The New York herald., 1872-07-10
The Sanitary Condition OF tho Tene-
ment Houses.

ment Houses.
We hope that the action of the newly-ap-
pointed Sanitary Inspector, in ordering a
thorough examination of the tenement houses
of the city, will be followed by a vigorous ap-
plication of the sanitary laws in the city.
Unfo rtunately they are scarcely sufficient to
combat successfully the evils arising from the
present system of lodging the poorer classes in
overcrowded filthy rooms, where the seeds of
disease and death are sown with what fatal
results the death rate of the city shows. But
though the law may be unequal to the cure of
this evil, it has the power of considerably
weakening it's effect by insisting on the OBJ
servance of cleanliness within certain limits. It
is a matter of regret that those who are most
nearly interested in maintaining their dwellings
in healthful- display an amount of
indifference which results from ignorance and
the brutalizing influence exercised by con-
slant contact with dirt and wretchedness It
is therefore clearly the duty Of those having
charge of the interests of our immense popu-
lation to step in and compel the inhabitants of
the rookeries in which cholera and fever find
congenial soil to grow in, to observe such
sanitary regulations as may prevent the out
break Of contagious diseases. Humanity
would compel this even were there no danger
to be apprehended but to the individuals to
whose thoughtlessness and slovenly habits
much of the nuisance is due. But the inter-
ests Of the whole population imperatively
demand that the sanitary inspectors and the
Health Board shall continue with untiring
vigilance and vigor the good work in which
they are engaged. The comparatively cleanly
streets which we enjoy show conclusively that
it only requires energy and directness Of pur-
pose on the part of the heads of the Health
Department to secure an efficient discharge of
duty by their subordinates.
Much, however, as may be hoped from the
enforcement of sanitary rules, the root Of the
evil lies too deep to be eradicated by anything
less than radical change in the mode of con-
structing dwellings for the poor. The manner
in which thousands are crowded into un-
healthy dens, hid away from the public eye
is graphically described in our reports
of the condition of the tenement houses
yesterday and to-day. While such places as
Rag Alley and Bull Run Alley and Donovan's
lane are allowed to be constructed, they will
be the refuge at once of the poorest and
the most degraded. In such dwellings it is
useless to look for cleanliness or decency.
Everything in the surroundings is calculated
to habituate the inhabitants to look with in
difference on the accumulation of filth, and
unless some strong power intervenes they will
l.. 1oo1k Al L
in which they find mirrored faithfully their
own mental condition. This connection of
man habits of thought with the nature of his
residence is a most important consideration
for all who are interested in the future Of our
CITY, In all cases the crowded alleys and ILL
the favorite haunts of the thief and the muir
derer. The immoral air of these haunts Of
wretchedness is fatal to honesty and virtue.
Crime is the only fruit that fourishes in these
dark spots of our civilization. They are created
by the avarice Of selfish men, who care nothing
for the physical or moral health of those who
inhabit them. This indifference to the well
being Of the tenants leads to the 6onstruc-
ton Of ill-lighted and ill-ventilated
houses In which the rooms ore small and COM
fortress. Poverty forces the most wretched of
the people to live in them, and the demoraliza-
ton which almost inevitably follows makes
them denizens for life. The influence of these
crowded tenements on our political life is not
whit less marked or less dangerous than
their influence on the health of the city
Morally and physically they are pest spots that
tend to poison the whole social system. In
them the lowest and most corrupt of the
political tribe have their strongholds, and
from them issue the smashers of ballot boxes
and all that legion of ruffianism so much
dreaded by the honest citizens
So long as such dwellings are allowed to
exist, teeming with the mingled victims of
wretchedness and vice, so long will the army
of rufianism be recruited with alarming
ment Of the law. Under our peculiar political
organization the development of the tenement
house system is sure to lead to the worst re-
suits, unless the law steps in to secure for the
poor healthful residences, where their children
may grow up good citizens, free from the
viciousness which contact with thieves and
rowdies never fails to produce. It is not,
perhaps, advisable that the government of the
city should undertake to build residences for
the working classes, but 1t is certainly within
the scope Of their duty to see that no house
is constructed which is likely to be un-
healthy. There ought to be law more
stringent than any in existence to pro-
vide against the evils of crowding. Such
law properly enforced would do away
with many Of the most crying evils of the
present system. We must destroy the Rag
alleys and Donovan lanes if we would save
society from. the army Of vice which is con-