The New York herald., 1874-07-17
WAITS TO BE WASHED"
The Little Street Children Of tho
Sweitering Sluns.
How They Live Eat and Grow Up-Thsir
Homes and Dwelling Places-Glorion. Work
for the Good Women Of New York.

eyes said the honest looking 81 xth ward police
man q short, thick set, good-humored appearing
man, "uo Was about 10 penetrate with the writer
iuto 'ne Pn'Heus OF that section formerly known
ss the 'Folh's; "r the women OF New York who
have vel! dressed children and plenty TO eat ami
drink ana schooling TO give them-!r they cOr.d
only see the poor children of this ward don's
think that tney could sleep a, night or get up In
the morning"
"y0u don't mean TO say that the children are 80
badly or as that, do youp" querled the writer.
''It s terrible, sir terrible terrible ls The oniv
name for it Como and LOOK at Il, and please To
imagine wnen you see them how useful breath of
fresh air might be to tnem, such some Of them
got when they Went to Raritan Grove, or Oriental
Grove, on the children's excursions
We were nov In PARK street, an old focus Of vice
and lust and robbery. The slreet-and yet 1t could
hardly be called a street, for It's sidewalk and the
middle OF the street were ola common grade and
deeply rooted boulders projected here and there
had all The surroundings OF forbidden district.
Although there were not any cutters to carry OF
the stagnant waters. breeding miasma, d,phtheria
and the measles. yet there lots OF little pools
in " hich small ohldren as is their won't pa idied
and played TO and irO. Some OF these CHI.
uren were rOsy-checxcd and curly haired aud
very bright-eyed and had regular features
indicating their Italian or Jewsh origin.
How wonderful is this Jewish race, the
race vf misfortune and persecution Go where
you will they can be found moncy-!eading beget-
ting children and popuatlng the world. And
alongside OF then may be paced The italians. For
within a quarter OF Il milo Of these loatsome pud.
dies OF half green water there arc rooker;es and
filthy snanties which contain perhaps as many
5000 Italian men, women ana children. God only
knows, and lie alone, how they exc out their ex.
istence
"There is nice looking little girl; let US talk to
her and see what she has got TO say,' SAID Police
man Caddeu. in coaxing tone
small, eldshfaced girl Of about nine years Of
age, with Intense black eyes and prominent nose.
got up out OF her puddle and shook her scanty
dranegy around her limbs. Size wa9 quite bare
footed and her feet were covered with a thin layer
OF mud, and there was clay at her finger ends cay
In her nostriis ana clay hanging IL minute partl.
Cles from her long, dark eYelashes.
"Did you 20 on the excursion, ittle grip" asked
the policeman, petting her for an instant
'Yes, Mister Pieeceman; | hau ice troam, oh
lots Of ice tream; and my big sister wont, aud
had oranges, too. lots OF en-
''How Old Is your rig sistcr?'
''Oh! she's ever so big; p. big as shat" pointing
with dignity to the tsp Q. wheel Of a rain-slia:klsd
Old wagon nsar the corner OF Mulberry street.
"WoIld you like to SO to another excursons,
asked the policeman.
''Yes; my mudder says mign. 80 every day, CO,
gets nice things to eat"
"Who Is your mother and where does she livcm
was the next ques Lion put 10 this llttlc waif
'.she-now-sshe keeps second hand shocshop
IN basement in Baxter street"
"And your lather, where Is hcs''
"NOW, my iader he Eecp second hand shoe
store in the basement too. The big boys wot nlng
stones call him u Sheeny."
Prom the s,agnating pools. whose very breath
III, Nttfst m
wards Cha than. The sidewalks were very oar.
row, and 1t was hard 20 tell which were the most
numerous the old suits Of greasy broken down
and tattered garments cast OF Dy drunken and
IpauperIzedn d men; nc the gandy sarias garmeats.
known women. tnat hung NON rottiug and pro-
jsStlns door posts, or the Little ragged and dirty
cellar isr;s and dark and fss;tering doOrsay
SCENE s As sdna us 9 a nose Sn
have such large iamilies2 l give you my word.
cir, and am certain Of what say, that some Of
these men and women ana mind you they arD
lawfully married too-have as many as nine, ten
and twelve children, and have seen as many AZ
eight Or nine OF them with the father and mother
All asleep !n one little room, and the bedclotoes-
well v Goo MP US i1y I nsiya washed them for
washing them ut a.'
"Whas. then, becomes of these children as thev
grow up7' was the next natural inquiry
"Well big percentage OF them die in the cell
lars OF smallpox. measles and dphtheria and ciIoi-
era morbus. some OF them become thieves. some
girls; God help them Some IRE sent to tho
Refuge or the Protectory. and well there are few
put S ny sy s Deeu a'ea sad1 in
oughly washed. But mind you, sir, the children
s9SS spo sna fSS ' the SCI
and then its nord WORK to change them" '"'''''
to 40 as parsntS ye who rear such Children
''Sone o: them keep little peddng shops selling
second.hand boots and shoes at from so cents to
81 80 pair Some have secondhand clothing
stores. aud people of this class always have little
500 TO s5O0--put away In stockings
or In boxes under 0ithy beds, but they viii not
spend a cent OF this They die, and in Inc mean
time the children grow up and get no benefit what
ever err rom mat teeir san,I parents a., IT'S.
school or learn the common ru1Inonts OF school
.sYes; but they go only for a little while to tho
schools IN Bayara street or in City Hall place You
KNOW OF course, that this Is vacation time with
emu sney arc noe gong chores or out beg
we had now progressed up to Mulberry street,
Of grown up lads of from fourteen TO eighteen
years OF age who were sitting around q lager beer
saloon door, and from their fostering lips came
torrent OF blasphcmy and horrible oaths although
SUBJECT being discussed was the comparatively In
offensive one OF the merits OF two junior base ban
clubs
At No. 80 Mulberry street there was high. reach.
ing. raRged.looking, torn-faced. brick tenement
house, and 1t has a high side iron stoOp from which
clustered hall dozen OF ragged and dirty Italian
children, who hung from the stOop In seemingly tho
essness Of childhood made them perfectly sale.
Two rowdy boys passed at this moment; ono
With fery red har cleaning from under mis- shaggy
zap; the other had vacant look, aud was merev
he echo OF the boy with red hair. The latter was
.sked II he hac been passenger on the last chit
iren's excursion
Eyes. wos-and had q bully time, me and
Iim-blt there was no chewing t!baccy on de boat
Yos der, Jnns"
$50, dere wosnt no chewing tibaccy on her AT
VI, /" answered Jim in u sen.entious manner
The red heaced boy passed on Wishing that his
lame was Cavcndi5h.
High up on the iron stoop lowered girl OF fine
iguic and with masses Of black hair full OF grease
,oitan, aIid had but very scanty dTapery but her
'uiline was such as could 0ny have been iOund in
nc land o the Caesars She leaned quite stupdiy
ver the iron railing and the heat made her yawn
ather impoIlte.y. Bui d compliment OF a very
rlhing nature was pad her ana she raised her
name OF giOwlng har, her whole body became en-
Ivcned with grace, aud her dark eyes flushed WITH
wen pleased glitter. The transorma ton was q