The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-10-05

forward to approach with the most pleasing antiops
tons Thea the lager bier saloons may be seen in all
their glory Formerly they had balls Sunday night
but as they disturbed the peace Of the and
were complained Of q nuisance they prohibited
that day Now the rag pickers, in company with the
Germans employed at other occupations pass their
ngs in the saloons Here the lover, with his fair
one plead his suit glass of the avorite liquor
and their hearts melted by its melowng Influence
they make to each other of eternal fidelity The
husband and his prow too come here forget the plea
Of the moment the and hardships of their
every day life. What they for tho and
insults which they meet in the pursuit of their business
They can afford to treat them with Indifference willis
they have in their power the of enjoying them
selves They are besides, their masters, and
de, endent for support the caprcious will of
poyer They in fact Indispensable to the business
of the city, they suspended their labor for two
three months the scarcity OF rags which would follow
would a corresponding increase in the price OF
paper 1t is astonishing what immense quantities of
rags payer &C. daily collected in the streets of New
York the strongest proof of this is TO be found in
the fact that four FIVE thousand people make sub
sisence from them These sufficient why the
chionners should feel independent although their
patton may be regarded by degrading and de-
meaning.
The lager bier halls and saloons crowded every Sun
day evening from six seven till eleven and twelve
They bear their exterior sign in German informing
the passer by that the best beer is sold inside On enter
ug you discover at the end Of the barroon hall capa
bic of holding from to tive hundred people This ai
is furnished with long tables which extend its entire
length leaving passage for the company. The
seats are generally benches except in the higher class of
salcons where they afford chairs. The walls
almost invariably hung with pictures representing drink
ng scenes desperate conflicts with brigands lovsr4'
ourtships shpwecks and any subject that calculated
the attention excite interest in the spec
In Of the saloons the entrance is decorated
with drapery, which falls gracefully either
side giving it when viewed from the street tn.
appearance of . stage curtain. Music is indis-
pensibe to the successful management Of Saloons and
they consequently without band Of three
more performers-n one we counted seven. The must
clans perched sort of box which is fastened
to the side Of the wall about half way between the floor
and ceiling, and which is dignifed by the title Of
chestre Here they sit for i've six hours playing for
the of the convval crowd beneath, who ap
pa at the terina ton Of each piece with the greatest
enthusiasm The favorite airs Of national charac
ter reminding them OF their fatherlani and bringing
back the scenes of their youth but the music generally
of miscellaneous kind consisting of waltzes, selec
tons from operas, &c In Of these saloons the
music is varied with performances partaking of thea
trca character without however, the dress scenery and
other paraphernaa of the stage The actors OF whom
there seldom more than two, 80 through the per-
formance q of enclosed platform projecting in
front Of the orchestra Sometimes they sing and
times recte their parts the subject being almost always
Of humorous character. On the occasion Of visit
the actors, man and woman, sang their parts. The
title of the piece could not ascertain but it eyi
IDENTIFY from the pantommc part OF il intended repre-
hush. "a
bore glass of lager bier in hand, willie his sagger
ing gait and drunken looks told plainly words that
he vo,ary Of the jolly god dis wife lecturing
him upon his conduct but each rcbuke appeared only
excite his merrment and in utter defiance her lie would
flourish the beer glass in her face and drink the beer with
the greatest Soat imaginable Finding that all her scold
ing was useless she gave it in utter despair and then
tasting the obnoxious liquor she found herself unable 70
resist the temptation of tasting it again and again until
she reduced to the state Of happy forgefulnes
of all earthly with her husband this condition
they retired from the stage in arm amid the applause
Ind laughter of the audience
Willie these performances going on the vaters-for
whom like the wicked there appears be no re.t-are
constantly employed running from the barroom to all
larS OF the saloon with glasses trimming with the favor
lie beverage There seems to be end the lager bier
and the company drink it with such desperate determine
lion that 6nacquainted with the German customs
would think they drinking for bet that they had
received on draining the bier barrel dry They are also
most nycterate smokers and by the time they are pro
pairing TO leave the saloon is densely filed with smoke
that persons at one end Of it with difficulty
see those at the other. 1t is very seldom that the
peace OF these assemblies il disturbed by quarrcls
or lighting but when ARRAY does occur
it not unfrequenuy a most serious
character, and knives sometimes used by the
aptlot T1taza Ii,ls a.
refinement of the polished classes upper tenaom who
turn up their With dsain such vulgar pleasures
but after all what il the difference between one of these
lager bier halls and fashionable saloon in Broadvayf
Cne IS not 80 reten;ous the other yet venture to
assert that the liquor which l. sold at tie former less
Injurious than what Ii obtained at the latter. Those also
who pretend to religion may exclam against this way Of
spending Sunday evening and denounce it as Sabbath
breaking but let them examine their own cond ct mi.
nutey and they will find perhaps hat their most pro-
ninent vices Of characier such people in
the words OF Hudbras,
Compound for sins they are inclined to
by damnins those they have mind tel
since the balls ON Sunday evenings suppressed by
the police they hold them other evenings They not
properly Speaking rag pickers BALI they ATTENDED
by tradesreopc and others bat the company /. almost
exclusively German Some time ago, however, the rag
pcker lad BAH Of their own and those who were pre-
had taken place in that section OF the city for long
time. The patched garments thrown aside for the
occasion, and their place supplied by clothes which
Broadway belle would not have been ashamed TO
wear. The display OF jewelry surp isin :. Men, who
might be wanderin, abou the streets eycry day
doving into dirt heaps, sported massive gol watcb
chains, while the fingers of the ornamented
with rings This looks like exaggeraon but we are per
suaded from what have that is to great extent
not wholly true Tho favortc dance Of the Gesnans Is
the waltz and to this they devote nearly the whole night
lhe floor is covered with WALKERS who sweep in their
gyrations from end Of the to the other
with such rapidly to render collisions pretty dan
gerous. The women appear to enjoy it more
than the men, and it Is very seldom that they
tired out first. They will keep whiting about IN the
gddy Of this dance for half hour before they
think Of leaving the Goor Tie price, Of admission to
these balls is twenty live cents half dollar dol
lar but it seldom exceeds dollar. Of tho balls