, 1874-03-22
Sprin9-hli!tjnery 0pening-Day at Slew
arts---A Grand Feminine
Rush.
The Question Of Homes for People
of Moderate Means.
Proposed Conversion Of Downtown Ware.
houses a2d Stores into Family
Apartment Buildings.

No one would have dreamed That there wa
such thing as poverty and suffering. an
actual starvation, in New York. it they had take
their standpoint from tho lower floor Of A. I
Stewards spacious marble palace on his great
srRlSa~MlLI1NEHy oPES1sd-DAr.
Carriages rolled up to the wide stone pave
ments, and deposited loads of clegantly-drcsse'
ladies'; policemen, grave of mien and uncquales
! in dignity, escorted other crowds OF dnintily
clothed, smiling women, in ONO continuous line
across Broadway, to the said opening: aud
steady, persistent, closely packed stream O
! these eame feminincs pushed, and jostled
and made eyes at each other, and rushed intt
the elevators. all bent upon tho grand tour Of in
| spection. Very few Of the male pcrsunsion were
| to be seen among tho crosd,-they having
neither the admiration for IT. that lova of bon.
net, nor tho inclination for tho. pushing, jost.
| ling, uncertain way Of getting ur to tho grand
| display. that the " dear creatures" have, whC
can endure any amount of fatigue when spring
| millinery opening is announced at Stewards.
Elbowing my way, and after repeated rebufs,
! nt last got my position III line among the rect
Of tho farer sex. and, watching my chanco for
the upward di5ht Of the elevator, WAS borne
| along somehow with the crowd, until found
myself in the veritable show-rooms
No one understands better than aIr. Stewart
himself how to please and bewildor tho ladies'
With the artistic arrangement Of darkened cur
tnins, and the subdued, Eoft-tinting light from
the shades at the windows, that gives soft
harmony and effect to tho arrangements. AL
the saleswomcn were afrable, courteous, aud
smiling, importunate in offering to sell,
nor pushing in their efforts to fasten bonnet
upon you,-delicntely gliding towards your own
choice of what was becoming bonnet to you,-
and, in short, just the very littost persons to
know how to try on q bonnet, and to mako it
suit your age, style, anu face. think
-. THE SPRING BoSsErs
are great improvement on those towering rolv-
poly things Of black velvet. that crowned the
head, like d huge soft sponge, all winter. The
aprins-hnts have such pretty little coronets; aud
tho Alpine hat, with its one side turned up and
it's peaked ton, has such iaunty air. And then
the lovely soft ehadcs,-the grays, and iaven-
dcra. and bron2cs, in all the now co1ors and
tho flowers so natural that ven could readily be-
lieyo they vera gathered from the garden. Ttere
is to be decided faalion for gray this spring.
both as a drcHa, and as the shade for i hat. II I
were fashion-editor, could give you all the
details, even to the width Of the strings. and the
exact blending OF necessary tlnts; but, as I
stood, and insnected, and admired the really
beautiful display of style and trimming, could
not but admit that tho imported hats and bon
nets had, each aud every nue OF them, that in
descrihable Frenchy stye-that je-,le-sais-q7loi
air Of calm s,premacy-that really n1arlo one
feel as if the difference ,ras there, in price not
only, but in artistic. *Gniehcd beauty. I saw no
inconsruty among the imported bonne+H; no bit
OF cheap lace nearly covered by silk, no coarse
bud or leaf among the deticato arrangement Of
flowers aud blossoms. No. it was all genuinely
and particularly French soft tulle bud, change
abie-tintcd ribbons, Nil we're perfect. And
would sooner pay $40 for one Of those lovely,
netting spriny-bonnets, married. and unmiataka-
bly, French, than to give @s'25 for ono Of home
but am woman, and that is
the excuse, presume.
How really
p1r1ED TIE POOR MEN,
greatly in the minority, who stood around SO dis
most unwillingtv dragged into the very thickcst |
Of the crowd by thoir female companions; men |
who stood around in odd corners aud in outside |
nooks, making imporing eyes to the ladies to |
- lurry,' and who said ~ Yes " when they ought !
o have said "No," aud poked st1- -gIoved I
1p any ecstasy, simply saying, IF you like it,
ny DEAR, why, get 1t, and let's be or"
hought Of some Of these tauta1izing individuals
u the male persuasion would like to
sr with yoo knoss ss "ep y9 Go into 70 Dnn sS
7ourse1f Int. No Indifference now
10 weariness. See how he sidlcs, and stands
quare-faco, and sde-face, and peepinG over his
houlder Mt the effect in tho glass SEQ how be
,nte on and takes off. and adjusts, and ad1nires
turning his head this way and tIatt See how
studies that hat in this light and this tile in
hat light! See how he wants the bc=f. OF mona;
nd it is only strcight black hat, after ALL
net exactly like ten thousand other high shin
ng ones that you will see oil, Broadway heads.
't1t really think the male sex are out of their
lenent when out buying bonnet with lady.
Coming from the ln-coming and outgoing
hronEs at Stewards. went down town, way
own-town, where they propose to fit over aud
cnoyate the warehouses and large vacant whole
a1e houses into
cHEAp GOOD FAN1LY=pWEI11sgs.
'ew York has often been commended for its
3nyenicnt flats " as homes, where the work
le classes, clerks and salesnooPie could live in
il the real1y~desirable "a French flats" have
cen bnilt 80 cxpensively, and flushed so e1abor-
.eIy, that there has been no mora ci1auce for a
ork with from $1,000 to S1.500 year salary to
:cupy q "hat," than to ront :'5.000-a-year
ouae. All the really fine ** fats" have easily
I. They contain from seven to eleven rooms.
I'd arc, many OF them. erected in select quar-
rs, designed especially for people Of fashion I
Id wealth. Whenever fashionable people of
cans could be induced to 1--we in q fiat" aud
i not forfeit their social position By thus 1iv-
e under the same roof with other families, |
on people OF moderate incomes ard slender
1rses we're willing to live in fats " also; but
as! to snch people-to the large army Of clerks
ID bookkeepers with wives and fan1ilics-there |
re been no French fats" suitable to live in. |
If s'flat" could ba fonnd with rental Of
ON $500 to 500 year. it llas always proved
be either very bad location, or 4 real tene-
ent-house, surrounded By tenements. OF with
questionable fanily or families occupying
me floor Of the building. The wives and fam
es of our ealcsmen and clerks have either had
board or migrate to Soma suburban town,
er into Jersey, Hoboken. Long Island, or
arlem, where the mosquitoes and fever-and- a
ue made the rural home ANYTHING but deeira- -
}. and where the best part Of the husbands
d sons daily life was consumed in riding to :,
d fro in steam or street cars. and always in q y
nv and a crowd No family that lives in New J;
rk today. with q moderate salary, or on q .,
nder income, can afford to own, Or u
ETES TO RENT. L
sho1e house, without letting, out floors in the e.
,,se or taking boardcrs. Not even by going a a
b very scaniy larder cap they long pay such - -
use-rent There is no choice between COM o.
H. low tenement-house and the expensive y
french fiat" to q family OF moderate salary, =,
both nre either undesirable Or uDattainnble. J.!
ere are clerks and mechanics enough in this city :, 81
lsta,tly in quest OF suitable floors at moderate 4
#, to almost form q city IN magnitude. The
althy classes can own their own residences or
.rd it, hotels or ffst-cIaas boarding houses