The sun., 1861-11-21
Tenement HOUSES In New york,

tarv Association. the Ecv. G. Ever gave the fol-
lowing interesting account OF part Of our city
and its population which have been hitherto
greatly neglected, and for which lac asked the
attention anl care Of the Sanitary Association
anil # the charitable public. Mr.. Ever said
Il cannot tnlc YOU A. II were Nv the hand,
anil lead you into certain of those living graves
known as tenant houses, for the details to he
ies,rib,d arc such rs cannot Ire brought b,iorc
tlis aLdicncc-such as should not bo even
fpolon ~. But ] may say that there are houses
IN Ills city hy the hundreds, through which,
after they are once built, II l. impossible ever
afterwards to pass a current Of pure air. that
in cellars, six icct below the ground, there are
1000 people in this city who make their abode,
cook, cat, sleep, hive lOyuther in all the multi
iulc, without the ncl'ness Of the ant; that
there a-c many Jingle blocks containing nearly
twice the uuulIer OF families residing on the
whole Fiilh Avenue, single blocks that contain
o mauv families ~ wo' II inhnhit continuous
row 4 dwellings. similar 10 those on the Fifth
Avenue. three O. luur miles in length. There
are muIttudc' oI hlocks any ten of which con
tain tonight larger population than the whole
4 the city O., Hartford, er the city OF Utica,
thou h thcN each cover auarcu %, several 'quare
mills.
" Nor ave these vile dark spots confined to one
locality. They are not alone al the rear Of the
Ferry at Grand street, without passing within
stones throw Of them. You cannot enter Trini-
" Church without coming into dangerous proN-
unity with some Oi these houses OF slow mdrdcr
You cannot pass down town by the Sixth ave-
nuc railruid without almost crossing their pos
liicrous shadow. In Llurcns street there is a
cluster Of buildings eight On each side, facing
each other which is appropriately called Rotten
Row. Here poverty, nth, crime an1 disease
are con, cutratcl in one vast urban ulcer. We
are told that in n space only one hun led aud
eighty feet long 10y fifty feet deep ON cIcl side,
there are hudllol together ouc THOUSAND two
| hundred and MY persons. In one room, SiNs
| Ni,i,or, six people are living, with hens
| scratching about on the bed In some Of thcs,
tcraut hohses Of our city the ceilings are 81 low
as not TO allow PERSONS 10 stand erect, and there
| is Uuc house mentioned which the aplcious
| landlord has had constructed to hold one hun.
| drr,l aud twcuty ty-siN Families.
u;NOMrYbyo IN. .hSohiatl fHe h,Rgs q cFqES2wdn, q. 4,
| these houses rent for their entire value every
year. The little miserable block I smoke 81
above Niel,s =. $50 ycor. A little two-story
rear building is mentioned, containin, ten
I apartments only and ! families, which Weld.
s2oDO wear or 30 per cent. on it, assussa
| value. The rooms rent for perhaps an ayariga
| of * month. Now here afc families by the
| hundred liN ing each in one room, and paving for
| u nearly 500 year because they think il /;
1 cheap; and pay ing this for no c6nforts-nav.
1 absolutely renting, with their miserable shelter
an atmosphere charged with vigorous seed OF
disease and death Can we wonder that in the
last MY years the ratio Of deaths arising from
diseases from Iomlclliary causes, over which
we have 10 control, have increased In many in
starce- one hundred per cent; ia cholera nrm-
inm, two hundred and fifty per cont, anl in
dlarihuh one thousand por CCnt.-yllile In the
ramc time there j. no variation in the ratio of
m0rlaltN lfoin diseases not duc 10 such eSter-
nal circumstanccsy'
"liut is it alone at the door Of avaricousncss
that THIS state oi things is to be laid l. il
rot to le laid az the door Of this community at
large, which Eo's on obviously allowing such
state OF things to exist and which does not
demand OF It's Legislators correction Of tho evils
by the wholesome restraint of law?
"But before 90 on, Mr.. President let mo in
word or two allule TO the CONSEQUENCE of
this eninlssing Of human bengs- OF this empty-
ing Of men, women AMI children into an almost
inevitable condition of filth. In these dcns
men and women come at last TO breah over an
over again their own foul breaths, and those in
the upper stories tie rising breaths, in adl-
tion, Of such ~ hive below them Nor is this
all the poison that ills the air of som, of tn ,se
houses The totil animal cNhalnlicns from the
prl-ols Of hundreds Of the inmates minen
heir hlnc: the dca,hly gases from lights aul
stoves, the fumes Of miserable food, tho rock
ng ndols oi lecompo,irg 0ilal, lin Rag Picker
Row the numolUs- AMI iunumeralls stenches
from thousands Of oil gathered street rags,) the
,lhuNin from pallet OF disease and sometimes
nom the corpse itsii unite to give those humpn
beings an atmosphere oi death to breathe
Every Inhalation Is poison. Each sends but
corruption down the arteries and into every
fibre Of the system.
In many of these dcns, too men anl women
are cut OIL to great extent from thc inyisora-
ting influence Of full supply Of light and there
moving about in dimncs4 II not in darkness, dis,
PEELED but by the glimmcr Of a lamp, and breath.
| ing poison, what can result but depressing and
| sinking OF the human system. am no. her,
| as an cNcuscr in any way for in,hriaiion. Bat
| | think We must admit, that in the sliding scac:
Of man will aud propensiries there are pa sion.
| and desires within II, which can he so reused a,
| to be next to iuNinciblr.
| "Nhen the human system, deprived of IL.
| powerful natural stimulamts, air, liIht aud
wafer, begins Is sink. what is the consequcnce Z
lhe Inevitable consequence is a growing craving
for some artificial stmulant 10 keen up its
dropping Ngor. The more the system droops
the more does II become prey to cheorlcssness
ana depression Of spirits and melancholy; aud
these DIVE il with more uueTring force TO the
Intoxicating cup for relief. And so there they
| stand the twin friends, melancholy and ardent
| drink, hrst to chain the man down TO a sloth
| ana ne Elect oI person, and mind, and family,
| ttIm which at last he has no desire TO rise, and
then to let loose all the other passions TO run
| their riot.
II hintel Just non Of the deaths that tbes,
We spots are giving 10 our lists of mortality
| What, IN Iced, first directed my attention Il
THIS whole subject was a statement in private
| conversation by member OF the Sanitary Asso-
citation, that by proper system of laws eight
| thousand lives might annually be sNed in this
| city. The last year, which was unusually healthy
some siN thousand lives, it seems, wero need
lcssly sacrificed.
'Now, Mr. President, one thing Is certain,
the state possesses moral character, and has
moral and many Otherduties identical with those
Of the individual--the duty Of humanity, the
duty of purity and order the duty of intolleotu-
al progress. The state recognises the duty 'of
paying debts Of keeping treaties, of preventing
eruelties OF prohibiting indecent acts, Of assist
ing the progress Of science and intellectual oul-
ture and II II is her duty to educate all her
people, by what Intellectual alchemy eau we
make II not equally her duty to take such saea-
sures as shall tend to unfold and expand the
moral sentiments. ~ ~
~ think l may say, then, that the moral
sentiments are iIniolded by gsod hsbiIs. Aud
such habits If not volunte.Ily entered upOn hy
these poor people, should be created by law
Let these tenant houses I'm their nrasanf cor1i'