The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-04-26
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The other day Pa Jimkins sent me
a newspaper clipping sayin' he
thought mebbe as how 1 kin specka-
and t'want no fairy story neither,
about a big $500, 900 apartment house
is goin' to be erected in Detroit. Mich.
that is goin' to exclude folks that
amt got no children. IF that amt a
move in the right direction, 1 amt
never heard tell of one.
Mostly. folk has to either lie about
their children, or smuggle them in
with their trunks, or somethin' or
ruther, to get place to light at all.
Why, right here in Topeky, you might
as well pitch a tent on the street some
where's if you happen to be blessed
with children. Nobody don't want
you, and if a landlord does, he das-
sent to let you in for fear the other
tenants or the neighbors won't like it.
That may be what they call passing
the buck. However that may be,
when you try to rent an apartment
in this we're town, the landlord says
have children, because they's sure to
be someone that's goin' to object to
them.
You can say that your little boy is
very good little boy. or anything
you're a mind to about it, but it won't
move the flinty heart of that yere
landlord, who either just naturally
hates children, or else he thinks every
body else does.
Twicet Pa Jimkins and me have
lived next door to chi1dless couples,
and couldn't no family of children
make more racket than what they
did. For mostly chiIdren's noise is a
happy noise, like laughing, and calling
Il spy" or something of that sort.
And that amt marker to the noise
the wall, or that chair that's
throwed in anger makes. And, la,
children may be noisy, bless their
hearts, but more'n likely they'll hush
their noise about the same time the
sleepy little birds tuck their heads
beneath their wings, and go chipping
off to Sunderland
But these yere neighbors was tell
in about-they amt got nothin' in
common with the birds. They ain't
got nothin' in common with little chill
dren neither, never havin' had none,
which is g blessing to the children
They want no time of the night nor
day that they want likely to bust out
quarreling. Many's the night I've been
woke wide awake by hearin' her
screamin' and him cussin', and both
of 'em THROWN things, and mebbe
him draggln'' her about by the hair OF
the head. Leastways. that's how it'd
sound. Mebbe you think 1 lived in an
awful scummy part o. town, but t'want
no such thing. In both instances, they
was nice neighborhoods.
Now them folks would doubtless a.
been considered better tenants than
what the .Timkinses would because
we'd happened to be b1est with little
folks.
But this yere apartment house l
was a'-tellin' you about. They's to be
a completely equipped playground on
the roof The folks that's building il
says that tho they know that an apart
ment house amt the best place on
earth for children, that they's folks
that can't afford nothin' else. So this
yere place is to be erected just SOS
people that has got children can have
a good home for their children at a
moderate cost, and know that they
amt no scowling neighbors nor land
lords to wonder what on earth they're
good for, anyway.
It's new and progressive move to-
ward the world construction that
everybody's ta1kin' about now, and me
and Pa Jimkins think it's just about
the best move that's been made yet.
MA JIMKINS.