The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-03-18

Often twenty, thirty, and forty fami-
lies are crowded into a single build
ing, and Instances have been known
where $50 apartments have been
crowded together under one roof,
each of them inhabited by family Of
from three to five persons Huddled
together in these communities of
crime and filth, a large part of the
city's population live and die here,
without having known the true sig
nifcance of the word 'home"
The extentto which the overcrowd-
ing system of tenement houses is car
ried in New York, exceeds that Of
any other Christian city in the world.
A comparative exhibit Of the popula-
tion tor the square acre, among our
poor people, shows that in the Elev-
enth Ward it is 32S; in the Thir-
teenth Ward, 3ll; in the Fourteenth
Ward, 275, and in the Sev.nteeth
Ward, 2S0-these being the four
most densly thronged districts in
New York London has but one dis
trict that approaches this exhibit.
The population of the Strand num-
bers 307 to the square acre, and
the next most crowded area is East
London, with 2G6.
AND WHAT is MORE.
Very frequently there is no pre-
tence of separating families by thin
partition walls. Men find them
selves unable to pay the rent of a
whole room, and so two or more fam
lilies are huddlcd into single room,
the partitions being a mark on the
floor. And in these places children
are borne-families sleep together,
male and female. Is it any wonder
that the jails and prisons are crowded!
Is it any wonder that to keep common
order an army of policemen are re-
quireG?
THE OTHER EXTREME.
And while 500, 900 people thus
herd together like cattle, living on
the refuse of the markets, and thank
ful if they get even that, it is a sharp
commentary on our boasted civiliza-
ton to read in the Society" paper
thut Mrs. VIM. B. Astor, at a recent
ball, wore diamonds to the amount
of one million dollars, and lace to the
amount of one hundred thousand
more. The husband of the woman
is worth not less that $60,000,O00,
large share of his property being
in these very tenement houses !
have been describing. lie has never
given dollar in charity-he never
repairs a house, or even beeds call
for air, light or cleanliness from the
miserable wretches who inhabit them.
The only interest he ever takes in
these people is to see that they pay
their rent ever month in advance,
and to see exactly how much money
in the shape of rent can be screwed
out of them. His father, the original
Astor, John Jacob, was not quite so
bad as his son. The old man died
worth S30,0OO,OO0. In his last i'll
ness he woke up one morning and
asked Of his secretary:
"Mr.-has Mrs Wilson paid her
last rent"
Il believe mott said the Secretary:
"It is $l2. You viii see to it at
once. She is sick, and if you put it
off she may not pay you"
Twice or three times a day would
this wretchcd old man ask if that Sl2
had been paid, until to quiet him the
Secretary took $l2 from his pocket
and gave it to him, saying that she
paid it.
That's right-that's right, chuck
led the old miser, as his fingers clos
ed on the money; land now Mr.,
turn her out. She is sick and won't
be able to pay. Get the three days
she owes, if you can; if not, we had
better lose it than to let it grow"
Like sire. like son. VIM. b. is
even more greedy and grasping than
his father.
| should hate to take his money
with his disposition. If the Astors
meet their tenants in the next world
there will be a lively time But
there is another side to New York
life. There are generous men.
| For instance, young James Gorden
Bennett gave $4,000 to be used up
in soup this winter. OF course, those
who don't like Bennett say that he
does it as an advertisement, but the
hungry wretches who are saved from
starvation by his gift won't care a
straw what he does it for They will
pray, as | do, that more men would
try this advertising dodge" Then
the Howard Committee fitted up the
basement of building in Howard
street, where everybody can be fed
without price. They serve sub
stantial supper of good soup, bread,
and coffee. This costs at the whole
sale price, three and one-half cents
for each man. Breakfast is about the
same, varied occasionally with beef,
fish, pork and beans, or something of
the kind Last month, 9,I78 were
fed at this place.
The applicants are a superior set
of men, They are mostly mechan-
les. OF 80 names recorded, the
United States was represented by III;
Ireland by I; Germany by Z; England
by 4; Scotland and France by
each. Three were clerks, three ma
chinists, and three laborers. The
Cthers were engineers, book agents,
firemen on steamers, carpenters, &c,
&c.
FEMININE INTEMPERANCE
Intemperance is by no means con-
fined to the men of New York. In
deed the vice is widespread, and is
not limited by sex. The wives and
daughters of the "best families" are
addicted to the maddening bowl, and
are as much the slaves of appe-
tite as their fathers and brothers.
They get it FIRST by the use of wine in
the social circle-then the exhaust
ion resulting from late hours, and ex-
citement calls for stimulents as sus-
tainer. And once fastened there is
an end. Such habits grow on wo-
men faster than on men, and are
more certain to stay Thousands of