The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-01-06
eo1HAn,s DARK Quarter.
Picturesque Scenes ara Peoples Crowded
Toae her n Thnmnson Strenf.

| Picturesque Scenes ana Peoples Crowded
Toss her N Thompson street.
When one stands at the corner Of sprins
street and looks up and down Thompson
| street. the scene 10 busy one even In these
hard tlmes Southwark the view Is cut short
by the sun-llt Irregular roofs Of distant cross
| street. The atm osph ere down toward the foot
Of the street Is murky but warm. and a church
cupola accentuates the view. Northward one
sees . pure white shoulder OF the Washington
Arch and beyond II nm almost here Of glariAs ed
haze. troubled with the nutterings Of q dim
nag The whole northern boundary Of the
view speaks Of the great aud prosperous city.
stately with ample homes. astir with an I'M
eonuuerabls spirit OF business OF TO be wholly
discouraged even By the hardest OF hard times.
Between tho two extrsmites lies the whole
narrow. busy. squalld length ola sordld and
polyglot thorouRhfars. As one Rlances from
end to end Of the street the com plicated sctiv-
tiles OF the town seem to be weaving as in a
great loom q mighty fabric OF intricate pat
tern and many colors. Vehicles OF many kinds
and hundreds OF foot passengers Goat into and
out Of the field OF vision. Far away south
ward one catches q monientary glimpse OF =
figure bearing high piled new pnsteboard
boxes filled with hats from neiRhborinR
factory Nearer at hand q small italian struR-
giles southwark with an enormous load Of
planking over one shoulder; Deiormed-look
ing Italian women hooded and capped with
great heavy shawls. turn now and then to re-
veal the explanation OF the seeming dsformlty
in the sl,eIins Infant that shares the moth.
eolorsd woman, decent shawl drawn around
her person, snda dark purple kerchlei hiding
doorway, coal scuttle on arm. to buy half y
bushel OF coal from the grocer, moment
hnstsnlng with strslned muscles across the
street. In one hand the colored woman's brim-
wood dangling al the end Of the tarred rope
that holds tho sticks together
Far ur and down the streets the sidewalks
are nbob with human heads. and one may note
the varied character Of human locomotion-
the rolling negro gait the almost rigid figures
long Apprenticeship TO the art of carrying
heavy burdens upon the head the free walk
carried easily and gracefully over one BOULDER.
shabby. appie-iaced old man. a shining soap
eioduentIy reminiscent OF Old Towery days
Now stronghold padre in decent gar.
rcars its front not many blocks below There
are pock-marked old women. hooded with
stored with tales OF the past. There passes,
with aimless gait and vacant stare, pitifully
y Ssm he I
as II it might have been the cast OF garment
or crutch-borne cripple.
OF grown-up folks and intent upon their own
amusements. A corner stand here and there
lends n bit Of color to the scene. with
the crumpled green OF cabbage leaves and the
There 10 chromatic value as well to the little
Italian woman who superiuuusly sweeps n
bit OF sidewalk, speedily as dirty rs though
she had not wasted her labor upon its UNI
grateful surface. Even the Italian mia bitants,
however. have for the most part lost their usual
tawdry splenior. and the Thompson street
arch gloomy entrance to the foulest and most
populous human hive in New York sends out
momentarily to the open air some dingy in
hahitant as o hint OF the grimy possibilities
within.