Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-22
DEFENCE OF THE SMALL BOY
He Is Not SO Selfish as is Alleged, as This
Will Illustrate.

I1~R EOPLE have way Of saying that the
- small boy is a selfish animal. Just as
Isl NWWIthe infant unborn passes through
III RS'Ylstages of primary development, which
U Excessively represent after fashion,
various lower animals, so the baby newly ar
rived in the world bears a likeness. mentally
speaking-at least so scientific men assert-to
a young chimpanzee, and the adolescent in his
first pair Of pantaioons strikingly resembles the
typical savage of the wilds in his ways and in
clinations. Being a savage, he is entirely
selfish-for altruistic ideas come only with
civilization. Such, at all events, is the notion
of learned professors. To see what injustice il
does to the small boy one has only to look
about him with an obsersant eye as he goes
along the street.
ILLUSTRATED BY ROLLER SKATES.
1t is unfortunately the case that every small
boy is not in a position financially to become
the owner of pair OF roller skates. Only the
exceptional youth enjoys such a possession
Does one, then, see these lucky fedglings OF
manhood skating about over the asphalt in
proud consciousness of their superior means OF
pleasure and locomotiOn. Quite otherwise.
One does observe roller skates in use on every
hand. but it is rarely that single small boy il
found using two of them at once. Almost in
variably he is seen sliding along on one skate
with a succession of impulses conveyed by the
other unskated foot. In his manner of gong
he resembles somewhat that curious bug which
one beholds SHINING about by aimless jerk
over the surface of a still pond
Now why should this be so2 For what rea.
son is 1t that the small boy SO seldom has more
| than one skate? Simply because he has either
lent the other skate to a companion or bor-
rowed from him the one he has on. Thus you
will ordinarily see these small boys skating in
pairs, each with one skate, and SO dividing the
| sport. Rarely does it appear that the owner
of a pair of skates uses them both himself in.
stead Of sharing the pleasure with a friend.
ANOTHER PROOF.
Who says, then, that the small boy is sci
fish being2
Why, only yesterday afternoon on Pennsyl
vania avenue tine beautiful sight was witnessed
of three small boys devoting themselves ex
clusively to the qualification of little com
panion. who was seated in the middle OF tn.
| street with his feet held as high as possible i,
the air, while the trio of his friends pulled hin
cheerfully along by means of ropes attached to
| his legs, long trail in the dust marking tn,
| path pursued by the rider who was at tn,
| same time his own sled How tar this youth
| mother might have been disposed to approx,
| of this peculiar method of locomotlon it is i'm
possible to say; but after all, that is not at al
| the point.
satisfactorily explain the distortions in the pro
| nunciation of words which small boys who sci
| newspapers are ordinarily addicted to. Fo
instance, they never by any possibility or,
| Star, but always ''Stoy-ar!" or ''Sty-ar!'
They seem to prefer to make two syllables il
their cries il possible; and yet, as rule, the,
do not yell ''Papers!" but simply ''Papes!'