1936c Noodles Fagan Poem

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If I Only Was the Fellow, by Will S. Adkin

While walking down a crowded

City street the other day,

I heard a little urchin

To a comrade turn and say,

\u2018Say, Chimmey, lemme tell youse,

I\u2019d be happy as a clam

If only I was de feller dat

Me mudder t\u2019inks I am.\u2019

\u2018She t\u2019inks I am a wonder,

An\u2019 she knows her little lad

Could never mix wit\u2019 nuttin\u2019

Dat was ugly, mean or bad.

Oh, lot o\u2019 times I sit and t\u2019ink

How nice, \u2019twould be, gee whiz!

If a feller was de feller

Dat his mudder t\u2019inks he is.\u2019

My friends, be yours a life of toil

Or undiluted joy,

You can learn a wholesome lesson

From that small, untutored boy.

Don\u2019t aim to be an earthly saint

With eyes fixed on a star:

Just try to be the fellow that

Your mother thinks you are.

Framed newspaper clipping from Scranton Times of popular character from early 20th century> Coincidently Noodles was popular arounf 1919 during th Spanish Flu epidemic.

Here's an a link to an article in the Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA about a visit from Noodles to the city of Spokane, "100 years ago in Spokane: \u2018King of Newsboys\u2019 is downright fun"

THE WORST GROUCH IN SPOKANE MIGHT LAUGH HIMSELF TO DEATH AT THE "NEWSIES" BIG TIME ACT, "Noodles" Fagan Leads Youngsters at Pan-300 Revel in Joy Act [ https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/jan/11/100-years-ago-in-spokane-king-of-newsboys-is-downr/ ]

Also:

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA)

EYEWITNESS: 1915 NEWSBOYS' EXAGGERATIONS GET THE ATTENTION OF POLICE Series: EYEWITNESS

By Barcousky, Len

"Serious crime in Pittsburgh apparently had slowed down in January 1915. That gave city police a chance to concentrate on some of the city's younger malefactors, according to the Jan. 3 edition of The Pittsburgh Gazette Times.

"Newsboys and young men masquerading as newsboys will have to stop 'faking' in order to sell their papers," the newspaper reported. Police Superintendent W. Noble Matthews issued the warning in response to reports that "cases of newsboys crying up their wares with false statements are increasing."

"The superintendent yesterday ordered the police to investigate the exaggerated and false claims of the 'newsies,' evidently designed to mislead the public into buying papers," the story said.

Perhaps Matthews wanted to get the situation under control before "Noodles" Fagan, the "King of the Newsboys," returned to his hometown. Fagan, "the friend of the newsboys in Pittsburgh," was scheduled to entertain at the Miles Theater. The theater, named for vaudeville producer Charles H. Miles, stood at the corner of 7th Street and Penn Avenue.

Fagan's Jan. 20 performance of "comedy and talks" would be free to all newsboys who peddled or home-delivered copies of the Gazette Times, the newspaper announced on Jan. 17.

The Gazette Times noted that "Noodles began his career as a Pittsburgh newsboy about 20 years ago and has worked himself up until he is now probably the world's most famous newsboy."

The Pittsburg Press claimed an even closer link to the entertainer. \u2026" [https://www.questia.com/newspaper/1P2-38176416/eyewitness-1915-newsboys-exaggerations-get-the-attention ]