The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1886-08-07
BTOadhTin'S New York Letter
Special to the CARBON ADVOCATE.

III UuUEl llh " 1VU " VI IL OGlLGt
Special to the CARBON ADVOCATE.
Inever fully appreciated the soeial'
revolution which has taken place in the
past few months, till l took a ride
through the main business streets of the
city last Saturday afternoon. The low
er part of New York is mighty hive,
where nearly two hundred thousand of
the working people labor. All through
these narrow streets the dingy, uninvit-
ing looking buildings are densely packed
with active and busy workers. Here
are the great manufactures of ready
made clothing, shirts and fancy articles
which are retailed all over the United
States, and throughout the world. In
one building there are fifteen hundred
workers. The American Bank Note
Company employees nearly three thous-
and; and here also are vast factories en-
gagged in the manufacture of electrical
supplies. In another building are over
two thousand wage workers, engaged ON
tobacco and snuff, and probably not less
than fifteen thousand more are engaged
in the manufacture Of cigars. The
rooms in which thousands work. are
dark at noon day, and the electric light
becomes an important factor in their
daily lives. in the narrowest streets
the sunlight only reaches the pavement
at high noon, and quickly retreats out
of sight, leaving those on the lower
floors in utter darkness by three or four
o'clock in the afternoon. Only a year
ago, and the shadows of night were
generally falling when these poor toilers
cut their work, and it was dark when
they reached their homes, often miles
away. That is all changed now; in
many of the great establishments the
| period of labor has been reduced two
hours on the day, and the Saturday half
holiday affords respite from toll, and
an opportunity for pleasure, which the
labor prophet of old dreamed of, but
never expected to see. On hundreds of
great business houses was the sigh
"This Store or Manufactory, closes at
II o'clock Saturday" At sharp twelve
thousands Of men and women, boys and
girls, came pouring out into the streets
the days work was done, and they
were ready for an afternoons enjoy
ment. Fortunately this was within
easy reach, without any serious cost.
and all seemed inclined to make the
most of it. Wall street, Broad street.
and the lower part of Broadway, where
concentrate thousands of millions of
capital, was quiet as a Sabbath after
noon. Croesus, Dives and Midas, had
locked up their golden boxes, and bade
their poor slaves, for few hours, at
least, to be free. The effect on the
wage worker is wonderful, he did not
come from his shop like a bond slave
driven to his quarry; the men looked
bright and cheerful-the girls were all
smilcs--and the boys, of whom there
were thousands, improvised their tin
pals into baseballs, and tasted the de-
lights of the diamond as they gamboled
along the streets, Early in the afternoon
all the steamboats, and railroad trains,
leaving the town were crammed to their
utmost capacity; and all of the outside
resorts reaped golden harvest.
The Saturday half-holiday has become
contagious; and many parties have
yielded to it because their neighbors
haye done so. | passed a drygoods
| store which employed between forty and
fifty clerks-men, women and girls; the
owner was a close -fsted old miSer, hard,
grasping and narrow minded; yet, there
in big black letters on white ground
was the plain nnouncemcnt-"Th
store closes at - o'clock, Saturdays"
The world still mOyes-men are alive
to-day who saw the mechanics DAYS
work begin with the rising sun and close
when il sank in the west-"BUT TIMES
ARE NOT NOW As THEY USED TO wAs;'
and notwithstanding the strikes, /, looks
as though for the wage worker, the day
of jubilee had come.
We are in the midst of an immigration
muddle with party Of Jews, who have
Just landed here from Russia. And
right here let me say that for genuine
charity and broad humanity, the Jews
Of New York are not surpassed by any
other denomination. When the dread
full persecution of the Jews in Russia, a
few years ago, drove thousands of them
to this country, there seemed to be bat
one idea with their co-religionists on the
other side of the water, and that was to
get rid of them. They arrived here by
thousands and many of them in extreme
destilution; they had lIt;le to recon-
mend them but their faith; they were
foul and dirty, and ungrateful for what
was done for them; and yet, in the face
of all these discouraging circumstances.
the jews Of New York raised over SlOO,-
000-clothed, fed and washed them, pro
cured employment for those who could
work, sheltered many Old and helpless
people in their charitable asylums, which
are among the finest in the city-and
labored night and day, till every man,
woman and child was provided for, In
the present instance, a large party Of
Russian Jews who arrived last week.
were about TO be sent back by the lmmi-
grafton Commission, as paupers likely
TO become a public charge. Each one