Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-09-29
NEW YORK LETTER.
COUNTRY BOYS TRYING THEIR FOR
TUNES IN GOTHAM.
Experience Of New England Reporter
Tho Dark side OF the Picture Rc-
vealed--A Country Lads
Downfall.
rcorre.pondenee o, The Richmond Dispatch.l

vonfh from time immemorial. and prOba-
Ilv win continue to be long in the future;
but the scheme, however attractive ut hrst
blush. has its fatal weaknesses, the prlncl-
pal one Of which is Al entirely mad ePu~te
convention of the strength of those al
readvintbe Geld coupled with correspond
inc 0ver-cstimate By the youthful aspirant
of his own powers. To leave a comfort
able home and a position in the country,
with the purpose Of bcttcring ones condi-
tion in life However commendable IN tho
abstract. is extremely dangerous 20 prac-
tice. as | shall endeavOr 10 show from per-
sonal experience during the past summer
Having served n long apprenticeship as re-
porter on various New England ana New
York state papers. arrived in New York
one morning in May with abundant cour-
age-and a light purse-in search Oh Worh.
HARD TO GIT AT.
One of the first discoveries made was
that the great man Of great daily lour-
nal is apparently about as busy man as
the President of the United states ls sup
posed 10 be. and not nearly so ACCESSIBLE
to stranger. With the idea Of furnish
ing a special class Of matter TO the
-. my first visit was TO that Office,
preliminary skirmish with the elevator
potentate showed cOnclusiyely thaJ tne
managing editor was not APPROACHING
from that direction by n stranger, at least
not without some diplomacy. Inc next
attempt, after being smugglcd III by
friendly reporter, was scarcely more sue
cessful. for while making bold dash Tor
the editorial rooms | was collared by the
ubiquitous Offce-bOy and directed, IN
way that admitted OF no argument, 10 state
my business briefly and explicitly on paper
MOT IN"
This was sufficiently chilling 10 the ardor
Of one accustomed to the iree-and-easy
atmosphere Of country Offices. but to learn
afterward that Podunk credentials were
about as available in New York az Bob In
gersolls famous "soup-uchets "iiIn oJ,,
SOUP" was a fatal shock to an already
waning confidence. OF course the mag
nate Of the Office was too busy 10 consider
my proposition, and with an idea OF letting
me down "easv," no doubt, sent out word
that he was mot in" TO say that tins
Uas the uniform reception ! met with IN
all Of the principal Offices would not be the
absolute truth, but | can say That II was
generally the case. In most OF the oiilces
] was able to obtain an interview OF from
five to fifteen seconds duration, as now
recollect in three newspaper ofices-slth-
cient. at least. to inform me that the desks
were all fulln and "all special work pro-
vided for" In fourth Office gentleman
kindly listened TO my proposition ana
promised TO lay the matter before ms supe-
riOr In two other offices | sailed down
manuscripts, which were never USED, OF II
90 ] was ignorant Of the fact.
To cut the matter short, weeks time,
with the help of a newspaper friend, en-
abled me TO make the rounds OF the prln-
ciple Offices. and demonstrated to my en-
tire satisfaction that New York journalism
was in n fair way TO worry along lndefi-
nitely without the infusion Of any fresh
country blood into its arteries. This week
also depleted my finance TO an alarming
extent. and a two-dollar-a-week room with
q Observation-Disclosures bill OF fare was
adopted without debate.
DESPERATE EFFORTS TO GIT WORK.
Then came q ghastly period of adver-
Using and answering advertisements, the
result Of which was trial OF addressing
envelopes for aThird-avenuc firm ut twenty
cents a thousand, business that, as every
unfortunate knows who has been reduced
to such an extremity, requires lightning
quill" and one driven by sustained cur
rent. as the electricians say. But mine gave
ont after a three-days' trial. Watch, cloth
inc. and few other trihes were then sacri-
feed 10 obtain shelter in BOwery lodging
houses with the scantiest Of fare, and hnal-
ly. with only the clothes | wore and
packet of coupons from Uncle William,
as the envelope was ironically Labelled, l
Joined the inyincihle army OF tramps
moving northward along the Hudson river
ostensibly in search Of work.
on A FARM.
In nv case the object was no pretence,
and | lost no time in securing work on
an Ulster-cOunty farm. The fruit season,
then lust opening, enabled me to earn
rather more than ordinary farm-wages at
picking strawberries and after that came
HAVING. so that in six weeks | had earned
something like twenty dollars with which
TO return 10 the city TO release some clothes
from Limbo" and renew the campaign
for work This time, with the sid oil an
old journalist. whose timely advice and
more substantial help. which | shall re-
member with gratitude as long as hive,
was successful in getting little transient
work-enOugh to keep me from the last eX-
tremity of despair.
This is the simple, unvarnished story of
a man willing and anxious to obtain any
honest employment that yields decent
living, but shOrn, IN fact, OF many OF IT'S
moro distressing details. IL IS subStan-
tally the story Of hundreds and thousands
of vounc men who yearly flock to the
great cities in the vain hope of lettering
their condition. But where one succeeds
a thousand fail, few return home sadder
and wiser for the experience, and many re-
cruit the ranks Of the criminal classes.
PICTURES OF MISERY.
While n nightly inmate of the cheap
Iodring-houses the lamentable fact was
Impressed upon me that these places are
frequented 10 an alarming extent byyoung
men from the country, victims OF mlstOr-
tune or their own ignorance or presump-
ton and reduced to all stages of degrade
tioh From a dozen instances that have
come under my observation VIII recount
one that impressed me at the time as beng
particularly unfortunate. A well-dreSsed
and intelligent-lOoklng young fellow
sat reading n letter one rainy day in q
ffteen-cent clearinghouse on Park Row.
where | was also trying TO read myself
into forpetfulness of the surroundings.
His manifest signs Of grief attracted my
attention. and. after repeated advances
from me. hewas at last induced to tell ms
story. He had arrived III New YORK SIX
weeks before from a small town near
Poughkeepsie, where he had held the pc
sition of clerk in q store, and about halt
of the time had been spent III prison Tor
the larceny OF pie.
HARD UP INDEED.
An Intelligence Office and book-can-
vessinr experience had used up his slender
copital. and, after a twenty-four hours
fast. he attempted to steal food from an
up-town grocery store, with the result
"a stated, together with an lndelibie
stigma attached TO his name. Since his
release he has obtained procarous
living selling soap-powder from the wagon
of A large firm, travelling through the su,
burbs. and on the day mentioned he mad
received a letter from home telling OF the
sickness and death of q sister. He was
destitute of means to reach home, even had
he the courage to go where the story OF his
disgrace had preceded him through the
newspapers. That young mans future IS
sh0rn Of the rosy tints that colored 1t; IN
| his eyes at least. on the July morning when
! he stepped. full of ambition and hope, from
The deck of the Poughkeepsie boat into the
streets of New York. But ms - very
common experience, scarcely noticeable IN
the crowd.
! PLUCK WINS.
After persistent and sustained effort du-
ring the entire summer 10 obtain work IN
| New York. this article, dear reader, IS the
| frst have sold, and, fttingly enough, II
is the story of my ups and downs trying ia
sell other articles. | want 70 offer word
nj advice TO the boys" / mean NV fell
low-reporters on country papers and oil
others who have the city flea in their bon
! rota. Refore Won throw up comfortable