The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1878-03-15
What Our Boys Are Reading.

Professor Sumner of Yale has been exam
lining the fash story papers so widely read
by boys, and in Scribner for March gives
some earnest words of warning to parents,
accompanied by specimens of the types de.
scribed in the stories. Here is one :
"Anotber 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 considers suita-
BILE. This constitutes stinginess on the faith
er's part, although it might be considered
pardonable, seeing that these young men
drink champagne every day, treat the crowd
generally when they drink, and play bill.
| iards for 500 a game. The father, in this
class of stories, is represented as secretly vi
cious and hypocritically pious. In the spec
linen of this class before us the young man
is discovered" in the Police Court as a
prisoner, whence he is remauded to the
Tombs. He has been arrested for collsring
a big policeman, to prevent him from over
tsking a 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 in
suit, and that the cry of ''stop thief was
to get help from the police and Others to
seize her The hero, who was the son of a
man worth five millions, and who is in pris,
his fathers clerk and demands 81 900, saying
that otherwise he will declare his real name
and thus disgrace his family. He gets the
money. He then sends for a notorious
Tombs lawyer, to whom he gives $780, With
this sum his release is easily procured. He
then starts with his cousin to initiate the
latter into the life in New York. They 20
10 thieves college where they see young
fellow graduated. His part consists in TAX
ing things from the pockets of a hanging
figure, the garments of which bells are at
tached, without causing the bells to ring,
Of this full page illustration is given. The
two young men then go up to the Bowery to
a beer saloon where the hero sustains his
character by his vulgar familiarity with
the girl walters. Next, they hear row in
a side street. They find crowd collected
atching a woman who hangs from third
story window, while her husband cuts ant
beats her hands to make her fall. The hero
solves tins situation by drawing his revolve
and shooting the man. As he and his com
panion withdraw unobserved, the forme
wards off the compliments of the latter b,
saying modestly that he could not bear t,
stand there and see ruch crowd looking on
and not knowing what to do, SO he just di,
the proper thing. Next day the hero, meet
ing the thieves college graduate in tn
corridor of the Fifth Avenue Hotel, agree
to receive and hold for him any booty h.
may seize in the bar-room which he does
At night he and his friend go to a dsreputa
BILE masked ball, where the hero recognize
his father in disguise amongst the dancers
Securing place in the same set, during
pause in the dance he snatches the mask fror
his own face and his fathers at the sam
moment. This edifying inciden: is enforce
bya full page illustration. A friend sug
gests the question, What demon of truthful
ness makes the artist put such brutal an
vulgar faces on the men? In this class
stories, fathers and sons are represented 4
, natural enemies, and the true position ft
;. the son is that of suspicion and armed peac,