New-York tribune. [volume], August 01, 1897, Image 37

About New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924

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DAYLIGHT FOR THE GHETTO.
WORK ON SMAT/L, TARKS FOI? TII K MORT
CI?OWDEI? OF SLUM.**.
TwuuMunt "foora rookkrisa to ra torm ijown
TO ????: ??.?.1: l'Oit GRASS ASO
PUCAS?RE l.ril.DiNOr*.
After ten years of effort and educating, day?
light ls about to be ht Into the malodorous,
crowded Ghetto. The book an.i hatchet are in
readiness to tear out two broad spaces In the
heart of the most congested sections that they
may be sodded with green turf, traced with as?
phalt walks, and become pleasure grounds for
the thousands of toilers that have neither the
time nor the money for journeying? to the parks
uptown. It Is one of the real, practical fruits of
the small parks movement that has for its object
the bringing of grass and fresh air to the very
doors of the tenements, for the chief benefit of
children and tired women.
Notices have already be.ii served on the ten?
ants of the buildings In th?s?? areas to remove
Immediately, and the plan is t?. have all the
6tru< tuns razed to tbe ground by Augllhl L'<?. Bo
overloaded are these tenements with humanity
that although only als blocks or so are to g?.,
nearly sixteen thousand men, women and chil?
dren will hav?? to move. At Are! it will r? Milt
in packing the surrounding Ghetto still more
closely, but even this ,?, ill hav*? it?-? compensations
ln the wide spaces sel free. Lat? r, it Is believed,
many will remove uptown.
Such a wholesale di structlon of landmarks an I
alt.Ting of the face of things the Bast Sid??, that
chang's little, on Ih? whole, as year follows
year, baa never known. Borne of the moal plcl
nreaqne ?tn?! curious buildings and blocks of tbe
town will 1??? wiped out Th? park Is to run from
Kssex-.st., at the corner of Hester-st., t?? East
Broadway (including Ihe Benin* fountain), thence
to Jefferson-st., up Jefferson to Division, along
Division to Buftolk, to Hester, and then bach t<>
the corner flrat spoken ot The east side of
Baaex-at. will thus go (all th? buddings between
these point?: being tOITl ?!? ..M. ?.!' lidi Of HeS
ter-st. along Its two buslesl blocks, tbe ?? I
bl.?? k of Norfolk-st, wi;h Its high, grimy tene?
ments, its rear houses and its tiny courtyards;
one side of Sirfio.k-st. below Hester or?.! t1:??
upper end of th? s'iuar?? ihiit Baal Broadway
makes at Ita Juncture ?.?.ith Canal-st
Strali?.?? bodge-podgea ?.!' buildings are In these
aquarea, the low mingled with the '.u?!). sis-story
tenements with their flre-eseapes reaching <>ut
lil;?? spider wei.s alongside of i??w wooden cot?
tages, dating bach long before the war. There
la on?? building, non a Maims groggery, at Nor?
folk and Division bid. to **? with Use rea*. Uia.t
merits remembrance, for Its wooden walls made
a rendezvous many years oro for the lieutenants
of William M. Tweed. Her??, it Is said, this
"Bo"**"** arranged many of his plans. FVw of ths
buildinirs, thouKh, have any ?definite traditions
or memos lea, Those that ? iw tower abov?? their
neighbors and shelter, .?ach .me of them, secs
if not hundred.;, were built only a few yeara ago,
when Polish and Lithuanian Immigration began
to swell the death rale of the old ?????!?? Ward.
Th.re are ?enough of the perniine old stru?tur?-s
standing, however, ?especially those in this part
of I ?ivision-st.. to ?five the re'rion th?? charm of
constant variety.
Had the one aim been simply to pick the won't
tenements in New-Tork tot blotting out, hardly
a b??lt< r section could have been chosen. A
r.w of those in Norfolk and Heater sts. within
thes?? park boundaries, and hence to fail apeed
j ily, now are abodes ..f the foulest typ??. The
' nipht has always ben th.? time to s.?.? them in
thiir bare, loathsome detalla. Then by th.? dim
, Same of a siimi.? lamp .ach revelation <>f povi r
ty stands out more dearly and more distinctly,
the playgrounds of the poor.
(lb ster-st., lof>kiii|" west from Norf.ilk-st.)
ami th<? "jargon" that <?? hoes through the black
hallways s??? ms uncanny and W? ini.
New-Tork'a Jewry will be greatly altered by
? this ?park-making In its most vital part, but hard?
ly inore ao than the ?region ?somewhat further
: uptown, on the dividing Uni ??f residence between
? the Hungarians, Jewa and Irish folk. This aec
ond park, tearing down for which is t?. begin
. at th.- sam*? lime, la to . m ? ?1 from Cist
,11??ustm.-: t. to Stanton-st., and from Pltt-at. to
I 8heriff-8t., destroying thai portion "f w.lbtt-st.
that la in between, levelling t.? the ?ground the
! ram..us old "Bone Alley." a spot that has Ii ng
? . u ?i..? bane of philanthropies. Th. re aie not
; s?, many tall ??? m m ni here, ami more liitl??
h mi . of ,? .? ?;, long past; nor la ther? aa mu? h
Ufi and movement. But ?iirt relgna quite as
much ?king, and if the buildlnga do not no quite
s., high in th. air. they ar.? still as crowded and
as much the haunt of poverty-stricken living
as those tbal ar In Esses and Norfolk sts.
What these "small parks" will be, when tbe
last bit of tutf has 1?.?. ? laid and the finishing
? ?uchca put on tbe whit? edifitea to stand In
them, is shown In Cori-.?is H??..k Park to-day.
That "reservation" in the midsl >.i a ?crowd d
city haa the added advantage of being on the
river front, with a broad prospect of water and
sky in al least one direction. Already, though it
la hardly complete even yet and bas been thro.? ?
open only a rear, it has entirely modified the
. haracter of the aurroundlng district. Hun?
dreds viali it every day, the ?popular hour, of
? ours.?, ?being after nightfall; mothers with chil?
dren in th? ir arms or holding ti>-ht t<> their
?kills, older < hltdren racing aloni,- the paths ur
up and ?low p the broad slips of the ?great pa
vilion, L>iiu?U iuui?? i:.?-a ami -?irla o? Uli.? mamtA
Kai.?, and tired-out workmen, who, oftener than
Otherwise, get a quiet "snooze" ??n the benches,
far more comfortably that they cou!.I of a hot
summer's night In (heir < los ? rooms. As a pia.?
of r*?st and comfort for the poor, the modern
"small park** goes a lotit? way ahead of the
???. ks.
LITTLE EAST SIDE PESSIMISTS.
HOW Tin: TAi.Mt'i? IKPL?BNCEg and IN?
SPIRES Till?: JEWISH CHILDREN -
THEIR AMBITIONS Ari
gTUDENTS.
A s'rang'iy pathetic story of th?? news printed
?aiiy in th?? week concerned a boy of th? tene?
ments, Sim?.? by nani.?, fourteen years old, the
son of J"wish parents of tbe los.'sl class, who,
discouraged and crushed because be bad fail???!
t.. .vii a scholarship at the tlm ? of taking Ids
examinations for the College of th ? City of New
Tork, drowned himself in the Baal River, A
curious feature of this suicide Was lhat the boy
was a Socialist in embryo, and had mad*? up
his mind to become a preacher <<t tins, doctrines
to his fell .v..?? in it?? depth? of p**nttrnk*m over
l.is failure h?? kill?.i him.??? If.
! Though such ? .ase is unusual, this dissatis
; fled, ambitious temperament is .1 <?. minori thing
1 arming th.? youth of th ? Baal Sub. The lower
the . !.. ? and tb?? greater the poverty th.? more
| fully th? re tendencl s an? developed, "f quite
| as great an ambition are the Jewish girls of the
tenements, but m them th?? pessimism and th?
I dissatisfaction are alt Iher la ? ? ? g, As brill?
iant and a- hard stud nia as th?? boya they are
brighi in spirits and happy. Bui th.? tenement
bred !"?.'? of thla faith <??- a disciple "f Schopen?
hauer, and, almost b f.>.? he begins t.? wear long
trousers, a student of political economy and so?
cial ethics. Th?? time bi ya of other ra? a spend
hi ball and athletics be devotes t?> study and
discussion, it is ??? unusual thins !'" youngsters
of twelve and thirteen t" be heard grav ly dis?
cussing the deepest problems of lit'.?, quoting
correctly from star der.; and deep works of phi?
losophy.
If accused of being pessimists, thy deny th??
?bar?;*. becaUf ?. they say, "a pessimist is a man
wir?, kiils hin,s if. beine tired of living, aad we
do not int. nl ??> die." Bui they have .? fine scorn
?.f society and the progresa of th.. world, and
h.?|,I to it all through ih? ir boyhood.
What gives these boyi and girls their remark
ai ??? mental grasp of morals ami philosophy and
makes them able to argue so fluently, splitting
points with th-? cas? of practls? d orators, ?s -aid
to ' ?? th*? Influence of the thousands of years ?>f
th.? Talmudlc training *.f their race. Their
fathers and grandfathers before them, and even
?, n? lariuiL? buck. UioLixh iguoiaat in tho aa? ?
eepted term, peasants and ped? re, "were drill-?1
In the Talmud, which is a code of manners, mor?
als rand philosophy of ?great compietene** The
Influence of heredity is most pronounced In thens
children. ?Sever? students, they carry ??? ?prisa
after prize in ?college ?and ?achool. A year cr so
as??, at the College of the City of New-Tork, two
brothers won nearly ?very prise offered eleven
in all.
In the Normal ?College and In the university
just Mentioned the hightol ranklnga are nearly
always won by these boya and girla, Coming
fr? m stuffy tenement-rooms, roughly dressed and
stunte.i in ?growth, thev give all their working
hours to achieve simply li-.r;. The disappoint?
ment at anything resembling failure Is crushing.
Hut they B*4dom falL
It is .?nly hatic? about Is!?? that these ; :
Jews of Ihe tenements have bi n noticed In 'l.y
nnm!? rs in the blghei schools of ?? M V ile. In
th?s?? leven years, however, they have raised
the . tandard <>f acholarshlp t ? a point it Is ex
tr. mely difficult for any one ? li e to attain. Even
arriving at this, the mosl ?f th?m of the b ya ?
are full of moods and sll nces, discontent d that
they cannot move th ? world at once.
<?? EL INDIA V DA \'CE8.
tortures inflicted on helpless
victim.?;.
Washington corresponden of The Bt I ?ula
Globe-Democrat.
Captain chart, s ?. Nordstrom, of the l?th
United states Cavalry, acting Indian agent at
the Pueblo and Jicarllla Agi ri? y, In ??\?;-?? xlco,
has written an Interesting letter to the Com
missioner of Indian Affaira with regard to the
Indian dances. The ?letter treats of the eubject
In a manner novel in official communications,
and throws new light on a matter that has long
given great concern to everybody Interested In
the Indian question. The letter is dated June
2& ?Captain Nordstrom says:
"During my recent inspection of the day
schools attached to and lying south ?if this
agency many of the teachers complained that
on the occasion of a 'dance' In the Pueblo ;h?.*y
were either locked In their rooms and compelled
to remain there until the festivities were over
or were driven out of the village entirely, and
ordered not to come back under a given time -
the teacher at San Felipe being ejected and
driven ?across the Klo (?rande.
"The Indians pretend that it would be ?sacri?
legi to admit an outsider to a participation
In them, or even to be present ?as a sp"<.-tator,
but this is only a pretext, an excuse to ail.iv/
them to assert their prerogative, the traders at
Jemez an?l Zuni informing me that neither of
them is molested when th? dances are going on.
and that they have both bien Invited t<> ami
have witnessed even the most Beeret <>f them
If these ?dances, like the camp-mcetlng revivals
of the Southern negro, resulted only in a harm?
less enthusiasm in rellgfoua fervor, no exception
could be taken to th.-m, but they are often the
origin of gr??at outrage?. The trader of Zuni
related the circumstances ?>f one cas.? wMch to?ik
place in that village not Ion?? ago, which does
n<>t speak very well for the advancement of
those engaged In it
"A young man, just from Carlisle, was ordirci
to dance, and dcciine.1, representing that he had
graduated at s? ho?>l, had learned a trade, and
was now an American, and Americana did not
danee that way. Thereupon the governor ar?
rested him, tied him up to a tree, and ordered
him leiten, and beaten be was- nearly to death.
He danced after that.
"Xunl. it will be recalled, was the ecene of the
ri-cent hangln-,- ?>f a poor old creature as a witch.
While I was there Miss Dlssette, th?? estimable
?principal <?f th?? school, aent for the victim of
this ?revival "t the days when ..ur New-England
forefathers piously devoted th? Ir neighbors to
the stake, and bared h?'r poor ,.|| arms t . my In?
specte.n. There waa no difficulty In discern?
ing the s.ars mad.? by the cruel curds, which
had cut the fiesfa through ?<? ti.?? bone. This
poor old woman is al leas! aeventy-flve or
?eighty y.-ars old. At thi Imminent risk <?f her
life and the forfeiture of her ?popularity with
the ?medicine ????? Miss Dlssette went to the .?id
woman's house, and, by nursing her night and
day, revived the (Ink. ring lini??? "f lif?? which
had so nearly ?been extinguished. As this
woman. h'?r voice tr? mbltng with Indignant emo
I tlon, described the circutnstancea of thla un?
speakable horror, my own cheek blushed that
thirty-six yeara ? f my lif?? had been apenl in
1 the aervice of a government under which such
things could be done.
"The ttader's -....k. an Indian youth ab ut
twenty, unfortunately incurring th.? displeas?
ure ???? th?? medicine men. was arrested as a
witch, and. hut for ti. flrmnesa of bla em?
ployer, would ?have b ? put I ? death, and even
now he dues not venture outside th premises
after dark for fear of being kidnapped by the
emissaries of these Renda In human ahape, who
will never rest ratlsfled until he la immolai 1
upon th.- aliar ?f their beastly superstition.
"It may be ?asked. 'What has all this get t..
do with dances?" Everything, because all the
outragea committed originate In a ?lai.ee. is
rain wanted? Then ?lance. is there a tlood?
The} dance. Should the doctora lia?. made a
m stake In their estimai ? of Ihe amount of hu?
midity th?? clou.!?? contain, and precipitation f.?i!
to ensue, or if the rain continu ?.? and the Hoods
fall t?? subside, they Immi llately :.t^[ about
them for a acapeg? rt. who la arrested and
treated a ? a witch, fur making m ? 11 ? - i t : ?gainst
th?'ir mclicin??. and they invariably hit upon
sum.? p..or oi.i woman who has nei;!:.?!? money
nor fri? tels, or other poor devil (no profanity
Intended) without connection! or Influence,
whom they devote to torture often death, .?nd
thus ?save th Ir reputations a*? augura and aooth
aayers.
"Th?.-; whole question In all Ita damnable
ramifications will, of n< 'ty, havi t< be set?
tled aooner or later. The >'?? "ernment cannot
a . ..n appi ?printing millions y ..;? sfl tr year
for the civilisation ?>f the Indian while theae
piacu.? apota exist and thrive on it-? bounty.
Hut this letter is principally con ?nod for the
protection of the teach.rs. What sh:? 11 I da to
secure them from insult in tbe future? I r.?
ape-ctfully ask for Instructions It is no us.? t?
turn the matter .?\??? to th?? Territorial authori?
ties. That haa ?.? tried and failed. The gen?
eral Government bas ?got t" tak? hold of It,
through Hi F.trong arm of Ita arbitrary pow? rs.
Force, by which th.se ?people ?govern them
aelves, la ih<? only argument which appeala to
their obedience, and th?? state ?if tblnga I have
described will continu.? to go on until, by a
show ?if force, they he. onv? <-<>uv_?d the Cov?
ar?,????ut Li ?*> tintimi**