthusiastic club members and even in Hawaii wonderful work is accomplished. The entire membership of the organization now exceeds a million. This is what 4-H’ers vow to do: I pledge my head to clearer thinking, Mv heart to greater loyalty. My hands to greater service. And my health to better living. For my club, my community, and my country.” To fulfill this pledge is to do all your work and all your play just a little better all the time, to learn just as many phases of your work as you can, to develop a courage and fearlessness to try and try again even after many failures, to cooperate with every worthy enterprise, and to deserve the respect of your fellow citizens. Caroline Eyring is a typical 4-H girl, hour years of club work was long enough to thoroughly infuse her with the lively 4-H spirit, and she was sent to Pima, Arizona to organize other clubs there. She taught the poor neglected girls of the community to make their own clothes and to furnish their rooms

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VALEDICTORY ESSAY 4-H CLUBS VERSUS CRIME Of all the problems in America today, the most serious except that of livelihood itself is crime. The relation is close, too; for a per capita tax of $120 must he assessed yearly to pay our crime bill of more than fifteen billions of dollars. If the entire cost of crime could be eliminated for two years, that saving would pay off our national debt. Freedom for three years would pay the entire cost of America’s share in the World ar, plus an enormous bonus. Statistics show that last year in this supposedly enlightened and civilized country, there was a minimum of 12,000 murders and an estimated total of 1,500,000 major offenses, which affected one out of every sixteen homes. J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the Federal Bureau of Crime Investigation, warns that 150,000 murderers are now roaming at large in the United States. These are astonishing facts, but the really startling one is that twenty percent of our crimes are committed by persons not yet old enough to vote, by those not yet even out of their “teens,” by those who often are not yet past high school age and who should still be under the active management and responsibility of the home. Yet, it is true, we find children stealing automobiles; we find them committing almost a thousand murders every year; we find that there are tens of thousands of burglaries and larcenies perpetrated by boys and girls who, in any other generation, would have been under the discipline of vigilant parents. The criminal situation as it affects our young people is an undeniable indictment against the American home of today. J. Edgar Hoover says “When youth commits crime it is because older folks have committed the greater crimes of apathy, indifference, and the expression of distorted views.” Thousands of young people, unable to find any kind of employment, are left with long, useless hours to be frittered away. When temptation looms large before them, they do not have the will power to dismiss it. Their early home influences have not been strong enough and good enough to keep them treading the harder upright paths;.

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THE ACADEMY STUDENT attractively. Her overhand patches’ and bound buttonholes’ teams demonstrated their practical work to over one hundred mothers, and the buttonholes’ team won a free trip to the National Club Camp at Washington, D. C. This girl reached the pinnacle of 4-H success by winning the annual Moses Trophy Leadership contest, for she had increased the membership in her county from nine girls in club work to two hundred thirty-five. Not only that, she also received the heartfelt thanks of the fathers and mothers of her girls for the help she had given them. Alex Cruickshank is a typical 4-H boy. For seven years he had worked on his projects, not having much success but never giving up. Then he began to exhibit his best poultry, his best pigs, and his best calves at fairs. His stock was good. He was urged to exhibit at state fairs and finally at the Pacific Coast Expositions. He won many prizes, enough to help finance his way through college. Although busy with his studies, he continued his leadership work until he too was rewarded with the Moses Leadership Trophy. Out of the five million people enrolled in club work since 1914. there should now be over a million leaders. The 4-44 Club is a training school for developing leadership. Besides the trip to Washington which one of Caroline Eyring’s girls had, there is the trip to the Chicago 4-41 Congress, and boys and girls in the East have the privilege of exhibiting at the Eastern States Exposition as well as at their local fairs. Thev have their state camps and county camps every summer in which thousands of club members take part. They make new contacts and learn many new things to take back home with them. This work is for rural boys and girls — but couldn’t an organization with the same ideals and purposes be adapted to the needs of urban young people? 4t would stimulate them with the will to achieve honestly and would aid them in performing their work. It would help tremendously to solve the problem of criminals among young people.