The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-07-22
A Unsuitable Boycott.

Guilty in renting desirable flats may feel
that fate is against them and that
their lot is not happy one. Perhaps
CLEAN Of hope in the situation, to
which we desire to call their attention.
After long search, one hotel propr1-,
etor has been found, in the northern
woods of Maine, whoSsadvertises that
his is family hotel, and thatshe vel
comes children. Another hotel man,
this. one in northern New York, car
ries in standing advertisement in the
newspapers the words, children
taken" The owner Of a new nat
building at Alton, Ill, calls it the
"stork's roost," and says he will give
a prize to the family living under his
roof to which the first; child is born.
These are abnormal specimens OF hu-
mainly, but may their tribe increase.
Perhaps later on the fatowner who ex-
cludes children will be as great a
curiosity as the one at Alton, who jad-
mits them; at least, we hope so.
Children, especially. those belonging
to other people, are: not always pleas
ing, but somehow oraother they seem
| to be sort Of necessary evil, and we
| don't imagine the world is thinking Of
doing away with them. It couldn't
| without doing away with most of its
| happiness, and as happiness is all too
small factor in our lives, the chill
dren, it may be depended upon, are to
be with us always.
Some day the Alton f1atowner and
| those northern hotellkeepers will have
an army of imitators, and when that
day comes, the childless husbands and
wives will have to take to- the cellars
and garrets and tumble-down tene-
ments. 1t would be q, welcome shift
| ing of the shoe to the other foot, for
these childless folk must to a certain
extent be loveless also, for how car
i love in its best meaning come into a
I home where the laughter Of the chill
dren. is not heard, nor the patter OF
little feet? And being childless, and
to some degree loveless, how can we
Eexpects them to coddle UP to- the little
ones ?? It is. entirely natural that they
4 should sendeavor to control the better
classes Of flats for their own selfish
comfort, and natural, too, perhaps
a that the flatowners; should incline stt
cater toathen, for grown people don,
usually rub dirty and greasy hands
over the walls and stairWays, disfgur'
doors and wainscoting and fill tn.
halls to overfowing with strange ant
nerve-racking noises.
4 But it will not~be always thus. II
} order to hurry the desired chang
along, how would it do for the parent
in this city, who have tried in vain 70
years to get into flats, to form a union
u and boycott all childless people am
all unreasonable fatowners who de
} fend them? Having formed the union
why not institute some sort of a strike
and picket the flats and prevent child
less people from going into or comin
out of them ? It might be well, also
to picket against the, butcher, !. tn
baker and the iceman. In this wa
) those foolish and misguided peopl
| who don't like children might quickl
r be brought to realizing sense of thei
mistake, and with their change Q
front the whole world would be bette
and more enticing.
The remedy lies with the parents
It's poor rule which won't work bot
: ways. BY all means let the boycotte
turn boycotter.