Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-07-11
BOYS AND CROWDS.
The Youngsters are Always the First 20 APP
pear In Cases OF Excitement.

The Hounesters are Always the First to APP
pear In Cases OF Excitement.
DoYS, BOYS EVERYWHERE. BOYS IN
~ blazers and fine long stockings, boys in no
stockings and no coats at all. Little boys and
boys so big that they are almost men. White
boys black boys yellow boys They come in
troops, nocks professions. single file and
double file. They spring up out Of the earth
or they drop from of the trees. 1t grows boys
or rains boys. Yet ten minutes ago you
might have looked down K street and up
18th street and you would hardly have noticed
. boy. But all Of . sudden there Gas . fight .
row, and man ran down the street away from
the policeman who went tearing after him.
Then the boys appeared and they followed in
the chase until the miscreant was caught. pant
ing and putting and pale with fright and ex-
element. The crowd OF youngsters grew, and
when the patrol wagon came along to take the
captured man TO the station house il looked ss
though there must be q thousand boys gathered
about and not more than six men
Say, sonny" said The STAR reporter to one
OF the boys who was running 10 the scene ss
fast as his lsgs could carry him, whats the
row about?"
Don know, mister; amt got no time 20
talk, and away he dashed as though he was an
old-fashioned fire engine racing to get to the
nre before any one else.
Say. sonny. what's the row about?" again
ventured the reporter to another boy. This
was black boy, and be responded:
Il sc gwine ter see. What Yer take me furf
i INK L sc gwine ter stopn chin? Glong dsrr
and he went of in a hurry. Then the writer
went along himself and saw the capture and
was told fifteen different stories about the
cause of the disturbance
There Is an old gentleman in Washington
who Is an authority on mobs and crowds, and
he says that he never knew a quick crowd
gather that il was not started by the bows. The
reason was obvious A man walks the street.
as general thing with some purpose In view;
either he is taking exercise or he IL going to some
given point, and he is not to be deferred from
his purpose by any chance circumstance that
comes across his path, unless it is OF some con-
sequence. But with boys 1t is different They
are on the street simply for fun. A runaway
horse dog fight or, best OF all. man fight,
are what they are on the lookout for and they
dash III pell nell to enjoy the sport upon the
slightest suspicion that there is any sport pos
sibie. They start the running and adults join
In later.
In old times in Washington the boys used to
be divided into certain sets or crowds. The
territory Of each crowd defined by fixed
boundaries, and woe unto the unhappy urchin
who happened to walk out of his proper pre-
cincts and encounter any members of another
crowd on their own ground. ltgeneraily Jared
| uhTu Win ullfl anu WOulu DC 10 nv
back to his companions. But this never reached
the proportions here that it used to have in
other cities and probably has in other cities
now.
When you meet crowd Of boys look to your
self. III you have on q peculiar hat or a new
coat depend upon il, it will be made the subject
OF derisive comment. If you walk IN any way
out of the ordinary manner you will be hooted
at and If there Is snow on the ground and you
have on q tall hat it will probably be made a
fnr tnta ha11a ~ M
the year for snow balls, but the writer remem-
bers that last winter he in New York when
snow balls were in fashion, and was walking
down side street OF oth avenue when lie
suddenly came across a crowd of boys. After
he had perceived them he realized that a re-
treat would insure pursuit, SO he pretended
not to notice the boys and walked straight on
into their midst. Their attention was occupied
for the moment with q drunken man whom
they were plsguing and badgering cruelty, but
he took refuge speedily In a convenient grog
shop, and then the boys looking for a new VIC
tim spied the fine silk tile that one OF Washing
ton s best matters had supplied
Hi dere, Jimmy! look at de dude wild de
dicer on, will your cried one of the boys, and
Jimmy and ali the Jimmys looked at it and re-
solved to lombard 1t at once. The rest OF the
story is not very agreeable recollection, for II
consists of an account of a man In . new silk
hat skurrying down a narrow street at the rate
OF eight miles an hour, with a bowling mob of
boys after him and snow balls flying about his
head. He escaped, but his new silk hat pre-
scented an appearance not unlike the battered top
Of monitor after she has been in a action.
1t was. IN short, SO full of dents and SO badly
scratched that il was useless an article Of or
namental apparel ever afterward.
OF course, at this season Of the year there is
| no danger of snowballing, and even boys, al
| though they are said 10 be cruel by nature,
| forbear from throwing stones at an inofensiye
| passer-by, but they make up for it by stoning
| him with their tongues. When a gentleman is
| SO unfortunate to get caught in the rain
without umbrella, it is not kind of the boys
whom he meets to halo out, as they are apt to
do, Just calch on to the dude making fun Of
the weather."
Why is it, anyhow. that boys always make
fun OF man who has on fine clothes? They will
let a ragged, slouching man go by without q
word, but d man who is fashionsbly dressed
rarely escapes their derision. They will call
him names, and, if possible, will dis2gure his
appearance. Probably they consider it un-
manly TO dress up, and Is boys are generally
right it must be SO.
Are people aware OF the fact that the reason
why street boys are not as bad they used to
be is because Of the greater efficiency Of the
police? Boys at heart are just as riotous and
mischievous as they ever were, but they are
afraid Of being run in"