National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1871-09-01
New York NewsbOys.

Generally ragged, often shoeless or
hatless, or both, unclcan in person aud
language, the newsboys Of New York
ARE class by themselves. Nowhere
else, and among no other human beings,
is there so much energy independence,
eiirontcry, cunning, shiftlcssness, and
contentedness with the lot fortune send
them, Out Mt four O'Clock in the morn
ing to crowd the folding-rooms of the
morning newspapers, they can be seen
from then until late at night, and heard
everywhere shouting their wares to the
general ear Each sale they make yields
only cen, or the fraction of cent
profit, and it can be readily seen that
they must make many sales, involving
hours of time and II terrible strain on
youthful muscles for them to gain even
n scanty subsistence. If boy sells one
hundred papers per day, he is doing more
than an average business, but his profits
only amount to fifty cents SO that
three dollars per week is more than the
general reward of an occupation that
consumes fourteen hours per day and
requires daily capital almost equal to
the weekly profits. Out of these scanty
earnings, got at such IA great cost, the
newsboy can, if he will, live cleanly and
comfortably. Although as class i'm
provident in the last degree hundreds
of newsboys take the benefits of the
practical philanthrophy of the Childrens
Aid Society, which has established the
Newsboys Lodging House at No. 40
Park Place where "A boy cau obtain
clean bed and wholesome meals at a cost
of six cents each. Less than half his
petty profits, therefore, suffices for his
sustenance and shelter, leaving him
twenty-siy cents per day to provide for
his clothing and other necessaries. HUI I
man thrift has never had more extreme
example than that ont of such gains as
these a fund of 50, 433. 60 has accumula-
ted in the savings bank attached to the
from deposits made by l l0l
boys of their surplus pennies. But
as this fact is, when other boys
are considered, the improvidence of the
mass of and the vast total of homeless
boys remain uncontrndicted. During
the last year S,655 different boys were
inmates for differing periods of the
and of this number 3, l22
were orphans, and 1861 were half-or-
Dhans. OF the whole number 33 per
,ent. were received gratuitously, because
hey were destitute and we are thus
brought face to face with the appalling
act that during 1870 $500 boys under
he age of fourteen years, sought in vain
n the streets of New York for the sub
istence that costs only twenty cents
day. That this is misery that is
orced upon and not sought by its vic
inns, is shown by die fact that during
he year 7l3 only of those admitted to
he lOdging-house were found to be tl1l-
nts who had fed from comfortable
ZONES from an uncomfortable spirit of
dventure. All others were actually
lomeless, nor did they constitute the to- !
al intantlle privatIon of the year All I
hose admitted to the lodging house do :
ot sell wspapers, nor do all who seek i
s comforts. There are hundreds, many q
whom are girls, who are suffering the e
of profigate parentage. o
aiken altogether, the newsboys are sub A
cted to great privations and terrible r.
mptations. Among them are many u
no, surviving the one and proving SUI p
arior to the other, are to emerge from a
lis shrouded infancy into an honorable a
anhood. But among them are many p
hers who are to escape all evil in p
upper grave before childhood is passed, $.
failing in this beatitude are to become u
vagrants and thieves. n n