The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-21
STRAYTALESOF THET0WN
NO CIGAR STORE CLUB COMPLETE
WITHOUT A PIANO.
The Youth Who Is "Ragtimer" Is In
deed FOrtunate-Federa1B Building
site Fence a Mistake.

Boys always have stubbornly followed
their own inclinations as to their places
of social assembly Wel-intentioned men,
fearful of the results of youthful reckless
ness, have worked out several young mems
club schemes and all of them have failed of
entire success The Young Mems Christian
Association, with its attractive gymnasium.
entertains hundreds of boys in the evenings.
but the cigar stores, pool rooms and to a
lesser degree, the drug stores. have a large
clientele. Time was when almost every drug
store in the residence part of town had its
gang" Often it would have two sets. the
big gang and the little gang" The big
gang was composed of young men and the
little gang of boys The big gang occupied
what chairs there were and so crowded the
space behind the prescription case that the
clerk had little room in which to handle
the medicine bottles. The little gang reposed
as best it might, content TO listen reverently
to the flashing wit and sarcastic comment
Of the elders. AS time passed the little
gang became the big gang and another little
gang was created. Few men cannot look
back to membership in such clubs.
Many cigar stores on corners midway be-
tween the residence district and the down
town center now have pianos. This innova-
ton would seem to be directly due to the
rag-time epidemic that swept over the
country two or three years ago. Rag-time
popularized music as no other influence
had The electric piano had a vogue in
cigar-store society until, as was natural
rag time created a lot of pianists No auto
matte musical instrument can stand against
the human virtuoso and this is true not
only in the higher musical circles. There
is no doubt that the proportion of piano
players now is far greater than it was a
few years ago. Most Of the rag timers"
as they are called, are natural born" They
are immensely popular in cigar-store clubs
and envy of them has acted TO produce
many more like them. To be able to play
rag time, what gift II means a circle of
admirers every evening. 1t is not required
to know anything about music generally.
Rag-timers have a unique and native tai
emit One of the cleverest. whose speed and
ability to produce Chords are not less
than brilliant. can play in only two keys.
He hears a new song. sits at the piano and
after some intricate calculation evolves the
melody, then adjusts the bass and finally
triumphs over all obstac les. If the teachers
OF music were not so obstinately opposed to
rag time, which they regard as hardly less
than a disease, they would prosper faster
AS IT is the piano dealers must have profited
by the cigar-store and poor room lotteries
taking up musical art. Certainly the piano
has won out over the lesser string instru-
mentS.
Cigar store and pooroom philosophy is
stoical and cynical. The votaries have
composure and impertinence highly de-
veloped. AS a rule they are imperviods
TO insult from their fellows. Egotism, of
course. runs high. Long enough ago to
make il harmless to tell the story. a cigar
store young man was married to a girl that
knew great deal more than he did AS
is not uncommon, the young man had some
exquisite bachelor tastes and he determined
10 spend his honeymoon in a hotel. though
hf1 rlrrl ~
the end of the first week he received
BILL but he paid attention to it, His
wife supposed he had the money TO in
dulge in a hotel honeymoon She was an
used to such luxury and it was delightful
to her. After two weeks they moved into
a cottage that their parents had prepared
afternoon by a call from two detectives
They had come TO arrest her husband for
violating the State law for the protection
of clearinghouse keepers The young
joyng the delusion that the son had saved
larger part of his earnings. settled the
hotel bill. He and the detectives talked
very earnestly TO the young man.
few days later the young man dropped
in at his old hang out and with an easy
superior manner told his friends that he
sowed all of his wild oats before he was
married. mo more for me" he said: I've
had all mine" He did not add that he
had been vigorously assisted in the reap
ing thereof. Having come out of the diff
ficuty safely he was unruffled. Such in
genuous natures are cultivated by the cir
cumstances of the cigar store and poolroom
clubs. Still. many hard-headed practical
young men are numbered in their member
ship.
The announcement that a fence is TO be
built around the federal building site must
disappoint many persons that sympathize
with the Academy of Religious. Ethical
Political and Scientific Research. which
meets every summer afternoon in Univer-
sity Park. The fence will prevent the
members Of the academy sitting on the
benches in the park and comfortably re-
garding the operations on the opposite side
OF New York street. The spectacle would
be highly entertaining 10 the academy and
Instructive TO those that would gather near
and hear the comments of the academi-
clans.
For a term of years, no doubt. the con
struction of the new postoffice Will be Joy