New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-04
NEW-Y ORK's RUMANIA.
FLOURISHING FOREIGN QUARTER
-. WHICH IS LITTLE KNOWN.

ICAN POLITICS WHILE PRESERVING ALL
THEIR NATIONAL CUSTOMS INTACT.
Rumania in New-York is the With Assembly
District and portion Of the Xth-a good slice OF
the crowded streets bounded by the Bowery.
Houston, Suffolk and Grand Right in its very
heart. on Delancey-st, the famous Neighborhood
Guild is located. 1t is the newest OF all New
Yorks foreign quarters for 1t is only during the
last ten years that these sem. Oriental yet dis
tinctively European people have been coming
here Less Is known about this quarter and the
men and women who make it than Of any other.
Why this Is so is strange. For NETWORKS
Rumana-ffty thousand strong. some say,
twenty five thousand at least. and fifteen thou
sand Of them in this quarter-has curious ways,
customs and characteristics, life that Is dis
tinct from the Yiddish ebb and flow close at
hand and prosperity that is marked.
These Rumanans of the East Side OF par
ticular interest at the moment because. as
nationality. they are the first to rush into the
political campaign. Politics in Rumania is al
ready at white heat. What is more the Ru-
manian women are taking keen interest in
the situation. Not only do they understand it,
but they can discuss it. Several times in the last
few years Rumanian bellies have gone upon the
stump" in the halls of the East Side, and have
fact the surest method in the statecraft OF the
district for bringing these men over is 10 Work
through their women.
Largely in this is to be found the essential
feature of NETWORKS Rumana. The men marry
early, raise large families. and work Tor them
steadily. The girls enter into matrimony even
sooner fourteen and fifteen being very common
ages, while an unmarried woman Of nineteen Is
considered an old maid. With the Rumanian
maids If is not money or position that attracts,
but good looks and an engaging personality on
the part of the man. The men have an eye 1or
feminine beauty in very marked degree. so
much so that maid VINO has little to commend
her in this way stands small chance OF beinS
chosen Still ahead of beauty in the mind or the
Rumanian man, however is skill at cooking. 1t
Is upon being a preparer Of culinary daintles'
rich and appetizing, after the Turkish style, that
a woman Of this prdes herself. Mothers
never fail to teach these arts to their daughters,
and 50 firmly does the Rumanian believe in
home and its comforts that he seldom, If ever, Sc
lects for wife maid of another race
BOUNDARIES OF THE COLONY.
Though within the streets named above the
colony stretches itself out with some Rumanian
families to every block, generally to every house.
there are certain highways thicily peoped with
them Eldridge-st., from it's commencement at
Division along its entire length to Houston, goes
by the name Of ''Rumania avenue" Here the
older and more conservative members Of this
foreign community come together and have their
cafes Forsyth, Broorne. Delaney and some
parts of Norfolk, Suffolk and Orchard SITS have
a strong Rumanan population. and one when
IS RAPIDLY increasing These people are Jews, al
Z most to a man Git is said that there not more
than four five Gentle families in the whole
co1onv but they are Jews of a peculiar type
utterly different from the "Polacks," the Rus
slams and the Austrians touching elbows with
them In language the Rumanans come close TO
the Italians in little tricks of information and
phrasing Nearly all speak English well, ana IN
the case Of many little traces of accent remain
AS regards religion, they are radical Jews run
ming close to the reformers of Germany. Few
actually recant their faith Gas quite frequently
bannens among othe. Hebrews), but it is noticed
that the congregations are composed almost en-
tirely of elderly men, and that the younger gen
Grafton which has much OF Socialisuc Ten
dency. seldom attends
Business, rather than manual labor or any
sort &c the work of these men. They develop into
small tradesmen quickly-not infrequently INTO
,arpo ones 1t is altogether unusual for Ru-
uanian Immigrant to peddle or to work IN the
shops on the machine, as thousands OF East
Siders do The Rumanians aim is 10 make a
rood aDpe arance at once. Hence he tres 10 PICK
out his work. The favorte employment OF young
mon lust landed Is to sell small goods or any SOFT
on commission. There is one wealthy ola man
of Rumania ON the East Side who Tor years mas
given the most Of his time to visiting ms newly
arrived countrymen at once Through his In