The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-12-12
Every Day Life of City Children.
From Chicaqo Me,cs Rambler.

feel great pity for city children. By
city children do not mean generally the
children of city, although they, too, miss
a great deal and are also to be pitied, but
| refer rather to thousands of little ones
who live with their parents in the business
portion. Often their parents have charge
of the large building in which they make
their home. If you will cast your eye to
the upper stories of some Of the tower-iike
structures on the busy downtown streets
you will see clean diminity or neat chintz
curtains adorning the windows, in vivid
contrast with the uncurtained, unkept, and
grimy sash of the stories below. Mayhap
the window ledge will hold narrow wooden
box containing few moss roses, or else a
few pots will hold to the welcome sun or
the smoke-tainted breeze few other hardy
flowers.
Owners of business blocks, like to the
persons they give them in charge of live
on the premises, and SO the janitor aed his
family are assigned to apartments in he.
upper story. Often these quarters are
made cozy and pleasant by neat and
methodical wife, but oftener still they are
rendered more bare and miserable than
their uninteresting surroundings. ! 1t is
the children of such families that il feel
sorry for. Their hard-working parents
are busy all day, and the little ones are left
to amuse themselves. But how?R They
have no playmates for, likely enough there
may not be family similarly situated
within two or three blocks, and they are
afraid to trust themselves so far away from
their door, They Chamber down five or
six flights of great wide stairs, thronged
with busy men with the eager glare of
speculation and competition in their eyes,
and reach the still more thronged side
walk.
Poor little things They have never
had a playmate who could teach them
game such as other children play Once
in a great while one notices them making
a dismal attempt at "Ring Round Rosy
or some such play, but the trial is generally
a dismal failure. Then, occasionally, you
are startled to hear above the crash and
din of the street the shrill voices of little
ones singing "London Bridge" But out
side of these | have never seen these poor
babes engaged in any other play. They
run about in an aimless way and fight and
get very dirty, but they never 50
enjoy themselves. They always seq
and hot, and rather disgusted, an
faces wear pale, oldish look.
They have no place to play e
sidewalks. If they play in the
cross men come out and scold th
when they go to the pavement
run into, jostled, and knocked dol
other cross men, They have no bacl
nor front yards. They cannot play
bles or hop-scotch for the interrupted
"hispy" is denied them for the same
Kites are out of the question, for the
see a rift of the sky through net W
telegraph wires Their only grass is \
blades that spring from oats dropped in q
cracks of the paving stones by horses at
their MONDAY meal The country is terra
incognita to them. The parks? Oh, yes,
they have been to a park-twice. Their
father and mother took them on two occa-
sions on Sundays. 1t was very hot, and
the street cars were crowded, and they got
tired before they got there. Have
time? Oh, yes, they had red a.
popcorn, and the ground was
there was water and boats
said they were boats. That
don't remember anything
wouldn't have remembered
been for the popcorn.
Nobody they meet in their e
has kind word for them.
speak to them it is to tell then
of the way. Where other chill
caressess they receive cuffs. +
sky is never blue. Thick, mu
of smoke obscure what little
otherwise see of it, blackening
and showering down smut and
street is full of charging hor
air is full of the din of busi1
experience no sweet and tender
and have no associations to
pleasure and teach them knowle
are preternaturally shrewd and 9
are never at loss for an answer.
or lie slips from their tongu
nature. They have no one to 9
comfort, or instruct them. Poor little
children