The Underprivileged

Twelve small boys, aged about nine, were crawling over the living room upholstery. Around the piano a group of Boston University students were singing carols. I was there for a student press interview with Louis Armstrong.

"We're entertaining some underprivileged children," said the young man who greeted me at the door of the fraternity house.

"Go ahead inside," he said, "Louie Armstrong will be here in about a half-hour to talk to the boys and the press. We've already given the kids some presents."

The underprivileged children were all clutching comic books and polo shirts with Boston University written on them. The fraternity man wrenched a comic book from one of the boys. "Look," he said, "we're giving them educational comic books." The comic book was Moby Dick.

The fraternity man joined his brothers around the piano, and I turned to one of the underprivileged. He was fat and well-dressed.

"See this,' he said, shoving an imitation wallet at me. "I got the worst present of all." He nudged one of the other children. "I'll show you," he said to me. "Pete, isn't this the worst present of all?" Pete was reading a comic book and didn't answer. "And look at this." The fat child pulled a polo shirt from his pocket and held it in front of his chest. "See," he said, "it's too small." He ran over to another child and began comparing polo shirts.

A small boy on the other side of the room walked over to one of the singers and began pounding him on the backside. "This is a lousy funny," he said, pointing at Les Miserables.

"Here," said the frat men, "I'll explain it." He walked the boy over to a chair and sat down. He began reading out loud, and the boy walked away. After a while, he stopped reading out loud.

The fat boy was now trying to grab a polo shirt from a skinnier comrade. "This will fit me," he yelled, "and this will fit you." Another brother left the piano, and tried to calm the two down. "All the shirts are the same size," he said.

The two compared their shirts. "No," said the fat boy, "they aren't." He started wrestling with the other. The frat man pulled them apart, and went back to the piano. They started wrestling again.

Another fraternity brother rushed into the room. "Louis Armstrong won't be here for another hour," he said. The small boys got up and rushed into the hall. "Let's go home," one shouted. They ran back in and picked up their gifts. The brothers kept on singing. The child who didn't like Let Miserables punched the brother, who was still reading it. "Give me back that book," he said. The brother held him off. "Wait a minute, you're not going yet, are you?" The boy shrugged and left.

Representatives from student newspapers began coming in, waiting for the press conference with Armstrong. There were girls from Simmons, Wellesley and Tufts. The brothers invited them over to the piano to sing.