The San Francisco call., 1895-11-17

been lured; some, of course, rest on
higher plane of intelligence and pros
:perity.
- Father de Corolls, the Italian parish
priest in charge of st. Peters and st. Paurs
. Church on Dupont street, came smilingly
into the parlor of the rectory and said
that he had Just glanced at the story in
the papers and didn't know anything else
about 1t. Then he said some things about
the moral status of the community. 81
don't think the children of any Italian
:. families have been yictime, have they?"
: he sald, because Italians are very careful
about such things and of their children;
but you know how it is with the class of
;Peopie around here. They are poor; they
keep their children in the house
j.. :; he children play oft in the streets in
the;open air, and nothing else can De done
with them. When running around this
part. of the City that way, they become
familiar with all sorts of sin. They pick
up.all manner of bad words, not knowing
at first what they mean. Then they
quickly learn. 1t is surprising what the
Httle ones know, they seem to know more
tnan grown people. They are the victims
.ot circumstances and conditions. In the
public schools they are not taught re-
= Aglon; and religion is the foundation of
morality. Their consciences are not
-
about such things. L am not familiar
with the lives of other classes around here
and | do not wish to express any opinions
from my: observations Of them. Itis hard
to say what should be done to better the
conditions: Religion is the thing needed" +"
:. The blocks around Telegraph Hill are
cut UP by little alleys and narrow side
. streets, which are walled by tall tenement
houses. = Each block is hive to its center
q From. all along the streets and alleys may
" 9e: seen open, dark and dirty Railways
aading into the interiors of four-story
,tenement houses and here and there pas
sage-ways. like tunnels, through the
=. houses, lead to groups of crowded build
.ings back somewhere in the middle of the
block.
The people are prolific, as the poorer
classes generally are, and the streets and
alleys swarm with children Of all ages On
= afternoons and evenings the babei coming
:: from thickly scattered groups is like that
ota schOolyard at recess time. There are
. chg6by; black-eyed, dirty, ragged, healthy
and brightlooRing little tots; babies that
todde about with curly hair and grimv
faces and older children with skins OF all
shades and features that suggest various
sunny Mediterranean shores, Mexico,
Scandinavia and islands of the sea- Most
..0t them romp and stray at will.
yesterday a group of little children,
hardly more than babies, were having fun
with an old fellow who was lying insensi-
" bic from liquor in q doorway of Lafayette
:. place. They tickled his nose and danced
in glee, decorated him with all sorts of
debris from the gutter and reveled in their
sport. Some were neatly and prettily
dressed, but they did not turn up their
noses at the dirty ones they played with.
Along these streets and alleys yesterday
Olye-hued women, young and old, came
out 10 sit on the sidewalks, steps and curb
. stones, in twos and threes and gossiping
f. ttTOups, generally with bit of work in
= their hands and with babies near them to
watch as they rolled around in the dirt
"a nd" warm. sunshine. They leaned out of
windows everywhere, talking by the hour
: to. one another from ad lacent windowsills
and across alleyways.
? These. women and the children of the
streets are yet gossiping at a great rate
about this new affair. Most of the twenty
flve or so little girls are known and those
WHO are not held by the officers of the law
are; running around the streets as usual
and are hourly pointed out and identified
.Dy1he gossiping ones. and by other chill
:: ldTen. :"I hats her. the girl with the ging-
::haTn. apron. on down there by the horse
rough" said+one young,woman to another
I'm a doorway. on Green street yesterday
-. afternoon. You know that fat girl with
= the red dress2 She's one of them. She S
. arrested, - was overheard from group of
littlegirlS and women in front of little
- X earny-street saloon, which displayed the
81 ign, t'Wine. 5 cents a pint"
..* These are brief glances at the slope of
Telegraph Hill, from which mas come the
Ejlv'S latest hOTr0r