, 1881-03-27

6ETTLEMENT-cLERKsA AND THEIR WAYS
/ The Investigations ofour reporters into th'
methods and habits Of the young men con
nected with the Board Of Trade as SETTLE
ment-clerks shows condition Of things il
| that Juvenile clearinghouse which loudly
calls for reform. And this demand, If any
thing, is emphasized By the recent tragedy a
Lake View, the principal actor in which wa:
connected with this department Of the Board
1t is the universal testimony that the young
| man Seymour, when he was first employed
i'll the clearinghouse, was steady, indnstri,
ous, exemplary, and good-princiDled. Thai
he did not long remain so Is shown BY this
tragedy, by the associations which led up to
it, and by the company he was in the habit
of keeping at the time hacomnitted the deed.
From his own observations, and from con
versations with members Of the Board, TIE
TRIBUNE reporter formed 3 by no means fat
tertng estimnte of the character Of these young
men, Of their conduct, or of the influences
which surround them. It is not to be ex-
pected that seventy-dve or a hundred .young
fellows, ranging from IL to 20 yenrs old,
thrown together without responsibility and
without any real restraint -for the ROOM
keeper and private policeman stationed there
exercise very little Of tho lattar,-would con-
duct themselves with the good order, dignity,
and decorum that prevail in the ordinary
walks Of life; nor is 1t to be expected that
they can refrain from leyity, and fun, and
practical joking. If they went no further
than this. there would be lltt1e ground for
complaint, but they go SO far beyond this
that their conduct appears not only in the
light Of nuisance, but Of positive evil that
needs prompt and thorough correction. Said
4 member Of the Board OF Trade to our re-
porter:
They are nutsancc and Disgrace to the
Board, and should be abolished: They nrc ut
tcrly. without restraint, and their room is col
leRe OF crime where the purest and best brought
up lad becomes tainted In few weeks. provided
be can stand the tnornt atmosphere Of The place
2nt FanS epkh 81 IN aas
there they gamble for quarters and dollars, and
! notice that when one OF them obtains decent
has lost a ias,o 5 Tor he ere @ @ aad be- for
fefts bis position either through neglect OF his
duty or through dfsonnesty which he has fallen
@ sn ss WEI ans ses
This is not a very pleasant picture to con-
template. 1t Is not a very desirable place in
which to locate a boy of good habits, for
there are very few who would be able to
Withstand such influences. The tendency OF
such crowd OF excitable, boiling, seeth1ng,
and dissolute young men is to drag eachsnew-
conner down into tho common vortex Of
smoking, swearing, drinking, and gambling.
Il the newcomer should resist he would only
be chatfed and tormented until one OF two
things would be certain. He would either
be compelled toQuit, or else to identify him
self with the .rabble and plunge into the same
riotous course Of conduct The habit OF life
pursued By these boys IN this traintng-school
For the Board is.unhealthy enough. even at
he best, aud perniclous enough In its
tendencies; but when the clearinghouse,
Il addition to its natural influences and sur
oundngs, which are inseparable from grain
gambling, assumes the character of school
i Fiee, then It Is high time that there was