The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-04
IN A FEDERAL BUILDING.
A Graphic Description of the Post
office in New York.
(COpyrlOht, 1891. by tAe United Press)


Copyright. 1891. By the United Press)
NEw YORK, Jan. 2.-The federal build
ing, ordinarily known as the postotioe,
stands in a ses Of slush. New York is a
pretty dirty place at the best, but the
dirtiest spot is Mail street, extending from
broadway to Park row, and utilized by
100000 people every morning and every
afternoon. 1t makes no difference whether
the snow has been cleared from every street
in the city, Mail street, which il supposed to
be cared for by the general
government on the south and
the municipality on the north, is
slushy III wet weather, piece Of ice when
the wind whistles chilly across 1t. 1t is e
pretty sight, too, this great, brown-stoaed
granite buildiug-heavy, cumbersome, with
not less than q score OF broken windows aud
dirt galore. Let us scIff through the slush
as best we can ana approach the main en-
trance. fronting the great square where
stands the Aston house, st. Pauls church
and the dirty depot of all the surface roads.
Dirty All the time. Immediately in
front OF the doorway is "a marble pavement
which by long continuity of attrition is
worn away into q series of little basins
which in snowy weather are filed with
slush and on rainy days with puddly water.
Push open the door.
What's herei Mercy, what a SMELL An
analysis of this atmosphere would reveal q
precious compound, would it noti w o
do we seel Bootblacks, messenger boys,
groups Of Italians, bevies Of Germans, a
horde of Irish, rural guests by the SCORE,
girls peeplng in the windows, long lines Of
expeotant purchasers Of stamps, warmers
of coRt-taiis, telegraph operators. and over
all a continuous hum as Of busy hives of
bees.
Who is the gorgeous creature. with gold
bullion on his cap, buttons Of shining brass,
switching care right and left, hitting now
boy, punching now tramp, consequent
tial all the time!
/ He's q Waterman.
He watches all those people of whom l
have spoken, and he watches the unrolling
of humanity's panorama day in and day
out, until he might. il he would, become SO
thoroughly familiar with human nature
in all ius phases as 10 make him fit for "a
professorship In the great college of the
races | stand by his side and share with
him his opportunity. -Four boys rush in.
Pell nell the approach this. that aud the
her box, quickly they unlock aud empty
its contents III their bags. With whoop and
yell and lad-lke scream they rush out
again. An old lady with q coal-scuttle
bonnet, faded suit OF brown, timidly APP
proacnes the officer and asks for a stamp.
He bruSquely points TO window at the
other end of the corridor. Timidly she
moves away again, obviously not under
standing the direction, as she stops aid asks
again OF passer. a queer-looking man,
pale as white paper, thin, seediiy dressed,
slides up to the window of the general de-
livery, and with a look Of suspicion on either
side whispers a name, Ia compelled to repeat
it, answers question or two, receives a let
ter, pockets it and slides away.
Who Is it, whence comes it, why didn't
he open and read the letter
A jaunty girl. with red feather and a
bird and u gold handled umbrella, passes
with an entirely satisfied look upon her
face, takes from her pocket book a bill,
buys some stamps, and with a nod and a
smile TO the clerk, passes into the street, on
the other side, humming to herself as
blithely as once sang the bird which orna-
ments her hat
Hanging Ia various corners OF the dark
and gloomy corridors are lists OF unclaimed
letters in French, German and English.
The picture of strangers far from home, old
men, young girls, each wondering whether
there is news from those they love across
the sea, is both interesting and pathetic. To
see an old man point his study finger TO
the list behind the glass and vainly seek to
find his own name there 10 Of
itself suggestion to an artist,
but to watch the varying phases of
emotion as seeking he thinks he
finds or then has lost, affords light and
shadow for a genre picture, the intsrest Of
which need not DO exaggerated. A detect
i've malls decoy letter, tradesman bill,
a rascal blRckmailing anonymous disclos-
ure, a gallant note suggestion aud ap-
pointment the sweetheart unveils the secret
of love. and those great bundles-what are
they? Circulars from O patent medicine
house, notes of invitation TO a grand ban
quot, and those edged with black announce
ment OF funeral service.
Hangers on abound in the postoffice cor
ridors
This man, a little. beaming faced Irish
man, who may Le so, and who may DO
10 years of age, is waiting for Job. He
halls every man with grip>sack and every
woman with a large bundle, hoping TO earn
a sumptuous quarter or at least an humble
dine.
Beggars, too?
1t is q fine place for beggars. Beggary
is great trade. 1t has all manners OF men
and women in its practice. from the plausi.
BILE swindler down to the vulgar petitioner
for the humblest coin. Now and then,
however, a man may ask for aid and not be
considered rightfully beggar.
In less than an hour 10000 people passed
through the posto1fice.
1t is a busy place.
Millions OF letters, millions Of newspapers,
hundreds OF thousands of packages, mil
lions of dollars, all pass safely in and out
year after year and the human worth that
passes in and out every day is in volume 80
tremendous, SO multidinous that, if there be
any truth at the bottom Of the
religious well, and there be future
one may we'll hesitate ere be criticises the
| incomings and outgoings Of the riff raft
the offscouriD2 of the earth, to whom the
postofice building is not only warming
spot and breathing place. but field for
endeavor in their peculiar phases Of in
dustry, dirty, criminal, wretohed oRcasts
though they be.
1t seems strange, but really there appears
to be moral In everything. don't you
know. JOSEPH HOWARD, JR