New-York tribune., 1903-03-20
WAYS OF THE "NEWSIES." "
Their Roads Not Straight and Mar
roc Paths, Says Mr.. Ely.

s,rns shocking facts regarding newsboyB and
messengers were given yesterday morning oy FFo-
tsssor Robert Erskine Ely in his closing talk On
How Some People 1--we oeiore tns League i0R
Political Education
"Arnong nevshoyS~ said Professor Eay. the
worst conditions prevail In what Il known as ens
night gang constituting i've hundred out OF the
Eve thousand newsboys II greater NeW-1ork
Among the night gang vice, crime and vagrancy
are the rule. They are inveterate gamblers, and
are often found swapping their fingers In tner
sleep, that being q ceremony which Is supposed 10
bring good luck IN the game OF craps. One gang
of twelve boys meets regularly Newspaper
Row and plays craps from midnight 10 O'Clock.
They also fond OF betting on horseraces They
20 20 Saratoga and become abuormally keen IN
their knowledge Of racing
.eThe hone influence" continued the lecturer,
counts very little with the nevsboy. The street 10
interesting and exciting. Home Is neither, and It
s not 10 be expected its duneSs should be pre-
terred 10 the raptures Of the sunny arcade or the
TOP gallery in q cheap theatre Moreover q news
boy may be punished for not bringing home sat
atacto-y amount of money. and It Is easy To avoid
this BY staying away
The day boys attend school with or less
regularity but are duh and stupid there. through
lack Of sleep and ths .rksomeness Of confinement
after the excitement OF the street One OF these
boys YVES found to rise at O'Clock and deliver
papers until school time In the evening he worked
until u o'clock and his home was In Brooklyn
midnight before he could get to bed.
are untitled for regular work snd the oriEhtnesSs S
that DISTINGUISHED the 'newsfe" has disappeared
Tbe~ bsTe burned up their vital forces. and just
a the rine when they ought to begin using thsm bi
Shakespesrian possibilities, but they Will never De
realized. Childhood was not meant Tor sQch
physical and moral strain One little fellow dis
covered by an investigator was an unconscious
owed OF worse and Of younger brothers and SIS
ters he denied himself everything for their saAes
ran away and threw OFF all restraint and his life
ended in q way for which we cannot blame him
Regarding the ages Of newsboys professor Ely
ssid that Of sI9 cases investigated three~quarterS
twelve or under Thirty-one were nine eIeNeh
we're eight seven six and one was four
DRAWBACKS OF MESSENGER" LIFE
The conditions among messenger boys were repre-
eerted as quite as bad among nevsboys- Paid
oulv from s. so TO S week. with tax Of so cents
O. week for the Uniform, the boys augment their
means In such ways as are open to them and use
their extra earnings IN very undesirable ways
They are sent into places which no one, much less
Z bov should enter and early become familiar with
tbs worst elements OF human life. Sometimes the
bovs are SO shocked by what they see that lt
proves their salvation and sometimes II proves
their daunation- The companies all say tnAI lhes
DO not employ boys under fourteen DIT many oL
them below that age LII.
In conclusion Professor Ely said that WINE
there laws limiting the age or chllQTen eIn-
ployed in shops and factories there had hltnefs
bee7 no regulation regarding their employment IN
the street Such q Law, he added was now pehdLnss
before the legislature at Albany, and while not
i6ea1 IVES much better than law.
The Saturday morning lecture viii oe Uy Ih9
Rev LYMAN Abbott the subject being Municipal
viii lecture on 1.-The Author and the Inspirer OF
Re<T