The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, September 16, 1900, Page 5

PuLL ATVAINDT SHIPLEY STREET, He is a godh promiser nips Shinny has more charm for t small boy than golf F for his eld . The reason for his devotion to the former garie is because of the excitement and dan- ger. He has no “brassies,” “putters” “kniblicks” or other fancy turned sticks. All he needs is a stout branch of a tree, which has a slight curve in it. A game of shinny is soon started and quickly de- cided. The boys take sides and in a game of football, each team strives to force the block of wood toward their re- spective goals. The captains on each eam face each other and vell ">?:|1:n3:: ‘ shinny two, shinny three. i yre the word ‘‘three” is uttered both captains bend over the piece of WwWoo which rests between them and take careful aim. At the proper signal they begin to beat the ground in an effort te hit the object, but only succeed in battering each othe stick. During the excitement a is completely turned arnpnd und't-rq.\ 3 to his opponents’ side. Woe for him if he s to right himself. With a “‘shinny on vour own side’” he receives a crack over the shins and a black and blue mark at- tests his carelessness, “Kick the wicket' is great sport for the A piece of hose about a foot long inst a lainppost with one end The boy who is wicket and as one of his companions kicks the hose 1z on the sidewalk. before the runner has stopped his flight. “Leapfrog” is a speedy means of doing and each in turn bends 1 so that his companion car vault over him. Sometimes ] ) the sport and it is a ludicrous sight to see aring for a 3 Tops are growing less in favor with the yvoungsters. t sidewalks, which will not permit them to spin their tops to any gres dulls the steel and oftentimes spoils In the days of the wooden walk the greater pleasure than play- s » top was spun in the center of the ring, and if it “‘died out” boys found n¢ oFF TO FIVAT THE BPOXERS" DI not ren clear of the eircular chalk line the top had to remain a. a target for Lthe pegs of the other players. For a time iug-of-war’ was in vogue. Cleats were affixed to long planks, and teams from rival streets would pull for supremacy. These contes soon grew un- pepular, as they generally ended in a tirht. The anchor man would be charged with tric y, and the contest that could not be settled by pulling w usually de- cided by the use of ‘nature's weapons. Black eyes and bodily bruises seldom met favor at home, and another beating was always due the unfortunate participant in such a quarrel. Thus it was that the “tug-of-war” grew in disfave After supper the small boy fi s amuse- ment playing ‘tic-tac-to,” “‘one foot oft the gutter,” ‘‘prisoner base” and “tal- ly-i-ho. The first pastime is a favorite with him. A spool of black thread, a pin and a nail are required for the fun. The lady who tnrows water on her steps to keep the boys from congregating there is the suffere:. One of the youngste quietly slips to her window and secure- ly n to the h. The thread is u quite a distance and then the sport grows interesting. The constant “tic-tac” against the window disturbs the peace of mind of the inmates of the house and they come out to investigate As soon as they put ig.an appearance tha noise subsides, only to continue again when they re-enter the house. This is how the small boy secures revenge. The American youth is full of fun and activity. He is always ready to play and would rather be at one of his favorite pastimes than go to the best entertain- ment on earth, unless it be a circus. He has a strong penchant for the latter and will be good for a whole week, cut wood. go errands and wash himself twice a day for the privilege of seeing the performing elephant and the funny clowns. He often recalls his visit to the circus by having one himself. Then it is that the fond parent wishes that she had never taken her offspring to the show. The little fel- low ransacks the house for gaudy ma- terial for his costumes and he generally cuts up dresses in his enthusiasm. A bot- tle or a sack is the price of admission to the theater, which is usually in a dark and damp basement. If the house is not set on fire by the actors the owner of the bunding is in luck. After the perform- ance the actors gather the bottles and sacks together and dispose of them to a passing junk dealer. The proceeds, amounting to not more than 10 cents, is used in buying chewing candy. It is due to the foregoing pastimes that the American boy is so strong, healthy and courageous. These qualities are de- veloped in him by constant rivalry in feats of strength and skill with his com- panions. LOUIS LEVY, =