The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1878-03-27
What our Boys Are Reading.

Professor Sumner of Yale has been ex-
aiming the flash story papers so widely
read by boys, and in Sclibner for March
gives some earnest words OF warning to
parents, accompanied by. specimens of
the types described in the stories. Here
is one: "
Another type of hero very common in
these stories is the city youth, son of
rich father, who does not give his son as
much pocket money as the latter consid-
ers suitable. This constitutes stinginess
on the fathers part, although it might be
considered pardonable, seeing that
these young men drink champage every
day, treat the crowd generally when thew
drink, and play billiards for 800 game.
The father, in this class of stories, is repre-
resented as secretly vicious and hypocrit-
ically pious. re- In the specimen of this class
before us the young man is discovered"
in the Police Court as a prisoner, whence
he is remanded to the Tombs. He has
been arrested for collaring big police
man, to prevent him from overtal1ing
girl charged with pocket picking. He
interfered because he judged from the
girls face that she was innocent, and it is
suggested, for future development in the
story, that she was running away from
insult, and that the cry of "stop thief .
was to get help from the police and others
to seize her. .-.. .a..
The hero, who is the son of a man worth
five millions, and who is in prison under
an assumed name, now sends for his faith
er's clerk and demands $1,000, saying
that otherwise he will declare his real
name and disgrace his family. He gets
the money. He then sends for notorious
Tombs lawyer, to whom he gives $780,
With this sum his release is easily pro-
cured. He then starts with his cousin to
initiate the latter into life in New York
They go to a thieves college, where they
see young fellow graduated. His part
consists in taking things from the pockets
Of hanging figure, to the garments of
which bells are attached, without causing
the bells to ring. Of this a full-page
illustration is given. The two young men
then 60 up the Bowery to beer saloon
} where the hero sustains his character by
his vulgar familiarity with the girl wait
ers. Next, they hear row in side street.
| They find a crowd collected watching a
woman who hangs from third story
window, while her husband beats and cuts
her hands to make her fall.
The hero solves this situation by draw
ing his revolver snd shooting the man.
AS he and his companion withdraw I'M
observed, the former wards off the COM
pliments of the latter by saying modest
ly that he could not bear to stand there
and see such a crowd looking on, and
not knowing what to do, so he just did
the proper thing Next day the hero,
meeting the thieves college graduate in
the corridor of the Fifth Avenue Hotel,
agrees to receive and hold for him any
booty he may seize in the bar-room (which
he does. At night he and his friend 60
to a disreputable masked ball, where the
hero recognizes his father in disguise
amongst the dancers. Securing place
3 in the same set, during a pause in the
dance he snatches the mask from his
q own face and his fathers at the same
moment. This edifying incident is en-
forced by full page illustration. A
friend suggests the question. What de.
mon of truthfulness makes the artist put
such vulgar faces On the men? In thi:
class of stories, fathers and sons are re-
presented as natural enemies, and thu
true position for the son is that Of sus
picion and armed peace.