The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-12-21
Tbs Young America in Various Situations

ohN " TWIN ou ITO octiouS huCC uhC ttlut
worn by the picture of an early Chris
tian father standing in the arena watt
ing for the new lion to be called to din
ner, it is sign that il you just cast
your eyes upward you can see that
boys kite dancing nimblv in the air to
the lascivious pleasing Of whole col
onv of telegraph wires.
When YOU see boy going along in
the merry, merry sunshine with his hat
in his hand, shaking his hair with
pine stick to get it dry. now and then
leaning his head on one side. pounding
The other side with his hand and practi-
cally kicking his feet in the air. in des-
perale efforts to get the water out of his
ears; or when YOU see him holding a
warm stone to his ear for the same pur-
pose, it is true sign that you may
think of that boy. by and by, standing
speechless when his mother asks him
how his shirt came 10 be wrong side
out. You m,ffs~'ot run down the
street in the dire of his home under
the impression tn &c boy is being
murdered. You. t kill a boy with u
skate strap Ana hoe signoes you
will know that b. has been in SWIM
ming when he ,ould have been at
school, learning that twenty-six prepo-
sitiOps are followed by the accusative,
all the way from ad to ultra.
When YOU see a boy about 5:4j p. ~.
with ink on his nose and the CRIME of
chalk on his hands, his hair disheveled
and the two upper buttons Of his jacket
gone. his collar rumpled and his neck
tie twisted awry, and a suspicious look
Ing flush ON his face. you will know
that he was ''kep' i'm after school, and
was taunted for the same by another
boy when he came out; and if you want
to know the rest Of it, it will not be
necessary to go into particulars, but
just ask him (which whipped?'' If a
joyous look of triumph dances in tine
exultant eyes you will know that just
around the corner you can find hoy
with Il bleeding nose and generally
demoralized facade. But if the lad you
question looks downcast. multis mum
lachrymis begins his Grafton. like Di-
vaticus. by saying: well. he was
great deal bigger'n me-" you may
know that your boy got clicked"
"When you see a boy with the pockets
of his pantaloons bullying out until he
looks like great bumble-bee laden tor
the hive, while he walks along, trying
to look as thin rs split lath and wear
ing profound expression OF supernat.
ural innocence, you know without re-
ferring to this code of signals that boy
has been lingering in somebody's Or
chard and doesn't care to have undue
publicity given To- facts that only con-
Germ him personally.
When you SEE boy on the distant
hillside suddenly leap up into the soft
summer air. holding one bare foot tend
erly but firmly in the welded fingers of
both hands while he hops around in ir-
regular but excited orbits. at the same
time voicing his grief with wailng
shrieks. mellowed blythe sunny distance,
then, without going to the telephone,
You may know that barcfoOted boy has
trod upon the busy hee that nestled in
the perfumed cover.
And wherever and whenever YOU see
him. in mischief or ont Df it-ihat is
just coming out OF 1t or just ready to
get into some more; awfully bad, or
with many fearful failures and disgrace
full stumhlcs trying to be good; forget
ting your commandments which thunder
upOn nim by the hundred, well nigh as
readily and repeatedly us you forget the
ten that infinite wisdom has laid upon
You; in all his noise. his poor little
struggles. temptations. triumphs and
failures. his piteous little troubles and
his fearful, honest pen.tence, in all the
iightness of a boys life. your heart must
grow mel. Ow and tender for the little
germ of manhood. so full of wonderful
pos Utilities, SO rich with seeds of
strength that will ripen bye and bye.
for good or evil, as you walk and
live before the boy; even as you look
at him, remember what you were thirty
or forty years ago. and say, God bless
the boy. "-Briin9ton Rao&eye.
Smuggling on tn, sault Ste. Marie and
Detroit Rivers.
'On the Sault Ste. Marie River there
are number of stores doing large
business, whose smuggling is and. has
been so open and defiant that it is
matter Of public notoriety. II the Gus
tom house officers want to catch snug
glers, letthem go TO the Sault Ste Marie.
Garden River. Goulais Bay. Brace Bay
and that locality up there, and they will
lind that not one third of the American
goods sold and consumed at these places
pass through the custom house, but are
struggled over. and that it is done so
plainly that it is no secret. An Amer
lean official told the Canadian officials
about the smuggling, not long since.
and an officer was sent to investigate.
lie found that one store had within
eighteen months taken at least $25, 900
worth without paying duty, but the
parties stood high in the estimation OF
the administration, and the officers were
compelled to leave them unmolested.
So the officer told me. Few places offer
better opportunities for the traffic than
Detroit River. 1t has always been a
harvesting place for the crooked dealers,
being peculiarly adapted by reason of
the comparative narrowness of the river,
It's many hiding places, and its islands
and bends. Those engaged in the
trade there are very seldom suspected.
Many boat drops alongside vessel
when passing through the river, and
leaves with n cargo of contraband arti-
cles without ever being seen by the few
officers of the law. Many thousand
gallons of spirituous liquor are sold
yearly in the City of the Straits and
surrounding towns that have never been
subjected to custom house tax. Much
Of the jewelry, and many of the silk
dresses that are seen on the streets have
passed over the stream sprreptitiously.
Lots Of wood burning pt0pellers and
steam barges that call at wood docks on
the Canada side of the river bring away,
besides the fuel, many jug and keg
that are found concealed in advance OF
their arrival This illicit traffic is not
confined exclusively to any one prOhib-
tied article. Many good suit OF clothes
comes over tine border either as a por-
ton Of the baggage of some member of
tho crew, or on the back OF the owner
who goes ashore in an old suit and
comes aboard with the new one on and
the old done up as bundle OF washing.
Butter and eggs are struggled over,
not only at night but in the daytime as
we'll, and to far greater extent than
the authorities or the public have any
idea of. Smuggling was formerly car
ried on to considerable extent on
passenger propellers and steamers of
both nationalities passing through De-
troit River, and even now little Is
done in the same way. The evil COM
menced long ago. and although perhaps
not SO openly as 10 days gone BY it still
goes on from year to year without any
material reduction. The officials are
powerless to prevent it."-Lake Capt.
ain in Buffalo Courier.