The Washington weekly post., 1899-11-21
MESSENGER BOYS USEFUL.
Lever Of Dime Novels, but a Handy Article
In Business Life.

A great many funny para graphs aimed
at the messenger boy find their way into
public print. but you'll have 10 travel
long way TO find a messenger boy who
thinks that his life Is a joke. He doesn't
think it's easy, and when an ''old-time-'
gets your ear, he'll make you believe that
the life OF the printers deyiI' or the
shop lad Il a. a bed OF roses compared
with his existence.
OF course, the messenger boy thinks II
real nice when he starts in. especially
when he gets $ a week. That's = great
deal OF money, and he doesn't know what
to do with 50 much money when he gets
1t at the end Of the first week. it's really
but $50. as fifty cents are taken cut
weekly until the price OF the suit ne
wears is made Up.
The first week he is likely 20 get all Of
the $3.50, but after that he must look
sharp, otherwise there will De quarters
and dimes missing, because the big COM
panies have a regular schedule of fines
Tor the smallest delinquencies. One Of
the companies fines ID cents for being late.
and 10 cents for appearing at the Office
with one OF the brass buttons off the
coat, The boys are also supposed to keep
their hats and suits looking spick and
span.
To the credit Of the managers of these
companies be IT said that the rules of
fines are not strictly enforced; but they
claim that the messenger boy likes TO
steal time whenever he can. and that IN
less he knows that every infringement Of
the rules Is liable to punishment, the pub
lie would get miserable service. Some
times The fines are remitted when the
10y does particularly quick work the
same week the offense occurs.
Even the messenger boy will admit the
truth of the joke that the dime novel is
sure to delay the most competent OF mes
sengers. He is never 50 happy as when
he Is near the end Of a chapter In a blood
and-thunder novel, where the fascinating
nero iS on the point or meeting several
kinds of death. and then comes out on
top and lives TO escape other kinds CT
death in the other chapters.
There are two very strong reasons why
the messenger boy prefers dime novels
first, because il appeals TO his .dea of
herOism, and, secondly, because IL can
easily be carried in his clothes, without
being detected by any of his suDesiors,
While a novel with book cover would be
so much more difficult to conceal.
Right here is a chance for a philanthro-
pist TO help these little fellows. who are
not half so slow as the comic papers
make ms appear. The young mind
certainty Graves the HOnOtfIul ana the
startling, and the big-hearted man or
woman who would donate for the benefit
of the messenger boy library of good
clean literature, which would embrace
books of adventure as well as all the
young peoples books. would endear their
memory to the lads as we'll as to their
parents.
For read the boys must, and read they
Will. They have a great deal Of spare
time, and when they are not devouring
the thrilling details of the prize fights
they want to read a story, and their
minds would be far better off if they had
wholesome mental food instead of the
lurid and debasing.
Dime novels are, however. not the
worst influence the messenger boy is sub
ject to- He gees to places which will
have more baneful influence on his life
in an hour than the reading of innumer-
able dime novels
There are pleasant features in the mes
5 ngeT lads life that the public doesn't
generally know. One of the most pleas
ant phases is the tip which often goes
into the young fellows pockets Some of
the downtown brokers have their favor
ite boys and the lads get from s. to $40
q week in tips. The brokers prefer to
have a messenger boy do certain erranGs
instead Of their own office boy. as the
latter are too well known to the people
the brokers try 10 do business with.
The lads are often called upon to do
d sensation a wear ago by walking along
side a wealthy woman, carrying her
prayer book TO church. The lad didn't
occupy the pew with the lady. but he
waited outside the church, at 30 cents ~
hour until she was ready to return home
Ladies who go TO theaters without male
escorts, often get a messenger TO accom-
pany them, and sometimes take the lad
into the theater. Some of the lads tell
You how the ladies made them eat out
of their bOnhOn boxes and slipped quar-
tel or a half dollar into their hands be-
sides.
one lad up town gets a quarter each day
for fixing the watch of a man living at
the WaldOrf-AstOTia exactly to the min
ute of II noon. The man trusts him with
the watch, and the messenger boy keeps
wondering why the man is so exact about
his w tCI. but he also keers getting his
quarter ana so he doesn't aSh any II -
tions. .-,S the rich NTH al least 30
cents a day to have his watch set right
The. messenger boys in the uptown dis
tricts have really the snaps" as the boys
call them. Boys like dogs, and none of
them was ever known to object when ask
ed to give my iady's" dog his ''constitu-
tiOnal." and there are half dozen boys
between Thirty-fnurth and Fifty-ninth
streets whose regular duty it is between
and 10 o'clock 10 take out blooded dogs
for an airing.
Shoppers also take messenger boys with
them when they want articles to reach
their homes quickly, and ladies who wish
to so down town, and fear they will be
lost. have a bright messenger boy accom-
pany them.
An uptown man was so anxious to get
the news of the late Spanish-American
war that he had a boy bring him the
earliest editions of the newspapers and,
though he was paying 80 cents for the
mas anger boy, he gave him quarter be-
sides.
All in ALL the messenger boy earns all
the money he gets and his honesty Is
seldom questioned. He likes TO play
craps" or hockey" occasionally. when
he has an important message in his
poCket hut he usually does his work as
well as can be expected.