Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1884-12-18
Babies on the Block.
WHAT BECOMES OF Bow-LEGGED CHILDREN
New York Herald.

New Yor. Herald
There are more children TO the square
inch IN what are called tenement-houses
than in any other grade OF human habi-
ta,ion. Some people say that appearances
are decetfu and that it seems as though
there were more children because there are
50 many families 10 single house, and that
putting the children of this, that, and the
other family together naturally creates a
crowd and makes il appear as though there
were more children to the family. This is
not true. Poor people do have, as rule.
more children than people who are better off
IN this worlds goods.
The two features that strike an observer
most forcibiy IN these tenement districts are
the good health and hilarious conduct of the
children Whv scores of them are not run
over mutllated, killed every day in every
wear, ia one Of those mysterious special
proyldences which no mere mortal can hope
10 elucidate. In the first place, the halls and
stairwavs of tenement houses are packed
with children coming up, going down. play
ing house. hugging dollies, sucking candy,
CRYING, fighting having good time, having
a bad one. The door-steps are always lined
by little ones of various dimensions. On
the sidewalks the boys play hopscotch and
the girls play tag. In utter defiance of or
dinary prudence, they rush across the street
in groups, they make mud-pies in the road
wav, sail boats in the gutter shoot marbles
on the pavement and climb the lamp-posts
for exercise They have dirty faces, tattered
clothing. bare feet, but bright eyes, stentorian
voices, and agility beyond exaggeration.
What becomes Of the bandy-legged children
we have seen for many years is an interest
ing problem. Nothing is more common
than to see white and black babies. of two or
three wears of age, with their legs bowed out
in the form OF an eclipse. small hoop
could be rolled between their legs without
touching either knee. They waddle along
like pair of distorted compasses and yet
Young men or middle-aged men with legs
of, that description are not often seen upon
the street. There is no excessive mortality
among the children of the poor which would
account for the disappearance of the handy
legged, vet the fact of their existence as
children can be known by walk along a
block of any part of the tenement house
localities.
The education Of those little ones is a
subject which pubicists might well give
more attention to than they do. Under the
truant act the children can be compelled to
go to school, but as it is impossible to put
a quart OF fluid into pint measure, so with
the limited accommodations furnished by
this great metropolis for the education of
children, it is utterly impossible to find
physical places for hundreds and thousands
OF them. This is crying evil. Cases are
known and names and places can be given
where children who, by the mere absence Of
a day or two or few DAYS from school, are
informed that they have lost their places and
thai until vacancies occur, their seats being
filed, they must go without schooling
This being the case, it is easy enough for
quick -yitted parents who desire to utilize
their children upon the street to evade
the provisions of the school and truant
laws.
The babies on tenement blocks very soon
grow to acuteness, to shrewdness, to mer-
camille ssgacity. It would amaze parents
Of real children to know the facts about
these miniature men and women, small in
stature, but sharp as briers in intercourse
with people many, many years their senior.
They start along the rugged path Of life at a
time when other children are eoddled and
tucked away, as such tender and un-
sophisticated beings should be. We speak
of a swarm Of bees, ofa multitude of
people, of flock of sheep, of herd of
bufaloes, but there has never been invented