The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1893-12-30
THE GAMINS OF ROME
THEY ARE A SOURCE OF DELIGHT
AND TORMENT TO TRAVELLERS.

Clever Little Urchins Who Grow Up From
Early Childhood Homeless and without !,
Restraint - They Have Many Ways of |
Earning Living.
"Street gamins in Rome" the reader may |
think. 'are probably not very different |
from street gamins elsewhere curious, i'm |
pudent and nuisance generally"
' They certainly are endowed with those |
qualities most generously, nor are they all |
a. handsome and interesting rs 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, a.
they find customers ON their route. When
the herdsman for q 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.
Strengthened by their primitive meal,
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 at 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 Il 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 q paternal, assur
ing tone:
''Sixty centime is enough, sir. 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. I handed
him a coin, laughing at his grand airs, and
he received it with a condescending gesture
as he patroni.ingly said:
"Grazie, signor! q revider." u will see
you later, as we would say.) Then he has
tily made his departure, for the driver
reached for his whip and was going to pay
him for his untimely meddling. had
walked only short distance when another
boy was at my side.
Isl, signor, you are quite right; this is
the road to St. Pietro and the VAtican-give
me a soldo!'
What logical argument l drove him
off of course. But few minutes later q
third one bonded forward.
"Your boots, sir your bootsv'
am not so extravagant as some of the
native Romans, who have their boots pol
ished several times in a day, and tried to
ignore him. Then he appealed to my self
respect.
But, my lord, such boots!' he exclaimed
reprovingly, rs he trotted along by my
side. "Oh, Dio miol what nasty boots! Oh,
Santo Madre di Dio! what boots! l really
pity you, sir. Indeed! such bootsi In fatoI
] am sorry for your
All this was uttered in q tone of the most
profound moral conviction, the most disin-
terested fellow feeling of regret and SYM
pathy, as If l were q friend whom he had
met on forbidden way But when also
this appeal failed he dropped behind a few
steps and changed his tactics to a very noisy
prosecutions:
"Just look ut that American! One can
always tell on American by his dirty boots. "
That was too much for me. I concluded
to let the little imp shine my boots rather
than see TIE entire American people ex
PEELED from the family of we'll polished ma
tions.
These children, bold and full of vulgar
bombast as they are, must not be judged
too 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
they make their way as best they may
Then, too, a little friendly encouragement
changes them into the most amiable and
obliging little beings A couple Of soldi OF
a cigarette makes them the most pains
taking guides and trusty messengers.
Where do all these homeless boys sleep
There are plenty of quarters for the night
in Rome Among the pillars surrounding
the ancient buildings, the church portals
the recesses about the chapels, the nicEe
of the numberless saints-all these are eX
cellent lodging places. Only the Coliseum
) with its eighty portals makes an exception
for one of them is the guardhouse of tn
police, and in Rome, as elsewhere, a M
tural instinct forbids the street arabs 4
mingle too freely with even the humbles
of city officials After the days battl
some Of these homeless boys will lie dow
and sleep in the doorway of the neares
l \ - 4 4 T.