Chapter II: Introduction: xi

I. THE ETERNAL BOY 1

The nature of the problem, and the persons to whom this work
is addressed.

II. THE GENERAL NATURE OF THE GANG 8

Importance of gangs--Their neglect in the literature of
boyhood--The single conspicuous exception--The author’s
own experience with boys’ gangs and its lessons--Boys’ own
stories of six specimen gangs--Fundamental likeness of all
gangs--Their instinctive basis.

III. THE ORGANIZATION OF THE GANG 26

Age of members--Their habitat, nationality, and social class--
Permanence of and definiteness of organization of gangs--
Their names--Times and places of meeting--Officers--
Initiation ceremonies--Rules--Resignations and expulsions--
Method of settling disputes--Emergence of the group mind.

IV. CERTAIN ACTIVITIES OF THE GANG 39

Analysis of gang activities--Survivals from pre-gang stage--
Group games--Tribal industries--Boys’ reports of these--
Their significance--“Plaguing people”--Boys’ reports--
Instinctive nature of the impulse--Stealing--Reports.

V. FURTHER ACTIVITIES OF THE GANG 50

Migration--Reports--Truancy--Reports--Theatre-going--
Reports--Fighting--Personal fights--Fights between groups
inside the gang--Fights between gangs--A case of war
between federations of gangs.

VI. THE ANTHROPOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY OF THE GANG 72

Certain human instincts--Differing instincts of boys and
girls--Many instincts of boyhood are survivals from savagery--
The Recapitulation Theory, therefore, the key to boy
psychology--Not, however, a complete explanation--Certain
qualities of the young look toward the future--Illustrations
of these--Ancestral qualities persist when useful--Examples
from instincts of both boys and girls.

VII. THE CONTROL OF THE MORE PRIMITIVE IMPULSES 83

Certain maladjustments of human instincts to civilized life--
These especially noteworthy in boyhood--Instinctive basis
of cruelty in boys--Other causes of cruelty--Psychology
of “plaguing people”--Pedagogic worthlessness of the
impulse--Its cure--Impulse to plague girls of a different
nature--Apparently protective--The love of fighting--Its
instinctive nature--Fighting is, on the whole, a virtue--
Its pedagogic value--Practical treatment of the problem--
Two working rules--Self-limiting nature of the evil.

VIII. THE MANAGEMENT OF THE PREDATORY IMPULSES 94

Transitory nature of instincts--Acquisitiveness the basis of
boys’ thieving--Self-limiting quality of stealing--Effect
of collections--Of common property--Cure of thievery
must regard origin--Practical hints--Effect of gardens
and shops--Unconscious element in anti-social impulses--
Unfortunate position of city boy--Analysis of reasons for
theft--Removal of specific causes--Summary of two chapters
on anti-social gang activities and their cure.

IX. THE TRIBAL INSTINCTS AND THE WANDERLUST 109

Inherent goodness of the gang impulses now to be discussed--
Balance of home and gang life--General nature of the
problem--Wholesomeness and spontaneity of these interests--
Their usefulness in training for work--Their religious
aspect--Uses of Sunday--Control of the _Wanderlust_--Its
imperiousness--Its dangers--Its good side--Practical
suggestions--Excursions to interesting places and historic
spots--Camping trips--Truancy--Limitations of athletics--
Advantage of non-competitive sports over games--Their value
as permanent sources of happiness.

X. THE INDIVIDUALISTIC ACTIVITIES AND THE GROUP GAMES 124

Education through games--Their social training--The problem
of playgrounds--Example of the best English schools--Value
of swimming--Opportunity and supervision--Skating and
dancing--Their peculiar function at the end of the gang
period--Theatre, circus, and picture show--Analysis of
their influence--Wholesomeness of melodrama.

XI. THE SPECIAL VIRTUES OF THE GANG 141

Psychologic value of the gang period--Biologic aspect of
moral education--Loyalty the foundation of the gang--
The boy’s devotion to ideals--Mistakes of parents and
teachers--Why all boys are not in gangs--Gangs are the
natural training-schools for the social virtues--Pedagogic
value of even anti-social acts--High social value of nearly
all gang activities--This illustrated by typical rules of
gangs--Gangs inculcate coöperation, courage, and other
manly virtues--Late reversal of opinion with regard to the
influence of gangs.

XII. THE GANG IN CONSTRUCTIVE SOCIAL WORK 157

The Boy Scouts--The sound psychology of the organization and
its relation to the boys’ gang--The Church--The psychology
of religious training and its practical method--The
Sunday School--The Home--Prerequisites of good gangs--
Families should unite to provide these--The Boys’ Club--
The Playground--The Summer Camp--its common failings--
Suggestions for the improvement of these--Proper subjects
for study in camp--Special fitness of instruction in hygiene
and morals.

XIII. THE GANG AND THE SCHOOL 177

The nature of the problem--Necessity of comprehending the
gang spirit--Illustration from fighting and by an incident
of real life--Difference between boys and girls--Boys’
motor-mindedness--Practical hints--Importance of using
natural groups--Illustrated by gymnastics--By nature
study--By work in practical arithmetic--By other
coöperative efforts--By pupil self-government--The
important matter is to utilize the great passions of boyhood.

ILLUSTRATIONS

THE WHARVES ARE A FAVORITE MEETING PLACE FOR THE GANG _Frontispiece_

BOYS “JUMP FREIGHTS” BECAUSE THEY “LIKE TO GO AND SEE PLACES” 20

“WE FOUGHT FOR THE FUN OF IT” 20

A FOOTBALL GAME BETWEEN CITY GANGS 44

“A SHANTY OR CLUBHOUSE IN THE WOODS” 44

AN INADEQUATE PLAYGROUND 170

A MODEL PLAYGROUND 170