Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1874-10-23
Correspondence.
CUR NEW yOHh LETTER.

CUR NEW yO.h LETTER.
THE FOREIGN ELENENT-WHERE 1T LO-
GATES ITSELF. AND WHAT IT Is COM
POSED Or.
New YORK, Oct. 90, 1874.
THE FOUEIGN ELEMENT.
The population Of the city of New York
is probably One-third ioreign-bOrn. The
American population comes from all the
! States and Territories, for business inter
ests drive Just so many from every locality
to this common center. The South is fully
represented here. The war ruined hun
| dreds of thousands of SOutherners, who
were compelled to do some business that
| they might live, and they drifted into New
| 0rE- because, being 3 cosmopolitan city.
! they would stand a better show OF getting
something 70 do that they could live at.
/ There are thousands of eX-Captains, Col
| 0nels and Generals of the cX-COntederacv
/ IL New Ork ; in fact the number is so
I great that. in the event OF another conflict
/ between the sections. it would be 4 ques-
I tIOn as to where New York would stand.
/ Take the stIung Democratic majority, and
! add to II the enormous Southern element
! that has settled here since the war and the
great city might be fairly counted on the
! side of the South.
/ But it was not of native foreigners that
| | started 10 write.
! The foreign element proper has always
! been immense, and Of late years it has
! swelled beyond any OHe's idea. L has
grown to that extent that each nationality
has made is own settlements, and has own
communities. The
/ FRENCH
occupy the territory bounded by Canal,
Amity, Broadway and South Fifth avenue
! Within the territory you never hear a word
of German and very little English. You
might as well be in Paris The occupa-
tions followed are peculiarly French.
There are French lauudrys, French board
ing-houses, glove cleaners, boat makers,
cOnfertiOners, artificial flower makers,
| feather cleaners, and occupations of these
| natures. The French are by themselves,
! have their own associations and amusC-
! ments, and fraternize with no other people.
/ They do not expect to stay in America
/ they are here till they can accumulate
! enough to go back to France. This is their
ambition. They are, however, 4 sober,
industrious and useful people. Crime is
is almost unknown among them, and though
| they may be very poor they manage some
! how to support themselves. They are ter
/ rlbly divided, for the political auimOsties
! that, rend the French people at home are
| brought with them. Their politics are all
| French, and they take very little interest
/ i'll the affairs of this country. They seldom
are naturalized, and very seldom are seen
| at the polls. What they want is TO get
money enough 10 give them n competency
/ i'll their own country. The
| JEWS
are scattered all over the city, but they
| have their centre. The district bounded
by Canal, Houston and the Bowery is ex-
| clusively Jewish. The butcher-sho have
every one Of them they mysterious Hebriac
| character that indicate the killing of ami
mails after the orthodox fashion They
! follow all sorts of occupation. They set
glass, there are whole streets of them deal
! ing in birds, they rake the cutters for rags
rags and scraps of papers-they do any
! thing that will turn an honest penny.
They all start poor, but very few of them
stay so. When a few hundred dollars is
accumulated, 4 little shop takes the place
| of the peddler's basket, or Il small ware
| house takes the place OF the bag and hook.
| Unlike the French, they come To stay, for
! in no country III the world are they given
! so manv,priviliges. They rise in life rapid
/ ly, and adapt themselves circumstances,
as water seeks its level. When th: ped
| dltr's basket has grown TO q shop, and the
! shop has swelled To a Broadway store the
! Jew, whose industry has made it, the Jew,
! whose industry has made il, leaves his
! dingy quarters in the locality have named
! and blooms out in Il fashionable house up
| town. lie does not quit being a jew, nor
| does he 20 back upon his race or their Gus
! toms he simply reaches out for a better,
! broader life, for more comforts, and for re-
| COgnitiUn in society. For the jew, OPP
| pressed as lie has been in all the countries
! OF the world, wants nothing so much in this,
as an Acknowledgements that he Is Il man
! ana good and useful one. The elder Jews
| hold very closely to their religion and Gus
| toms, but the second generation do not.
| EOu will see in the clubs young Jews who
| are living on the wealth their fathers have
/ accumulated, who have abandoned entirely
! the faith and the customs of the race. \
! fast young jew is the fastest man in the
world. Young Wash Nathan, whose faith
er was murdered some years ago, is type
! of the class. The Jewish element is very
| large, and is one Of the most useful in the
| city. There is prejudice against it, but
! despite that prejudice, they are good, use
| ful, orderly, quiet, prosperous citizens.
! While they are in Il state of poverty, they
are industrious and law-abiding. When
/ they become rich, they are pushing and pro-
gressiye. They have built the best build
ings in the city, and there is no great work
in the city in which Jewish names will not
| be found proflIsely sprinkled.
TIE NEGROES
are not to he classed as foreigners, but they
are distinctive race. They have selected
the Eighth Ward as their grand centre,
though there are large colonies of them in
other parts of the CITY There is TO class
of people in the city more divided than the
colored They feel the most intense anxl-
ETY. to get on in the world, for since eman-
cipatiOn and enfranchisement have given
them Il show in the woEd, they want all
there is of it. The negro who has amassed
money is a king among them, and there are
many Of these monarchs. They are order
", Woodworking, determinedly industrious
and saving. There is very little crime
among them, and very little drunkenness
or dissipation. Cutiy is n very good man,
and gives promise of being great deal bet
ter.
THE FRESHMAN
is everywhere, and he is here, Just what he
is everywhere. Thousands upon thousands
OF the sons of Erin have risen to affiuence
and distinction. They really govern the
city for they act together and work to-
gether, and are so consolidated rs TO WELD
power beyond what their numbers entitle !
them to. They are the same in New York
NJ everywhere else. They are addicted 10 !