Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-11-27
BOY SCOUT "HISTS"
LANTERN ON POLE
FOR A GOOD TURN
Freddy Schneider, No Mat
ter How Tired, Fulhlls
Chosen Duty to Crippled
Watchman Every Evening

Every evening at o'clock bright
faced boy with a shock of red-brown
hair takes of his dark-blue overals and,
aonnins his street suit, wends his way
down to Girard avenue and ID street,
there TO fulhll a duty.
He doesn't go straight h sne. He may
he as hungry as little bear, or as tired
as only a boy can be who has worked
in dairy from early in the morning until
supper time, doing anything and every
thing that is asked Of him, but he goes
Just the same.
For II he doesn't go MIR. Green" the
sight watchman down there by the rail-
road tracks, will not only be dlsap-
pointed. but will be extremely embar-
fessed. There will be no ono TO hist"
the lantern
And so Freddy Schneider, that is the
koy's name. goes down and ''hlsts' It.
II you ask Freddy why for the last
two years he has delegated to himself
the performance of this nightly task he
will tell you that "Mr. Green has only
one good leg-the other one is wooden
and that it's a pretty hard matter for
2 man with one leg to climb pole
higher than your second-story window
and fasten d lantern on It."
FREDDY A REAL SCOUT.
Freddy is a Boy Scout, one of the
Banner members, and has been for sew
eral years; therefore, climbing tall poles
and scaling high walls and performing
ether dangerous feats are second nature
to him.
Moreover. the seed Of the Boy Scout
teaching, that every member who Is true
TO his uniform will do at least one
"Rood turn day, has taken firm root
IN Fred's heart, and, judging from the
testimony OF the aunt with whom he lives,
at 2753 Fairhill street. and from the
neghbors in the vicinity, the boy is not
content with just one good turn" and
In time of stress he's the standby Of
the nelghborhood.
When the housekeeper across the way
found II was nearing noon with her hus-
band coming home to lunch and the
grocery boy not yet arrived with the pro-
visions, she'd call for Freddy and that
willing youngster would hustle UP the
supplies and thus avert a domestic
tragedy. When there was coal to be
brought up or snow to be shovelled away,
Fred Schneider could always be relied
upon.
He isn't little prig by any means. One
look at his snappy gray eyes is proof OF
that. He's a real boy, with all of the
mischievous prankiness of his sex, but
with a little more bravery than a great
many,
Freddy has saved a life and rescued
child from a burning house just like
real moving picture hero But Judging
from his description of the thrilling act.
he looks upon 1t as an adventure rather
than a deed OF heroism.
SAVES BABY IN FIRE.
hands deep down into his overalls pocket,
81 was walking along in Sunday
school parade one afternoon and Just
when we come to -Falrmount avenue and
I'd street 1 saw smoke. Johnny Christian,
who was next to me, he saw II, too and
we made a dash"
ut was at I'd and Popular streets and
we got there just as the fire engines came
UP. Johnny and me went in right after
the first fireman, and 70 utalk about
smoke. There was an old man over 20
years old in that house and lady with
her little boy. The kid was sleeping and
I just grabbed him up and brought him
downstairs and took him next door"
THE lady she met me on the way back
and kissed me right out on the street
Gee that was awful" The remember
rance of the lady's" kiss brought a
blush to Freddy's cheeks.
Johnny and / stayed In the house for
. long time We let lots of furniture
down on sheets through the window and
kept lot OF things from burning. When
the firemen saw what we was doing, thew
handed us over the hose Just like we was
real flremen," this with a note Of pride,
''and SO We just stayed on and helped
Asm out"
Being Boy Scout at the present time,
according to Fred Schneider, is a good
deal different from being one when he
hrst entered the organization.
II went in It," he says naively, be-
cause ! saw the fellows going on long
hikes in them little bloomers and liked
'em, but didn't know at that time how
the rest of the fellows made fun of the
bloomers. After was taken in, / learn
ed they used TO call US names and some
times throw things at us. but they don't
do 1t any more, cause every fellow who
isn't Boy Scot wants to be one now"
FEEL LIKE SOLDIERS.
The change in the uniform from bloom
Srs to the regulation military breeches
and leEgings was. in Freddys opinion one
OF the best moves the Scout leaders ever
made. 1T makes you feel like SOL
dier and makes you want TO act like
one" said he.
Fred Schneider has not been cuddled in
the lap Of luxury, nor has his home in
huence been what the sociologists believe
to be conducive TO the best growth of
young America. but Freddy fell under
the influence OF the Boy Scout movement
when he was al the impressionable age,
and IL was a lucky day for him when
he was taken with "the boomers"
In the boys picturesque phraseology
the Boy Scouts lis good thing because
II teaches a fellow TO do stunts that are
inteTestin' without being bad" and the
conclusion to be drawn from his state
ment Is that a fellow has simply got to
do stunts" and that he'd just as leave
do the constructive kind as the destructive
ones, IL some one would only get hold
OF him at the right period and tell him
how
Freddy believes this, and so he has per-
suaded his little seYen-year-old brother,
Herman, to enter the ranks OF the "be
prepared Not that Herman needed much
persuasion.
Hes the mascot" said Freddy, and
the fellows treat him fine. They've made
him the drum major, and gee, he fooks
awful cute in his uniform"
Fred himself Is a member Of the band
Of Troop a. He plays the bass drum and
just al present all Of his evenings are
given over to practice, for on December 3
q contest Of all the Boy Scout bands Is