Page 451

YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS
Boys' Brigade
THE Boys' Brigade of Neenah-Menasha had its inception one evening
in the early fall of 1899, when Dr. J. E. Chapin, then pastor of the
First Presbyterian Church, stopped to ask six boys why they were on
the streets beyond the nine o'clock curfew.
  The patriotic fervor of the Spanish-American War was still warm.
The boys wanted an "Army" where they could have military drill.
Dr. Chapin said he would see what could be done.
  Something was done. Forty-six charter members of the Neenah
Boys' Brigade were signed up on January 22, 19oo. Early leaders were
Charles Johnson, Oscar Lindsey, George Jones, with Vernon Holden
as drill master. In i9oi, at Dr. Chapin's insistence, Frank Shattuck
took over.
  The Brigade started under the wing of the local Presbyterian
Church. Being the only organization of its kind in the town, boys from
other churches were naturally attracted to it. It soon became obvious
that something must be done to avoid weakening the loyalty of boys
to the church of their parents' choice. Such thinking led to the adop-
tion of two simple principles upon which the Brigade has developed
across the years:
  i. Membership of a boy must rest upon regular attendance at the
     church or Sunday School of his parents' choice. A monthly report
     card, to be presented during the active Brigade season, records
     the boy's attendance at his own church or school. This record is
     an important factor in honors awards at the close of each Brigade
     season.
  2. A community is a better place in which to live in which boys of
     all faiths have the maximum of wholesome common experience
     together during their adolescent years.
  In 1947, the Community Chest was organized as a Twin City insti-
tution, and the Boys' Brigade became a charter member. Up to this
                             45I