The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-03-30
The Poor Boys "AstOr House" in
New York.

WE follow our newsboy guide to a
large door in Duane street, near Cham
bers street, on the south side of huge
seven-story building, with sign =
Newsboys' Lodging House" We mount
a tireproOf stairway.
81 see you can get out if there is a fire
here"
81 tell you, sir, we wouldn't be many
seconds scootin' down them stairs"
We look into a large dining hall, the
ceiling supported on pine columns, and
finished off with Georgia pine wainscot-
ing. A cOmely matron is setting tables
for over hundred boys with tea, mutton
stew and good bread. Everything is as
clean as ships deck.
| "Thats Mrs. O'Conor, sir; she's jist as
good as pie. But don't it smell good!
We must 60 up stairs or | won't be let in
to supper"
We enter large, handsome audience
| room, with schOol-desks and piano ;
well-lighted and cheerful, and windows
on three sides, and no institutional'
| smell, though hundred or more ragged
| little fellows, with washed faces and
combcd hair, are waiting about before
going down to supper The notices on
| the walls are worth reading:
Boys with Homes not admitted here.
Boys wanting Homes in the Country must apply
to the Superintendent.
Boys can have their Underclothes Washed, free
of charge, on Thursdays.
At the door sits an elderly clerk behind
a railing, with keys hanging around him.
Our little newsboy falls into a line Of
boys, till his turn comes.
"Thrcc tickets, Sir-lodgin', breakfast
and supper There's eighteen, sir, and
twenty-five | owed you when l was
stuck. e., when he could not sell his
papers.
"But, Johnnie, where were you last
night?"
You see, sir, was at the Bowcry, and
| got to the door Just one mint after
twelve; and so, on course, l had to turn
| in under the steps down at Beekman
street.
"Ah, there's where your money goes
| You'll never get enough 10 buy that coat
and 90 out West. There's your key, but
get your hair cut and go to the bath be
fore you come to supper"
Johnnie disappears in the ample bath
rooms We watch his operations. He
has warm foot-baths, wherein he plunges
his dirty feet, but ingenious spikes on
the edges prevent his sitting 100 long in
them; wash-b basins and towels are in
abundance, and bathrooms with hot and
cold water For his hair large boy
takes him in hand and soon shaves him
close, rubbing his head with larkspur,
for which operation Johnny rather re-
luctantiy pays his three cents.
Now he rushes out, a clean and decent
looking boy, so far as his skin.
"Is that clean shirt ready?n
His wet, ragged coat is put in the dry
ingroom, and his valuabes are hid away
in the locker, for which he has key, and
he puts on clean, comfortable shirt, and
soon enters the supper-room, delivering
| his ticket for payment at the door, and is
deep in his stew and bowl of tea. Several
| boys are hanging about in the upper
room, looking rather hungry.
"Why don't you get your supper,
boys?"
Haven't got no stamps, sir; were
stuck
The Superintendent, kind, firm-look-
ing man, Mr.. O'Connor, comes forward
and speaks to each;
"Jack, you know where your stamps
went-it was to the Bowery Uheater)
and, Pat, l told you to let those policy
lottery tickets alone; and you Dan,
why did you eat all your money up yes
terday in that big dinner? AS for you Ito
quiet, depressed looking lad), l believe
you were unlucky; you shall have cred,
it, so go DOWN.
We pay the tickets of the others, and
they all rejoice in their mutton stew and
| overf1owing bowls of tea.
After supper, they all fly upstairs to
the gymnasium, and there is kind of
athletic pandemonium for awhile-boys
in the air, boys jumping, boys pulling,
climbing and tumbling-the large room
rcsounding with the laughter and shouts
| "You see," says Mr.. O'Connor, "this
is our opposition to the low theaters and
grog-shops."
Precisely at half past seven they all de.
scend to the schoolroom. We look in al
| the dOrmitories: rooms some ninety feet
| long, filled with double iron bedsteads
! the beds of straw, and very comfortable
warm comforters and clean sheets over
each
"That's my bed," Johnny points
"number six! There's where feller
sleeps, tell your
But don't you ever fall out, or have a
lark with another boy:"
"No, sir! Griffith would catch us; be.
sides, we has to be called at five O'Clock
and we sleeps like tops!'
There is no smell about the rsoms
! Everything is clean and pure as possible
| We go below to the audience-room.
"This is my bank, sir-number thirty,
one," pointing with pride to mysterious
/ table near the door, with Sits in the top
and each slit numbered. Fifty nine
cents; but it's slow work. Oh, thank'ce
sir!-that makes just dollar. Twomore
and I'll have Sunday go-to meetin' coal
| and billed shirt"
! The teacher has already begun his even
ing work, by reading some letters from
boys who had made fortunes at the West
and were writing back to their ole
| friends.
go West, young mani" whispers oul
| guide, and he seats himself demurely
among the scholars. Now they sing II
excellent accord the sweet hymn, eli
there's love at home" Perhaps here and
there shadow falls across the young
faces, as they think of how little Glove
l a1so fhoU havf