The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-08-05
r,, Mes. yopr Poor ro,,orter n,

4 THE Ngw YoRK PooR.-A reporter o.
tho New York Times gives the following
sketch Of what may be seen by following a
cens,ls-taker among the tenement houses
| Of that city !:
| A row Of six houses Of this description
| was visited the other day. They were stu.
| ated in back court, oil opening into ono
| narrow yard, with entrances from each
house to the roof, which was used in com.
mon by the tenants of each subdivision
! the row might therefore be properly desiS-
! mated AZ one house. -Four hundred people
were found living in the tenements, from
two to four families on floor. A half-dozen
nationalitics we represented, the majority
Of the inmates being Irish. The inhabitants
were principally laborers, and with few
exceptions honest, Woodworking people,
their wives and daughters laundresses (and
how they kept they clothes washed clean is
mystery, factory girls, slop-shop work
ers. scwing-machine operators, and servants
waiting for employment. Many of the girls
were handsome, and all seemed depressed
with the hardships of their situation.
A conversation with tailor, whose neat
apartments induced the census-taker to pro-
long his stay for minutes rest. gave him
an idea of the view the intelligent poor
take of the difficulties of their situation.
"Gou find great many people living in
these houses, sir 20 Answering him in the
affirmative, he continued: 6 It's hard
way to live, but there's no help for it. 1
suppose there's so little room in the city,
and rents are so high. If you live out of
town you are SO far from your work that it
takes too much of your time going and COM
ing from home. Besides, man wants to be
somewhere where he can reach his family
quickly in case Of accident. am in hopes
that something will be done in the way of
steam railroads which will give people a
chance to live in the outskirts, and leave
them breathing spell between the time
they knock Off work and bedtime. That's
the best way that | see to better the condi-
ton of the people that have to live the way
we do in this house"
knocking ut the door of another room, it
was opened by Il bright-lOoking little urchin
who. when he was asked if his father was
in, said: eve got father, sir, but
there's little boy up stairs that aint't got
any father. NY father amt home, but
mother is.' Getting the answers from the
mother, the enumeration of the adjoining
families was gone through with. A thought
of the little boy up stairs that had no father
occasionally flashed across the mind of the
censlls-taker.
An old Irish woman, who would not tell
her age, and insisted upon being put down
us the WILDLY Cassidy" with the name of
her town and parish, bothered the brains
of the official somewhat, and during the
balance of his labors in the house, when
ever he met the old woman, he was asked
by her if he had her down rs the Wildly
Cassidy, poor, lone woman, whose hus-
band had died twinty years ago, and with
no one to help her in the world but her
grandchild."
A young housekeeper was encountered
by the officer, who when interviewed was
busily scrubbing the floor. Finding that
there was no one at home but herself. he
asked her if she could answer the qucs-
tons. She said she thought she could, and
he then asked her if she understood the OBJ
feet of the census. "Oh yes, sir" said she,
and went on to give an intelligent eNplana-
ton Of its principal features. Being salts
fed that she understood it better than many
Of her elders, the questions were pro-
pounded and answered with readiness
that showed that she was thoroughly
"posted" in the family histories. She was
nine years of age, and the question of occu-
patton was asked jokingly. She said, " lou
know mother and father go out to work,
and ! have to stay home and keep house
and take care Of the children" This, COM
ing from her, seemed very funny, for two OF
the children she spoke of were several years
older than herself. Feeling n strong desire
to write her down good housekecper-for
the cleanness and neatncss of the apartment
were in vivid contrast with those of the
ncighbors-thc cenSuS-takcr left her with a
sort of reverence for the little woman who
was growing like water-lily in some
marshy pool