Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-01


entirely 10y themselves. understand no Ian
Euage int'Iiigouuy but their own. and arc
very backward in lcComing AmcriCanizcd
may b." said to constitute foreign colonies
I'm Washington. They are the Italians. the
Chinese aud the Greeks.
OF these the Italians are the most nu-
1Ecroue md the most accessible. I started
I'm to get acquainted with our Italian friends
some time ago. and have paid them 81 mum
her Of visits recently. The Italians have
taken up their abode in two principal
places IN Washington. both near the center
Of the city. Many of them live -
street between nth and 18th streets north
west. .ogothcr with few who live in
som" rJmsh aCkc frame shantics Just be
lind. ohio avenue. The other and more
I-opulous TtIlan settlement is In Purly's
court which opens out from LIST street
northwest. just above Pennsylvania ave
nur.
Let us visit the swarthy-visaged dcni-
z"ug Cf - street and ohio avenue first.
ono might walk by their dwellings, care
l'ssly many times without noticing any
thing remarkable. The Italians for the
most part grouped together in few
houses. ,tui have learned the art Of hud-
cling together So we'll that one would
scarcely suspect that there were some two
hundred of them there one sees little of
the sIsleudor of Rome or the beauty of
Naples about their housos
Th"s" Italians look askanCc ut out
ejd"rs and are 81 unwilling to have any
dealings with any but their own people.
that one has to experiment considerably
hcfor" getting much out of them. The best
plan ms to he to 20 among them IA q
Iug'!IErr- III" hop" of making few
CnpT'rs. If it does not allly their suspi-
Ci"rs. 1T l"ast induces them to- ovrrcorn"
them. W hen You find one Of their number
who's face doesn't brighten at the thought
"f making something you might as well
sh1k" the dust off yOur patent feathers and
depart straightway.
To Reach the Inside.
If YOU want to see the interior of any OF
the houses don't begin at the front door Ir
you d. You will find that the inhabitants
hav' an iuHoSpitablc fashion of coming out
On the steps in front to talk with you. and
intellectually closing the door behind them
They don't even bring "A chair with them
hut this is perhaps CNCuSIbIc. for chair, in
side m Italian household are scarce as
oysters IN tn" pruvCThIJI church fair SOUP
In casting about FOR some pcaccahlc
m"'hp'i IF going through one of their dwell
luES ] CEpi"d Il side entrance with tho gate
Il triho Hjar. Taking this for sign of wei
com" ] walked In, and pretending not to
note" any one until | got as far as the
.t'k yard. pleasantly inquired for the head
OF the household.
After satisfying herself that | was neither
rent collector nor garbag" inspector
enc of tn" women volunteered 70 call tho
head or the household. and started in the
BACK d""r. closing it behind her. This wa
10 he expected. and 50. rcnarLIng that #
would 10" "a pity to ask him to come clear
out mere. | opened the door and followed
Ter through into the middle of the house.
Mh'rc ] sat down at my own invitation IN
await III" ECntlcman's arrival.
IN thr italian quarter it Is customary for
many Families TO live in one house. some
times tho house is taken by some one man
to tl,.,
'upants. and sometimes the families seem
!" run a sort Of cooperative establish
,h"ht. The cooking and eating fs mostly
H"na downstairs. while in the rooms aboy,
uCk"ty cot bed. or simply "A mattress
rings sweet slumher to the weary heal
Nhcr night comes The room whcr. I w,s
seated was a sort of general living room
combined kitchen. dining room porIor
conservatory. nursery and museum In
}'i'r" OF ChIirs there were several r,,d,.
r'"'htS ana table. although the latter
was not SO available for sitting on as n :,
i.'' not been covered with Unwashrj dishes
y woman wa cooking, "a kettle of macoroni
- M stove ~ one corner. despite the fac,
.I'' IL Mas Ia" mid He of the forenoon
here. " "'H
Curious Types.
The head OF the louise entered nreea,t1,
W men questioned regarding his work. he
ihnied. as If to say work was something
he could engage in or not. ms he ,Ic,sad
aid sati. in his haItiug and much distorted
English:
On. yaes. ! takes out a cart know
iInit-go In the strcet-sometimes'
~ you max" much money at it,
a., ia'S SAID he. gesturlng prorusely:
makes few moneys
an oIu man oCCJ pied the front room
alone. Az one side of the room was an I'M
made cot bed. ana near by 1t stood a table
covered with some kind of macaroni while
Imply beer bottles were scattered all about
me occupant OF the boudoir was kneeling
hti"rt a cage or small trained birds which
NAY be seen now and then on the street
WIN their owner. doing tricks for the edifi-
cation OF the public. He told me he had
just been out to church, but his breath
smeIled as II he had been somewhere else
sell you the lot for four hundred dol
iar' ne said 10 me. "Oh. you want to lust
nIy one: give you that green one for
w hat do they do?" I inquired
Ihey walk the string eight ropeJ: they
sings and do work"
ne italians on ID street make their live
Nhood IN the main out of the street piano
anu hand organ. There Is ore house where n
great many OF these are kent. and on rainy