The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-07-22
TENEMENT LIFE.
Sunless Dwellings Of the In
dustrial Poor.
HOTHOUSE CHILDREN
Remedial Measures Proposed by
the Health Board.

Perhaps there IL better place 10 New York 10
study the mode Of living adopted by no poor who are
not tho poorest than Canal street. 1t may be too
much TO cay that they adopt mode OF living which
Is In rsaiiiy the only mode open to the poor 10
New YORK; but 1t Is u mode concerning which they
mako NO complaints, having learned well ono of tho
inevitable lessons OF povertyi G.. accept the insv.
table calmly For while in Philadelphia the poor
man may hope to own his home II he be indusirL
Gus and patient and while II is almost thing
Tor three families TO live in house IN that city, in
New York tho poor man has choice, but must live
IN tenement house. In other large cities OF this
country there are suburbs within easy reach where
ut least good AR and decent dwelling may be nad at
the price oil little extra time and trouble, around
New York, though there are suburban residences,
they are out OF the reach OF the poor man. either be-
cause Oh their rent or the cost OF getting from
them In tho accessible quarters tho accom-
are no better, rule, than the tenement houses OF
the city, and therefore, no remains In the
house. Frem this tact spring owls Of winch the we'll
10 do citizen knows little, aud few these evils
are what the Board of Health trying 10 com bat by
It's staT OF Writing physicians, concerning whose
work several sketches have already been Published IN
tho HERALD
ABOLITION TESEMESrs.
These evils are moral well as physical and vet
were tnere Board OF MOraI Health sstabiis ned with
powers as great as those OF he existent board II Is
hard TO see what effective measures they could take
unless they made war on the tenement house system
tse, which rs a measure already recon nended 10
the Board Of Health. II IL urged that great good
would eEsue II the board would adopt progressive
mode OF warfare and. beginning with tho very worst
Pronoucce these places UNIT Tor human naDtatiou,
condemn them and prohibit and prevent their being
used Tor residences taking tho worst ursl IL -
urged That gradual wedding out oil all but the very
best could DO Effected though the difficulties In the
wav can hardly Us over estimated. While the land.
lords would certainly Involve tho board in u compi.
cati0n oil legal roubles, the problem OF Obtain iup
suitable shelter would be- for tho al least made
even more difficult OF ISOLATION by tho poor tenant Tor
whose benefit The board strives TO act
EVILS or THE PRESENT SYSTEM
But though the wriers province 10 not 10 point out
the remedy, is to point the evi amt these as
as IN any oner part Of the CITY, Not that the houses
are the worst 'nat eau be found On the contrary,
they are by no means the worst, aud Dr. PutzrL
whose district comprises, among Othere, TINS street
between the Bowery and Division street, speaks OF
class Being located on wide street, which 10 rea-
sonsbly we'll cared Tor by the city, there Is u unusual
supply OF fresh air. and the advantage of their ioca
t0n operating to make their rcnt trtc higher tn an
Ia the poorer streets better class of tenants IL at
tracted than is to be found in other districts lying
nearby.
For these reasons tho necessary evils OF tenement
house living nuy be more clearly seen thau IN those
quarters where the ignorance, carelessness nth
the tenants seem TO be the cause oil a the evils No.
loo Canal street, which was visited by the writer
under tae guidance OF Dr. Pulza In whose district u
Is. Is one OF The best well OF the haudsomesI
houses In the street. No sick children were found
tnere, only one, indeed beng found whs needed the
Doctors care IN The DAYS tour; but excellent op-
p0rtuntty was afforded tenement lie at almost
It's best Tho neighborhood Is not bad one, though
block or % nearer 10 the East River thsre nox-
ious smells enough 10 sslisiy vcriest scaven ger
ana at No 60 the Doctor pointed place when he
had reported 10 inc Board oil Health nuisance IL
was so.caileo aairy, where, according tne signs
displayed, the best milk could got tor ak GEMS
NJ twenty-five thirty cents pound Dr. Pu,zsi
said tho stenches oil rotten gs
thai mad como from the place were dangerous TO tho
neighDors.
YAvoKADLx SAMPLE
But In front oil No 100 snd is immediate
vciuity the street and sidewalks In tOlera Ole
order. The building itself Is nvo story brown stone
front houss, rather handsome IN design, with
stained wood ooor, between small stores
the level with the sidewalk Back OF each store IL u
tencmeDt, and ON floor above Them are four, so
that eighteen families duc room. In ,ne house ihe
hall ID narrow Ia front, but wiaens little back
10 allow room Tor the STARS and above the
stars there 70 arkyight ana loisraoly good ven,ila
ron modsrate sized yHro contains the closets vi
the house., aod on the root, when surro unded by
tall picket fence IN the clothes drying place
10 all. The balls una stnirs are Kept clean
practicable where SO many are Constantly passing,
ana no scraps garbage holt around TO breed DIS
ease. fst the wonder that tho children could keep
wei! would strike any one who should enter the
nall without having been worse places The reason
was apparsnt Tor any amount OF Sickness that might
have been found. Inc ayr was close laden with
the doors oil sigheen kitchens, Tor although tho pro-
visions Tor Ventilation are exceptionally COED they
are entirely Insufficient TO keep the air In halls
what II should be. The rooms the mseives In every
case seemed well Kept. anu IN many oil The windows
were flower pots, some OF tue,n containing really
choics Towers. But the plan OF the nouss admits Of
no vcnta Ion TO the rooms, excepting through the
Two windows, front or Dacs through the hall deer,
which 10 necessarily closed mucn OF inc Tine, and
through The little windows from the inner rooms 10
the hail Into only Que room Ia each tenement eau
the ever shine, aud this room 10 Invariably and
naturally taken Tor tho best room psrlor. ihs
sleeping rooms have little fresh and sunlight
The drainage and water supply seemed ali rig ht
''rhis 10 among the best of tEo New YORK tenement
houses Is IL notl' asked tho writer.
YES" said the Doctor.
CANNOT BK ACQUITTED FOR
"How can tue cbiidren 1--we aud krow up strong
and neaitny !" was the ucxt question.
81 do not snow,' said tue Doctor
Very little discussion then served to bring 10 mind
the many evils OF thus overcrowdiDg Of tenants Con
morally ana physically uudesirabls rs "A mater OF ne.
cessiy. The Only playground Tor the cnildren 10 The
hallway or the street, Tor DO tenement house yard
Oilers them any attractions Ia the heat oil summer
winch has lately proved almost uncomfortable to those
who have spacious ana luxurious homes there is no
escape for the tenement house teuant excepting the
ROOF at night TINS place, II will reno bered IA
an exceptionally good one. aud Tor OF this
tbero dozen that are III iIt and III
kept aud crowded with ignorant tenants OF nitby
habits
III nnd very lew sick children In houses OF ,nis
"but IN Allen street found q great number,
aud through Ludlow and Essex and suffolk streets
there Is considerable sickness. The people who are
intsgsnt enough 10 pront by wnat Is told them are
learning Nv cur instr uctons what to do to prevent
sIck ness, and TO TINS IN great measure Is 10 be at
Then tho mothers have learned the value OF open
air. ana they take their children GU short sxcuf
sions oitcn they can, snd II Is ASTONISHING tho
amount OF good snort TRIP will do the lutte ones
Even ride across the Terry aud back will help them
u they are sick, and help 10 keep Thorn we'll II they
Well