The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-14
FRIENDS IN THE GHETTO
A RESIDENT OF CHICAGO sLUMs
KNEW ZANGWILL AS A BOY.
The Jewish Critic and Novelist Re-
calls Incidents of His Life in the
WhitechapeI District.
Chicago Post.

innate playmate and companion of Israel
Aangwfll when the famous novelist. wit and
critic was a humble urchn in the worst
part of London's WhitechapeI district.
Zangwiips first act on arriving in this city
was to drive to the colony Of Russian Jew
refugees and search out the companion of
his boyhood days. After a separation of
more than seventeen years their hands met
in hearty clasp of undiminished friend
ship. and their eyes spoke more eloquently
than their lips of the joy which the reunion
brought to their hearts.
The meeting confronted the boyhood COM
rades with shrinking change in their rela-
tive positions since they had romped to-
gether through the narrow lanes of the
London Ghetto and shared the joys and
sorrows of childhood in the CRIME of White
chapel. Then Halprin often played the role
Of benefactor to his now celebrated friend
gave Zangwill his first introduction to the
mimic world of the playhouse and helped
inspire the great dramatist, critic and now
elist's first attempts at literary compost
ton. Monday the author of Children Of
the Ghetto" found his first benefactor and
chum in pinched quarters on the second
floor of the howell at SO Liberty street. The
nooday meal which Halprin, his wife and
six children were eating when Zangwill
entered their abode was as scanty as any
described in the Ghetto sketches, for the
master of the establishment has been long
out of employment and the room in which
the table was spread had a baroness IA
miliar to the eye of the visitor
The two men talked of little else than
the old days when neither of them dreamed
of the honors which awaited the younger
faff oav,a o. Co.. Al,
refugee colony of Chicago which fate had
in reserve for the elder. Although there
has been no confession of the fact, the
new spirit of hope and cheer in the face
of the dweller in Chicagos "Jewry'' indi-
Gates that the visit of zangwill left more
than a revival of pleasant recollections and
that new comforts may soon be expected
to appear in the humble home above the
ragshop in Liberty street.
ZANGWILL TELLS OF VISIT.
When asked about his visit to the refugee
colony the famous cynic pleaded guilty to
the charge and said:
Yes, l wished to hunt up the companion
of my boyhood and i took my first morning
in Chicago to give myself that pleasure.
our associations We're close ana his pleasure
and surprise when he opened the door at the
head OF the dtngy stairway and saw me
standing there was a genuine pleasure to
me. We had great times together in the
days when we were boys in the London
Ghetto, but the one experience which stands
out in my memory was that of the night
he took me to the first playhouse l ever
visited. In some way he had contrived to
save enough money TO buy two tickets to
one of the typical cheap music halls of
Whitechapel and he generously invited me
the songs and all the show and glitter of the
place were wonderful in my eyes the first
night. was spell-bound from the moment
l entered until we took our tardy departure.
THE Impressions OF those two charmed
hours always have remained with me ana
they nave become a part or my life. Never
did players have a more appreciatlve audi
tor than / was that night. The dancing
and the songs were perhaps the most cap
tivating portions of the performance. One
of the diItes-a meaningless flow of nom
sense and rhyme-stuck in my thought ana
have never been able to forget it. In fact
my initial impressions of the theater, to.
gether with the song to which refer, figure
in the sketch called Tuning Up published
in one of my earlier books.
THAT was by no means the last time my
good friend took me to playhouse and
gave me the treats when he had more
pence to spend than had We had many
jolly outings together. for even poverty
cannot prevent healthy boys from having
their fun.
Although his surroundings are the hum
blest, Halprin speaks English with the flu
ency of an educated American and has read
all his friends books, together with many
others, including the standard English au-
thors.
DOESN'T REMEMBER 1T WELL.
ct don't recall the circumstances of Gang
Wills first visit to the theater as clearly as
he does" said the former playmate of the
author as he started from his home to con-
tinue his daily search for work. But l do
remember all about the first story he ever
had printed in a paper. He was then about
eighteen years old and was studying in a
Jewish free school. One day he was very
serious and at last managed to draw from
him the thing which was uppermost in his
thought. He had then quite taste for fic-
ton, for We had spent night after night to-
gether, at the little table in the family room
at his fathers house, reading Dickens by
the dim light OF q paraff1n lamp. Some times
we read until o'clock in the morning. This
led him to attempting 10 write, and the day
of which l speak he confded to me that he
had made up his mind to try his hand at
story.
I'm some way he had obtained a new
weekly paper called Society. Probably it
had been thrown aside by former reader.
In it was an offer of several prizes for
stories, the largest prize being 45 for the
best manuscript offered. | am sure that
'Izzy' as Mr.. Zangwill was then called by
his friends and the members of his family,
had no thought or expectation of winning
the first prize, but he was determined to try
for something, and at the time he took me
into his confidence he had already made
beginning on the story But he had been
brought to a standstill because the story
had something TO dc. with description OF
the stage. This was then running at one
of the better theaters in London and l
easily understood how much he desired to
see 1t. / told him / couldn't go with him
myself but / would make 1t possible for him
to go and take his oldest sister Leah. He
was delighted and they went TO see the
performance. Then he finished the story
and one evening he read 1t to me. He didn
feel very hopeful about what would come of
it. but told him that il was good and that
he should send it to the editor This he did
and then followed an anxious spell OF wait
ing for the decision.
HE WON THE PRIZE.
''I can see now just how he looked as he
came home from the free school and was
met at the door by his sister Leah Her
face was beaming. Handing him a letter
she explained: Icy, you've got the prize
the first prize of e5r
He shook his head and answered: No;
it isn't so. 1t can't be. l don't believe it,
But as he read the letter it was plain to
see by the change in his expression that his
sisters words were true. After that expert
ence he told me he believed he would write
more stories. His pleasure was repeated
when the story appeared in print and he re-
ceVed his check for G5. 1t was certainly
proud day for him when his companions and
his brothers and sisters read in print his
first story. The same paper offered prizes
effort to head the list. But this time he
didn't succeed as well. He sent in his
rhYmes-one in his own name and one in
mine. This, of course. was boyish prank.
Although j have forgotten the verse SUBJ
United IN his own name. the lines of the one
-s.T, aflx~f h.at~