Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-05-19
The Newsboys of New York.

crtcu ltS 1nnurncc III behalf OF the Young
ncwsvcndcrs Of the city, n class of our popu-
Lti0n numbering some five or six hundred.
yet of whom comparatively little seems to be
known Whence they come. and where they
finally go. after abandoning their occupation.
it is difficult to ascertain; but the prcbahl-
ity is, that they they do much to rccruit the
ranks of the ShaTpcis and blacklcgs with
whom our city il infested. Their previous
training 'i2I't certainly prove good fitting
for the business.
The earnings Of a ncwsboy average from
-hrcc shillingS to half dollar Il day, and on
Sundays they often rise to two or th"cc lcl
lars They generally got about thirty per
cent. discount on the penny papers, and
twenty-five per cent On the two pennies. As
their businc.s Is done on the cash principal
entirely, >omc degree of providence is requi-
site and Invariably observed. Occasionallv
however, they get " stuck" as it is called
that is. have more papers than they can dis.
pose of, and so lose money. In cases Of this
kind. recourse is necessary to the funds Of
their companions, who lend it at n most
usuriOus rate Of interest, Indeed, we have
known repeated instances of Il boy borrow
Ing fifty cents on Monday. and making. at the
close of the week. return of seventy five
ccnts--an annual interest Of two thousand
six hundred per cent Extravaganza could
hardly thrive under a system like this and
we discover these little fellows of ten or Il
dozen years. to be as wide awake to the main
chance as the yeriest sharper of Wall street.
i" 1t is this element of their liie,'' saws Mr..
Brace. which keeps them from being yaga-
bonds. and makes them rorfh soring. Il is.
in fact, the great element of all mercantile
life--thc dependence of each man s livelihood
and comfort on the management of his capi
tai"
Their out-of-door existence has become so
natural to them, that they find vt difficrlt to
reconcile themselves to any regular indoor
accommodations: to scrubbing, clean shirts.
and other incidcn-;, of home life, they are
utter strnrso"s, \ spirit of good fellow ship,
sort cf esprit dc corps, is, however, kept up
among them, which is indicated by their
good-humored banter, the nicknamcs of
Sucezcr, -" Chops" - Lcathcrhead,n ,Sc.,
and practical jokes. which are constantly ex-
changed from one to another. The boys also
form themselves into clans, who huddlc to-
gether ut night in the stairway, or over the
same pavement CRATE, for a comfortable sleep.
or adopt contiguous routes IN the city for the
disposal of their papers, within which no in
truders are allowed
\ correspondent of the fdeperdert thus
describes the appearance and habits Of this
anomalous class
" See him as he stands " loafng'' or "spans
marbles in a corner of the Park His cap
has no visor and is thrown rakishly back
his long coat, reaching to the heels is out at
the elbows and hardly holds together the
knees come out through the pantaoons-and
he wears one boot and one shoe his hair is
plated over his forehead, but the eyes under
it are quick, keen and mpudcnt his face is
thin and worn with an old LOOKOUT not at
all an unhappy look. Don't talk to him. for
he hates preachers and phlanthropists -
but come near and hear what he is saving it
is II bold, rapid talk, shrewd and to the point
he Is telling how many papers he has sold
and how many he can sell oaths come IN
thick and fast now the talk changes to the
theatre last night-criticirm is on the table
now, and the othcr boys chime in with keen
remarks ON the actors
- Follow him again ut night, as | have
lately done. 1t is after twelve he is Just re-
turning from the theatre, there he goes down
into that cellar, with two or. three mates 90
in after and order, us they have done, your
- coffee and cakes three cents for coffee and
two cents for cakes There are thrce-onr II
boy Of about II, the others about l3 the
youngest is the oracle he is smoking and
telling the Others some tricks at gambling {:
he makes his living. sometimes - or - II
week, in gambling They do not look sleepy.
or important, or excited, as if :. on IL spree
simply maturcd. 1t is evidently Just what
they always do in the evening Other boys,
Of about the same age. come in and take their
supper and discuss the play. No one drinks
at the bar, They go out quietly. and lose
sight of them in the back streets ="
After this, they hang about the stairways
and warm pavement CRATES Of the printing
offices, resting in every conceivable position
but horizontal one, apparently asleep, Yet
wide awake to shoulder their loads OF news
by three or four o clock in the morning.
We rejoice to observe the success which
has thus far attended the project of establish
ing accommodations for those OF the news
boys who are without parents or responsible
guardians. During the first week after the
plan had been put in operation, an average Of
from twenty-five to thirty-boys We're received !;
each Of whom paid his sixpence for the night s
been duly washed and combed in advance.
One little fellow, whose aversion to the bath
was overcome with difficulty jumped out OF
the tub with his face and body all aglow,
shouting, - Well, by golly, that sousing was
worth a quarter ~ Some of the inmates for
the first few nights were so unused to the
feeling Of clean sheets and mattresses, that
they could not sleep, and showed their sur
prise by leaping in and out during the hours
of repose, until they became SO troublesome
that the superintendent was obliged to
threaten them with expulsion. But this will
soon pass away, and we presume that they
| Will manage to get as much good sleep out OF
their couches AS the most sOmnolcnt of For
tunes favorites.-NeW York Courier