January, 1,939
20
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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is presented to him as a neces sary part of his daily regime and is never used as a form of punishment. The young men on our staff are trained for activity leadership, and the boy finds open before him a large variety of activities wherein any normal boy can find something of interest. A Program W ide in Scope “Each boy becomes a member of one of four athletic clubs and is scheduled to play three days a week with his team against boys of his
help him for a time at the Lodge.” “Are they usually adjusted before they leave?” you ask. ‘Yes,” says Mr. Eichbauer, “in a few months they learn to study to gether, live together, and so to re spect each other. And after all, that constitutes adjustment.” Then as you walk with him down the road to visit the well-kept group of cot tages, Mr. Eichbauer explains fur ther. “Pacific Lodge is taking problem boys from ten to fifteen years of age. These boys come to
“Are they ‘problem’ boys?” you ask. Superintendent Eichbauer nods. He never likes to say anything of a derogatory nature about his charges. If he cannot recommend, he has a way of nodding, silently, to an ines capable question. “They are all boys with problems—usually due to poor environment.” At the moment, there is no further opportunity for comment. The school is emptying with a rush, and suddenly along the elevated side walk, sixty-eight pairs of very cu rious eyes are gazing down a t you. The boys range from ten to fif teen years, and represent every con ceivable American type of boy, each one dressed in serviceable outdoor clothes. As they are dismissed to don their football suits, they dash down the hill like young colts— quick, strong, and withal graceful with the abandon of joyous youth released from school after a long day’s work. But it is in the football field, when they assume team formation, that you are able to classify them best. They are the late comers of a great American group—the pioneers of the West. You can see it at once in their tautened muscles, their direct eyes, their fearless young faces. “They have initiative,” you say. Mr. Eichbauer smiles. “Yes," he replies, “the B team is unbeaten this year, and the A team has lost only one or two games; yet invariably they play teams from grades a year or two ahead of them. Oh, yes, they have initiative, and perhaps too much imagination coupled with lax home discipline. Some petty theft or stolen auto ride tries the town’s patience once too much, and they are sent to us. Or perhaps a parent unable for some reason to have an overactive son at home, asks us to
us from the Juvenile Court, from other social agencies or from the ir parents. We confine our work strictly to boys who have behavior problems, and we avoid overlapping the work of other agencies that are caring for boys who are merely depen dents. “Our first efforts with a new boy are devoted to correcting a n y physical condition which might be causing his unsocial be havior. From the time he enters Pacific Lodge, a boy is given to understand that he must assume responsi bility for his conduct; so far as we can, while living in a large group, we avoid
G Superintendent and Mrs. Eichbauer finally have been induced to pose. Kindliness, discipline, understanding, are their evident characteristics. With their two daugh ters now away at college, they can lavish parental care on their 68 masculine charges.
own ability. While this is all that is required of him in the way of par ticipation in organized athletics, he finds himself taking part in various play activities, and if he so wishes he may become a member of a team to play against outside teams. In his cottage play room he finds a workbench, and his activity leader is at hand to help him with his va rious construction projects: his radio, model airplanes, kites, boats, etc. On numerous occasions, he
any regimentation of the boys which would tend to institutionalize them. They do not all dress alike. If a boy is expected to conduct himself as a normal person, his life should be made as nearly normal as possible. We have no roll calls. There is no system of merits and demerits, but we deal in a parental manner with the individual boy. A boy becomes a member of a cottage group not ex ceeding' twenty-four in number. His share of the work of the Lodge
# Pepperdine Hall is a sunny dining room, kitchen, and community center. Tables are for small groups as in a hotel, and serving rooms and kitchen are equal to those in the usual hostelry. The din ing room is as homey and comfortable as it is possible for careful pl anni ng to make it.
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