Children's Column

Kind ladies stop before the children in the Btreet in Chinatown, says a San Francisco laper, chuck them under the chins and - and then the youngsters talk back in Chinese as they go flying through the doors or jack iuto the alley. The first ambition of ;he very young Chinese boy these days is to landlc firecvackers and burning punk. At from 10 to 12 years of age the girls begin to turn their thoughts to dress, and to jradually drift away from the joysof childtiood. The boys remain children much longer. From 13 to 16 they are not content with firing aiiything less than a pack of crackers at a time. The American toy balloon is a thing that appeals to the childish Chinese fancy, and the venders do a big business. Little wagons are occasionally seen, and yesterday one boy had an automatic tin horse that ran on the sidewalk whenever the owner could find room f or it. In their enjoyments the children of the Chinese are about like any other children. They have few sports in the local settlement to amuse themselves with, but they get as much satisfaction out of whatever comes in their way as anybody could.