Connecticut western news., 1886-02-17
THE NATIONS PAGES.
The Boys Who Wait on Sena-
 tors and Congressmen.
Peculisrities of the Little Ohaps,, Their
 Mode of Life and Designations

An Indianapolis correspondent at Washington writes: Some interesting character and peculiar bits of life arc found in the pages of the Senate and House of Representatives. In the upper branch of congress there arc about fifteen and in the lower branch about thirty-five pages. Their duties are well-known to the average reader. Their fields of labor are the floors of the two branches of con- gress. A page for the senate, however, never does anything for a member of the house, and vice versa. Sometimes page is found who is almost of age and nearly full l-grown; but they average from 9 to IA years, and most of them are very small in stature, and upon first appear ance boyish in character. As years go on, if they are retained, the little fellows become sagacious, often proud, and not infrequently initiate the statesmen in bearing and conversation. There is no better school for boy in which to be- come ap actor. He has the best of oppor- tunity to study every phase of character. Speaking of the pages sometimes imitat- ing the acts of their superiors, reminds me of an incident that occurred few days ago. A very diminutive page who was borne upon the rolls of the last con- gress was superseded. When he learned that his place had been given to another he became considerably dejected, for this little fellow had dissipated in a mild way and had been profigate, so that he was found almost without funds, and was as far away from home as the state of Missouri is from Washington. But the boy had been an observer and knew trick or two. He studied the situation. He solved it. Going to his boarding house he hastily picked up his effects without attracting the attention of any one. With great caution he removed them to another quarter of the city. Then he went out to bid his old confreres adieu. Meeting one of them, who was about ten years old, and as tall as mans arm is long, he said:
 ''Well, goodbye, old fellow; I'm off. My constituents have given me the shake Twas defeated in caucus and beaten in convention. The situation, however, leaves me little flat. am nearly broke; but have found way out. I will jump my board bill. They all do it."
 Sometimes the pages run in schools, like fish, and become clannish. Not in- frequently one meets crowd of them, all under three feet in height, at the mid night hour, making the town howl Many of them smoke cigarettes and play billiards. Frequently the little fellows drink beer, for they can buy it any where at the counters. There is not very great proportion of them. however, who fall into these channels of dissipa- ton. Those who do generally come from the larger cities. Then the pages have way of 'thazing," and some of the capers they play upon plebeians or inex- perienced boys are wonderfully severe and terribly embarrassing. One of the favorite tricks in the line of hazing is to take @ new boy down into the basement under the hall of the house and show him the "rubber man." This basement is very dark and very broad and cavern ous. Portions of it are unlighted, and the unsophisticated youth soon finds him. self lost. The surroundings are weird and frightful, and it sometimes takes an hour to get out. Pages receive $75 per month during the session. Those in the house are generally changed every two years, but the boys in the senate are re- tained, and some of them grow up to manhood from childhood at their posts of duty, as did Senator German, of Mary land It is said that considerable num- Der of pages in the house are blood rela- tives to members, and sometimes the members have their sons appointed.