The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-07-22
A Trick OF New York Gamins, and
How 1t Is Frustrated.

ming and Laundering about in the wa
/ ter, are more numerous than the pro-
/ verbal maneuvers of the small boy to
| yet into a circus. Ragged urchins have
been frequently seen turtively rubbing
dirt over their bodies and kick
ing their feet through the dust
outside the bathing establishments,
and exchanging courtesies in the
way of tossing dust over one another,
and this explains the otherwise as
founding fact that the yOungster who
has spent full time in the water and has
come out shining all over like the
whining schOOlboy" and looking as if
/ the most careful of mothers had Just
put him through an exhaustive course
of soap and water, often reappears in
about fifteen minutes as dirty as if earth
and air were the only two of the flour
elements that ever came within the
scope of his experience. This clever
dodge works like charm, for man
in charge of a public bath can scarcely
recollect the face of every urchin who
presents himself for bath, particular
| " when all the faces are begrimed into
a puzzling resemblance to each other,
and look more like balls of soil carved
into the resemblance of eyes, nose and
mouth than like human faces.
But worthy of Macchiavelli as this
little piece of diplomacy is, it has been
made futile by peculiar and seeming
ly barbarous test applied to the water
loving boys who attack the bathing
house in platoons all day long. A re-
porter of the EUening Mail yesterday
stood just within the entrance to the
free bath situated at the Battery, and
watched the crowd of men and boys
that flowed in when the door was
opened at the appointed hour. A
strUng-isted man stood by with for
bidding expression of cOuntenance,
and, although affable enough a moment
before to his newspaper visitor, and
seeming a properly civilized and some
what humane person, with reasona-
BILE sympathy for his skin-sOiled fellow
men, the instant the doors were opened
he became a veritable tyrant, and
seemed to the reporter to assume the
cruel aspect of a Syracusan despot. He
permitted the grown men to pass, with
merely casual glance, but he scru-
tinted the faces of the boys with an
ultra-pedagOgic frOwn, and did not
allow one youth to pass him without
inhicting On him a species of torture
which rather suited the former regime
Of the Chinese than the liberal and
kindly sentiment of modern republic.
No sooner did his eyes fall on a boy in
the moving line than he thrust out his
hard hand and took the poor little fell
low nose between the knuckleS of his
index and middle fingers, pulled the
lad out of the line-''yanked'' him out
expresses it better-gave the unOffend-
inc nose an unmerciful twist, and fire.
quently added to this cruelty several
sharp cuts with a rattan across the
shoulders.
He had not repeated this many times
before the reporter began to feel an
angry Indignation overcoming his pru-
dence. But he was still more perplexed
when he observed that every boy, as he
approached the man, held up his nose,
and even thrust it between the knuck-
les of this guardian of cleanliness, and
no matter how viciOusly the latter
wrenc1ed the puerile proboscis, or how
hard he struck with the rattan, the boys
only laughed. Those who were passed
on after the ordeal laughed joyously
and cut capers OF almost insane delight,
while the ufOrtunates who were turned
aside and whipped laughed derisiyely,
and used their eyes and noses and
tongues to express their sentiments to-
ward the man who has defeated their
purpose, with a dramatic effect attained
only by the New York gamin.
Feeling as if, in this passageway to a
free bath, he had encountered a new
p0nS GsjnOr2tnl, the reporter asked for
an explanation of the mystery. as soon
as the door was closed. and cut Off the
rest of the throng until the bath should
be empty again.
why, we've got to do it, was the
answer.
Yes, but whyg'
We'll, you know these here boys
want to be in the water all the time.
They're Just like fish in the warm
weather. They can't get enough of it.
It's no use to let in the dirty ones and
keep out the clean ones, because a New
York boy can get dirty right after
wash quickern'n you can say Jack
Robinson The only thing we can do
is TO feel o their noses. That 5 sure.
What do you mean?"
Why, these fellows stay in the wa
ter as long as we let 'em, and they get
cooled off right through; and for three
or four hours after they come out their
noses will be cold. SO we can tell if
boy has been in lately by just catching
hold of his nose, and that's the reason
I L = L. = l. -
pass him along. 'NOugh said, and no
questions asked. But if his nose is cold
ike dogs, l know he's trying to come
it on me, and | Just give twist to let
him know who running this thing,
and give him a little rattanning by way
of remembrance. A boy with cold
nose don't pass NE, by large major
ity."
but doesn't it hurt themP"
81 s'pOse it does" And the man
laughed so good-naturedly that his like
ness to Caligula and DiOnysius was all
blown away. ''Of course it hurts.
But, bless you, they don't mind it.
They expect it. They kind O run their
chances when they come in, and they
put up their noses and get them twist
ed or not just as it happens; and then
they go right out and try it all over
again. tell you there's nothing like
it. It's sure test every time. And
we've got to keep out repeaters some
way, you know, SOS everybody can
have a show"
Alas! for the fallibility of mans tests.
The reporter stepped outside where the
crowd was awaiting its turn, and every
boy in the throng was rubbing his nose
vigorously. with here and there two