The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-12
IN TIE ITALIAN QEARTER.
A SULLIVAN STREET sBOP OUT OF
KEY n ITS VEG BORS.

boNottouht arcs THAT Auora =
the Material aide or Hdfe Displayed Aoont
Thonn-its window the GnJe-t IN 'ho S'roc'
Tho Passing Groups OF Italian women
Thoro is little nttempt at window dressing IN
Sullivan street. Tho goods are crowded In,
higRledy pigglcdy, Just as they come, and thcro
Is nothing elusive or misleading in the effect,
except, perhaps, the atmosphere OF mystery
given by the unpublished window panes that
guard them. There are ragpickers down there
and bird vendors, swcat-shop workers. and n
motley crew. One shop on the lcft.hand side
Of the street, as you 90 down, locks out Of key
with its ncivhbors, n solitary stickler for the
ideal and tho immatcrial in tho midst Of tho
crowding poverty and gross uRliness that hedge
n about
~" q, tho
MOST OF the shops in the street arc IN 'no
Easements of the top.benyy Those
nm rho ground noor ana tho o,bor sort ma well.
- ~ s.' 80 a"u ~ '"S S.insows
nave iron Bratings over their snow WIhuo"s'
as though to make safe the wares within. Even
tho hird store whoro tho soo,hersd ~cantives oud.
die down against the sides of their cages ana
blink apprchensivcly at the street. have these
IRON bars to protect them from the boys OUT
s'oe. Inc whoie street looks witharawh "
self and on guard against possible happenings,
iy y" 'o'" "'o
doorway unique among It's neishoors' sahu-
and hutton, ncrfumcrr md snoo,.thread store.
"nu pu'ton' periuiner!' nhu spoorlnhe"" ot'
drapod table in the centre, with tapers burning
upon IL md imapeso NJ the virgin and the Saviour
in aon,ina araneus and oraitad n,t,,,,So Thoro
IN moving urapcry ana exalted attitude. lherc
is q counter laden with images similar In de-
sign. only much smaller. and shelves full of
doctrinal symbols, pictures, and the ike. Tho
linked sausages, the stark pimply-necked poul-
try that danslo next door, and the piled,np car
roIs ana turhips. ana limp, halt'wlitea CAP
bagcs, make the little sanctuary oil shop seem
all the more unworldly. Even the pilcd.u kegs
- III. oio ~ ~" W ~ - pN.uup 80
OF spit WOOD, each bundle OF stove pieces tied
by itself with a - cts placard stuck up on
ION serve IN make tho ;rares and III. ,nccnse
tof = o NV i"i"e'' ".A nv ~"
and the rosaries seem apart and to themselves;
Inc stoEe'wood packages. the poultry, ana
tne pl"iu aress GOODS ana DeulAcnea oeiI
Ca,ar rs a iho non peau ~ IN INC W Sna az N, oc Seah
The sky-blue boot painted SO prominently on the
sh9emaker's, widow, beyond also hints OF life
windowed shop appeal only to the soul; they
nave n9Ight to do with the concerns OF every
ing Of the time when ii shall pfod no more.
Despite me nature OF us goods Ibis shop
window is the gnyest in tho street. The robes
or the images arc or cheerful blue and red. The
saucers IN which the tapers burn glow like
GOALS. There is a wealth Of artificial leaves
of the tall Christ that stands with hanu uplifted
to the LEFT OF tho window. a pearIy, white
about the neck Of the Virgin in sky.bluc drap-
cry posed on the other side. There are white
china plaques with a staring, blood red heart
pierced with thorns in the middle, and pictures
of the saints in intolerable anguish and purple
robes balanced on snowy casels. Devotional
notices blaZened on little amulets and trinkets
of one kind and another are tucked in among
the other articles, and around the head of a
massive. image of the Virgin is fastened this
inscription: Remember mo in your prayers,
and l will remember you at the throne Of Cod
The figures are common and tawdry. There
is nothing artistic about them, but the window
and the shop are orderly and clean and put to
blush the establishment next door, on the other
side from the butcher shop. There cards Of but
tons, odds and ends of calico, cloth, packages
OF flour, peas and so on are heaped against the
smirched window pane haphazard fashion, and
so cluttercd up is the interior that the wonder
is how the customers ever find standing room
when they come to purchase. There Is "a con-
tinuous counter running around the four sides
of this shop and the scales are suspended in the
middle, giving a queer appearance and endan.
gering the heads OF the unwary.
There are intent lookers-in at the sanctuary
shop window these murky winter afternoons.
1t seems customary for the housckeepers Of tho
neighborhood to fetch The oil for their lamps
and. even the lamps themselves, from the oil
dealers after work Is over and dark has
come. At that hour the oil measurers little
basement shop near by is crowded with Gus
toners, waiting, TO get their lamps filled. IL is
probable that the absence of oil cans in these
,"'' a"o