Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-01-13

New YORK, Jan.

lFRoM OUR REGULAR CORRESPONDENCE
New YORK, Jan. u.
When one has for week read his two OF
three of our daily newspapers, almost filled
from first column to last with details of crime
| apt TO believe our city of Gotham TO be fair
exemplar of the Gomorrah of old. This is only
one part, and, as ii happens, only small part
of the picture. New York occupies place to
which there is no fair parallel in history. Put
one leg of compass down at our city hall, and
from that point describe a circle OF ten miles ra-
| dius, and within this circle live well-mgh two
millions of human beings, and also, as the
great book of Jonah hath il, "much cattle"
Within this circle lie New York, Brooklyn, Jer-
sey City, Hudson City, HOboken, besides many
| large outlying villages. 1t would, think, take
| in Newark, New Jersey city more than twice
as large as any city in New England, excepting
Boston. Although this circle is under several
municipal governments, practically it is all
New York, quite as much so as the many dis
tricts of the great city on the Thames contsti-
tute the city which we only know as London.
New York, in its wider sense, is the second city
of Christendom, out peophng Paris. 1t con-
tains quite half more inhabitants than the state
of Massachusetts, and more than all the other
New England states. The people are very
varied Fully one third are of foreign birth.
Four-ifths of the emigration to this country
first touches at New York. We catch and hold
much of the best and yearly all of the worst OF
the emigrants. These stay with us. Many per-
sons emigrate with Just enough money to take
them across the Atlantic. They can go no fur.
ther, and so rest at New York. These are the
ones that mainly fill up our tenement houses
and subeTanean easements. From them come
directly or indirectly, the great mass of our
dangerous class" including under that title
both paupers and criminals
As have said, one-third of our population is
of foreign birth. That third furnishes three
fourths of our paupers and criminals | make
this statement after full examination of official
documents, which have seen, and which any
man can see. have no prejudice against citi-
zens of foreign birth. Personally, know some
scores, and by general repute some hundreds
more, who are in every possible way among our
very best citizens. have often voted and ex-
pect hereafter to vote, for citizens of Irish, Ger
man and English birth.
Notwithstanding all this, the fact remains,
that the greater part of the inhabitants of New
York who have, in one way or another to be
cared for by the people at large, are of foreign
birth One who goes through our public insti-
ntionS will meet this fact on every page of the
records. On this point | speak advisedly; for
more than once have been invited by the grand
Jury to accompany them on their official tour of
investigation. The consequence of all this is
that we have in New York a vaster system of be-
nevolence than exists elsewhere upon earth; one
also more cosmopolitan in character than
exists elsewhere. | wish that couli here write
in full of our benevolent institutions. But only
to touch upon them would require volume. |
leave those which may fairly be called
public" that is those supported mainly by
the people-acting through recognized organs.
To this class belong the aims house, the insttu-
tions for the blind, the deaf and dumb and Others
who are by physical ncapacty thrown upon the
care of the public. | now speak of three great
institutions generally known as Hospitals, D
maintained mainly by private benefccnce, and
yet all conducted in such a way as to illustrate
the cosmopolitan character of our private
charities.
"St. Vincent's Hospital is mainly under the
direction of the Catholics; EST. Luke's" under
that of the Episcopalians; ont. Sinai under
that of the Hebrews. Yet, as am fully assured
no distinction of race or creed is known in the
administration ofthese hospitals. Protestant
is as kindly received at st. Vincenrs as though
be were Catholic. When a sufferer is brought
to st. Luke's nobody asks whether he be Pro-
testant, Catholic, or what not AT Mt. Sinai, no
question is raised as to whether the sufferer is
Hebrew or Gentle. All that is cared for in any
case is, that here is Il human being needing care.
Three such institutions, so literally supported
and so wisely managed, are of themselves enough
to save New York from the fate of Sodom.
We have, moreover, four great institutions
either in actual operation Or approaching to it,
which deserve special mention. They are not
in the strictest sense of the phrase benevolent
institutions" That is are not designedto afford
relief to immediate distress. They are gifts to
the public; each OF them being the gift of Il
single individual. These four institutions are,
the Astor library, the Cooper institute, already
IN operation, and the Stewart endowment, and
the sennot library, which are growing up before
our eyes vi each OF these wish to say some
thing.
You walk up Broadway: at Fourth street Won
turn to the right, that is to the east Two min
utes walk brings YOU to very quiet street
running parallel with Broadway. which the
corner signs tell you is Lafayette Place. A
score Of years ago this was fashionable quar-
ter; now it has rather dingy look. 1t is a
very quiet little street. On the right hand as
you go up you notice a plain looking building,
the structure of which shows that it is not a
private residence. The lower story is of brown
stone, tho upper ones of brick, trimmed with
brown sandstone. Knowing nothing of the pur
pose of the building, you would be inclined tc
set it down as a school house. But upon one OIL
the doors you see card with an inscription in
etters barely an inch long. This inscription is
changed from time to time. Just now il reads
LIBRARY OPEN FROM 10 A. NJ. TO p. M.'
This is the castor Library" If YOU open the
door after the prescribed hour of ten o'clock