New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-09-21
mr. HODERY Af4Eh NIDNI0HL
SCENES or DGGRADArIoN AND MISERY

clothing cheap jewelry, furniture. carpets, house
furnishing goods. that he would displayed for sale
IN the stores and in the of some lines OF goods on
the sidewalks. And undoubtedly the stranger would
wonder how the many dime museums that he would
come upon every few rods managed to exist. IT, being
curious in the matter he should stand tor hour be-
fore of these places front of which is huge and
coarscy dencatcd representation of the monsrosIty
be within, ne would nobody 90 in or come
ont. Yet all the while bass drum. seemingly with q
cold in lis head would be heard behind the trying
with it, squcay voice enticc paSscrs-by within. But
nobody needs it, Nobody was eli her by daY
hy night 20 both by day and night month after
MONTH year after year, the drum and the man with
huge black mustache and a hugcr brass watch chain
never 10 vaWt the merits of the thing that he
claims to have on exhibition. in voice that might be
heard half mile away. IL not for the uprJdr made
by the constantly Ua'sing cars, on Oo'h me street anu
elevated railroads. The man looks well fed aud Is
attIed in clothes of exceedingly ha.hy pattern, but of
good quality, and the sound of the drum proves that
there j., at least other set of well nuIturod mus
Gle, connected with the establishments that there
must he income from somewhere. IL l. hardly
probable that the people connected with these shows
are gentlemen Of independent means and maintain
thc shows just for the fun of the thing; for they
too palpably dead earnest ia seeking the pain image
which they never get SO after turning the problem
IN his mind hc dui~ses it a. one OF those things
which mo- fellow find out
b, the time he has completed his daylight sauntcr
through the Bowery hc will find himself wondering
many restaurants manage To- exist IA an area
limited. Restaurants are encountered every few
wards aud of all grades and classes For it is possible
at several places in the Bowery 10 get good meal.
But rule the hungry scarchcr tor food who enters
of these places. unless lac has become accmatcd,
~ it were. TO that kind Of food wishes hc had re-
NAMED hungry until he had reached other part
of town. His meal has ind, eel the merit Of being fitted
10 lean purse bat after careful consideration he
to the conclusion that IL j, the only merit
claim. Vet these places do thriving business. Both
diS aud night they crowded with customers who
seem to relish the tough and badly cooked meats the
stale vegetable. the -oddcn biscuits the hot water col
orcd with some unknown substances when does amy
m the dlal capacity of tea ana colc". aud fhc gnmnt
white something. which he D. required 10 believe Is
milk direct from Orange County There are few
places in the Bowory that are clean in appearance
and good m .cryirc. where an excellent meal can be
bad ~ moderate price but n requires ana intimate
kuowlcdgc of the thoIoughiarr 10 lind them
But although has ~ pccuai .f's, IFS distinctive
characteristics. 90. all streets have. there j. nothing
startling. nothing to Rros y offend either ryc or ear
in the BoWcry Of the day Nor does the B0wcry
Of the evening even until midnight, present anything
10 suggest h" depths Of degradation to "hirh men ana
women can do-crud II g. the BoWcry from mid
night until slight that must be- seen II one would
know how much Of sice and crime, Of abjcu misery
homeless and wandering poverty. can bc crowded INTO
q small area IN this metropolitan cty of NeW-l 'rk.
oyer which towers orcst of church spires. and which
j. armed wil myriad of agencies for The an"liOfation
oi poverty Wd me .upplc. SION ~ wee ana rfWc. NV
II stranger d'-iles - make tn+ after midnight ram
bile through the bowety IT he happens 10 have such
thing - money watch and clnin or yannblcs Of any
KIND. Jet hun leave them M home" or hc VII probably
not have them whcn lac has reached the end If h4 pill
grmnge. Indeed. IT may be safely said that he will
rcttluly not have tntm n the keen piact-cd eyes o
the pruWluR Thieves. both m1le aud female detect any
siLus oi his having such tling+ about BIN.
At Princc-st the street show hogn' IN former days
II Wa .hfoulod behind feeble gas inta I'm The street
lamps thnl seemed to hnyo hrcu manufactured oK-
pic.4y to keep tho Bowcty IN darkness but uow IT s
30 Hooded vilh clccirc hght tht The ndcocncics
Htlud ont IN hId trhU II a luclt, Ton ynu that This is
hr ilrt Tor II prtut4 you to src anal hy topping INTO
the ,idr street avoid gang Of drunken Noung whiua
nonr nf thrtn apparently TWENTY ycita II n,. ~ho
s Il % %
Irtors the sidewalk, WhpoWng ~ a way ihu would
make i tomnnrhr Wild with envy and naing language
40 Comnncho would foul lis tongue viii. A. they
pass YOU onr Of tho gang Is seized WIN sudden de
sire lo he down on the sidewalk and doe ~ an a
crndiusly abrupt way Just step INTO the .halo" Of
thl, doorway and observe what Will happen Hardly
has the youth had tine 10 urn over on bis newly ac
quircd bed than Bowc.y ghonl l. upon hmm You
cannot ina gue where the ghoul came from for except
Ing the gang of rntnah~ Ia which hc plainly ana not
belong the street wa empty the moment before In
instant the ghoul has searched every pocket OF the
unconscious youth" gone through hlm. rs II Is
termed in the ter,e language OF the pollce-and You
wonder Why the policeman whom you can see down on
the next block aud who must have the occurrence
seems take no interest IN the affair Bless YOU, he l.
busily employed m attending to what has come 10 be
the principal night duty of Ncw-lork policeman. lie
rspping with his club thr feet Of homeless yaga
bond who is not drunk nor dsorderly, but has been
caught i'll the act "t p"rpetrans the deadly crime of
sleeping Having got the Outcas his feet the officer
bid, HIM perform the impossible feat of " going home
and then samtcrs on his way. ION meet hun aud he
look. curioi.y at YOU He sees that YOU are not
regular, that you rather respectable IN appear
auce and seems To be debating with himself whether or
not 10 d" run yOu in as suspicious character. But
finally he concludes 1t Is too much trouble and bidding
you - git out of here. Young icer, he lounges up
the street You will discover by the way, If y0u pay
strict attention 10 business that 10 the Bowerv police
every specimen Of the male human species, no
matter what his apparent age may be- Is a young
fcller"
You have seen one of the not unusual sights of the
Bowery and You at come upon another On the next
block below You hear babel of voices raised TO high
and angry pitch and out OF the roar Of voices your ears
are snttcn with avalanche of epthcts that
heard in polite society. Suddenly there Is com
motion in the little crowd ahead. You are in luck, Tor
you have upon Bowery fight 1t is likely to he
lively one for Bowcry fights usually are Thi, il
exception to the rule II is exceedingly lively battle
while it lasts. Men aud engaged in II,
everybody striking ont at the nearest to him or her
without seeming to care much who IT is and IN fact
they do not. In the knocking down business the
women are "a accomplished adopts as the and
bring down their antagonists every time. The contest
is exceedingly brief one for il requires only couple
of minutes Tor everybody to either knock down some
body or he knocked down. The combaants have dis
per-ed to the various drug stores up and down the
Bowery for arnica and plasterH. The proprctOrs of
these drug stores in most Of such receive in pay
mcnt the promise: I'm be round an see yer to-
mOrrer'
This is the Bowcry in its aggressive aspect. The
hideou side of the picture has yet 10 be viewed Here
1t comes staggering up the street 1t Is woman no.
only what was once woman. There Is nothing
womanly, nothing to suggest anything that ever
womanly in this bundle of rags surmOuntcd by dust
bcgrimod face that comes lettering mp the sidewalk.
She stops, clmgng 30 awning post here the strong
electric light brings her into bold relief lou
that she is still young that she once beautiful and
that there is something about her which SAYS that not
long ago she the pride of happy. vrtuous homo
and every night prayed at her bedside There Is m her
eyes or you seem 70 think so, an aigonizei appeal to
you TO rescue her from herself The sight Is not
pleasant one, and knowing that you do the poor
outcast no good. You pass on
Pass 10y outcass stretched out in doorways losing
n sense of wrechcdness in sleep until the policeman
comes and raps them into misery. Pass on by Young
girls with boatcd faces. of them seemingly no
more than fifteen years old. Pass 0n by hafdrunkon
youths who hurl obscene cpithcts ut everybody they
meet Pass on by bcggars, who when YOU decline to
give them the demanded ickcl remark that they kin
lick dozen pups like yo.p Pass through ever
changing phases of human wtetchedness and de-
Urayity You heart and souliweary Quick
enng your pace you speedily leave behind you every