Formations Rather Than Reformations

Formations Rather Than Reformations By F. S. Harris, President of Brigham Young University AMONG my most vivid childhood memories is that of two cows we had. Bluch could not be kept anywhere; whereas, Boss never gave any trouble. Both had the same jumping ability, but their bringing up was different. The people from whom we bought Bluch always had tumbled-down fences and shift- less ways, and their attention to their livestock was irregular. The cow had formed the habit of going over gates and through fences, and we were never able to break her of this bad habit. Boss, on the other hand, having been kept as a calf and heifer behind good fences, and having had regular care, never developed the bad habit of trying to break out. In her cowhood days hardly more than a string was required to keep her in her place. We are all well acquainted with the old saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. A pair of rubbers and warm clothing may prevent an attack of pneumonia which weeks of skillful work on the part of the physician and nurse may fail to cure. An inoculation for diphtheria or typhoid may prevent long and dangerous sickness. The tightening of a nut which has become loosened may prevent the wreck of an automobile, and, as of old, the proverbial stitch in time continues to save nine. Those who know anything about boys are well aware of the fact that if a boy has any real life he is going to do things. The boy who is not up and doing is probably not worth bothering with very much, since his influence will be largely neutral under any condition. The normal, red-blooded boy who is capable of leader- ship is going to be up to something all the time. If he is headed in the right direction, his activities will be along constructive lines; if he gets started the other way, he may become a pretty bad boy without having any real intention of being bad. The important thing for him is that he is going to have action, and it does not seem to matter very much to him what direction this action takes. As a rule, a boy is not noted for being far-sighted; he is so much concerned with getting started that he often does not take time to notice where the road he is traveling leads. This is where the boy's advisor, whether parent, teacher, or scout- master, comes in. His job is to get the boy started jn the right direc- tion and to see that all the fine youthful energy is expended along lines that will keep the boy on the road of progress jnstead of wast-

FORMATIONS RATHER THAN REFORMATIONS 387 ing his time traveling a road where he must retrace his steps. The wrong road may lead into all sorts of dangers which may give handicaps that will follow the boy through his entire life. Those who have not taken the trouble to investigate the ques- tion will be surprised to learn how many very fine agencies for helping the boy have been worked out and are in successful opera- tion in various parts of the country. The value of the boy has ap- pealed to thinking men everywhere and, as a result, numerous devices have been perfected to help keep the boy in the right path. We are all familiar with the boy scout work. This is cer- tainly one of the best of all known devices for using the energy of the boy to advance himself rather than to undermine his character. I cannot think of the scout work without a thrill. So many scores of cases have come to my attention where the scout program has caught a boy just at the critical time, when he was headed literally to destruction, and has put him on the road to useful manhood, that I have become 100 per cent converted to scout work for every boy. Its program is truly one of right formation rather than reformation. This is really important. All of us would much rather have a boy who did not bear the scars of vice even if he had reformed. An automobile tire that has blown out may be vulcanized, but there is always a place of weakness. A broken spring may be welded, but the place of welding shows and it is never so strong as if it had never been broken. A piece of paper that has been soiled may be cleaned by an eraser, but the surface finish is damaged. A broken dish may be cemented, but there is always a likelihood that •at some time it will be left in hot water, which will weaken the ce- ment and the old break will open. The Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association aims to employ every useful device to promote the welfare of young men. It is glad to bring back into the fold any who may have strayed away, but it is much more concerned in keeping the boy from getting off the track. It wants to help boys to live full and joyous lives by sup- plying them with attractive programs of activity to supplement the home and school. These programs are built on boy-nature and aim to keep him doing the things he likes to do and at the some time to bring out his best qualities. The Mutual Improvement Associations are essentially forma- tories and not reformatories.