Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1890-06-27
y,cFv4mEs or BoTRooD.
=, Interesting subject that = ~"nerally
overlooked BY Writers.

Tr@8&uM N++- f-~-@
Overlooked by Writers.
=, these days OF minute literary re-
-, when books are written on every
'.,ti..t under the sun and over It. IT Is
',rang. that a prominent CHARACTERISTIC
.fta, life Is so persistentiy neglected
:. f,rt il las been remarked by men
.l,..ra in position 10 know, that the
,bole subject Of boyhood is capable OF
,;-b disc veries a boy Is said TO be
.,,darful animal and his ways past find
-, ont and any successful investigation
s;,b regard 10 his nature is sure to be Of
,u,nortance in the understanding Of men,
Mo are merely "children of a larger
Our philosophers and psychologists
have not, 10 proper extent, at least,
c,plored the natural history and mental
Ieyclopment Of children. Heridity has
~ late wears been receiving some Of the
a,,cotion il deserves. but none too much,
a. this Is n matter that is of the very
,r,vest interest TO the human race.
Who is there that does not remember,
with meditative pleasure. the curious
,icknames that were borne about the
,lav.pround Of the old school-house he
nsed 20 attendI
Bslta weakness. Il deserves some praise.
We love the playground Of our earlier days.
Mi was philosophical in the stout boy,
when the tall boy called him fatty or
shorty. to brand the other as legs"
Or skinny. Older heads have con-
sluded that the chief way of happiness
/, in being glad one Is not something
worse.
Il would take shrewd philologist TO
tfac, 10 its sources the name "Gearsy.
A small boy had a bal habit OF loafing
about a railroad track, and sometimes
stole ridea Ills mothers frequent adj
monilon was, johnny, keep way from
the kears His playmates took up The
letter and not the spirit Of the injunc-
ton, and. thereafter, We're profuse in ad-
vice about the "kears, which ended in
giving him the name "Gearsey, borne
10 this day.
A relative is said to have inquired for
her missing offspring, after this plaintive
fashion ~rve got a bug in my ear, an
iyaller taste in my mouth and did you
;ee anything of my Jerry?"
In the same town lives thin delicate
looking boy, who bears with angry re-
luctance the astonishing title, Honey
google-pappoose-g good boy pale face
squaw,T given him presumably on ac-
sount of his fndness for that thrilling
tale, Seventy Seven Buckets Full of
Blood or, the Corkscrew's Revenge.
BY the way, an old Virginia town is a
capital place TO study character. Take
one such as have in mind-not too busy
or extensiye-where everybody knows
everybody else In such place, remote
from the "busy marts, the stream of
lie does not move SO fast nor in such
complexity of direc ION, but the medita-
tive may look far into its dark but placid
depths.
In this town were boys called Wee
wah, "~Cinny, shortened from CHINA
mon Bear, which was given him on ac-
sount Of his imitation of the antics of a
travelling Italian bear, and his great In
dian bear dance Moon Eye" on ac-
count OF his round, ianocent eyes T;
Moses, not at all ON account of his
meekness; ~Porgie, ~Hen-hick," an
anfeeling allusion to a vocal deformity (;
"Cats-eye, another personal deformity
Watermelon Redlip, boy who knew
what was good -Sugar-lip, somewhat
like the former: Eddie Cute, con-
ceited; "Footer, y "Kissimpoppin, "@ Pos
gum-stump- p-cooney-in-th hol-
lerh-~C Cooney, for short; @Bosser,
Upright Boiler, "Dode, "Toden,
Hunter, Pumpkin, ~Foonky," foT
Frank ~oddy,7 Edward; ~Bull Tail,
-Stick-in-the-mud. aPonto,n Slip,
club-footed, at first called Flip Flop,
'Fritzie, Pepper, "Cutshaw, Bud
die, slippery Greaser, Mickey,
Skillet, Shank, and Colonel.
Many of these names have entirely
superseded the Christian names of the
owners, who would be profoundly as
tonished if addressed in any other way.
hWho can explain the word kid, used
as term Of contempt for younger boys
Atone place the term came into popular
use shortly after the inscription BILLY
Kidd was discovered on q railway
water-tank. Whether it is a tribute t
The memory of the noted outlaw, or an
ailusion to the wicked goats of the judg
ment day, no one seems to know. Theil
equals they call fellows What de
hghfm collection of these odd and in
'sreSting nicknames might be made /
every person interested in the subjec
sand who is not p would search among
ms loved memories Of boyhood and cul
lot the benefit of others, the quaintes
NE word pictures-silihouttes as
"ere-of the companions Of other days
SAMUEL j.