The New York herald., 1922-03-25
IS 900 JOIN THE SHIFTERS, 4
GETTING LICENSES TO FLIRT
Continued from First Page.

OF Shifters. They said that 1t had cost
them nothing TO join, but that a boy
had given them the clips and told then
10 be good Shifters.
Another child. years old. wearing
three clips, was Instructed by the youth
initiating her that she was TO kiss every
male shifter she met provided she was
asked. Still another reported that she
mad been grasDed by young man in
the subway and kissed on the back OF
the neck. When she protested the man
told her it was all right because 'he was
good shifter too"
An investigation made by THE NEW
YORK HERALD confirms the charge that
the fad has caught many thousands of
children in and near by New York. In
many cases the membership OF child
IN the mysterious society Is learned
when It is noticed that a wrist watch or
ring or other bit of jewelry that the
child may have worn Is missing. IT Is
one Of the rules OF the Society of Shift
ers that such ornament may be claimed
as the price of initiation. The trusting
novltlate surrenders the coveted bauble
rs q general rule. and when questions are
asked at home the secret is out.
Now--or a Petting Party Later.
An official in one OF the public libra
ries told of several such cases One
school principal admitted that many of
his boy pupils had become frenzied
financiers and had made so much money
initiating the ignorant that he was COM
PEELED TO make an issue OF 1t and take
steps to stop the practice. There are
secret grips, signs, passwords, and even
a shifter dictionary.
One group of shifters informed THE
NEW York HERALD reporter that reg
dlar shifter would not hesitate to kiss a
brother or sister shifter on sight" The
language OF the shifter commands atten-
ton. Suppose youth of 16 meets a girl
wearing the telltaie clip or button, and
suppose further that this girl wears
MILDLY blouse. II he is. a shifter and
exhibits his clip button he may approach
her and ask:
Cash or check?'' meaning "may col
iect now or shall we have a little private
petting party later?"
She may not like the gallants looks.
II SO, she replies:
Banks closed" and move away. sig
nifying that he is not acceptable, de-
spite the fact that regular shifter has
constitutional rights.
Finale hopper" cries he scornfully,
indicating that she is one of the flap
pers who refuse to leave a dance until
the orchestra agrees to play an encore
to Home Sweet Home
Floor flusher," she retaliatcs. show
ing that she thinks him what he thinks
her to be. There is the insinuation Of
cheapness implied in this term, too, and
that makes the counter attack all the
moro stinging.
If. however. the girl desires the i'm
pending kiss her response to his OPEN
ing salutation may be: u
Produce the cash." or a similar
phrase with the word cash in 1t. She
is kissed forthwith.
But if she should say, "Check your
hat or did you check your hat?" the
youth takes il for granted that the girl
wants the kiss but that the occasion is
Pin on Hat Means Kiss Wanted.
There IS also significance attached to
the location of the emblem. For exam
pie, the girl who wears the shifter
badge on her hat and also on her coat
Is supposed to be looking for kissing
and will pay on sight. provided a boy
similarly decorated crosses her vampire
path. This is true likewise of a girl
wearing a MILDLY blouse plus clip
and a boy wearing no overcoat nor
cap but equipped with the insignia. Just
what will happen in the summer time.
when overcoats and hats become un-
popular. remains to be seen.
One of the grips includes an embrace
of the arms from elbow TO elbow, and
another ceremony entails the placing of
the hand In side pocket. repeating the
formula. Take air in your hand and
place 1t in your pocket"
Shifters are strong and active at Stuy-
vesant, Morris, Julia Richmond, Com
merce. Washington Irving, Erasmus and
Evander Childs High Schools. The
Is to be observed at Hunter
College, and even Barnard. Tt has |
gained hold in the most exclusive pri-
vate schools. At the High School OF
Commerce special pin. indicating the
true shifter. is on sale at the Go store |
on the main floor OF the school. Wash
ington Irving High shifters have Or
dered and are wearing gold plated and |
bluo enameled emblems.
A special gold pin meant only for /
boss Shifters. sells for $3.50, according
to one OF the promoters at the High
School OF Commerce. However, the wire |
clip Is SIN, the popular insignia because
OF It's Responsiveness. You can buy
about 100 Of them for 20 cents or so.
The girls and boys seen by THE NEW /
YoRR HERALD reporter told of numerous
incidents, all OF which provoked much
mirth. For example, there was the lad
and bade go sell franlSfurters
in a subway station, and to kiss any girl
he chose three times. He sold the frank
furters and selected a girl who was not
a Shifter. She screamed and the police
came running. The boy and his initiators
escaped.
school Magazines Warning.
At a we'll known technical school ono
OF the younger instructors in stenog-
raphy was initiated and she was pledged.
by way of hazing, to omit giving her |
classes home work for month. The /
second week of that month is on now.
Pupils at the Washington Irving High /
School heard OF this and tried 1t on one
OF their teachers II did not work. So
flagrant have the Shifters become at
Irving that the school maga-
zine Is preparing to crusade against the
and blast II with a few hot /
editorials. Stuvvesant High School is
trying 60 weed the society out OF It's |
class rooms. Julia Richmond High |
School is fighting It desperately but not /
wholly successfully.
Miss Robinson-Smith asked one OF her
to wear the wire clip on the /
lapel of her coat on Thursday night. The
young woman. thus adorned. entered a
Third avenue elevated train and promptly |
was slapped on the back by the jovial |
guard.
Hello. kid" he cried, "what did they
trim you for?"
Five bucks" replied she.
"Some ono ought TO call in the COPS" |
he sympathized.
The current issue or The Mirror, the I
student magazine at Washington Irving \
High School. contains editorial warning l
fa candfdatcq for chiftprhood In mart