Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-01-17
THE FADS OF BOYS.
c..zrs IN AMUSEMENT THAT
HAVE PASSED AWAY.
7HE SCROLL-SAW GONE FOR GOOD
The printing Press, Too IL
,. Tbnt every Lad
mad Now Unheard Of-so"e
80 ,,c Nen Thinss-Camer"s'

81 want to get scroll saw
7, u,as well along in the evenings az"
H. rich NJ the holiday trade was hea''s
o,,o. for the season, so the toy-shop ""
leisure He leaned over his count
- or1 looked at the man In the u''
with something OF the interest,"
gives to relic or rare object a. Of
"a scroll-saw," he repeated IN 80 hava
mild surprise. II hardly believe We
such a thing in stock. 49, o.hor
ooh. I hope you have sara '"e Ia |
lin, so,ra eagerness "I've been arou"u
- baIf dozen shops, ana 'heS
~ "' GOT q saw Of the kind IN the
place." oraared at" replied
-, .Jim" he called 10 MS Ooy,
900 mn in the back storeroom anu $3.50
20 w esh out one of those old-fashloheu
scrol-saws. :, ,.....r,,n+ed the GUS
,o,ner 81 don't want any OF your V,e,
vermont goods. 1 want the newest '"'''S
in scrollsaws rariv "J'm
.-,,ine, N get YOU what you want. You we W;
hoo, away for good while, haven you
"SbouId reckon / had. There's peeh
,,,,a FOR n boy to grow up ana De man
since | struck this part OF the worn. ~
the old boys I used 20 know nave siomn
nm and have got boys of their own Snu
~, Licking 70 get something for honuay
nresent for one of those boys now An"'
What I'm chasing scron-saws lot ,.,,,, 10
"Well. sir" said the snopmah'
clad 70 sell you one If l nave IL, o
NAV as well tell you that the III ond
INV, what it's for, in all probability anu
f,~ Uhpn he mas OuN.
.,yvon,t know what it's forY' crieo ,Le
stranger "Why. when l left mere n'o
| d,dn,t think his parents were doins IN
so,ara thing by him unless ne nau
scroll-saw. and when L found out ny ST., ss
Questioning that Pauls younestgi ~ 90
49, euch a thing TO his name saiu ~
,a,,eelf. There is a kid that hash nau
yair show in life. and I'll just give MN
",fv dear sir" said the toy man. pm
losophically. 1.-The mutaolhty Oh INC -
man mind is best illustrated III 'Ie -
of the youth Of the species. Inc lHc - -
boyhood are more stringent laws
the follies of fashion ,o,,
"Do YOU mean to tell me that the BOY
~ the present day doesn't play mar
bles?" cried the other
For answer the shopman pulled out
drawer filed with classics "crocke-
ries "taws" "mibs," "chanies," ana
various other species of rolling joys oil
"Tbat looks like old times" said The
customer, glancing over them with ap
proving eyes. How about tops anu
kites% 49,, Ill, ,os,
,,,changad az long as boys walk on two
legs. suppose" said the 10y man.
.bo
"That's a relief to the mind. l oidh
, know but you were going TO ten me uld'
. the kids of this vicinity nowadays spen'
! all their time singing hymns ana decili''n=
Latin nouns. 80, bod
5 sTf Won could have seen the way mac
: 10 chain my ash-barrels down last ere.
: ! ton time TO keep them from adding 10 th'
! oIorv If the occasion by forming part o.
a bonfire that the youth OF this nelshoor
y mood got ND without reference TO pohtlcs
r don't think you'd think so. guess theN
| aren't any more grown up than you "e''
Y at the same time of life.
"Then, what's the matter with Hi'
! scrol-sawY' -. a.. 90,
OF style. oh you don't need 10 zen M ~ =
non,ilar they used 10 be. | can remeulpe
perfectlv well when everybody had IN
scroll-saw craze, and all the men IN to"n
&c veil az the boys, were putteTihB ava
II az their fancy work for all the world INK
n a lot Of women getting the serious Wor
e ~ tho day done before the sewing De
p began" ~, .,o. ,,,ho
le "Ard Il was perfect clncn that "nS
: Christmas came around you'd get let ]
- Cor v,aIl-brackets and shoe racks and nc
"A t,,re frames and all kinds Of useful knicR
"A Lracks that YOUR friends had sawed OF
is OF slabs Of black walnut. .,.
"Weu that's all over and done wit
re vears and years ago. It's been supel
rs seeded by a dozen other tads' each
~ which took just about as hrm hoiu
the juvenile public" =.
"SInce my time, I guess SAID u
stronger 'I'ye been out of the world
m hustIine around It too fast TO have tin
for eating acquainted with the younl
sters. and knowing what their nouoi
~ ~, are" -
he .'weIl. can't remember half OF the
ofY-hand. though / am in the BUSINESS
&c supplying those wants" said the Toy ma
Seems TO me II wasn't very long AT
,ha scroll-saw craze that people and pa
sh .in,,larly the Youngsters. took 70 wrtil
is schemes like fancy pens and such. ~
couldn't persuade schoolboy in the CT
oy thot he could do his work unless he nj
t. a natent pen Of q particular kind, ana
ns looked for awhile as If the Board or Ed
cation might have 10 supply them.
IN teachers caught It from the pupils anu
snread through the whole community.
me ct remember a man out on the coz
irving TO sell me some sort OF an elect
IA men that didn't write with Ink. but j.
he'd little holes in the paper with
needle" observed the customer.
yes that was one variety OF the la
ow. assented the shopman. "WeH, the
ell PLAYED out pretty soon and was $
ins ceeded by type. Every boy who could
a hand printing press, little back
and an old shed or back kitchen foi
habitat organized stock company
of SET M in the printing business Tor nj
al self. The bills, dodgers, ana ahhouil
ant ments that resulted from that PRINT
the fever would make a mighty interest
ep. collection to paste on wall. AS
re- member them they revised the Ing
az language pretty extensively. ABOUT
riss Of the printing-press owners got
,old newspapers, too, and undoubtedly
en- oured pretty considerable educau
IS a | should put that down as one or
opl' most useful fads OF the lot. bat 1t had
little day. like all the rest, and was
and forgotten. Some years later gen
who must have been a boy once hims
invented an improved and rather n
priced popgun that burst holes in 81
eng OF paper by compressed air with the
does mort of a revolver. II made lot OF Il
test and was quite harmless-tnough l
sbg- saw that didn't endear 1t 10 the JuVe
nee midland for one season the sur
Il OF sounded like a battlefield during a
way we're action. That was all very vel
the g.. a.. tho bove went hut horses too