The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-11-25
WAY OF THE oRoAN.oRlNogR.
1t IL = Weary One, but Has Much Turn
iag-eoms Facts and Figures.

mat occuPation once 80 popular
among the city's Italian population
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES to be growing
less and less every year. In this respect
the Scriptural precepts, as famed In Ec-
clesiastes xiii, 3, 4, seem TO be working To
fulflment, for there one reads: sTn
the day when the keepers of the house
shall trcmble and the strong men shall
bow themselves and the grinders cease
because they are few and the
doors shall be shut in the streets when
the sound Of the grinding is low"
There are probably very few people
who have any conception of what a
considerable number of these busy
grinders there are, and how and where
they live or anything at all about them
Their interest ends when they have
paid the conventional copper for the
privilege of hearing one of Dave
Braham's latest successes, or possibly a
nocturne from Chopin.
In little shop in Elizabeth street,
just around the corner from Grand and
in the very heart of the Italian quarter,
may be found che headquarters in this
country for the manufacture of barrel
organs, street pianos and carousal or
gans Ranged on either side of the
room are instruments of all patterns
and values brought in for tuning or re-
pairing, while their owners stand lazily
about smoking cigarettes, nibbIing raw
onions and jabbering in their fascinat-
ing tongue with each other Against
the wall at the end of the room hangs
a card which declares in the italian
that Organs are tuned while you
wait" and this is impressed on the Wis
itor by the active movements of the two
young men who do the work and the
monotonous sounds they make in do
Ing it.
There you are. Dollar and half.
Thank you. Good day." and one of the
proprietors of this primitive little organ
factory helped a fat, sleepy-looking Ne
apolitan hoist sixty-pound barrel or
gan on his little round-shouldered back
with remarkable ease and facility.
What does an instrumant like that
cost?"
THAT one cost 500 when new, and il
is a good one, for / made it, We have
them, though, for ss5, and from that up
to 5000. The latter price will buy pi.
ano organ of the finest pattern.
When the Italian walks down the
steerage gangplank of an ocean liner
just arrived from his sunny home over
the sea, his first idea is to secure a posi-.
tion as a street worker, for he has
learned before he left home that his
countrymen who have proceeded him
here are employed in great numbers in
that capacity.
When he fails at this and his small
savings are exhausted he will borrow
from an uncle, brother or a cousin,
and they are all related in some man.
rer, his organ and start out with it ia
make his fortune in the great new
country Probably that same organ
was brought over from the native land
score of years before, and has served
to lay the foundation for the fortune of
many a later arrival With it he NAV
make hirty cents day and he may
make dollar. The amount depends
on the quality of the organ. the age of
the music and the liberality of the
audience. That is one reason why they
prefer to secure employ oyment as street
cleaners at seventy-five cents day; the
other is because they fancy the latter
more elevating, and an Italian has
pride and hates to beg.
The first warm day of spring will see
those who have wintered in the city
pack their ponderous organs on their
backs and make for the provinces.
They scatter all over the country, going
as far west as Denver and all through
the New England states. They work
their way, as rule, tramping often
times from town to town, Juggling their
ffty-pound instruments through the
hot dusty country for score of miles
10 make probably few dollars, and
then on to the next. The monkey long |
sin re made his exit from the cities, and |
It only rarely that they are now seen
IN the small towns. man in Brooklyn |
made fortune in raising and training
hem, and he received often as much as |
$50 Tor a well-trained monk.
The hand organ has figured conspicu.
,usly many times in high social life in
his city. Not long since it was one of
he forms of entertainment at a swell
lirner in fashionabie home In West
street. while many times
ire recalled when it has been used al
parties when played by one
If the smart set got up as an Italian.
The weakness of some well-known men
or barrel-organ music is an established
act. Chauncey Depew has been seen
% stop on the side walk and wait for
i've minutes to hear out stirring aiI
which particularly pleased him. Edwin
Booth has kept many an organ-grinde,
'laying away for him in front of the
layers club, dealing out small silver
very few minutes, much to the musi.
ian's delight Gen. Sherman woule
patronize any organ, provid'
ng IL didn't play marching Through
georgia" II Is said that President
harrison had a grinder dealing ou.
Italian opera by the yard in front o.
he steps TO the executive mansion 70,
he amusement of Baby Mckee.
Many of the piano organs are sup