Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-01-07
What Mrn.

What Mrs. Vandorbilt's Missionary says.
The condition of the poor in this city,
at the present time is much worse than
any article written on the subject can
possibly depict. One who is in the
habit of going among them daily, as l
am, goes with a heavy aud troubled
heart; for the tangle that now ensnares
the poor seems so great that one cannot
see the way out.
My missionary work for the past six
teen years has led me among the crowd
ed tenements OF the East side, in the
district lying between Third avenue
and the East river, and East Broadway
and Fourteenth street. There 1 now
see more actual want in one days Wis
iting than formerly in whole
month during the past years OF my eX-
perience. Let me mention a few OF the
typical cases we encounter daily: Bone
Alley is one OF the most noted OF
New York's Sums. 1t is situated at
No. 1917 Wilett street, and received
its old name from the fact that in
former years it was the resort Of col
ony OF bone and rag pickers-the chit
fonBicrCs OF the metropolis. Eight
dingy and rickety buildings open in the
alley, each four stories high and with
four families crowded upon every Goor,
itinR about dozen families living in
these wretchsd barracks, discover that
there are about five or SIX mepbers i'm
each household. Even on the clearest
day the halls are totally dark. The ven
tilatiOn is simply frightful, and the
families who live in the rear have a row
Of foul-smelling closets under their
windows. For these miserable quarters
they pay from FIVE 20 ten dollars rent
One feels ike crying ont: us this
living2 n 30, no wonder life itself IS
held so cheap" Yet suicides here are
rare, because the tenants 10 such slums
have already lost their seli-respect and
when that is gone, they are easily half
way down the human scale. Here is a
woman whose husband died only two
weeks ago; she mas three small children;
no ire, no food. "Oh, give mo work,
! or my children will starve," She means
| piteOusly. In another miserable
! apartment, I 1uda woman walking about
the floor like Gagged animal and greatly
! excited. she catches my skirts and
holds them tightly. 81 am starving"
| she mutters h0arsely. 81 have been
! living on a cents worth Of soda crackers
| for the last two dsys." We gave her
| food and watched her while she ate raw
/ enously, vet weakly. An at once she
| DuFht ont crying FDub 1 must not eat
/ all this now, for my girl will bo here
/ soon, and she must have some of &c. And
wo will be hungry again tomorrow. O..
/ lady; please get me some work. i will
| do 10 very cheap-Only enough % livep"
/ The appeal was heart-meltlng and 10 was
/ Ike hundreds Of others from poor Great
| ures similarly situated. Fortunately We
I we're able 90 get her soma cleaning 20
| do which would bring in a few dollars.
Many Of the homes reveal sad story
\ Of the long.cOntinued search for work,
| but oil I'm vain. Hero is one OF this sort
! in Manhattan street that will serve as
! the type for many more. Eight in the
/ family; husband a laborer, walks the
| streets. until be is ready 10 drop, hunt
/ ing work. He enters tho fOrlorn home
/ while we arc there, and answers our in-
/ terroRatories with q choking voice and
I eyes sufIusod with tears. The only in-
/ come they have bad during two months
/ IL a couple OF dollars from a twelvo-yoar.
old child who is delicate and ia need OF
nourishment and rest, yct who goes out
20 sell newspapers. How can We expect
| strong men aud women when they are
| crushed like this during childhood?
II would DO impo ssible 70 describe the