The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-07-24

SCISSOR OF Toy Sucn as you 90 not
expect to see in a quarter where the
stress OF life is so great. Run across a
| youngster astride a velecipede held to-
| gether with strings and you are face
/ to face with an occupant of the sew
| enth heaven. Rather, two, fr there
| is always another who has got on be-
| hind, and whose smile is every bit
as broad as that of the little fellow
| in the seat. Or 1t may be a bicycle
In that case, you are treated to trick
| riding, and the way the boys, who
| take turns on the dilapidated machine,
| do their stunts make you wonder
| whether all the famous acrobats were
recruited from just such ma
terial. Many of them are, by the
| way.
Thus, while not a few of the bows
are unconsciously working out their
| future careers. at the same time they
are having their fun and making the
| street forget the harshness of poverty
in its merriment over their antics, the
| little girls, from the toddlers up are
! enjoying themselves in a waV that
persons who picture every girl of the
slums as little mother could
scarcely believe possible.
Many girl has a dolly-no matter
| what kind, 1t is a doll-and she croons
1t to sleep as she sways back and
Iorth in a rocking chair just her size.
Turn where you will you cannot miss
seeing doll, or the child who has
her eyes glued to some child's story
DOCK, While a hand mechanically
| moves back and forth a carriage con-
| tanning younger sister, And as for
the sewing party wherever there is
an unfrequented stoop or a closed
| basement door, or an otherwise un-
occupied space between protrud-
ing store windows, there you will find
one.
sometimes there is an older girl in
structing half dozen younger ones in
some particular knitting stitch. Or il
may be a crocheting party, with af-s
| ghans as the work; the girls are very
roma OF making them. Fancy work of
the more delicate sort is popular;
| group of four girls of about ~ wears
| of age was seen evolving what to the
masculine eye looked like dainty lace
collars Often the work in hand is more
| practical, taking the form of slips for
some member of the family; and for
| the girls of six and seven the hours
pass rapidly, despite the heavy heat.
as they laboriously, but none the less
| enthusiastically, fashion a dress for
| dolly Even mere man cannot help
| feeling an interest in the work as he
oeholds half dozen little girls seat
| ed on the hard pavement, measuring
| ana hitting and sending the needles
| flying the while their voices not in
| frequently hum snatches of songs pick
ed up from passing hurdy-gurdy or
| musical street show
But let an ice-cream man heave in
/ sight and half-finshed afghan and doll
dress and dolly herself are thrown
aside and forgotten in the lusty scram-
| pie FOR the wagon, and more cents are
| Drought to view and held up before the
| peudlers eyes than it would be possi-
Bile for an equal number of girls in far
| more comfortable circumstances to
| produce on the spur of the moment.
| Rare, indeed, is the girl of the tene-
ments who does not start a summers
day with at least a penny for ice
| cream; and the joy she gets out of a
| Dit of cream far tranScends that CON
| tanned in forty-cent order in some
fashionable hotel, to Judge by the long
drawn-out smacking of the lips follow
| ing every lick of the tongue over the
dlmlnut1Ve cold surface. Evidently its
! delights are comparable only to those
I contained in good ducking before a
| spouting fire plug
| Here is Joint bliss for boy and girl
| IN equal measure. They swoon down
upon a street cleaner whenever he
| puts in an appearance as if he were
| their fairy godfather. They haunt the
| hre house in droves. stand outside the
| Niiehiii dllu hGep up their cnOruS OF
| please, mister won't you turn on
| the water?" until some big blue-trous-
| cred fellow gets out of his chair.
| makes believe he is ferociously charg-
| ing his tormentors, next moment does
| their bidding, and the moment after
| that finds himself interestedly watch
ing the antics of a half hundred or
more youngsters as they get sopping
wet from head to foot, ACCOMPLISHING
| the feat IN the mi,
| that attract the attention of the en-
tire block, causing even the bargainers
to pause in their wrangles with the
| sellers.
With equal impartiality the ecstacy
| of the free bath falls to boy and girl
| OF late years the free bath has come
| to be looked upon by the children as
one of the greatest summer treats in
| store for them. Let the day roll
around when a bath is open for girls.
| and an hour or more before the an
| pointed time hundreds of them will
I put in an appearance, each with a
| little bundle of towels, and wait ex-
| pectantly in line. their faces already
illumined with thoughts of the fore
| Swallowed treat. And as they cling
| to the fence, their eyes every now and
then peering anxiously forward to see
whether the doors are about to be
swung open, and their gaily multi-col-
| ored slips relieving the dun of the
surrounding, they present as pictur-
| esque and pleasing a sight as could be
| found among childhood I'm any portion
| of the city.
In sharp contrast is the conduct of
! the waiting boy bathers. They give
the policeman forming the line plenty
| of trouble, and when they are not
| getting glee by worrying him, they
stand on their heads, turn handsprings
and otherwise pass away the time in
truly healthy boy fashion, at last rus1-
| ing into the wide-open doors with all
| the impetuosity associated with a
cavalry charge.
The paternal municipality has added
much to the summer happiness of
| these little folk; but without baths
and street flushing and Fairgrounds
they would still be far from the sorry
lot so many people picture them to be.
A little fellow was found delving in
a waste paper bag. He was yelling
gleefully at the top of his voice and
| dancing in his delight.
What are you so happy about,
boy?" a passerby asked him.
The youngster looked at the ques-
toner a moment.
"Gee!" he said. "why not?"
That's Just it. These small people
OF the streets are happy in summer in
spite of their environment; and that's
one reason why municipalities and
fresh air societies and other kindred
organizations should do everything
they can. to add to their pleasures.
Copyright, 1904. by Guy T. Visk-