The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-08-24
THIRTY YEARS ago..
Newark City Directories
Of 1867 and
1869.
S
SOME INTERESTING COMPARISONS
How the City Has Grown in a
Third Of d century-Societies
Whose Names Do Not
Appear.

Appear.
II you really are to appreciate what the
growth of Newark has been in the last
thirty years, compare the miscellaneous
matter at the back of the City Directory
for the year 1867 with that to be found
in the book issued last week, to be known
as the City Directory for the year 1897,
says the Newark Sunday Call.
The pages are of the same size, but in
the older book there are but $3.50 of them.
while in the latest volume there are
1,327, exclusive of the Harrison and Kear-
ny directories at the back Of the book.
In these figures alone a ia" idea of the
| great growth may be guessed at. But IN
the old book each name and address.
went entirely across the page, while in
the present directory as well as in many
of its predecessors, the page is divided
into two columns. The type in the old
rbook is, of course, much the larger, and
there is any amount of unoccupied space,
for in those days space not only in the
| directory but about the city, in lands.
was not considered especially valuable.
Some of the space was filled with pithy
| maxims and wise sayings, and here are
| a few of them:-s'Take care of the PEN
| MES and the dollars will take care of
YOU Diligence is the secret of sue.
| cess .'Out of debt, out of danger
sSave when you are young, spend when
you are Old Little and often fills the
purse, . PLANT the pennies and they will
produce dollars "A penny saved is two
-o,,o oI1a :, nanpx a dov, ic % srroa-A q
| year. H who spends all he gets is On
the high road to poverty
According to- the old directory there
We're just ten banks in the city. including
three savings Institutions. In the new
| directory there are seventeen banks. in
| Guiding six savings, institutions. Although
| the city is many thousands larger thar it
was thirty years ago. the people of the
last named period do not seem to have
| been near as generous nor as philan-
threpic as at the present time. Perhaps
it was because they had just emerged
| from the throes of civil war, and in that
| awful four years had given SO much that
| they no longer felt able TO continue ben
evolent. AT all events, the old directory
has but twelve benevolent associations IN
its list, while the '97 book has a grand
total of eighty-tWo. The comparison is
odious, but it should in all fairness be
| said that the newest list contains the
| names of many associations which the
makers of the old book would scarcely
have recognized as benevolent associa-
TONS. although they are such. Then
many new organizations have sprung up
in the last two decades. If the branches
of the benevolent associations in exist
| ence today in Newark We're counted, the
total would pass-the hundr mark In
the matter of helping ones less fortunate
brother, Newark has certainly improved
If the census figures are to be relied
upon the population of Newark has in
| creased in the last thirty Years from h.
1A) to 25. 600. The last is thought by
some to be under the real figures, and
| that the true population may be close
upon 2Se,0oO. But sticking to the figures
as set down in two books, Newark has
| not only grown to be once more as large
as it was in 81, but has fifty thousand to
| spare.
There are thirteen insurance companies
that own Newark as stheir home, against
| six thirty years back. This does not in
| clude a list of no less than fifteen Italian
| societies, which the new directory places
under the mead of insurance companies.
The growth of the public school system
is almost startling. Thirty years ago
there were but twenty-one public schools,
| including tn few evening schools for
! males that were held then. With the
opening of the present year there are no
less thar ffty-four, not counting the
| evening school as separate institutions.
| Newark was nothing if not literary in the
| old days. In ST it was not so large but
that people ofskindred tastes n1ght mo
each other out and band themselves TO,
| gether. Now there are countless small
| literary societies, but none that are rep
| ~resentative of the. city. or which the
| greater part of the people know any
/ thing about. The city in its great growth
/ has swallowed up all such institutions.
/ Thirty years ago they were great on lee
! lures and literary entertainments, debates
| and all sorts of literary exercises. New
ark was truly but a big town, where
| nearly every one knew everybody else,
and whereaa literary meeting always
| these gatherings after all like big family
| parties. You always knew about who
| you would see there, just as you know
/ tainment. Some of the old literary So
| cietias whose very names have been for
| gotten are to be found in the old direc-
/ tory. but you will search high and low
| in the new book and get no trace of them.
4 Here the are, and the simple sight of
| their names may rouse old memories in
the minds of many a middle aged New
arker:-New Jersey State Literary Union,
4 Presidents; Galen NJ. Fisher, Of Railway,
Nice-President; u. B. Brewster, of New
! ark. Secretary, and DIR. d. N. Skinnel
Treasurer. Then there were the Philo-
mathic Society, the Irving Reunion. the
Washington Literary Union, the Cay
1sciety, Wesley Chapel Young Mems Assoc
citation, the Newark Literary Club and
the Newark Catholic Literary .Associa-
| ton.
A comparison of the fire departments
of the two periods is also highly interest
ing. In 81 there were six steamers, one
hose company and two hook and ladder
companies-MinRehaha steamer, Passaic
steamer. Washington teaHer Moses
Bigelow steamer, Harry Soden steamer.
Franklin steamer. Neptune Hose, Enion
| Hook and Ladder Company. Newark was
not vet out of the village fashion of nam
ing fire companies after old firemen or
prominent citizens, and SO on. Today
there are fourteen engine companies. a
chemical engine and four hook and ladder
nothing of electric fire alarms. and the
4 fire department business of the book of
today is made additionally imposing by
the long list of over 220 fire boxes. OF
course the Salvage Corps and the Under
writers Association was also unknown
The police department of the two periods
are. when compared. a theme for thought.
/ There were in 'G7 one chief, one captain.
two Eeutenants, four Sergeants and four
detectives. Now there are four police
but one. thatin William street. There are
six detectives. a police surgeon and a
triarf officer. the last two Offices being
unknown in the earlier period. There are