Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-05-24
MURRAYs MUSINGS.

| !.-- - l=..-F4
| A Woman in an once Building-what the
stamp Man In tho Postoffcs Has to En-
dure-Restaurant Prices for the Sexes
/ Spring Loafers.
/ lFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT
| New YORK, May 2s-The utter helplessness
| Of most women when brought into contact
I with the active business world is often
amusing and always interesting. When a
woman goes into one of the great ONCE
| buildings down town in search of somebody
| or something she is usually at once deprived
| of what common sense she may ordinarily
keep in stock. The probability Is that she
| Will inquire of the first person She meets
| whether Mr.. Somebody has an Office there.
| This person may be an utter stranger to the
| city. If he isn't he win refer her to the bull
! letin or the janitor or the elevator man.
| Now this bulletin may possibly contain 100
OF 200 names and may be spread all over the
walls OF the corridor. or posted up alphabeti-
| cally in the dark elevator. In any case it is
confusing to woman not familiar with the
scheme. She may see half dozen uniformed
men and boys rushing about but can't tell an
elevator man or assistant janitor from dis
trict messenger or telegraph boy. She will
get on at the wrong floor, get lost in the
halls, get into ever SO many wrong ofnceS
and finally arrive at her destination in
white heat of worry. What strikes her as
the most remarkable thing about it all is
anybody else. Men may occupy an office in
one of these buildings for years and know
nothing whatever of their next door neigh
bors. And what strikes the Office men and
everybody connected with an office building
as most remarkable is the fact that women,
as rule, are utterly oblivious to signs.
They will go directly past the plain gold let
tering that announces men and business
and inquire in the very next room. A wo-
man can find anything in bureau drawer
or at the bottom of trunk by instinct,
which is more than man can do. But she
scars above signs.
The Price Of Flats.
A BUILDER and large fat owner on the
Westside says that rents are stiffening up in
that neighborhood in spite of the recent
erection of numerous fiat houses. He owns
four large, double, brownstone flat houses
west of the Boulevard, and four or five
blocks from the Seventy-second street ele-
waited station. Last year this time about
three out of every ten flats were vacant:
Now there is about one in ten empty, and
the rents have been increased in some OF the
more desirable. Several large hat houses
have gone up in the vicinity during the last
year, and suites of eight rooms and bath in
these range from 81 200 to s., 800 per annum.
The high priced are probably no better
than can be had elsewhere for half the
money; but they are all on the Grand Boule-
VarQ ana are SAID TO De quite swell. Inc new
York of the future-where is 1t to be when
there is no more ground to build upon this
side of Harlem! And where are the myrladS
of decent people on small salaries going to
live?
The Great American Game.
THE other day a couple of gentlemen were
luncbing rather elaborately at a promi-
nent cafe. One of them sighed frequently
and looked at his watch and inveighed
o;,,S tbe TO- HT2o1,
claimed his companion, "you would not
know what to do with yourself. You thrive
upon an active life. Besides, you have been
everywhere and seen everything, and if you
had $5,Oo0,OO tomorrow you couldn't enjoy
it. No, sir-now, look here, old man, what Is
right now if you had $1,000, 900? Right of
hand, now--what would you do?'
'1d knock off this lunch and go out and
see the ball game for the first thing" In
awfully funny about thatp
How to Get Good Rates.
IFy you want to deal with New York truck
men, cabmen, street vendors and many
small tradesmen at bottom figures wear poor
clothes or send somebody else. The we'll
dressed man who carries about in his per-
-sonal appearance the. signs of prosperity
will often be compelled to pay double. He
will frequently be made the victim of
various xmas OF eXtOrtlOn, ana WILL get no
sympathy from any quarter. On the other
hand, the poor have a soft heart for each
other, and the appearance of poverty insures
the lowest cash price for goods or service.
If YOU don't believe this, try it on some
favorable occasion and you will be both
amused and instructed
What the Stamp Man Endures.
"THERE are good many absent-minded
men among the business men of New York,
as tie records of the postoff1ce will show.
Those who mail letters without any address
and those who mail addressed letters with
out any stamp are on hand in force every
day. The man who incloses money in such
letters is not wanting. Invent over from the
Astor House one day and talked to clerk
through a six-inch window about it, buying
a dollars worth of stamps at the close, as
an evidence of good faith. When arrived
home, some six miles away, / discovered
that had given So bill to the stamp man
and had come away without the change.
The next morning l was somewhat nervous
concerning that "a, and hastened to the
postoffice. The stamp clerk was serving
long line of customers, but, as soon as 1
approached and uttered the first word, i'm
mediately and silently handed out four 81
bills.
81 didn't know but what among so many
FOOLS" said /, "yOu might easily forget one."
Possibly" he drily retorted, "but you
were the most conspicuous one yesterday.
Twos did you say, sir?"
Sunday Afternoon in Gotham.
ONE of the wonderful sights to be seen in
New York at this season of the year is the
throng of variegated humanity that flows
into the city in the early evening of Sunday.
This crowd is composed of the middle and
lower classes, chiefly, who flee to the coun-
try north of Harlem, to the ferries, to the
railway stations, to the boats on the river
and bay, during Sunday forenoon to enjoy
the only holiday they have in the week.
every nationality are to be seen, and num-
bered by tens and hundreds of thousands.
The elevated trains from Harlem between
the hours of 6 and9 o'clock in the evening
swarm with these flushed pleasure seekers.
And the fun and flowers! There is moth
ing like it elsewhere upon top of earth.
Nearly every other woman and child comes
in literally laden with flowers and grasses
and the usually Stuffy air of the cars Is
redolent with the delicious perfume of field
and farm. They tell the story of delight
full day spent beyond the oppression of
ating here and there along the route the
atoms of tbese countless human swarms
bear the evidences OF their days pleasure in
their Drowned faces and buOyant steps to
their homes. 1t Is charming sight and one
never to be forgotten by the beholder. 1t
testifies with irresistible eloquence of the
future grandeur of the American metropolis
that has so much variety within easy reach
and at so small price that the poorest
laborer can enjoy it.
Why Bachelors Should Rejoice.
THE observantand frugal eater will note the
difference in price between the same articles
served in the gentlemen's cafe and the ladies
department of the same establishment. But