Looking Tough

Accompaniment:  St. Louis Blues by W.C. Handy

Look how tough these St. Louis boys were back in May of 1910! These boys were newsies, meaning they sold papers for the major papers in the area.

It reminds me of a story Ernest Hemingway told about growing up in an American city like St. Louis around this time. He said people would prey on kids so boys learned quickly they had to look tough and other people had to know they were tough just to survive and be left alone.  I’d say these boys got the message!

None of them look over 13.

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