The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-02

Creede's Cliff, and ms tho torrent in the
u ,bcyn e s.rSots OF T te norE t ine snS M
human current must minglc with tho trucks
and express wagons and street cars that now
freely use tho street. Ono who !uoks Mt tho con
gostion at certain hours of the busy days sees
that only tho scif-possession aud good nature OF
tho metropolitan thronEs prevent DANCE. ovci,
now; "A panic, such, as II runaway team might
easily create. would DO deadly. 1t is not un-
likely that a tiino Will come when truck traffic
In fact the office buildings are likely to Drive
out some kinds OF business that now thrive
downtown, for tho movement of freight through
downtown streets is already hampAred by the
throngs OF people. There are business men who
heavy frcights below Chambers street as u
nuisance and n menace. and it is only because of
the conservatism of tho metropolitan business
mon tn I certain centres of trade hove not been
abandoned by their occupants, as tho Wholesale
streets and tho fashionable dwellings once found
in Chambers street wcrc long ago left behind.
NEW II PooR AND ITS CHARITIES.
Speaking of the congestion of population rc-
tenement districts shows n worse congestion rs
70 numbers than London. Tho Tsnth ward of
s NS% 1G %iio. has While i R@SRhnil toeSnpS Of has aaSiSS Ss s5 RSr
200. But IL ono would appreciate how. vastly
bottor the conditlons of life arc in Now York as
through public charity. while in Now York only
VHe his Past St and Present. half mRG q century y
ago. England had 81, q 900 people, mostly
ISSish showed be we si tba af two pt Of the NJ mi III nno tSsot out
Of every twenty-seven Inhabitants subsisted on
charity. while some 100000 moro had barely
slightly better in this respect there now. There
arc 100000 families, it is said. in London that
cnrn less than rs cents u day, while in New
York but $4,000 are said to be so unfortunate.
still another way OF showing tho relative con-
ditions Of life in the two cities is in the fact that
rides in vehicles in tho course of IL year. while IL
New Yorker takes 200.
The truth Is there. has been an enormous
growth of wealth in New York. and along with
1t has come II considerable increase of comfort
ments. Public opinion has not only sanctioned
the destruction of the worst tcnemcnts to DO
found here ten years ago, but 1t has created
parks where once existed. Quite as
important, as this is tho fact that healthful.
comfortable tenemcnts have been found to
steadily replacing the old breeders of zymotic
diseases with homes that arc an honor to tho
Ono may not boast of his harity, but refer.
ence must be made to the fact that an increasing
number of people in New York are coming to
as provides comfortable homes for tenants. COM
Portable shops for workmen. and such an inter-
est in tho individual workmcn when away from
the bench rs promotes his happiness, will al
ways be found profitable. Che results. for in
stance, that have followed the care which GER
tain railroad corporations have extended to their
men are manifest. Tho street car corporations
have not equalled the greater railroad corpora.
tions in this respect ms yet. but even they will
learn the lesson. The greatest philanthropist
is he who gives profitable employment to the
greatest number OF people. amt New York has
an increasing number ot such philanthropists.
But that is only the best Of New York
among the city,'s unfortunate cannot be de.
scribed in detail. but it may be easily demon
s!rated that nowhere among the largest
for the mental. moral. and physical conditions,
of the poor. The fact that London has Ii. 900
policemen. where New York has but 7,725. is
significant.
OUR PARKS AND BEACHES.
Any reference TO the parks of New York must
be interesting to people of the city, for, in spite
of the many attacks made on them by people
who want to make drivuways and convert grass
into asphalt or desert rock. they, are and will
has a greater park arcf than any other city is
absolutely true. New York has 1857. 81 acres OF
parks, London 5.976, Paris i. 739. and Berlin only
1857. This Is The area at present. but 1t is certain
that other tenement blocks will be demolished
to make way for grass plats and that outlying
the breadth Of green earth thus preserved for
the people. there are still thousands of acres
for the citizen. and they arc as readily accrs-
siblc, TOO. as the parks themselves, Consider
the unoccupied breadth of forest and field in tho
outskirts of the city-vcrituhle park lands that
may be reached by him who will at an expense
Of tiyo cents, or ten at most; If Sta ten Island
of country soil await tho eyes OF one who
can ride a wheelf While many acres in
something is to be told further on, there arc
thousands which do not show even the exasper-
ating sign Keep off he grass But that is not
all. The wide brnadths Of wn ter-thc rivers and
the bays-servc the hcnlth:ul purposes of giving
pure air and !. brcathing place TO tens of thou
sands Of citizens. The hcaltituhlCss of the con-
gcsled districts OF the city is unqucstionably
due in II great measure to the Influence of the
tidal waters within the city Limits.
And then there are tho sea beaches. Nowhere
in. the world can tho countcr-'nrts of Concy
Island and Rockaway Beach be found. It is the
usual, thing for the people who hear of Concy
Island to think of ii aS n resort where certain
forms of sin are unrcstrained-as u resort Of the
vulgar, il not OF the vile. Certainly tho resort
is not suggestive of II country Sunday school,
nor would II Irohibitionist look with delight
beer drinkers do not always look with delight
on these glasses. either. though their disapprovni
would be based on the lack of beer and /; plenti.
full abundance of froth. And then young men
aud young women do dance on sunday there and
dispori themselves with ;m abandon of decorum
even be admitted that certain gross sins are
practiccd there. but when the worst that can DO
Lruthlully said of thC sinners here is told thofact
remains that during The hot season from 10000
to $50. 600 honest people go there every day
seeking for health ana u'mfort, and they get
vile intent are comparatively so few in number
as to be absolutely insignificant. Rockaway
Beach is further away from tho centres OF popu-
laLion, is less accessible. ana is consequently
less popular. still smaller numbers 70 TO
Sound. and around Jamaica Bay ulG the South
Bay front of Brooklyn. But Oh tho whole. these
resorts which give recreation to fens Of thou:
FNI W. va nv NV 'AiA
in the heated term form what is at once a most
important and q unique feature of the town.
In spite of n rather ostentntious exhibit of beer
and deviltry they form II most valuable part of
the town.
To consider once more the physical features of
the city, it may be noted that the gcographi.
Cnl centre of the old New York was not far from
l25th street, but now 1t may be found near the
first bend of the cycle path south of Prospect
Park.
MARKET VALUE OF THE CITY.
The market value of the city is II sun so great
that no human mind can comprehend ii. New
York real estate. on II valuation of 30 per cent.
is assessed at about 81 zoo. 900, 900. while
brooklyn. on n valuation OF 10 per cent. is as
sesscd at $500. 900. o To this must be added
personal property of q value that cannot be ado.
auatoly estimated. but. IL one may guess. let it
be said that New York is worth 81, 900. 900. 900.
IL that sum were made up of silver dollars, and
those were laid in IA single line touching each
other, they would reach more than four aud II
half times around tho world-the line would be
la, 600 miles long.
Considering tho wealth and Intelligence OF tho
community 1t Is rather humiliating TO observe
that tho city has now no less than o69.6 81 miles
of cobblestone (round boulders) pavement that
for rugged simplicity and destructive tendencies
d. thn ,notta. ~ xphnalnI yahirlng ,un ha