The Washington times., 1911-05-21

,.hNo NO need OF II l said. , aRe an
I want to earn some money" he
said. Il want to go to work"
II the boy had come to me year ago
with that suggestion ] should have felt
hurt. 1 would have thought 1t refec-
ton upon my ability to support my
family. We salaried men used to eX-
pect our children to be dependent on US
until they completed their educations.
For boy to work during his summer
vacation was almost as bad form as for
the wife to work for money at any time
1t had to be explained that the boy
was a prodigy with unusual business
ability, or hat he was merely seeking
experience.
But Dick did not fall into any
of these classes. This was what
to me. 1t meant that he was willing to
take Just a plain everyday plugging
job.
And underlying his willingness was
the spirit that was resurrecting US all
Instead Of acting on the defensive, Dick
was now eager to play the aggressive
game. hadn't looked for this spirit to
show IN him 80 soon, in his life outside
of school. l was mighty we'll pleased.
IAN right" ! said, what do you
think you can dor
I've talked with some Of the fel-
lows" he said and the surest thing
seems to be selling papers"
l gave gasp at that. / hadn't yet
lost the feeling that a newsboy was a
sort Of cross between an orphan and a
beggar. He was to me purely an object
OF pity. OF course, I'd formed this no.
ton like a good many others from the
story books and the daily paper
l connected a newsboy with blind
fathers and sick mothers If he had any
parents at all.
II guess you can get something bet
ter than that to do said.
What's the matter with selling pa
pers?'' he asked.
When 1 stopped to think of the work
in that way-as just the buying and
selling Of papers-I couldn't see any
thing the matter with 1t. Why wash
II like buying and selling anything
You were selling a product In which
millions of money was invested, prod
uct which everyone wanted, product
where you gave your customers their
moneys worth
The only objection 1 could think of at
the moment was that there was so little
in 1t.
1T will keep you on the streets five
or six hours a day. 1 said, and !
don't suppose you can make more than
a dollar a week"
"A dollar a week. he said. DO you
know what one fellow in our class
makes right through the year?"
How much?" l asked.
He makes between six and eight dol
lars a week." said Dick.
That doesn't sound possible" / said.
He told me he made that. And
another fellow he knows about did as
wen as this even while he was in col
lege. He pretty nearly paid his own
way"
"What do you make on a paper?"
asked.
About half a cent on the 1-cent
papers, and a cent on the 2-cent papers.
Then these boys have to sell over 200
They have about a hundred regular
customers" said Dick, and they sell
another hundred papers besides.
1t seemed to me the boys must nave
exaggerated. because eight dollars
week was pretty nearly the pay of an
able-bodied man. 1t didn't seem posi-
BILE that these youngsters whom ID
pitied ali my life could earn such an in
However. If they didn't earn half as
much, II wasn't bad proposition for
/ talked the matter over with Ruth
and I found she had the same pre1udices
l had had. She. too, thought selling
papers was a branch Of begging. re.
shook her head doubtfullY.
at doesn't seem as though l could let
the boy do that" she said
II there was one thing down here the
little woman always worried about deeD
in her heart. it was lest the boy ana ana
myself might get coarseneo' Sne 1ts
thought. think. Without ever eAanflS or,obi,
ton to forge ahead we might lose some
Of the finer standards Of life.
She was bucking against that zen.
dency all the time. That's why sne
made me shave every morning. that $
why she made me keep my shoes
blacked. that's why she maze US . DoL.
dress up on Sunday, whether we went
70 eSn S for her part. kept herself looking
even more trig than when she mao the
fear that Mrs. Grover mlSnt urop IN az az
anv time. And every night at dinner
shs presided with as much form as
Enough she were entertaining dinner
party. .,. ,,,o wight learn to
eat with our knives II she didn't A.,
"Weu." said, your word is nnal:
R,,t let's look at this first as a straight
business proposition. , s,,s. q. 7
So I went over the ScHelhe IuSt "S
hs% a.Tbese bows aren't beggars." l said
.~rbev are little business men. Anu' as
matter of fact, most .Sa,r ot I. tbaTs bnTsi The
+rouhIe Is, that they've been elven d
blsck eve by well-meaning sNnpaIillzo sNpio q
ers. who haven't taken the troupie 70
and out lust what the actual iacts are, are
nm orOnn of big-hearted women. VINO see
thefr own chickens safely rounded up
~ eix every night, find the neWsooNs on
the street vaI as to thf5 the PelSd opera and CON
on ei ft,s great hardship and fhat
.hn Iads must be homeless and su1erlng.
SToybp thev even find case or tMo
xtrffch iuStlfleS IHlS lllFOlS' ~ =
TrhoIe they are simply comparing tt,e the
nitside OF these boys lives WIN III, tlie NJ.
,,,,es of their own sheltered boys Ihey
Ion:t stoD to consider that these laqs
eua toughtened and that they'd prop,
ahIv he on the street anyway Ano
Shayy, don't figure out how much they
earn or what that amount stanos lot
orS Pntb listened and then she said:
"RIIt isn't il a pity that the boys are
touphened Rilly?' IL. q,
mo" I said, "it would be pity II
.nor, w. weren't, They wouldn't last 2
Laar we have to have some seasoned
lighters in the world
"Dick has found his feet now. inc
sugpestion was his own. personally
heiiSve in letting him try It.:
6Ill right, Billy" she said.
Rut she said II in such a sad sort OF
Wav that I said: . ILL.,,
SIf you're going to worry about MIN,
tb,e ends Il. But I'd like to see the DO!
so we'll seasoned that you won't nave
~ worry about him no matter where
he ts no matter what he's doing.
you're right" she said, i want 10 70
see him like you. 1 never worry apou'
you. Billy" .h,+
know a lot of men who wouldnt pc
i,eIe their wives loved them unless
tbe1 fretted about them all the time.
think a good many fellows even make
I,o things lust to see the women worry:
I remember that Stevens always useo