The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-05-30

zone of the pictures in the academy by
realistic artist, not long ago, was called The
Contents of Boys Pocket IL was q fine study
of still life. The probable result OF dredging in
a schoolboys pocket would be haul of a knife,
halfa.doZen nuts, a piece of Chewed india rubber
for making pops, length OF slate pencil, little
brass gun, paper of gunpowder, a chesnut with
hole in It, bootlace piece OF hardbake,
penny warbler, and the parrel oil new steel
THE STREET BOY.
London boys were recently made the subject
of an elaborate essay in the London Reader.
The writer's conclusions are as folows:-
''Thc multitude and versatility OF the species,
of which these may be considered mild exam
pies, are as impossible OF statistical record as
the leaves of the Peruvian forest to which the
Caciuue refers Pizarro Tor the numbers OF his
host. They swarm everywhere, at all hours,
and are endowed with perpetual motion.
Wherever you turn, you see them leapiItg, rum
ming, fehting, playing, or twisting themselves
into horrible contortions, out of sheer eXube-
rance OF spirits. One youthful genius has got
possession OF an ACCORDION. His rapture IS the
nearest thing to insanity, and he goes about like
a lunatic, executing dreadful reyeries on the
instrument, ard finding out bits of tunes, which
he Is never able to piece together. Another
mite, 10 taller. than walklng.stick, has
surprising talent for croW1ng and IL is impossi-
bic to tire him at IT.. He crows everlastngly;
and The crow that comes out OF him is as dlspro
porlionate to his calibre as cannon ball TO the
bore OF chld's pop-gun. The art OF whistling
Is OF more extended range, and is cultivated
with ear-sptting vigor. 1t may appear an odd
thing that girls cannot whistle; but 1t is OBJ
vlousiy one of the economical provisions of
nature by which limits are assigned in the
animal creation to the means Of mutual de-
struction.
''Then there is the sprightly game of tipcat by
which the horses are startled, and ladies fright.
ened out OF their wits, windows smashed, and
people who come within the line of fire de-
privcd OF their eyesight. Also that enIgmat-
cal amusement called Scotoh-hop, played by
irolCsome elves, who chalk the FLAGS into
lozenges, and Jump about in and out OF them
between your legs. Nor should the winter slide
on the porapet of the curbstone be forgotten,
which offers such favorable opportunities for
putt ng hips out OF Joint. The best stocked con-
iurers warehouse yields but q beggarly display
OF resources in comparison with the gambols
boys bring to bear upon the limbs, nerves, and
senses OF the toot-passengers of London.
"Bo1n in a scientific age, they anti
cipate the slow operations of time, and know
everything. They cannot be dealt with, there.
lore, as boys were formerly. You cannot awe
them, or entice them by the same methods of
natural authority. What is to be done then 4?
To legislate against growing or whistling would
be very much like passing law TO prevent tears
or laughter. 1t might be good thing to put a
stop to all demonstrations OF 10y or sorrow,
eXultation or depression; but then the innocent,
who give way to their feelings gently, would
suffer in common with the guilty, ard natural
emotions IN general would become Illegal. Nor
can the object be effected by civil regulations,
from the difficulty of fixing the limits of inter.
ference and the well-grounded objection against
cOnhdmg powers TO the police which cannot be
strictly defined Nothing seems left for it but
the tardy processes OF education and opinion
in which We have not much faith so far as
London Is concerned, where the population
is always outstripping the means OF ameliora-
tion,D