Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-12-26
OUR NEW YORK LETTER,
The Homeless BOys-InterIor Cities
A. short HistOry-Sunday-B
THE HOMELESS BOYS.

THE HOMELESS BOYS.
New York, like London and Paris, has
its thousands upon thousands of home
less. houseless, uncared-for children who
live, the Lord only knows how and
where. They are the offspring of either
drunken, criminal or unfortunate parents,
who either turn them out into the streets
as soon as they can walk, 10 live or die,
as fate may have it, or die and leave them
to shift for themselves. Who they are.
and from whence they came, they do moi
know themselves. That they are is a ter
rible fact.
Some years ago, Corlear's Hook was
the rendezvous of the depraYed and des-
perate of the East Side. Gangs of half
groUa boys lav'ess and desperate, made
iha. locality iheis centre, and it was as
much Is tla iEs- Of nan was worth TO ven.
t-ge there Hasa1 IS boys and girls there
graduaIeu irUGl boot blacking and news
paper selling TO pocket picking, burglary
and murder, as increasing years gave
them increased strength. If one died in a
street btawl, or was offered up sacrifice
TO the law, q score of recruits stood rea-
dy.to take his place from the numerous
ranks of the homeless. These children
sleep in store boxes, in ash-barrels, in hay
loIts-any place that can afford protec-
tion from the wind and rain. For ood
the garbage barrels give them something
the light chances of chance jobs another
part, and theft the remainder
The Children's Aid Society, an institu-
ton which is practical in its designs and
methods of work, determined TO purify
the Hook" and to that end established
lodging. house for boys. A large building
was leased for the purpose in Rivington
street, near the East River, and placed
under the superintendent of a man who
put his heart into the work, and was not
afraid to go out at night in search of these
homeless youths, sometimes bringing
home as many as half a dozen to good |
supper and comfortable bed.
a boy who has no money is given food
and lodging free-if they have money five
oehts IS charged each for meals and beds.
a night school, where these Arabs are
'aught 10 read and write, is in full opera
tlon. a bathroom is free to all, as well
as library andreading.room, in which
all the daily and weekly papers are filed
The effect upon the eboys has been won.
derful, The superintendent, backed bv
Influential citizens who give good share
of their time TO the work, not only fee,s
and clothes the boys, but heinstruc,s
them how to get an honest living. and
aids them TO get in the way of it.
Since the House was opened il has fed
and sheltered no less than $500 different /
boys; furnished 2O4 ,25O meals; provided
homes in the West for 400 boys; found
employment for several hundred others
in The City, and restored 16O truant bows
to their friends. Hundreds have been ed
ueated. The good work goes on, so that
the Society has been Obliged TO lease an
adjoining building to afford more room
ior the purpose of the lodging house e and
8 chool' There is no reformatory enter
prise in the City that has Accomplished
more-or better work than this There
ought TO be twenty of them where there is
one. 40
NEW YORK VS.. THE INTERIOR CITIES
nave mentioned several times the tron.
Ule New York is laboring under at This
''lne concerning her trade. The nnercbapts
oil the cliy, have finally discovered thn, /
'ne ioSs VI 'r"ue is not chargeable alto.
eether to hard times, but that fbe cansa l.
deeper An act passed in 1870 nodo
ports of entry Of Chicago, CINCINNATI IT,
ledo and various other cities in the W.,
and provided that goods might be in,
ported direct in bond. appraised at the
point of final destination, and the duties
be collected there. In consequence of
this, the importing trade increased very
largely in the interior cities, for the re-
Iallers were not long in discovering that
they conld purchase foreign goods lust as
well ID those cities as in New York and
even better. for beside the cost of trans
portation there is system of doing pub-
lie business in New York that. is expen-
sive 10 the outsider. The importers here
will make vigorous effort this winter IN
repeal the law, and compel dealers in i'm
as Of yore. ''''e''
Inc West ought not to permit this. The