A week later, a little colored boy entered the office crying. He was
known on the street as Midnight.
“Tree boys trowed me down in de alley, an’ swiped me papers.”
Four boys came with him. They wondered what would be done. While
talking with him, Jimmy dropped in. Not quietly but made everybody get
out of the way.
“I know the three kids,” said Jimmy, “and I’ll go after them.”
So Jimmy left on his own accord. In fifteen minutes he returned
bringing two boys.
“There, you kids,” he said, “give Midnight back his money fur de papers
you stole.”
It was done. Midnight’s eyes resumed their natural brightness, and he
left happy, thankful to Jimmy for his interest.
To the gentleman this was a revelation. The power one boy can have
over a gang of boys ought to be used for good. Such vital energy, such
quick action, such nerve and endurance, all this must be used for
doing good, for helping each other. My! what a boy who has influence
among his fellow companions, can do. If each boy could be placed
on his honor, each boy aiming to do the best he can to uplift his
associate, trying to correct the little evils from which spring so
many crimes, how much happiness, how many useful lives would result.
If men would try to instill into the young hearts of our boys, our
newsboys, because they are tempted more than any other class, a spirit
of trust and love, instead of a spirit of fear and hate and revenge,
what a happy unselfish world we would have. Suppose these newsboys,
the boys who are so often accused of being bad, would be treated as
Christ treated wrong-doers, not as criminals, but as misdirected and
misguided boys, putting everything in their way to encourage them to do
right. Suppose they were warned of danger, were propped up when about
to fall, and personal efforts were made to find the good in each boy
and to cultivate it as a husbandman would his garden—pulling out and
destroying the weeds, removing the germs of disorder, and keeping a
watchful eye over all even until the ripening of the fruit. What would
be the result? The gentleman gave the subject considerable thought and
concluded to try the experiment.
From the material at command it was surprising how many little good
things sprung up where least expected and from soil considered as
absolutely worthless. Like some products of the garden, good came from
unexpected places.
Taking advantage of conditions and circumstances, the number of friends
increased so rapidly that when cold weather set in, over a hundred
little hustling friends of the street were added to the list.
Winter came with snow and ice and cold winds, making it hard for the
carriers to deliver their papers before the breakfast hour. The little
sellers were heard only a short time after the newspaper editions were
out, and they were compelled to seek warm places. It was noticeable
that the saloons of the city were the only places open to these boys
seeking shelter and warmth.
There were several gentlemen in the city heartily in sympathy with the
new movement among the newsboys, and among them was a generous clothier
who presented, through the gentleman, fifty overcoats to be given to
the poorest newsboys.
To select fifty of the most deserving, for the entire hundred were in
want, was a very difficult task, especially as those interested had but
little experience with boys of the street.
But Jimmy came to the rescue and he and the gentleman began to deliver
the coats. When forty-five coats were given there remained twenty boys
who were equally as needy as the others and there were but five coats
left. How to select five boys from this number was the question.
Jimmy accomplished it.
The next day the gentleman was asked to go into the alley in the
rear of the post-office where he met about sixty boys. Twenty of the
poorest, those whose names were booked for coats, were asked to “stand
in line against the building.” Jimmy asked them to name five of their
number who were very poor.
“You see, Kids,” said Jimmy, “we have only five coats and if you select
the five boys needing them it is all right.”
The boys quickly named the lucky sellers.
Midnight, Peanuts, Bluster, Swipsey and Bundle were unanimously chosen
and the orders were given to them.
This was a great surprise to the gentleman, for what he had imagined
would be a difficult problem was satisfactorily settled in a very few
moments by the boys.
“Boys, come close to me,” said the gentleman. It was difficult for him
to stand as they crowded so closely around him.
“I am surprised at your way of doing business. This is one of the
greatest things I ever saw. It shows you boys can take care of
yourselves and I believe you could manage worse things than dividing up
a lot of coats. For this nice little act of yours I am going to give
you a first-class Christmas dinner—”
Not another word could be heard. That quiet, listening bunch of boys
was quickly changed to a turbulent, noisy crowd.
Several policeman came into the alley to see the cause of the noise.
It wasn’t common everyday cheering, but yelling. The invitation was
accepted—it seemed by a thousand voices.
“All right, boys, get your little friends and meet me at the
post-office steps Christmas morning at eleven o’clock.”
“Say, Mister,” said Swipsey, a bootblack, “only sellers and bootblacks
in this deal?”
“Yes, only sellers and bootblacks this time, and I don’t want a good
boy in the crowd. I want only boys who are bad. I want all the gang and
their friends. I want poor boys, but they must all be newsboys. That
is, they must sell papers or shine shoes, and not a boy must come in
dress suit.”
[Illustration: READY TO START FOR THE FIRST CHRISTMAS DINNER.
_See Page 25_
]