The Western Times of 2nd June, 1840, thought it a good idea to include this in it local news column; the sidewalk stone-kicking must have been noticable:
"A correspondent writes to ask us, are there no proper authorities to prevent the footways of this city from being in some streets rendered nearly impassible, in consquence of a game which has been much patronised by idle boys of late, namely kicking about a stone with as much energy as their young muscles will admit of, to the imminent risk of the shins of all sedate passengers.
"He states that a woman had her leg laid open a few days since in St. Sidwells, by a flint stone sent spinning vigorously along the pavement by a determined kick.
"He states that in other towns which he had visited, having far less pretensions to civilization than the emporium of the west, such practices would not be tolerated."
I suspect that the correspondent is overestimating the dangers of vigorous flint-kicking to sedate passengers; (isn't it curious that nowadays you are only a passenger when someone is transporting you?) perhaps the woman in St. Sidwells with the leg laid open was his auntie.
The emporium of the west still lives up to its reputation for tolerating the intolerable, although these days the local council seems not to bother with greater pretensions to civilization - too elitist for them I suppose.
At least these idle boys had boots to their feet.
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