The Republican journal., 1876-05-04
Gotham Sketches. No. /.
Written for the journal.

possessed too fully with the Munchausen spirit
of exaggeration, and some, even of the metro
politan dailies. yield up their columns to the
eXtravagant fancy Of young reporters who are
not content to sketch in true hues the multi
form lie which is going on under their obser-
vation 4 picture of Gotham is interesting in
its own colors, and the lights are strong and
the shadows deep enough, without borrowing
fancifu tints or darker shades from the paint
pots OF fiction. But at this day of universal
travel, when even the fardistant merchant
makes his frequent Journeys to the metropolis,
1t may seem work of supererogaton to give
sketch of New York city; yet there are many
travelled and well-read people who entertain
incorrect notions about this great city of Amer
lea. For instance, u very intelligent friend re-
Gently asked the writer if it was really safe to
ride on a Second or Third Avenue horse-car at
night. 1t was unhesitatingly replied that it
was perfectly safe for any but drunken men
and fools, that he no doubt had in his mind the
recollection of "tne car-hook murder of year
or two ago; but that this generalizing from
particular case was entirely incorrect. Then
he mentioned the
MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCES
which have from time to time been reported,
and have agitated the public mind. 1t was an
sWered that some OF the supposed victims are
doubtless runaway debtors who seek retire
ment, or discontinued husbands who long to
rambe i'll "fresh fields and pastures new or
martyrs to that evil genius the mother-in-law,
or other unfortunates who seek the oblivion
which can be best found in great city. Still
many there are who are led astray and foully
dealt with. OF the visitors to the city who
meet this awful fate it Is not uncharitable to
say that the victims themselves run into the
jaws of the lion oftener than they are really
sought after by the beast himself. A pity it is,
but it is true, that The stranger in many id
stances leaves all his prudence and principles
behind him, and goes down to Jelico only to
fall among thieves. The man who III his own
village is a respected citizen, comes to New
York with the secret determination to ''see the
elephant He visits the bawdy house, the
gambling hell and the drinking saloon, and he
may thank his lucky star if he is bled only at
the purse, for in that lie is certain to lie. New
! 1ork is an
EPIToME OF THE CIVILIZED WORLD,
and has its rough and dangerous classes AS well
as its vast society Of honest and cultured men
| and women Deep and complicated is this
most cosmopolitan city in its moral and physi-
| cal aspects Here there is everything to appeal
to the pleasures OF tEe eye the qualification of
of the senses and The curiosities Of the mind
Here, if anywhere. one realizes his own little
| ness, how insignificant and unimportant in re-
a!ity is this personality of Iis-this [ that he
has habitually thought so much about. He
sees the great masses of hurrying humanity
and thinks how slight would be the effect if he
were TO drop out of the world. If he is total
stranger, he feels more lonely than he would in
| a wilderness. But if he is somewhat acquaint-
ed he has fair chance of meeting his friends
occasionally on
BROADWAY,
for that magnificent street is q universal thor
| oughfare. This main artery Of the city pre-
sents at all times a fine panorama and shows in
its many-hued aspects the lights and shadows
| of New York life. Splendid indeed are many
Of the buildings here, but there is noticeable
| lack of uniformity and harmony in their archi-
| lecture. Too often one sees high shouldered
or granite front, but with shabby brick sides
| looking down on modest neighbor that has
| only scared heavenwarl TWO or three stories
Now and then fine church stands wedged in
| among ware houses of mammon as if it were
| jostled as a disagreeable intruder. But changes
| in building on Broadway are endless, and these
| improvements point to time not distant when
all will be harmonious, and this will become
what it is now called by many people "The
finest business street in the world" Very in
teresting it is in its crowds Of busy humanity,
moulded in the various types Almost every
person we meet could be classified as belonging
| to some type of human nature that we have
seen before But now and then we see an ex-
ceptionally handsome being upon whom we
| gaze with emotions little short of enthusiasm.
| Then we feel that the world is richer for hay
ing that individual in it, just as it is for having
the Venus de Medici and other great works OF
| art. Surely beauty is its own excuse for being.
THE BROADWAY SWELL
| is an easy, gentlemanly figure with fine check
cred suit, nobby cane, new gloves and bouquet
| in his lapel button-hole lie enjoys life, fares
sumptuously every day, and gets genIeelly tight
at his Club quite regularly. Sometimes he Is
| an intelligent, harmless fellow, but always he
! is selfish. You meet him often ON
FIFTH AVENUE.
This much yaunted thoroughfare presents miles
| on miles Of handsome houses with brown-stone
fronts predominating; there is considerable va
| riety in these stone faces to houses which hold
the creme de la creme of fashion and of folly,
| as well as the highest types of cultured wealth
and refinement. No noisy and democratic horse
cars are here allowed to disturb aristocratic
ears. Stages are tolerated, but the greatest
number of vehicles one sees are the elegant and
generally liveried d" turn-outs " Of the wealthy.
Fine are the people who ride i'll them too. In
telllgent and fully alive to the poetry of their
happy position most Of them are. Your Fifth
Avenue swell is not always a Hat or "lool'
as according to popular prejudice he is set
down. The branless noodles would perhaps
in any less fortunate circumstances not appear
half as well as they do here. Their gay, fash
ionable and easy life is calculated to bestow a
polish. Perhaps nowhere is
DRESS
so powerful means as iii New York city.
Strangers are mostly judged by their clothes.
AS rough old Thomas Carlyle says, Man is
considered rs a clothed, and not as a naked an
imal." The Difference to dress is almost uni
versal. A friend who has lived here long tells
US that he finds he is treated with much more
kind consideration even by the trades people
when he wears light kid gloves (the prevailing
style) than when he goes bare-handed, though
his other habiliments be the same that he usu-
ally dons, and of course they are excellent
But this may be only fancy. A great major
ity of gentlemen in this city go well gloved and
carry canes every day. The more knobby the
walking stick is just now, the more 'nobby" it
is considered. The wealthy ladies dress better
than anywhere else in the world, and possess
splendid style, but not as general rule the
fresh beauty of country bellies, Their fathers
or husbands own houses, stocks and bonds,
and SO for awhile at least these favored ones
can
-"Reve it as bravely the best,