The national leader., 1889-01-19
A HELPING HAND,
How the Newsboys Lend 1t to The
Blind Comrades.

All the milk of human kindness
not to be found in the hearts of {
great and prosperous. Down amor
the little gamins of Newspaper-ro
exists a charity as sweet and sprlngi1
from as pure motives as in any carrie
on by the great incorporated instit
tions and societies which grace the ci
| of New York. IL tue busy thror
which crowd that thoroughfare hd
time to notice anything they would 81
several times each day some poor blir
unfortunate being led through the Il
tricacies of the crowd by one of those g1
tesque, ragged urchins, whose cry
''las terdishun" is herd there from SUI
rise until long after darkness settle
down.
BY following pair Of this sort I'd
other day the reporter became convl1
ced that the street gamins, who, som
moralists say, are the bursting see
whence criminals grow, have gentld
noble impulses, which would, if proper.
ly nurtured, bring them to bette
things. The boy was the regulation
gamin-.ragged. dirty, with pitched
features, but withal rs merry as
cricket. The blind man looked like
was-a poor Outcast, perhaps made
by his inarmity. Through the GROVE
she boy led him down into the delivery
room of one of the daily papers. and
after placing him in position in th{
line of "newsles" waiting for the next
addition to come off the press, he ran
out. AT the door he was stopped, and
under the potent influence of a bit oj
silver stepped into doorway and subj
mitted to little questioning.
"WhO's de blind fellerp Why, dat'd
Blind Charlie. Is he me farder2 Nawl
He's poor bloke wot lived down here|
ON Park-row. So's'ekin git de coin ter
live ON he has to sell papers. WOt was
I leadin' i'm fer? Does yer tink he
conld git tro' de crowd hisself widout
any eyes? Does tink Pm good tO
lead him? Nav. Why, any newsy
'ud help Charley or any of der blind
fellers wot's In der bisness. Is dere
od1ers like Charlief Dere's tree or
four Of 'em wOt live down ERE on
Park-row and gifts upearly likes we do.
Den dey comes out outer de street. and
any newsy wOt sees 'em III lead 'em to
de Office fer papers. When dey gets a
stock 'nuther newsy who has stand
near where de blind feller locates I'll
lead Jim dere. When he sells out
'nuther newsy who sees I'm III lead i'm
back, and so dey scrapes along. We'se
all willin' ter help 'em, except der Da-
gos, and dey's too mean ter help any
body"
Inquiry of the delivery clerks proved
the boys statement to be true. There
are half dozen blind newsboys, or
rather newsmen. In this city who owe
the fact that they are not sent to the
workhouse simply to the kindness OF
their little cO-wOrkers. AS the boy
said, the ..newsles" all know them,
and whenever they see one of the un-
fOrtunates wanting TO get to the news
paper offices for stock or at the news
paper Office wanting to get to favorlte
corner some ''embryonic criminal"
always volunteers as guide.
Another incident showing the gener-
Gus impulse of these outdoor waits. IL
occurred just in front of the T'naes
Building the other evening:
Hello, Stumpy," said one gamiR as
he met another, "haye yer fed yet!''
Nav" replied Stumpy, 81 guess
dis Is de eve / don't eat"
mo cOin?" asked the other.
"Nixey red,'. was the response. u
owed Glmpey fourteen cents and PAID
him so IS 'e could get some shoes"
"How's yer appetite?" was the next
query.
s'Oh, dere.s never any trouble on dat
line," was the lacOnic response.
''Well. Stump, said the little fellow.
81 tell yer. l got twenty Genus ana
was going to have a scrnmp5lous reed;
but reckon I'll have to let Del's side
ter night. Let's adjourn ter de Dean
nery."
He took Stump's arm ana the two
walked off. The beauty OF the act was
that it was done without Inc least
condescenslon, but a frank II may be
there myself some day" alr that was
delightful.