Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-02-17
THE GAMINS OF ROME
THEY ARE A SOURCE or DELIGHT
AND TORMENT TO TRAVELLERS.

Restraint = They Have Many Ways of
Earning a Living.
street gamins in Rome, )" the reader NAV
think, 'are probably not very different
from street gsmips elsewhere-curious, i'm
pudent and a nuisance generally"
They certainly are endowed with those
qualities most generously, nor are they all
as handsome and interesting as the familiar
Roman Boy" with large, dreamy eyes,
long, black locks, and the stereotyped high
pointed hat, which may be seen in oil, aqua
relle or copper in the windows of almost
every art dealer.
Early in the morning these little fellows
begin their days work. The first thing to
be done is usually to secure breakfast in
some way from one of the numerous herds
men who daily bring their goats to the city
and milk them in the street, one by one, as
they find customers on their route When
the herdsman for few moments leaves his
flock to deliver milk and solicit new orders,
the watchful, half naked boys will dart
out from corner or alley, squat down and
suck the fresh, warm milk from the full
| udders. When the indignant rustic appears
| with his long staff to punish the Juvenile
| marauders, they are of and vanish as quick
ly as they appeared
| they now begin the more legitimate part of
their days work. The newspapers are
| brought out and sold under deafening YELL
ing Other youthful street hawkers ap-
pear with variety OF wares, such as pins,
toothpicks, pictures of saints, busts of Vic
| tor Emmanuel and Umberto, lottery tick
| cts, etc Some of the most enterprising
make rhymes on the list of their wares
and sing the same Justify to some popular
opera melody.
With an experienced eye they spot every
| foreigner who comes within sight, and
| know to perfection how to take advantage
| Of his peculiarities. When one day dur
| ing my stay in Rome got into a dispute
with cabman because he, in addition TO
| the regular fare, demanded buona mansia
"a tip-a little fellow six or seven years
! old came up and said in paternal, assur-
| ing tone:
| Sixty centime is enough, si:. The rascal
| is very impudent; don't you give him any
| more"
| In the same breath he asked me for a
soldo for the service rendered / handed
him coin, laughing at his grand airs, and
he received it with condescending gesture
as he patronizingly said:
| Giraffe, signorl a revider" q will see
you later, as we would say.) Then he has
lily made his departure, for the driver
reached for his whip and was going to pay
him for his untimely meddling. l had
walked only a short distance when another
boy was at my side.
Isl, signor, you are quite right; this is
the road to st. Pietro and the Vstican-give
| me a soldor
| What logical argument! l drove him
| OFF Of course. But few minutes later
| third one bounded forward
| Your boots, sir, your boots
| | am not 50 extravagant as some of the
native Romans, who have their boots pol
shed several tines in d Gay, and l tried to
| gnore ann. :nea he appealed to my self
| aspect
| Phi. loiG .l:cl taa;>," he exclaimed
| Trrovi...J, - IL trCt,rtl along by my
| SIDE. ''UA, bio n,io, y hat nasty boots! Oh,
Santo Iaa.re Gi BIC, what boots! ] really
| pity you, sir. Indeed, slch boots. In fato.
am sorry tor YOU
| All this was uttered in a tone of the most
profound moral conviction, the most disin-
.erested fellow feeling of regret and sym
patty, as if were a friend whom he had
met on a forbidden way But when also
| his appeal failed he dropped behind few
| steps and changed his tactics to very noisy
persecution:
Just look at that American! One can
always tell an American by his dirty boots"
That was toe much for me concluded
% let the little imp shine my boots rather
| han see the entire American people ex
PEELED from the family of well polished ma
ions.
These children, bold and full of vulgar
oombast as they are, must not be judged
200 harshly. 1t must be remembered that
most of them are orphans. They have to
make their own living, and therefore often
spend their childhood in the streets, where
hey make their way as best they may.
Then, too, little friendly encouragement
changes them into the most amiable and
obliging little beings. A couple Of soldi or
II cigarette makes them the most pains
taking guides and trusty messengers.
Where do all these homeless boys sleep9
There are plenty of quarters for the night
n Rome. Among the pillars surrounding
she ancient buildings, the church portals,
he recesses about the chapels, the inches
II the numberless saints-all these are ex-
cellent lodging places. Only the Coliseum
With its eighty portals makes an exception,
-or one of them is the guardhouse of the
police, and in Rome, as elsewhere, a ma
tural instinct forbids the street arabs to
mingle too freely with even the humblest
Of city officials. After the days battle
some Of these homeless boys will lie down
and sleep in the doorway of the nearest
house, and it is not an uncommon thing
when one comes home late, to stumble over
4 pair of small brown legs, whose owner
mechanically reaches out with his little
hand and in sleepy voice says, ''Un soldo,
signor"
Thus passes day after day for the street
boys in the Eternal City They grow up
!, in n constant fight for existence The treet
is their home and their school They go
through life with an imperturbable sang
froid that is simply enviable. They know
of no other burden than the care for the
necessities of the moment, and among
them cigar or a cigarette is the most Sc
rious. Then they become young men well
equipped with practical knowledge of the
world and with health. They are qualified
with almost everything except to sit still
and be idle. Excellent servants, good sol
diers and hard working men generally grow