County of Brant Public Library Digital Collections

At the Forks of the Grand: Volume I, 1956, p. 110

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AT THE FORKS OF THE GRAND Looking east on Wi',lliam Street towards Grand River. Note the cow and the public pump. The street corner loafers who for many years infested the streets were probably even more obnoxious to the average citizen than the wandering animals. These loafers often made walking along the streets an ordeal for a shy or modest woman. The following adver- tisement, which appeared in the Brant Review in 1883, suggests the situation: WANTED About 79 young men of all shapes and sizes from the tall graceful dandy with the baseball moustache (nine on a side) down to the little hump-backed, carroty headed, weazle-eyed upstart. The object is to form a gaping corps to be in attendance at the street corners, each Sunday during the summer before and after divine service, to stare at females as they pass, and to make delicate and gentlemanly remarks on their person and dress. None will be enlisted possessing intellectual capacity superior to that of a well- bred donkey. Apparently it paid to advertise even in those days, for in succeed- ing years numerous references were made to an enlarged gaping- corps. As late as 1903, the editor of The Star Transcript wrote: Is this prosperous town ever going to rise above the standard of a country village in respect to the treatment of women by the corner loafer? Every Sunday afternoon, and more especially on an eve- ning, gangs of young men may be seen congregated at the Arling- ton corner, Walker's corner, and in almost every doorway up to Smith's Creek bridge, whose sole occupation appears to be to spit and make coarse remarks about every woman who passes. Signs are posted conspicuously on telegraph poles which read, "Spitting on sidewalks prohibited", but still more conspicuous is the spitting done. Perfect floods of vile, nauseous tobacco-juice are launched 110

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