Evening star., 1902-08-09

mony that spells summer to the tenement
house dweller as the tipping of crickets
and the chirping of katydids do to the
country dweller.
He Goes With Her.
When a young man goes with a girl the
whole street knows it and discusses it with
eager interest, not only in her absence, but
with her directly; if either are important
at all-if the young man is prominent in a
gang or politics or local business, or If
the girl is superior in beauty or earning ca
pactty or dress-the whole ward takes con-
troll Of the affair, not at all to the dis
pleasure of those concerned. For, have not
the ward and the street seen them both
come into the world, toddle through it to
their teens and grow into what they are?
The ward and the street may talk as they
will. The two will answer the illusions
and the jests with loud laughter and una
Dashed frankness. They will walk hand in
hand in the streets; for that pretty, quaint
custom of country SWANS, long since abol-
fshed in the polished city sections, still is
common here of all places-in the most
crowded dens of population in the world,
where, until the small parks were made
there few years ago, there We're scores on
scores Of children who had never seen a
tree.
Wars of the ''Streeters"
East Side boys live a life Of war such as
the ancient guilds used to live. The "Sher-
| iff streeters" move abroad in great bodies
of armed youth, ranging in age from six
to fifteen and in equipment from scantlings
to the effective brick, and pounce upon the
Third StreeterS,' or vice versa. The Man
gin streeter" or Stanton streeter'' dare not
venture into the domain of the Delaney
streeter" or ''Rlvington streeter" excepting
after laborlouS arrangements of truce.
The periods of combativeness of the
streeters" occur irregularly. Often their
greatest wars break out because time is
dull on their hands. If a 'streeter" takes a
top from another ''streeter" the episode
may lead to tremendous strife. These wars
between streets not to be laughed at.
A crowded street will be cleared miracu-
lously of its occupants-sidewalk mer-
chants, shoppers and screeching parents
when two antag agonistic gangs of ''streeters''
suddenly pour into 1t, appearing as sud-
denly from nowhere as ever the painted
red men did.
Over and over again the police reserves
have to be called out; for "streeter" is a.
desperate in his battles a knight of old,
and will fight policemen cheerfully when
the ardor of gang battle is on him,
though in less heroic epochs of his career
he may flee at the mere "G'wan, youse'' of
the mildest of policemen.
The glad days Of the streeters, and of a
great percentage of the rest of the tene-
ment house population, is launching day."
Launching day occurs in midsummer. 1t is
an institution so old that the mind of the
oldest barrack dweller cannot recall a time
Whenk 1t was not. Inc great tenement
house civilization in youth holds the al
most universal belief that launching day
is hallowed by the laws of the land. Its
observance is simplicity itself. Everybody
tries to shove everybody else into the river
Persons are not respected. If a man or
boy be so forgetful of the manners of, the
day as to stand anywhere near the edge of
a pier on the river 'front.' where good
push will send him over, the good push is
sure to come. Naturally, strangers are the
most ready prey. The better a person is
clothed the more innocent glee does his
successful launch produce. Enthusiastic
tenement house youth wears old clothes on
launching day, that it may leap overheard
after such persons as unhappily show that
they cannot SWIM
The river being the one great breathing
place for the barrack world, most boys and
men can swim wonderfully well. Conse-
quently, few victims drown, although gen.
orally one or two at least are inconsiderate te
enough to do this on every launching day
making 1t necessary for the boys to fish for
them instead of launching new ones
Dwellers Under Piers.
In the summer hundreds of the boys prac-
tically live the river fronts. Some of
them dwell there entirely, sleeping at night
under the piers on the floorings just over
the water, which places are known as