Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-01-20
NEW YORK BABIES.
TERRIBLE LIFE AND WRE1CHEO FATE
OF THOUSANDS OF THEM.
Tw, Striking Features Which strike the
ohserVer-What Can He Seen In
rh. Tenement Di>tricts-PTe-
~ Wen at.d Women.


rh. Tenement DiStricts-PTe-
ATTIRE Men atd Women.
iN-,, Yois Herald
III. Bible says the poor are always with
a. Tie Billie = decidedly right. 1t might
| nave added al" that the children Of the
| pyr always with u As a matter Of
fact ibe -babi.-, on our blocks are as nu-
inerUus, 80 to speak. the stars in the sky.
| There are great many children in New
! Nora. hut they really appear to be unfairly
| divided. certain sections Astounding with
! item, whiJe others are comparatively child
! leS There is no doubt of the physical fact
| there are more children 10 the square inch in
| what are called tenenieat-houses than in any
| other grade Of human habitation. Some
| people say that Appearances are deceitful and
| that it seems rs though there were more
children because there are 50 many families
| ~ :; s!ngle hou e. AMI that putting the chill
d.en of this, that, and tie other family to-
gether naturally creates crowd and makes
il appear as though there were mora chill
dren to the family. This is not true Poor
people do have, as a rule, more children than
! people who are better OH in this worlds
! good, Why this is 50 is matter Of no
III occasion of a very interesting dis
custom
The two features that strike an observer
most f0rc.biy ia tkese tenement districts are
! tie good health and hilarious conduct of the
| children. Why s,re. IF them are not run
| over, mutilated, kid. every day in every
! year, Is one Of those uIys; rous special prov
iiences which no mere mortal can hope to
eilcidate la the first place, to halls and
stairways Of tenement houses are packed
with children coming up. going down, play
/ ing house, hugging dollieS. sucking candy,
crying, fighting, having good time, hay-
| inc lad tiIne. The dOor-steps are always
! lined by little ones # various dimensions
On the sidewalks the boys play hopscotch
Gi.d tie girls play tag In utter defiance of
ordinary prudence they rush across the
street in groups they make mui-pies in the
roadway, sail boats n the gutter shoot mar
bles on the pavement and climb the lamp
posts for exerciSe. They have dirty faces,
tatterel clothing, lara feet, but bright eyes,
stentorian voices. AMI agility beyond exag
geration. What becomes Of the handy
legged children we have seen for many years
Is an Interesting problem. Nothing is more
common than 10 see white and black babies
Of , or 3 years Of age with their les bowed
out in the form Of an eclipse. A small hoop
could BE- rolled between their legs without
touching either kEe. They waidle along
like air # dit = 81 compasses, and Yet
young men or miid.e-Ised men with legs of
that 90 cfiytion are not often seen upoa the
street. here is n excessive mortality
among the children II the poor which would
acccun: for the di,api earance of the handy
legged, yet tie fact Of their existence as
i..f,i -.,.tv I.-- IL 81,
block Of any part of the tenement house To-
caliiies.
The children Of tie present day, doubtless
ike the children If other DAYS, are apt to
play at ther fathers business. Little girls
ry for dollieS before they are able to walk
Carpenters boys want tool-chests, the chill
dren IF laborers clamor for hods and
troweis AID spades and pickaxes, just as
( little boys in ministers families put their
ui,htgowns on outside Of their clothes and
play preach. In many Of the poorer famil-
les the boys and girls of &, :. : wears of age
and upward are put upon tho streets, re-
gari.eSs of the weather tn sell newspapers.
One of the most common sights in the over
crowded nelghborIoo!s /, that of little
shaver, hardly able to utter a word, imitat-
ing his elder brother as he calls out his
"Tei'grams" The height OF ambition
among these children is to help
father and mother That idea is born
in them They are bought up to applaud
little Johnnie's profit Of - or 80 cents by the
afternoons and evenings work Of selling
paIers Although the profit is not always
properly applied, there is no doubt Of its
daily exi,tsnce. Efforts have been made by
social agents t. interfere with these little
yeuders IF periodical literature. but the COM
n:un!ty has frowned upon such interference
AMI sHgsested that such action would he
te,I applied II it were e take hold of the
wrctcEcd little ones who under pretense of
selling matches and apples and bananas in
the Offices and hives of industry in the lower
IaIt, OF the city. are subjected to every
possible inIignity al the hands of men old
enough TO b. their grand parents, and de-
: wing the seyeraSt punishment known 70
tn, law.
Taa lucation of these little ones is sub
jcct which pub,icists might well give more
att u,35n to than they do. Under the ;ruant
Ii !: the ciii,:rn can b. compelled to go
to school, luf rs 1t is impossible t. put a
qu1rt f full into pint measure, so with
the limited accommodations furnished by
til, great metropolis for the education of
children, it is utterly imp lssib!e TO find phys
cal places for hundreds and thousands OF
teen. This i a crying evil Gases are
kH 'au ami names and places can be given
wee children vine, by the mere absence OF
Il day II two or a .eH days from school are
Informed that they have Lost their places
and THAI until vacancies occur, their seats
being filed, they must go without schooling.
This bciu- the case. il i easy enough for
Guick-wiitsi parents who desire to utilize
;acir children VI ION the street 10 evade The
provisions of tn" .chool and truant laws
Tie babies uu tenement blocks very soon
grow 10 acutenrSs 10 ShrewdneSS to mercan-
tile ,aEacity. II would amaze parents of
real children to know the facts about these
miniature men and women. small in stature,
bit sharp a, briers in intercourse with peo-
81 many. many years their senior. They
| s;art along the rugged path Of life at time
wncl other children are codiled and tucked
| away. rs suc:i tender and unsophisticated
! l..iuy, should lie We speak Il swarm of
| lee. Il n multitude Il people. of flock OF
| sheep. ii herd of huffaloeS but there has
/ ueyc: been invented yet \ term sufficient and
| Il. -!Il- : expires the wonderful aggregation
/ co. mics which can lie seen along the busy
sect 90: New York by daylight and by gas
| 5r
Tens and tens O. thousands Of children, 50
! ,,lu- - 70 lie ignorant Of home, church,
| ,cuoui. morality. religion, can give points IN
| trade ali bargain and shrrwdness and a GER
| tam KIN cd brightness TO men and women
OIL IN urH - lie their parents. nile the
! ? e,. army cf little folks are in bel getting
| thclr beauty sleep before . O'Clock. this
vast eon,inEen; on the very outskirts % 50
| c.eiy are wide-awake playing on the side
! walk ling In The streets. buying beer in
! tie cuT8rr Stores. fUl! II life. spending their
! ynGiEt5l .nerE e.. IN play. in romp IN vices,
| wurii ring at their brutal parents enjoying
| q IneSisc hTo.l-. YG:alyzed now and then by
~.-g1c. ur lpnl>h Il, familiar with the rap of
| III. % ..r-lnan, club. and often witnesses Of
| . : ,uc rrv AMI participant, in disorder, -
| ..:y he time n II ~ decade Is passed
| he, a. wCrtly-wI-" u:Hn and worily-wise
ST., ~ j. the best ari 81 their life past and
! : ur az: they are expected To look out for
/ themselves here AMI Hereafter, to get theif
| g.vln. u last they can. regardless Of life
| So. honor. and often OF deeency.
Mistook Her TOR q Dummy.
tPittsburg Chronicle-Telegraph
At the entrance to che Of the prominent
,iry--oojs stores on Fed. raj street, Allegheny,
! rccentiy Il ladv, rrmarkaIle for the wax