Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-12-26
pESERET EVENING NEWS
~rHE OTHER HALF
GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION or THE
POOREST CLASSES or NEW YORK.


aud cold upon the city. II shone
upon rich and poor alike. 1t shone
into the homes Of the wealthy on
the avenues aud in the uptown
streets, and into courts and alleys
hedged in BY towering tenenents
down town. 1t sLone upon ,hrongs
Of busy holiday shoppers that went
out and in at the big stores, carry
ing bundles big and small, all alike
filed with Christmas cheer and
kindly messages from Santa Claus.
1t shone 50 gaily and altogether
cheerIly there that wraps aud over
coats were unbuttoned for the north
wind to toy with. "My, isn't it o
nice day:n sail one young lady in
fur shoulder cape 20 n faiend,
pausing to kiss and compare lists Of
Christmas gifts.
..Most too hot" was the reDiy,
and the friends PASSED on. There
was warmth within and without.
Life was very pleasant un,ier the
Christmas sun up on the avenue.
on CHERRY HILL.
Down in Cherry street the rays
OF the sun climbed over n row o!
small tenements with an effort that
seemed 10 exhaust all the life that
was in them, and fell into u dirty
block, haIf-chOked with trucks,
with ash barrels ami rubbish OF al
sorts, among which the dust wa
whiried in clouds upon fitful,
shivering blasts that searched every
mock and Granny Of the big barracks
they fell upon a little girl, bare
footed and In rags, who struggled
out ofan alley with broken pitcher
in her grimy fist, against the VIM
that set down the narrow slit like
the draught through a big factory
chimney. Just ut the mouth Of the
alley II took her with tuddeu
wbirl, a cyclone OF dust AMI drifting
ashes, tossed her fairly OF her feet,
tore from her grip the threadsIt
shawl she clutched at he. throat.
and set her down at the saloon door
breathiess and half smOthered.
She bad just time to dodge through
the storia doors before another
whirlw...I swept whistling down
the street.
'sMy, but isn't it cold?" she said
as she shook the dust out OF hsI
shawl and set the pitcher down on
the bar. "Gimnie pint" sh,
said, laying down a few pennies
that haI been wrapped in a corner
OF the shawl beside il, "and mamms
says niase it g0Jd and full"
"All'us the way with yOuse kids
want u barrel when yees pays iei
n pint" growled the BARTENDER.
There, run along and don't "
hang around that stove no more.
We amt a steam heatin' the block
fer nothin'-
The. lille girl elutchet her shawl
anu the pitcher and slipped out into
the street where the wind lay in
ambush, and promptly bore down
on her In pillars Of whirIiDg dus: a
soon as she appeared But the Sun,
TINT pitied her bare feet and little
frozen hands played a trick on old
Boreas-it showed her q way be-
tween the pillars, anu only Just he;
skirt was cancht by one aud whirled
over her head rs she lodged into
her alley. IL peeped after her hall
way Oown it, dark depths, where II
seemed coiGer even than Ia the
bleak street, but there j. had 10
leave her. Ii did not see her dive
through the doorless opening into i
hall where no sun ray had ever
entered. 1t could not have found
its way In there had II tried. Anu
up the narrow, squeaking stairs the
girl with the pitcher was climbing.
Up one flight of stairs, over a knot
Of children, half babies, pitching
pennies on the lancing over wash
tuts and bedstea1st that encountered
the Notwithstanding going on
in that s'ila,;. that Is 10 saw, the
surplus ofbed-bugs was being burnei
cut with petroleum and = feather
up still another, past a halfopen
door throush'which came the noise
Of hrlwling and curses. She shui-
deTed as she heard them followed
by a blow and vomanis scream.
and .quickeIed her step 9 little ANITA
she stood PAINTING BEFORE a door on
the fourth landing that opened
readily as she pushed 1t with her
bare feet.
A room aimos. devoid OF stick or
rag one might dignity with the
name Of furniture. Two chairs, one
VIII !. broken back, the other on
three legs, beside I. iiekeiy table
that stood upright only by leaning
against the wall. On the unwashed
floor heap OF straw covered with
= dirty bed-tJk Tor Led, foul
smelling slop-pail in the middle OF
the nom, a crazy stove, and back o!
II door or gap opening upon dark
ness There was something i'm
there, but " hat IL vas could only be
surmised from q heavy snOIe that
rose and fell regularly. IL was the
bedroom" OF the apartment, win
dowless, airless and sunless, bu:
rented n. price Jay Gould would
denounce n robbery.
"Tbat you, Liza % said a voice
that discovered a woman bending
over the stove. "Run IN get the
childer. Dinners ready"
The December sun CHANGING down
the wall OF the opposite tenement
with hopeless effort TO cheer the
lack yard, might have peeped
through the one window of the
room in Mrs. McGrosrfy's sfat,-
had that window not been coatsi
with tie dust OF ages, and dis
that dinner party In
action. 1t might have found a hun
ir.=i like 1t in the alley. Four I'M
kempt children, copies each in his
OF her wayof Liza and their mother,
Mn. Mctiroarty, who did wash
ingr for 4 living. A meat hone.
''cut" from the butchers at cents
n pound, green pickles, stale brea1
anil beer. Beer for the four. n sur
all round, the baby Included, Why
not- Ii was the one relish the
ray would have found
there. Potatoes Were there, too
potatoes and meat, Say not the
po0f in these tenements are siarv-
ing. In Ne~ York only those
stsrvc who. cannot get work and
have not the courage TO beg. Fifty
thousand always cut OF job, say
those who pretend TO know. A
round half million asking aud get
ing charity In eight years, say the
'tatisticians Of The charity organiza-
ion. Anyone can see for himself
hat no one need starve in New
York. 8s l
From across the yard the sun-ray,
Is 1t crept up the wall. fell slant
ngly through the attic window
issued the sound Of ham
ner-blows. a man with a bard |
ace stood in its light driving nails |
INTO the lid Of n soft soap box that
vas partly filled With straw. Some-
hing else was there; rs he shifted
he lid that didn't fit, the glimpse
4 sunshine that fell across 81; IL was