The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-06
SOME UNEMPLOYED s1rTERs.
what They said 20 n Man who Tried 70 win
Thom Over to Light work in the suburbs.

A Jerseyman who has lived for two months In
o street facing Tompkins Park, in Brooklyn. Is
about to return to his home and half-acre plot
across tho North River. He was convinced by
o recent inspection of his half acre that IL would
take an industrious mar three days to put tho
yard in order. AS men willing to do odd jobs
are few in this Jerscyman's home ncighbor.
hood, he decided to hire a man in the city TO go
out and do the work. He calculated that he
would pay tho man $3.50 n day and 25 cents
for daily fare to and from the city.
Now, Tompkins Park is small, and being in n
residence district, is not any such popular sum.
mer resort for the unemployed rs is City Hall
Park, for instance. Most of the TompRins
Park idlors are men in comfortable circum.
stances, who can afford their own baby car
rlagcs and three meals n day. However, the
Jerseyman had observed some eight or ten rcgu-
lar sittcrs on the park benches who gave un-
mistakable evidences of health, poverty, and
idlcncss. Four OF these men he had seen beg
ging along Tompkins avenue and Greene ave.
nuc. lie had seon them begging for bread;
they were hungry; they could get no work on
account of tho hard times; they didn't want
money. but only a little food, &c. Tho
rest Of this little group Of unemployed he had
seen beg money, telling the usual tales of ex-
treme hunger, hard luck, and anxiety TO get work
and escape the disgrace OF soliciting help.
Moved by the yellow tales Of starvation In
the public parks and highways, tho J~erseyman
thought he would do q good decd and got his
half acre put In good order at the same time.
So two days ago he approached the burliest and
healthiest and most ~insistent Of the unemployed
sitters. and asked him II he wanted an easy
Job with fair pay. The unemployed sitter, evi.
IDENTITY thinking that he would not be nailed
ly that ho did. The Jcrseyman stated the
terms, and the unemployed sitter professed
starvation in tho parks, idlencss in hard times,
and the hardness Of most human hearts. The
next morning the Jcrseyman was 10 take tho
unemployed sitter to the New Jersey suburb
and give him a lawn mower to trundle for the
When the J~erscymen appeared in the park
on the noxt morning there was the unemployed
wasn't feeling well: he had rheumatism; he
didn't feel sure he knew how TO manage IA lawn
never ;x hi had trouble Re Ibor, VIII, tn his hsd knees n,nt from to- HG
asked for 20 cents. but refused fatty to do s
cents worth Of work in return. To try him,
the Jerscyman asked him to cross tho street
and put out an ash can for tho money. but again
that story Of general debility, SO ~inharmonious
service. To make a long story short, the sitter
wouldn't work, although he walked a mile OF
hot streets an hour later to beg;
In succession the other members of the order
Of unemployed sitters were tried with the offer
Of three days work for $3.50 and trnnsporta
! llOn, II slOTl VI lhlluIt Itti III bt loIu III
each case, for 1t is the story Of the first man APP
droaChed. The first three mentioned were
Americans; all had terrible cases Of rhcuma'
tism which incapaCitated them FOR lawn NOW.
Ing. Next can't two Germans. Both laIncnted
loudly that they had weak stoinachs, which
would make il impossible for them TO use
spade, hoe. or rake. New Jcrscyi Where was
New Jerscvf They had never heard Of il; they
couldn't go so far from the city. us they were
looking for relatives and might miss them BY
leaving the city.
y Pole, a sclf.styled Russian. and rugged non
dcscript took refuge. in foreign languages q:
soon as their glib English seemed likely &c
bring them too near II job. An lrishnan, VIII
would be n hard proposition on a dark night
for the majority of able bodied men, was toe
weak for lack OF food TO attempt the voyage
by the annex and tho trolley ride beyond unice.
he could forti.y himself with a drink or two
and 25 cents worth OF food In advance.
SO the Jerscyman is still without prospects Of
getting HIS half acre properly clipped and beau
titul before his return home, and so the starving
poor OF Tompkins Park still sit and starve ant
starve and sit, growing rnygcdcr and fatter ant
lazier every day on the meals they beg in thu
neiG hborhOod. Perhaps they are waiting Il
tell their narrowing tales OF idlcncss and hnrt
times and hunger TO the yellow journals, ant
fear they'd miss chances To see thcir name
and pictures in yellow front pages II the!
should venture out of town to brave the dan
gers of the lawn mower the rake. the wheel
barrow. and other instruments for the tortur
and degradation OF the victims Of capital.