The Wilmington daily Republican., 1902-01-01
REMEMBER
THE uEWSB0Y.

uay LNcTy LVeuIuS, WTItueu ny Out
of the older "boys" Of the REpUBLI-
CAN who was always highly esteemed
by the late editor Of this paper:
Editor Every Evening, II rise to
second the motion to "Reme MI Der the
News boy" In reading the article
In yesterdays paper, 1t brought tc
my mind many pleasant rccollec tions
Of the 'good old days" .when1 served
the weekly and semi-weeky REpuB.
LICAN over q. route commencing at
the Trinity rectory, Fifth and King
: streets; that embraced all of the city
east of Market and north of Fifth
both sides of Market above Eighth
and around the neighborhooc Of
Bishop Lees home; over the old coy :
cred wooden bridge across the Bran.
dywlne; all over the Village as it
was called, leaving packages for the
farmers at Grubb's and Palmer's
stores and at both toll-gates, which
were at the edge Of the town; recros.
ing the Brandywlne along the old
time mills, around by the match fac
tory, down by Coxe's old brlckvard,
then tho popularskating park; around
the Old Swedes Church and the rail-
road bridge, serving along Fifth and
Sixth Streets to the end Of the route.
Those were happy days, when the
boys were allowed to sell five papers,
getting five cents apiece, turning all
bver 25 cents to the Office.
Our greetings" were original, il
not artistic, being printed on news.
paper, about 9x12, with a calendar
about 4y7 Ia the centre, surrounded
by an original poem, written by 10.
bal poet, who would charge us about
$3.50 or '$3 for the work. They sery.
cd our purpose we'll for very few rsr-
hons gave less than Il ten cent note,
As fractional currency was the
money OF the times and silver an al
most forgotten legend.
Among many of the ''good eggs"
- we termed those who gave a quar-
Ter or more, aud whose papers we're
never missing. torn or wet. l pleas
Antly recall large number. among
whom were good old Father Reilly,
whom we often met In fair and stOr-
my weather before & u. m,, walking
In from his college ON Delaware av-
enue to st. Mary's Church at Sixth
md Pine Streets; the Rev. Leighton
Coleman, then rector OF St. Johns
Church, whose greeting to-day is as
cordial as then, though his hair ana
beard have changed in color: the Itey.
Or. Wiswe'l. Hon. Willard Hall, Miss
Anna Semplc. William Bright, Rev
James Dickenson OF Second Baptist
Church, the lev Mr.. Paterson on
King Street, who once gave the car
rier big red apple with q gold dollar
pressed inside, aid which was not
discovered by the boy until he bit in
to H. H. II. T. Naff and his brother
'"Billy:' the French shoemaker, the
".fat COOPER" out at Brandywine,
and many others, whom we felt hon
ored in serving, and whose kindly
faces and pleasant greetings will
never oe forgotten.
: Many Of them have passed into
their reward; some are with us to-day
helping men to better lives, and max
ing the world brighter and happier,
because they have lived in it, teach
Ing others that they, too, "may make
their lives sublime. y
! Our old employer, George w. Ver-
non, who was then editor and pro-
pretor of the paper, passed away the
last year, after long and useful
career and we helped with others of
his old "boys' to carry him to his
grave.
His life was full of kind deeds and
sympathetic words. We are proud
that we possessed his friendship and
confidence, and are grateful for the
Interest he manifested in our welfare
I He has been succeeded by his sons,
and we hope their lives may be as use
ful as his.
At the close of New Years day we
would return with doughnuts and
hpples in olr pockets and under our
vests. to the office, and count over
DUR money! (which would make a big
bunch, seldom less than $50: on some
occasions almost $40
We call one man who always re-
fused to give the carrier a cent for
his greeting. lie afterword became
crazy and died out at the old aims
house, and one of the boys declared
that he believed it was q Judgement
sent upon him for his meanness.
"kind reader, beware lest you Ego
and do likewise" The writer then
firmly resolved that if he lived to
and took paper, he would
never give less than a quarter, and he
has always kept it up and for many
years the smile Of lie newsboy has
been his happiest greeting on New
Years Day, and often he feels that
be would Ike to exchange for one
brief day his consisting Of one
Did knife, bunch of keys, lot Of
bad bills, a counterfeit dollar, a plug
ged half dollar, "A good quarter aud
Two nickels---for one Of those good
bid days, when life was bright and
cares were few, and VIC had free
tickets to the circus and shows, got
1ur hair cut for nothing by the bar
Dcrs on Our route, when the cold
Washy' run It's hand engine with a
hull rope and carried the fox tail, and
ne went to Asbury Sunday school on
Sunday morning and afternoon.
Hubert A. Roop
Wilmington, December 3lsJ. 1901.
Literary Note,