The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-09-20

Once upon a time, q lad ABOUT III
teen wears of age, took discriminate
mg notice of the way Negro prosti-
tutes down in the old St. Croix dis
srict made their money from white
men of loose and low morals. Johnny,
as the boy may be called, determined
TO use the local methods, as observed
and studied, for his own benefit. He
found a suitable vacant building and
arranged a room for his particular pur-
pose.
"Let US play redlight house,
Johnny proposed to his younger play
mates and acquaintances.
"What's thati" inquired the little
bows and girls, with their natural Fin
nish conservatism and suspicion.
"You girls will stay. inside the
house, just like these Negro women
and then I IL keep the door. You boys
can pay me money to go inside to see
the girls, just like these big white
men 20 in to see the colored women. ,
1t was new and novel, and a consid
erable number of little boys and girls
from eight to twelve years old, fell
for the idea. A considerable number
of little girls consented to be cred
light ladies' and to remain inside the
"redlight house" Then the little
boys skirmished for pennies, nickels
dimes and other childish legal tender
which they handed to wise Johnny, the
juvenile panderer, for the purpose OF
going inside and engaging in differ
ent stunts that the innocent young
sters had seen the low white men and
the Negro prostitutes pull off to-
gether.
An innocent little girl, anywhere
from eight to twelve years old, would
stick her head out of the window and
call to a boy playmate:
HCome in he 'ah, honey!'
The little boy would swagger up to
the door of the juvenile redlight dump
and bargain with Johnny, the young
panderer, for admission. Once inside
there would be hopping and skipping
around Gin the altogether, as art
SITS say of models who pose in the
aude. There would be other imita
tions of redlight stunts. 1t was very
shocking but really very innocent
sport, for the children were so young
that they had no real conception OF
the moral side of the new game, really
very ancient indoor sport.
They were victims of their horrible
environment. Their parents were in
humble circumstances therefore could
not live in the snobbish East End, ride
in $1,000 cars, keep nurse maids, gov.
ernesses, tutors and then send their
children to some fashionable private
school, because the public schools are
so rude, crude and common, don't yuh
knaw.>
Children are exceedingly initiative
The games Of children, especially those
of humble parents very often are
based on their fathers work or bus
mess or, especially, their environment
In sawmill town, children play
sawmill games and then enter sawmill
employment when mature enough.
Children reared in railroad division
town often play railroading and then
become railroad employees. A farmer
boy often plays at farming and even.
tually takes up as regular work what
once was boyish game. en-
~ do not like Johnny, he's crook
ed,' observed little Leila, aged not to
exceed ten years.
"How is thati" asked little Leila g
mother. ....--
"He would not give as girls our
share of the money he took in. He
kent $hon hsc chorn fnp hinnooIf ~
"What money!" asked the mother,
quite puzzled by her little daughter s
reference.
Then, innocently, plainly but most
startlingly came out the story that
Johnny had taught large number Of
little boys and girls how to play the
new and very entertaining game Of
''redlight house, That, of course, is
the expurgated name, not the one
gwen it by Johnny.
There was conference of indignant
parents. The little "redlight house"
was broken up, the little "redlight Ia
dies kept more closely at home, the
little boys compelled to play away
from the girls and, if history is cor
rect, Johnny was sent to a reform
'ehool for a couple of years.
The previous issue of this great
family journal told how group Of
little boys and girls were playing on
rhe doorstep of st. Croix alley house
mat was occupied by an immoral col
orsd waman A degenerate white man
came alang, entered the house and the
couple engaged in lastful diversion