A small number of children made their livings as shoeshine boys. Like the newsboys, these children were semi-independent of their families and formed a subculture of "street arabs" who roamed the city. Social reformers linked these children with criminal activity, especially theft. In 1889 a movement to license and regulate newsboys was also aimed at reducing the number of girls who sold papers. Despite the increasing number of women working outside the home for wages, middle-class opinion pressed for additional protection of women and girls.
