The New York herald., 1922-03-25
Wire Clips Made Official
Emblems by Unofficial
JeWeler.
BOYS IN WILD FINANCE
High School Graft Sometimes
Runs Up to S12 a Member
for Initiation.

Those parents who happen to hear
daughter confide to her sister or
chum that "a slat slimped on me- and
that the obnoxious person under dis
cussion refused to "pay his checks" is
warned by Gertrude Robinson Smith,
president of the Vacation Association,
to show immediate concern, for such
daughter has Joined the Society of
Shifters.
Yesterday Miss Robinson Smith,
whose society was organized to culti-
vate among self-supporting women
the Very virtues that she contends tie
Society of Shifters seeks to destroy,
received in her office, 21S Madison
avenue, complaints from parents and
stories from girls, all concerning this
new and mysterious Shifter move
ment.
At the offices of the Official Shifters'
Emblem Company. 3os Fifth avenue,
II. S. King. local representative of
Kesterman Bros, manufacturing jew
elers, "a Clifford street, Providence,
r. l., said that he was as vague about
the origin OF the Society of Shifters
as any one and that he was certain
that the Kestermans were too.
"All we know about it." he said, ''is
that It had a terrific vogue in Boston
and Providence and that children and
adults went about initiating each other.
They wore the ordinary wire clips such
as are used to hold papers together. We
decided to capitalize that and so we
designed an official emblem.
We have sold thousands or them a,
an average price OF ten cents each II.
little more than a week here in New
York we have sold nearly $4,000. We
get out the bylaws which sell at five
and ten cents copy. 1t means little or
nothing, but the red folder containing
these bylaws is good advertising. Per-
sonally 1 haven't the most remote idea
who started this Shifter movement"
III the sIat sIfmps
Investigators for Miss Robinson Smith
have discovered that virtually every pub
lie school. including the high schools,
has been swept by the movement. In
itself il seems a mere silly fad and
fraud. according to the reports Miss
Robinson-Smith has received. In its re-
suits II Is q real menace. Briefly. ac-
cording to the giggiing school children
who have voluntarily related their ex-
periences. the victim is asked. with great
show of secrecy, whether he or she would
like to become a Shifter.
The answer being .'yes" the applicant
is called upon to raise the right hand
above the head. place the left over the
heart and promise to 'be good fellow
or sister and to help other Shifters at ali
times" II the victim is a boy and the
initiator girl, the latter demands any
thing from q quarter to dollar and a
pledge that the boy will take the girl
to lunch or the movies and continue to
play host to the lady for the ensuing
twenty-four hours-in other words to
do whatever the lady may ask him to do.
Having handed over his money. he
Is warned to be a good sport and then
Is told that he has been defrauded.
buncoed. shaken down and added to
the ladys already numerous string Of
suckers. He is told to 70 forth and
get his money back by catching a fish
or 80 himself.
II the young man. or. in pure
Shifterese. the adopted language of
the sincere Shifter. the slat. fails to
carry out his promise to take his cap
tor to the theater or lunch or buy her
chocolates he is set down and adver-
tised as a four-flusher. or II he happens
to be an ardent dancer. floor-flusher.
The disappointed flspper lets IL be
known that this particular slat 'slimped
her." which is to say that he ran away
rather than fulfill his contract. In
other words, In the language OF the
Shifter. he failed to pay his checks"
sDown with snobbery.-
Into Miss Robinson Smiths office yes
terday came woman whose fifteen
year-old daughter is a pupil In pri-
vate school In Riverside Drive This
girls chum is girl from Georgia. The
New York girl, wearing no fewer than
three Shifter emblems. was walking
south on Broadway near Tooth street
on Thursday with the little Georgian.
The latter was agreeing to join the
order.
They passed negro youth who
bowed deeply and kissed his hand to
them. The girl from Georgia became
alarmed. feeling not Mt all lessened
by the fact that the New York girl
bowed in return, although she did not
return the kiss. The Southern girl ran
TO her friends mother and told of ths
incident.
WELL" explained the New York girl,
''he was Shifter and one of the rules
is down with snobberyv"
The vast majority of tho school chill
dren In New York are still wearing
the clips as insignia The emblems put
out by the Official Shifters Emblem
Company cost real money. For twenty
cents 100 clips may be purchased. While
THE NEW York HERALD reporter was
in Miss Robinson-Smlth's office four
girls, none more than % years old.
came in decorated with the simple clips.
They explained that they were pupils
IN Public School q and that they were
---------
ra-Aix.aL as. pnno Enar