The Wilmington morning star., 1940-01-03
Man bout

Bv George Tucker


ers are constantly being exhorted
by a million slogans. ditties, and
rhymes to keep the streets clean
and remember their manners. Such
has been the depth and sweep of
this drive that nov we have q vir-
tual renaissance in rhyming COUP
lets and polite little Chesterfieldian
hints, and If rel to take the
trouble to traverse the town a while
Child's anthology Of street-cleaners'
verse might easily be compiled.
There is a fine example Of the
type Of couplet that is calculated
to shame" you into being nice UP
in TT. Tryon Park. where some
really beautiful gardens may be
seen, and If you study the p1ac-
ards posted prominently about you
will come across,
Let no one say, and say to your
shame,
That all was beauty, until you
came"
Here and thereabout the city are
lovely stretches Of green lawn with
blunt Keep Off the Grace" warn
ings in plain view. But Central
Park has discarded this crude re-
minder for the most polite please
That's all :. just please"
Even the trucks that tote away
the city's garbage bear a personal
note from Mayor LaGuardia, "Your
City and Mine; keep it clean" The
Mayor also takes time off from his
municipal duties to dash off little
verses for the Subway Sun, a sub.
way o~ne.sheeter pasted in all the
coaches for the weary travellers to
see. And there are, too, the poetic
exhortations on the larger wicker
baskets on each street corner, "By
the Law Abide; Place Trash inside
which the more orderly of the citi-
zenry heed.
There is even a form of contest
on now to find a slogan that will
help people remember not to park
their chewing-gum on park benches
or ~care'essly drop it on the sids-
walks. Signs and slogans have SINH
larly been employed to eliminate
traffic accidents, particularly among
children. and last year a book Of
songs was brought out to this end.
Mayor LaGurdia even as his famous
predecessor, Jimmy Walker, likes to
dabble in song, and he is the COM
poser of a widely chanted ditty that
goes "Sweep, sweep sweep the
street," based on and sung to the
old tune of ROW, row, row your
boat"
Athens, Greece, not SO many years
ago strove longingly to recapture
some of its ancient glory by getting
out a newspaper that was written
completely in verse. With all the
signs now around town, it appears
that we, too, are on our way.
Do you remember the original
Six Brown Brothers, who played
saxophones and who burned up
vaudeville 20 or Is years ago? One
Of them is driving a cab in New
York. The Brown Brothers weren't
always brothers and they weren't
always original, for they would come
and go as the years went by, but
the name remained. It was a trade
name, almost a corporation, and the
Browns literally entranced the coun.
try, from cities through the whistle
stops, with their jazzy, reedy sex
tet arrangements.
Just which of the brothers is now
a jehu in Manhattan I do not know.
Nor have I his name or his num-
Der. I just happened to run across
this paragraph IN Caravan, quote:
You never know who your driver
may be nor what his calling be-
fore he drives a hack. RecessionsI
and depressions, wars and rumors
Of wars have broken down to So.
cial set-up of this old land of ours
and assembled 1t in quite a differ.
ent order. We found the other eve
ming that u chauffeur had been al
member Of the Six Brown Brothers,
saxaphonlsts extraordinary, who
had headlined the very theaters he
was now driving past. Not many
evenings before, the man who drove
our cab proved to have been a one
time member Of the bar who figured
IN many g. criminal case. Another
had been a bond broker"
So remember this tie next time
you feel like getting sassy with
your cabby. He may turn out to be
your grandfather.