Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-03-12

door. Apparently tops have come III
again this year. During the war their
use was nonCsS, ntial juvenile indus
try, while cap pistols and soldier suits
ate deep into every family's Golfers. But
row that tops may bc INDUCED in again |
a curious and tragic situation seems to
have developed. for. unlike cap pistol
or a lath sword, n top needs a certain
measure of cunning which small boys
that grew up in the days of the war
have never acquired The consequence
is that these four little fellows with their
four bright blue tops and their four
striped strings presented very sad
spectacle indeed.
THE kids saw me- watching them and |
L werc compelled to smile at them
selves. "Lcmmc sec YOU spin 1t. mis-
ter. | took up his top and with some |
Hunlms wound on tho string. Now ii |
had bccn sizahlc number of years |
since | had figured rs n professor of this |
delicate art, and as | looked around at
tho boys | realized that the original
crowd of four was growing into clam
orng mob of a dozen or more, all ragged
and all apparently eager for enlighten
mcnt. A battery of keen eyes was fixed
on my hands. l have never had so at
tcntive an audience.
Then as I raised tho instrument in
tho position known 10 my carly years as
n turnover or "noprpr." | heard
dcrisivc scream from the circle of my
small disciples. "Elc's goiu' to spin
hcr upside dowr. bet ya hc busts
YOUR top open. Jimmy
Goadcd by these rbald shricks
,I;n, bord don.n "cnin.t tbc br;cLs
side. for there arose sudden loud hum
rs from II swarm ot angry bees. as the
top. which had landed SQuarcly on its
plug. began dancing along IN thc cracks
Of the pavement. The small heads
formed silent study, cirrlc around it:
an" '.cn hhNing 'as'cn W" 'u'' uaNor ot
"'H '''""'P"' u'S''''t'! H'"'' away
7 WAS 80 much hcartcncd by this
L exploit that lttIr further down
the street | venturcd on another. Two
little kids were out running around in
mntIinr bags thnt had bccn strjprcd
from some old tea caddcs. At every
third or fourth step the children would
trim aud tumble down into the folds
come NJ out of the depths long gurglcS
ni GlrllNh laushtcr' W" got wn"lc
lot ot th'N' do"n w our ''llar; why
don you Jump suggested: inspired
by certain am memories or SUNDAY
s'hpol S"'N rocIs' in'E trWu u ou,'
hnu !! Worhcu' Lr't'F soon h,l tnc lI'tic
kldS III thc hclEnpornoou had Iolned IN
t"c sput. "u! VIII noiN,i,'u? noout INV
n traEinI OF EcHoW MeNichh oeans'
mere Mrlr ssl,i cuousn lu'l,o'cs 10 pro-
N'"' 'o''s '"' ''"'S VI l"u us"'c''
TT WAS StIll day Tor children. Ihoy
wcr" swarming everywhere. Down
the last narrowed stretch of FitHwatCr
street whole army of them were out
breaking NJ tho melting drifts aud
speeding them along tho guttcr,
| went north for n square and down
Pcmbcrtou street. whore on ono side of
the entrance Of Workman. court arc
marked in old black ended bricks the
initials G.. NJ. and on the other the
date 1TiS. Inside tho entrance, it YOU
care to look there. is n llIti" colonial
ucighbOrhOod, perfectly prcNcrvCd-a
group of small houses taclng in on a
large walled courtyard grown up with
old trees
TO-DAY there was n company of kids
/ slonninr around in the yard and
show of bright .colorcd wash was out on
rho clothes lines. bur this place is best
seen toward twilight. when the atmos-
uhere of old DAYS seems to dwell in the
little lighted houses and in tho homcly
evening vistings of folk from door to
door.
| had set ont to go 10 tho shot tower,
but now, a. | walked north ON Swan
son street, glancing up at the innumcr-
able tall roofs or the old dormcrs,
InoIr c'o'nS J Tbri.tian "" GU,"on
strects tmruod in for n bricr Glance at
| ojd Swcdcs' Church. Others have writ
.on of tLc ouict rhorm oC his nIaco
r,bcrc Jernv Lind onrn snnr for Tho
\ ,,o, of S,yodcn .ond ,boro o,o n,,o
,or,,od - cbortor signcd ,,,;rh tho hoId
Lond of William Penn ond srrahbIod
10 fro,, C:rytavus Adolnhue-hnt tLis
',,os for mo n rhildrrn'y Gav and rho
vast c,rior. thing in tho nId huilding
,ioy thn rarvinr of two rosv nImmn
| ,tarirr.c,oI Swodish ,hcruEs whose
onJ ,,.ir,s and roIdor Lair oIoom
Ipw% p NJ from The choir iort' Tbcy are nor.
Lons thc nIdost artistic relics of phiIa
doInbin'. INST for tLcv CHINO from Tho
Sucdish hIockbousc which was tho f,st
o,tnost of settlement an his mari of
! tbc Dolowprc And outsidc in the ward
an n iittIc doublc omh.tonc-carvoj
norhans Nv a father. hand and win
nroint raJipg wings and srrolIinc ohnmt
tho ,yords-is Tho churrhvord'S earliest
bmriaI Here Iycth the Godv Of Peter,
~ ~ '",, co., of Andrcos sandal mimiYto. 80
III, cbrrrb who diod AnriI cI n
,9ns ,9tS ogcd . ycars" and hcsidc him in
anu W o'o'"''' as" "cehs