The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-14
THE WATERMELON AND ART.
Pictorial Uses to Which 1t Is Put by
New York East-Siders.
New York Sun.

New York Sun.
If, by any chance, a colored citizen from
Thompson street should stray into the low
er East Side ard should carry home tales
Of the sights to be seen there, there would
be trouble. The Thompson-street contin-
gent would rise in a body and descend upon
the East Side in quest of spois, and there
would be such a race war as this genera
ton has not seen; for, in Rivington and
Delaney streets, and others enough like
them to fool any save the residents life at
this season is one riotous round Of water
melon. Pushcarts and fruit stands are
loaded down with luscious pink slices, and
the proprietors carve away steadily. 1t is a
pleasant sound on a hot day, that crisp
scrunch, as the knife runs through the
melon; but there isn't time for proper en-
joyment of the occupation for the demand
is so brisk that it is hard to satisfy it,
Every old lady in a jute wig and hoop
earrings who sits on a doorstep and talks
with her neighbors munches melon between
gossip. Every baby that rolls around the
sidewalks clutches a wet pink chunk in it's
grimy hand All the small boys and girls
who have pennies patronize the melon
stands, and those who haven't the pennies
hover around the bases Of supply with
the cutters and refuse barrels, and are
scattered over the sidewalk in wild pro-
fusion. Incidentally, be it said, melon rind,
if properly adjusted with the slippery side
up. is almost as effective as banana peel
in humbling the proud and laying low the
mighty. Any one who walks along East
Side streets nowadays should - so in a
spirit of humility and prayerful caution.
There is only one correct way OF eating a
watermelon, and that is the one in vogue
down town One should grasp the crescent
shaped slice firmly at each end, and, begin
ming exactly in the middle, eat a path out
to the rind. After that initiatory move in
dividuality of taste may have some scope,
but not before. Some amateurs favor nib
bling along the edge of the slice. and by
slow degrees approaching the rind in
harmonious curve; but that pernicious
an effete notion probably of uptown orr
gin. and one cannot properly saturate ones
to damp fresco unless one boldly eats from
the center to the rind at the first attack.
One Rivington street boy of artistic tastes
went through a terrible moral struggle a
few nights ago. He knew how melon should
be eaten but he went wrong, as is natural
TO the artistic temperament. He nibbled at
his slice carefully. calculatingly. until he
had given the pink edge the shape of a
Hebrew profile. and the melon slice bore
lively resemblance to a Hebraic man in the
new moon A man who CHANGED to be
passing stopped to admire the work of art
and the boy beamed. Then he looked sad.
He had suddenly realized that in order to
preserve his chef doeuvre he must give up
eating the melon.
This story will sound like an allegory to
the noble army of artists. They've all run
up against similar situations, at one time or
another; and, like the small boy, they prob
ably ate the melon and let the masterpiece
go hang. The boy. having eaten nearly
as possible to the rind. thereby counting
cholera morbus and early death. threw lib
eral sop to his artistic conscience. He took
the melon rind and with the wet side of ii
began drawing pictures on the dusty side
walk.
The idea wasn't original with him. Dozens
of boys were doing the same thing: and If
the pictures hadn't an inconsiderate habit of
evaporating, the sidewalks in that part OF
town would be striking testimonials 10 the
artistic talent of the street urchin. They
would testify. also, to his war spirit, for
nine-tenths of the efforts at art seem di-
rected toward drawing soldiers and guns AMI
boats and flags.
The boy who had sacrificed the man in
the moon was evidently recognized as a
master spirit, for as soon as he got down to
work an admiring crowd gathered around