The San Francisco call., 1904-07-04
BEWARE OF TOY
PISTOLS SAY
CLUBWOMEN
BY LAURA BRIDE POWERS.

# the clever women Of the civic sec
ton OF the California Club could but
conjure up all the Juvenile digits that
have been ~blowed off" by the dia-
bolical toy pistol during the last dec
ade and could focus the raggedy first
fingers upon him whose business il
IS 10 suppress It. he might get busy
10 enforce the lawi
Think Of the hundreds Of blackened
stumps, the disabled implements Of
toll that are thrust under the noses of
The hospital surgeons for mending
each year on our nations birthday,
These thumbs that are blown aft are
needed in the worlds work, especially
IS it's usually a son OF toll who gets
on closest terms with the toy pistol.
The lad who can best afford TO part
with a finger or two is not the chap
who loses il, as papa, or mamma or
sunty stands nigh 10 protect him.
It's the little tyke whose Ger
burdened mother and tired father
are too bUsy-or too indifer-
ent-to watch him and warn
him Of his toy, and bangi-a scream;
The blood spurts. and the burned and
blackened flesh tells the tale. OF
course, he is only little tyke-he suf-
fers his pain like a hero, as becomes
his class, while the surgeon dresses
the woCnd, and he goes home for
EcOlding and 10 look out on the valley
OF life cripple. Poor little chap. 1t
IS such as ne who needs both his hands,
and they, too. equipped with the full
allotment Of digits, 10 scratch his way
through the world.
one Of the remarkable phases of the
mental attitude OF the poor is their
Indifference 10 imminent dangers-of
"a hich the fiendish toy pistol and its
he r-rr oV
amples. II is much the same mental
oblivion that permits young children
To play In The streets. run on errands
across car tracks. and DO the various
stunts" that almost daily land some
r oor little tyke in the mOrgue-or in
fnitely worse, a cripple in a hospital.
E0W, the state stands in the atti-
tlce Of protector TO the delinquent, the
O. fective and the dependent. 1t is in
-Lis capacity that the Government
should protect the babes from the
dlabOlism Of firearms in whatever form
they cOme-the toy pistol the special
object Of elimination. When the women
or the civic section Of the California
club began TO hunt round for some
method OF stopping this annual Grip
Ile-fest, they lit upon a law long since
created but apparently wrapt in num-
my cloths and laid away.
The statute was hauled out. busted,
quite q gOOd-lOOking law, strong and
f0rceful in its language. and Just the
thing the ladies were hunting for, for
bidding the sale Of toy pistols 10 min
ors wasn't that clear enough?
The next step was TO have the
muchly-s0ught-for law enforced. Now,
this is where the trouble came The
chief Of Police. handsome and debon-
air. calamity sidesteDped the PROPOSE
ton, saying that all the stores in town
were selling the play pistols under their
license to sell fireworks, and i would
be impossible for him TO do anything
IN the matter as 4 stands.
But perhaps the Health Office
would help US" said the chairman Of
the delegation, blithely. because you
know every case makes work for the
doctors in the Emergency Hospital. and
u carries no fees-nOt since the ad-
niuistration got virtuOus, you know,
So perhaps the doctors at the City Hall
would help. Here. too. the good
looking Health Officer met the ladies.
smiled Witching smile, and declared
u was not exactly in his line to en-
force laws such as that. much as he
would Ike TO, don't you know.
20 here we are on the morn Of the
glorious Fourth calmly awaiting the
deeds of the DAY. Count your fingers,
little lads. before you go out this morn
ln2. you mightn't have them all to-
nIeht. And in case you do lose one
or TWO, or even a piece Of one. hurry
mp quick 10 a doctor so he can patch
y uu Many a little lad Wentsto Davy
Jones locker because he tied a hand
k-rchi ief-and Fourth of July hanky
lslI always clean-arOund the little
H-ack hole and kept his sorrow to him
scr ard he couldn't open his little
saws next Gay TO let in his break kfast
tnc The next day he didn't need any.
It he did. he ate angels food, while
he tapped his wings
NOW. the earnest efforts Of the
women Of the California Club viii no
oo-ot be ridiculed by the Cheerful
laiot no has set off firecracke all
h-s lie without danger TO Himself. and
~ ho believes that the action Of these
women threatens the very foundation
Of the Government by killing of
patriotism.
rs il not time that America has
evolved from the barbaric practice Of
measuring her love Of country by the
amount of gunpOWder she lets loose on
ine Fourth? Does il inculcate pride
ot nation. love Of her heroes. exalta-
tlon of patriotic principles2
The millions Of dollars that will go
Up today and tonight in fireworks
VIII leaVe on the morrow thousands of