The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1886-05-19

tOIIeu aDoub III Enelr raggelesJ rags, In
the gutter and on the pavement. Their
little arms were moiels of beauty, and their
hips and limbs, in both sexes, perfect in the
curves and lines of natural development.
The shoulders were petite but studies for the
sculptor; taking the grimy little hand of a
child about years old it amazed me with
its perfection of shape and its flexible taper
ing fingers The child fixed her great, black
mournful eyes upon my face as if wondering
at the touch of something clean and white,
and the soft, black little finger, clung ten
derly as if in expectation or wish for some
thing more
Beauty of face as well as form predOmnatas
in the poor Italian children-thair ey 5 are
fun of poct' si"o' fs their f;i@'y ct lips ar
t-stic TO a narAed degree; strange as it
may casually appear, the sensualities of
low-bred, uncultivated people do not
appear with this physical beauty. After
a protracted visit to the localities where
this low life is seen it was evident that there
are not half schools enough, or enterprise
enough, in the philanthropic classes to meet
the case of progressive reform among the
Italian poor OF this city Eighteen societies
of the native population does no, even touch
the welfare of the very poorest element. The
SAiiAACc VI 1AlhIb1 dAItl Jub ROOu CueeT Oh
Five Points bells and the ringing from
dozen belfry towers around Center, Chat
ham, Pearl, Rose and White streets, do not
penetrate with any other influence but that
of vibration, the dens and closets, cellars and
attics that store away nearly 5000 ragged,
uncleanly, bright-minded, beautiful-eyed hui
man beings
No wonder the midnight air at times re-
verberates with stiied cry for help; that
the stiletto flashes in the dim moonlight;
that starving infuriated humanity rushe,
to the piers and wharves and madIy
plunges into the cool still waters;
that nauseated with the pest odors
of decaying rags, sick with poisoned
garbage for food, crazed with the
constant wall of starving babes, mother
smothers them under a filth-heap of rags,
and swings herself into death by rope or
strap. This is one picture of New York
Italy. The Harlem population are much to
be envied by their Rose street relatives
Room, air and water they have in abund-
ance; and the children present by far more
hopeful, healthy appearance. A large num-
Der are employed in the gardens and yards
and dairy farms in Westchester, and in the
vicinity of Fordham, High Bridge and there-
abouts. They are law abiding, well disposed
in every way--as doubtless the downtown
unfortunates would be if they too had work,
homes. health and food
Fanaticism and over-zeal in religion does
not burden the Italian Unlike the Irish
devotee. the sons of Italy are lacking in
energy TO prosecute religious studies and
worship. So far as it can be learned
among the church going classes they en-
tertain more of a poetic, romantic idea
of religion than regard for it as a means
of future salvation. For instance, they
prefer the church that makes the best dis
play, affords the best music, etc; to hear
doctrines or bo tow dutiful attentions from
a sense of religious principle is not the Ital-
ian idea at ALL They are sticklers for
ease in their worship-going when most
convenient, and at their pleasure, not from
obligation naturally a drama-loving
people, they would if they could fill every
theatre in the city regularly. The Italian
opera catches the best classes, of course, and
with great generosity. Music-loving dra-
matically instructive, poetic in imagination,
from the aristocrat to the rag gather, they
are an interesting class of American citizen
ship.
They are not politicians, and do not begin
to count on Washington clerkships as soon
as they sight Castle Garden. They look
upon Garibaldi IS the greatest hero on
earth, and Gen Grant the xt P. T. Bar
mum comes in for tremendous amount of
Italian homaga, and Patti is divinity in
their estimation. At the consulate quarters
on State street the representative of the
press is received with marked polite
ness by the corps of clerks, and the jolly
white-bearded consul is an exception in good
manners 10 the newspaper man or woman;
they do not load one down with the virtues
and greatness of the nation they represent
but with great modesty state facts and
figures concisely, with Difference to other
opinions, and without emphazing their own.
They admire the government of the United
while loving America much they still love
Italy more LIsLE LESTER