The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 16, 1902, Page 10

ELLO, fellers, how's your muscle gettin’ on? Hardenin’ up any?” called out one chap as he saun- tered along, hands in pockets, to- ward a comfortable house on Sixth street. ou just bet it is,” answered the ap, doubling up his arm and then tting it fiy straight from the shoulder. 1 that.” All rough and ready began an animated scuffle, or, to be more dignified; a boxing bout, and in less time than it takes to shake a stick, boys had sprung up from the ground, had dropped from, the heavens end had found their way right into the center of the trouble. “Give him an undercut! old man! That's it they went giv! ess Go it, Tommy, Never say ” and & rousing good blows of his voice the chaps stop- hing ran up to shake hands Merz, the athletic instructor of ibia Park Boys' Club. no means a but a match of skill by two d every in just such ex- ped and I th Mr the The street tussie was by day ercise. You know there are always some people in this world who were born to do good, and you chance to be one of them, and are fairly yearning for a new hobby to ride In a winning race, go out and see these boys. They are the happlest, most deserving youngsters ever. They come from heav- ens only knows where, and when they ar- rive they are as motley an array as can well be imagined, but when in after years they go mo one in this city could ask for & manlier, more honest class of men. That much the club does for them. There is a reason for all this good and it is very simple. No rivalry that is not ebsolutely healthy is there. The constitu- tion says: “No boy shall pay a single + e 4 I So great has been the de- mand for the first installment ©f “The Octopus,” published in The Sunday Call last Sunday, November 9, that the edition is already neariy exhausted. you missed the first mber published last Sunday, apply for The Sunday Call of that date at once or you will be too late. “The Octopus” was written by the late Frank Norris. it is Mr. Norris’ strongest movel. It has justly beem comsider- ed the nearest approach to the “great American movel” ever written. It portrays life and scenmes in California more vividly than any other book extant. It is now rumming in The Sunday Call it No extra charge! And by this means you read the best novel of the day—FRFE! — Phyfrcml, IR rRud 7o worx oN THE BAR/: cent for any benefits unless a special meeting of the directors has decreed it otherwise.” So one fellow is as good as another. If Johnnie's father has money in the bank and is earning a comfortable salary he cannot hold his head any higher or re- celve any more consideration than Sam, whose dad is more than busy raking and scraping enough to keep the wolf from the door. Just because Johnnie happens to wear a good sult and a gay tie he is not thought nor made more of than Sam, whose clothes plainly show the labér that has been spent to hold them together. There is no difference in these boys, and no class whatever. All are free to come and go just whenever they take a notion. And what a difference that makes! Take & peep at children of this and that clique. One will boast of & fine doll baby and the other of & horse, and the poor chick who hasn’t anything to swell up about feels that her nose is distinctly out of joint. And so 1t is. That feeling of rivalry comes early in life and it does make a most woeful amount of trouble. The foundation of this club is built for four letters, but they are all capitals— FREE! The word charity is scoffed at and philanthropic is not duly admired. The” feeling that exists between the pa- trons and the boys is one of interest, ad- miration and respect. Each has an honest amount of friendliness for the other, and all feel that ewen the most trivial thing done is for the best. Drbp in upon them any day and see the way the home is run—in fact, the way every solitary thing goes about on olled ‘wheels. There may be a handful of boys quietly reading in one room and in the next the piano will be doing its very best endeavor- ing to drown the voices of half a dozen singing at the top of their lungs. As like &s not some of the officers are having a qQuiet little meeting and the least of their troubles is the noise going on about them. Upstairs the printers are industriously getting out Invitations to a dance, to a concert or to an “at home,” or they may be getting out tickets to announce that a THI SUNDAY CALL. baceball game Is to be played with some outsiders. Next door the carpenters are hard at work tinkering with benches, bookcases and the like, and merrily joking with each other at the same time. Just adjoining the merry tinkers are the basket men and the carvers. They are at it from early evening until late, for theirs is'a work that shows its speed and it shows its rapid improvement as well. In the basement the athletic ones are having a rub with Mr. Merz, and while he is telling a class just how, when and where.to do this, that and the other thing he ha his ey« and ear on some military boys who are practicing some maneuvers or their musie for marching. All told, it is the busiest, most industrl- ous and the happlest home in all this big city—a really, truly home In every sense of the word, for that is one of its chief reasons for being. It trles to show the chap on the street what a home should be and what its influences should do for every one within its bounds. ED ruin ran like fire over the lit- tle town of Curara, in Cuba, as the result of a kiss, and depopu- lated the place within a few hours, A Spanish trading vessel chanccd to anchor in the small natural harbor ad- jacent to Curara to kill time before pro- ceeding to Havana, at which port she wat not to arrive until a certain date. Leave was given to the crew to land and they ‘went off in a body to Curara. It was a rough crew, picked up from the very scum of Spain's refuse popula- tion, and included two or three Asiatics who had been taken on to fill gaps. Nat- urally the first thing thess men did was to push their way into a wine saloon, where they drank until they could pay for no more. There was a young Cuban-girl in the saloon and her pretty face attracted the attention of more than one member of the crew, and conversation soon circled round her. Finally one of the satlors rushed up to and embraced her before she was aware of his intention. The next instant he had paid the price, for the girl's lover, who chanced to be present, without a moment’s hesitation struck him dead with a knife. ! The death of thelr brutal companion kindled all the flerce passions in the sail- ors, who were already mad with liquor, and they dashed forward to kill the lover.’ Other men in the saloon; however,” who had witnessed the tragedy drew kuives to defend the murderer agalnst the sallors, and a pitched battle ensued. The sailors were victorious, and put to flight those men they did not kill or maim. Then they 'KISSES THAT DEEOBULAT rushed out, attacking every one they met, men, women and children. The news spread and the townspeople fled in terror before the bloodthirsty sail- S, away to the neighboring plantations without stopping to think what they did. Not caring to follow the fugitives for fear of meeting police or soldiers, the crew kept to the town and hunted high and low for any one upon whom they could pour out their hatred. “They found but few, and those they killed. From first to last fourteén men and two children fell thelr victims; their own losses were but three. Not content with their revenge, they set fire to every house, which, being lightly bullt of wood, burnt right merrily. With- in a few hours of their landing Curara was in ashes, deserted but for its dead. And to this day the name of the ship and the crew are unknown. It was a kiss which practically depopu- lated Eden, a town of some 1400 inhab- itants, in Queensland. A strahger tramped into the town one day, and, after refresh- ing himeelf at a little eating house, in- sisted on kissing the wite of the pro- prietor. The latter was present and laughed heartily at what he considered a fine joke, for his spouse was past her prime and far from attractive. The stranger passed on along his way inland, Next day the woman was taken {ll; within forty-eight hours she was dead and her husband and two children were dying. When news went around that a violent disease had broken out in the town most of those people who could leave hurried away at once. Some struek toward the coast, others went inland. A few of the latter passed on their way the body of the stranger who had come into Eden and kissed the innkeeper's wife. Of those Edenites who chose or were forced to remain more than one hundred ONE TwWo,THREE, IMTARCH ED TOWNS. lost their lives through the stranger's death-dealing kiss. It was many months ere the epldemic passed away altogether, | and numbers of people will still travel miles out of their way to avold the town, which is even now practically deserted. A similarly terrible kiss was given some years ago by a sallor to his sweetheart, who lived In Candalo, a small port In Florida. Plague broke out on the sailor's vessel a few days before it reached Flor- 1da, and, as it was flying the yellow flag when it ran into Candalo, it was put in Quarantine and all leave was forbidden, But it happened that one of the crew, who belleved himself to be in the best possible health, had a sweetheart in the town, and he determined to resist orders to o and see her. He managed to steal one of the ship's boats and got ashore. But it seemed as if he had risked all for nothing, for he had not found her when it became time for him to return to his ship, if he wished to escape detection by his officers. Fate was playing & hand in his game, however, for on his way to the spot where he had moored his boat he ran across his sweet- heart. He kissed her and told her what he had dared to have one word with her; "and when she heard he had come from the ship in quarantine she fled from him in terror. But she fled too late; for in the gingle kiss her lover had conveyed ‘the fell disease to her, even though he was unaware he t. The girl died, and the disease spread on the four winds over the town. Within a terribly brief period more than two hun- dred persons in Candalo had dled of the disease. Fear seized upon the townspeople and hundreds of them fled away from the stricken town, which at the time of the plague's height was little better than a ity of deserted dving. ! 521 ¥ i The house In itself certainly must vastly different from the great majority of homes in that district. It is bright, cheerful and cozily furnished, not to men- tion artistically inclined. Every door In that entire home has been turned upside down and that alone lends it a peculiar appearance. It is distinctly out of the ordinary. The impression is 80 vague and shadowy that untll you put your hand out to grasp the knob does the idea thoroughly present itself. In other ways the house has been turned and twisted, a little taken off here and a little added on there, and in such an in- expensive way, too. All the varnish has been sand-papered off and then lamp- black put on as a regular paint and the finish looks like ebony—that dull, dead black—and seems just suited to go with a warm, glowing red. The business office, as they dub it, has red burlap walls and cellings and the benches are set in tiers just as they are in a theater. All over the house the same care has 3 3 ‘*1 KECEIVING 'Q&’ng/.' o =3 8 point.—St. been taken to make it bright and home- like, and to say that the boys consider it as{such would be putting it mildly. The evmnasium is one of the most popu- lar rooms, although it is very small entirely inadequate for the number of biys who work there daily. In fact, it is fae only room in the buflding that should jbe larger and better equipped, and as it s, the boys are compelled to take turns down there and consequently do not derive as much benefit as they otherwise would. But don’t imagine that these fellows only learn what is useful and that they have no fun at all. Ah, no— work and uo play makes Jack a dull be The cludb boasts of a splendid glee club and they frequently entertain their friends with a musical. Then again they have a cur- taln that may be used whenever they please and the office is occasio turned into a playhouse. A play, a farce or char- ades bring forth peals of laughter and make the world seem infinitely more cheerful, a better place to live in, and it also accomplishes its end—that of ing good fellowship among the cl bers. The boy who misbehaves himself is promptly rejected and it takes some time, it ever, to reinstate himself. But it pays to be good there. The boy who has noth- ing but good conduct and excellent work scored up against him wins a prize. And it isn’t anything measly either, but some- thing well worth striving for. This year Mr. Merz took about thirty fellows to Yosemite and the trip of six weeks cost them not one red cent. From Stockton they walked and what they could not carry they either worled1 for on the way or bought as the!r needs demanded. Says Mr. Mers: “The trip was not in- tended for fun entirely. It taught the boys how to rough it; it made them phy- sically stronger and it gives us better control over them—three things well worth having.” Besides all this everything that could delight the heart of s boy is provided. All they have to do is to be measured and lo, a sult is turned out that fits them to a dot. For besides belng pthletic they are military as well, and what kind of a showing could a regiment make without the regulation brass buttons? The swords, bugles and all the glitter- ing things that are necessary to make & nolse and show are there and they are pald for with a mere “Thank you"—and rattling good behavior. And why s this thusly, you ask. Simply because the part of town that these fel- lows live in is too crowded to even breathe properly in; because their homes are too tiny to permit of any romping or any company, and because nine out of ten times there.is no home to sveak of and when it is mentioned it is with downcast eyes and In a whisper. For the youngster who has plates thrown at his head, who peers through the window first to see if he may enter In safety and who runs a block if he sees his father coming and sees him first—he is the one that this particular house opened its door and threw up its blinds for. Boys from 10 to 20 are popularly sup- posed to have no affection. Not even a wee bit, ,but the way these fellows trail about after either one of their instructors certainly belies it. They may go down town alone, but they never return that way. On this cor- ner a group are discussing the pros and cons of an interesting subject, but right in the mldst of it a chap stops with a “See you later, fellers,” and quietly an- nexes himself to the homeward-bound ones. If perchance they are talking to some one not approved of by the club it is only & question of a few minutes until the questionable one has been lost. A few clever dodges and there you are, as chip- per as you please. And detectives! How those fellows watch one another. To belong to this club one must be honest and upright— that much is imperative. So that's why it’s thusly. Human kind- ness i{s not by any means exhausted, and there is many a blase society man who feels just a wee bit happler because, per- chance, of the sudden impulse of an idle moment. The instinct to do good Is ever with us and if the time ever comes when it 15 non est, then heaven help the world, for it can’t and won’t help itself. —— Schoolboy Repartee. Professor H. W. Prentiss, principal ‘of the Hodgson School, tells a joke on him- self with much enjoyment. One day dur- ing an examination, when he was visiting the various rooms, he stopped to ask a very bright boy a sum in algebra, and, although the problem was comparatively easy, he could not answer it. Professor Prentiss remarked, and with some show of seveFity: “My boy, you ought to be able to de that. At your age George Washington was a surveyor.” The boy looked him straight in the eye and answered: “Yes, sir, and at your age dent of the United States.” The conversation was dropped at that Louis Post-Dispatch. A Timely Affair. “You are charged with loitering, A e was Presi- @ the repairer to the tired watch. ‘“What have you to say for yourself? “Nothing,” replied the, watch. *“You should judge me by my works.” “Well, T will look into your case,” sald the repairer, “and if I find you guilty—'" Koo ine THE C‘Uafiol{/[. *“What will you do?” queried the watch. “Set you to work doing time, probably,™ replied the repairer, who had a license ‘@ pose as a judge.—Chicago News.