The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1884-11-05
VISITING A CITY'S SLUMS.
A LONDON MANIA TRANsPoRTED
TO NEW YoRK.
"slumming" Paroles TO be tho Rage
this Winter-NocturnaI Tours OF
the Cfty,a Worst Districts,

"Slumming," the latest fashionable
idiosyncrasy in London. e., the visit
ing of the slums of the great city by
parties of ladies and gentlemen for sight
seeing-is mildly practiced here by our
foreign visitors by tour of the Bowery,
winding up with visit to an opium
joint or Harry Hills. 1t is no secret in
certain circles that shortly before she
left Mrs. Langtry and party of friends
made nocturnal tour of the east side
resorts in the Bowery. 1t is safe to con-
clude under the circumstances that
''slumming" will become form of fash
ionable dissipation this winter among
our bellies as our foreign cousins win
always be ready TO lead the way. The
London stunning has brought to the
notice of the rich much suffering, and
led to many sanitary reforms. The old
Five Points would have proved a per-
feet paradise to the summers, but be-
cause it exists no more let it not
be supposed that the squalor and
poverty that characterized that pest spot
does not exist elsewhere in this city. So
far the mania here has assumed the SIN
gle form of ight-seeing-the more noble
ambition of alleviating the condition of
the desperately poor visited has not ami
mated the adventurous parties. A quite
well known young English noble, re-
turning from tour of the east side the
other night with some club friends, OBJ
served over his brandy and soda: "Ah,
this is great city, but you have no
slums like we have. l have been in
rickety condemned buildings that it was
absolutely dangerous to go through
Found six families living in one mis-
erably ventilated cellar = twenty-four
persons, sixteen of them adults, living
in one room. No such slums herel"
There are no such slums here as de-
scribed by the young Englishman, but
Summing here has not yet become a
popularly recognized custom, and the
routes have not been prepared as they
doubtless soon will be. The self-ap-
pointed guides of the present sight
seeing parties do not know that within
> stones throw of the great bridge exists
. population in the same squalor
and suffering as anything ever
seen in the English metropolis; that
the misery, multitude and vice of the
Five Points is to be found to-day in
various well-known localities on the
East Side and the outlying "shanty-
own districts" Take, for instance, the
enement house district just back of the
stores on the river front, in the neigh
1orhood of-the bridge-between that and
Fulton Ferry-for squalor and suffering.
Crime in these localities is so frequent
md of so little public importance, by
eason of the insignifi, ance of the vic
inns, that nothing is said about it unless
he sufferer happens to be a prominent
,erson, who finds himself in the locality
making a short cut through the neigh
Iorhood to reach the bridge or the ferry.
\ ride on the green cars on the East
side of warm evening will reveal some
enements so crowded with sweltering
humanity that the surprise created will
nly be equaled by the discovery that in
he center of the block, reached oy mar
ow alleyways for passages through the
Iouses another row of tenements equally
croYded-indeed, over crowded is a
Ietter Word.
1t is unsafe for unprotected or unac.
ompanied strangers to travel after dark
the outlying districts on the river
ides. The "boys," which is general
erm including adults as we'll as youths,
onstitute themselves into gangs, and woe
'etide any stranger who crosses their path,
or he will be relieved of his valuables, if
e is foolish enough to wear any on such
n occasion, and probably divested of
is coat and vest. The "beat" is so
lrge that the policeman on duty is sell
ON on hand when wanted, for the
boys" of course, wait until their OPP
ortunity, and do not appear when he is
their vicinage. The west side, south
Cortlandt street and west of Broad
yay, is populous neighborhood, offer
az many attractions to the sight seeking
hummer, as also the line and neighbor-
ood of the elevated railroad in South
fifth avenue. There is not as much
qualor and density of population in the
colored" district in South Fifth
venue as there is in the "colored"
olony between Twentieth and Thirtieth
treets. A comparatively small environ
lent on the west side may be called the
licrocosm of the ''slummer," for within
s boundaries he can discover all that he
an see elsewhere. He can run the GER
lin risk OF being slugged on the river
de; he can see crowded tenements in
umerable, and he can find poverty and
rime cheek by jowl with atfiuence and
irtue. He can find gambling carried on
l the shadow of church. A few
linutes' walk will take the summer"
ON the Oriental spendor of the Hoff-
ian House to some of the lowest beer
loons in the city, dingy and dirty, fire.
uented by the vilest characters of both
xes. 1t will strike him as a little
range that such an Institution as the
ombs should be situated in slum; that
thin block is the most crowded tene-
ents in the city.
In London stunning has assumed
ie guise Of reform enterprise. While
le squalor and poverty Of certain dis
lets here are under better regulation
ian in the English metropolis there is
uch good work to be done by "slum-
ingn here. 1t is a good work in which