New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-11-23
4 c,ghtccn months takon from Official RECORDS.


By far the larger number of tho deaths were
children At the ordinary estimate lO| ia'hi''os
represent $40 persons. Fifty-nine deaths reported
in eighteen months would therefore he cqnival' nj
70 AN annual mortality of nearly eighty per ihou-
sand In WOW Of the active outdoor life of most IN
mates of these hOuses and the small prop 'rtioh Oh
children TO adults this mortality is remarkably
high.
WHERE THEY WORK AND WHAT TINY LIVE oN'
The Italian emi grafton ha, bc,n chiefly from the
Northern and Southern provinces, espechiiy
Bascata and Caabra; from Cen'ra' 'aS
emigration has been slight. An inquiry maio Nv
the Italian Government showed that us eh'oi
causes were the prevailing desttuf'0l due 10 iach
of wolk the growing unpTOiucIysncs' OF inc soi''
Tho increasing population AMI the high prico Oh
provisions MANY OF the better class OF Northerh
Italians dis rose OF their property and re- move per
manenily. The great majority, however, wlo como
to this country aim merely to earn c"npe'eh'"
loI the future and then to returh home Inc eA'oh'
of the Italian emigration has nainr"''y c"nS'"
great anxiety to the lOne Government ph' '"'''
efforts 10 restrict il have b,an futile. Tao money
sent nome by those who trSt oamo h''' """ INV
example of Others who have returned with acculn-
ulated savings has tempted handrc Is 10 try ihoir
fortunes in the New World. aud there seems TO be
Many Italian cnTants have gone to Texas oh'''
10 Folidn. while large numbers ARE cmployei on
new railroads. and other large works ~ different
,a,is of the country l,nt Ncw-iofk ~ their 'hloi
abiding place, whore they spcld tdri leisure ana
enjoy The company Of ihNii coun'rtmcn Tue Num-
her of Itnl,ans imported 10y pndfoncs inlo ms
country has brcn greatly exaggerated " mas
bcen ploocd M ligh ~ $1,000. but 5000 of loVo
, III urobll,lv rover HE number
The Italian pcasintry ara naturally hnrIy ana
strong aud all who cmploy them TESTIFY 10 th'r
uniring and unconpninlnr industry Ih'F are
easily sUsfeI, and ARE willing To clean OUT u
sewer or do any other unpleasant WORK al Jess 'h'n
tia ordinary wages. Because they may seem 10
be idiing around their hannis III Mulbcriy ana
Jersey sts is no proof Of their lazncss. ana Just ~
soon as m opportunity offers for work they SET
out to seek il. no matter at what distance. Inc
bnlk Of the Italian cniigiants are inoniianecf'
and do not come from the ciics. number o'
brlcands are sad to be among them, but they are
rather prnccab,c fellows. whose icrocity consists
chiefly in their picturesque appearance.
The lady p,inciual of The Italian Industrial school
in Lconartl-st., who visits constantly among the
families of hci pupils speaks in the highest terms
of the Italian race The Genocsc, she says, are lar
SUPERIOR in personal habits and Intelligence to the
bright and intelligent and learn quickly Those
~ ho attend the school are re narkably FREQ from
sickness l,utng the past year there were only
lour deaths among 500 children. She sail she
had prver hern treated rulely during her visits.
rxcppt IN one or two instances hv drunken nei'.
In tie first Of these rtsrS the man was instantly
knocked down Is, unc 81 her pupil, sturdy tun,ii
who pninnily taint rs her assistance HE Hebrews
~ this ward nit also -, orderly class, ana i've
IA a inUfp decent ana clearly wnt tlh,n tlt
iiai ans. Unlb ,apps 80 ihiIit, nid et,i Where
,irt erp,i pueipsi they often have itnis az ioiitt
iaii ht
lhp Italian nHui itp Nn what nfst i'aHNlt Nnil'
eaii garbage ihpt viii ta detnipi i'Hi' s'il'
mna, aNd Npgi all,sl so pi,i lsl' ahl WI t'ilrt
aud thrive nn What nn nnp eise pouil endure %
ioDk al. Even rotten rgfs aip mol beyond 'l'h''
tasie lho woghmcn engaged oW the i'lighl0i
iIeaeli RailIoai would bul stare OF stale hfcad
from, the bakeries on Alondais, aud thls' VIII
some equally stale, sour beer, woull last then
through the week. Vet. at several butcher Sho'
on Mulberry-st the owners say that the people
living near demands, the best cuts.
Cellar habations are forbidden hy law bat cvcfN
part OF Mulbcrry-st. contains buildings whic'
swarm from the basement to the roof. Al No. u"
in the rear building. after descending three reset
steps | found rooms whose hoard floors rested on
the bare gounl several feet below the street leY'
and were saturated by surface water from tho
-ard which ooled III damp spots along the monldS
walls.
learned from the priest at the neIglibiring Cath
Ollie church in Mo,t-st. that 500 Of the Italian
population attend mass every Sunday. The base
ment OF the chur,h is specially reserved for then
benefit. but the air is intoerablc. If the Holy
Church could instll the virtues OF cleanliness mic
the minds of these poor peasants ana induce then
to make habit OF bathing. it would be a Ions
step towards saving their bodies with then souls.
CONDITION OF THE CHILDREN.
II is hard TO rezc the dcplOrable Ignorance OF I'll,
low-class Italians. More than half of their chill
drcn do not know their letters. They are set &c
work at an younger ago than the children OF an y
other nationality and whether from the ayarice d
their parents. or the demands OF employers. many
of the Youngest work both day and evening In
the Italian school of the Children's Aid Society
clpbty.fye children are employed i'll factories
twenty-five of whom are under fourteen years o
age and all are for a longer or shorter period
Obliged TO work over hours i'll the evening unde
main of hcing discharged The result OF such ;
life is seen in the low mora status OF the olde
girls noted in of the latest reports OF TN
Society and in the reports of Mr.. GerryS ASsocia
ton. Earncs, Efforts have been made 10 eniorc
the legislative enactment against juvenile labor
and to compel parents to send thc.r children II
least TO hall-timc school. Most adult Italians
however, entirely disregard such warnings. G the
from bIg0ry or from ind ffcrcuce. No insgn c IN
number acknow ledge that they themselves ar
ignorant. Lut as they have got along in lite without
education. they do not see why their children
cannot do the same. few perenptorily refuse L
be spoken 70 on the subject. No amount of peEsua
sion will avail with these people and the Law
mast be rigdy enforced
The amended act of 1874 restrrtng child labo
has failed in It's object. because the duty Of asccr
tanning whether children are under age is left 10
the school trustees. 1t is proposed ito employ
spec,al agent TO perform this work. Another