The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-04-09
DARKEST WASHINGTON.
The Disease.Breeding Byways Of the
Nations Capital City.
Where Misery and Crime Go Hand in
Hand-A Bright Oasis on Marion
Court-Grand Field for Mis-
sEonsry Efforts.
Especial Washington letter.

The alleys and byways of great
city are seldom visited by the busy
workers of the world, and are almost
entirely neglected usually by those Of
fcials who are paid to keep them in a
sanitary condition. In this city, how
ever, recent inspection of the thor
oughfares of the poor and lowly devel-
oped the fact that the alley-ways are in
general as neat and clean as the streets
themselves. There are some isolated
cases where ancient buildings remain
among the modern fashionable resi-
dences of the city, and these, although
now in delapidated condition, are oc-
cupied by members of a threadbare
aristocracy who are both too poor and
too proud to keep their premises clean.
In one of these alleys, close to the door
step of what was once handsome
residence, large, razor-back, hungry
mother hog was doing light house
keeping with litter of dozen white
and spotted offspring apparently as
hungry as herself and as sorry to find
themselves alive in the midst of the
luxury of modern civilization, but with
nothing wherewith to satisfy their con-
stantly growing appetite.
In that portion of the city known as
South Washington, and which was
formerly known as ''the island" be-
cause it was separated from the remain
der of the city by the old canal, there
was discovered a degree of squalor,
filth and utter recklessness of health
as deplorable as dangerous. Into these
byways, which are not unlike the cele-
brated Whitechapel district of London,
che street-sweeping machines cannot
be driven, and it is almost impossible
to maintain force of broomhandlers
to keep pace with the constantly-accu-
mulating dirt. In one little court I
found families living in little rows of
houses containing but one room each,,
wherein all the duties of domestic life
are performed. This is the criminal
section of the city, a region of famine
and woe. 1t is section seldom pene-
,trated by those lovers Of the Lord who
wear broad phylacteries and thank
God that they are not as other men.
Those people who cry aloud for contri-
buttons OF money to send abroad to the
poor animals of Africa, termed heather,
know absolutely nothing concerning
the need of civilizing and Outstanding
influences within the boundaries of
their own city corporations. After see
ing the suffering, physical and mental
in single one of these alleys, any man
of fair intelligence and Christian culture
would be willing to leave the savage
heather to the tender mercies of the
Lord, and devote his dimes, dollars and
talents to the worthy and suffering
poor SO very near his door.
Through CRATE in the middle of the
worst alley in south Washington the
alops and garbage of an entire neigh
sorhood drop into the sewer below, and
from this are emitted odors with which
the malaria-laden air is burdened. and
it seems almost impossible for human
life to continue free from disease germs
even for twenty-four hours. re-
manned there less than twenty minutes
and was glad to escape into purer at
mosphere and make my notes from
memory. Although in broad daylight
this visit of inspection was made, and
within easy walking distance of both
the capitol and Washington monument,
had it not been for the company of a
uniformed policeman, this letter might
never have been written. Upon the
brutal countenances of many loupging,
1oanng men Jnclc was imprinted vno
murder-mark of Cain, and for paltry
dime or half dollar possibly they
would sacrifice human life.
Out in the northwest section of the
Sc
on court, hemmed in from the fashion
able residences of Rhode Island avenue
and the busy marts of trade ON Seventh
street, accessible only through a mar
now over-asched passageway. There
are ash heaps, decayed fruit empty
cans, broken bottles, numerous oats,
vicious dogs and still more vicious men.
There vice and profiigacy abound, be-
cause the population is dense and the
houses small. These people, however,
are of a higher grade Of civilization
than their fellow sufferers in south
Washington.
In one of these little cubby-holes
there was a broken-down piano with
soap boxes for legs. Somehow it had
been tuned, and sitting on stool be-
fore it colored girl brought forth soul
ful strains of sacred music. She sang
song learned in some Sunday-school and
was accompanied by the heavy basso of
IA uncultured negro. Evidently the
girl was the servant of some white fam
lily in the neighoorhood, to whom the
piano had been given when it passed it's
day of usefulness in the fashionable
parlcr. In another one of these rows
of houses in the court merry-naking
throng had gathered, Two stalwart
negroes tlarsassscd taeir banjos while
another ts~aia seraped the strings CT
soueal:Y viofins. In room which one
would suppose might not contain more
than a dozen people, there seemed to be
twenty or more dancing and clapping
their hands in unison with the music.
The contrast outside the door and be-
meath the roof was singular in the ex-
treme. The alley was picture of neg
lect and squalor, yet through the broken
window panes there came the sounds of
music, giving evidence of an ambition on
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