Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-08-31
"LITTLE ITALY"
Jacob Riis Describes FeastDay in
the Italian Quarter in New York.

When Governor Roosevelt was presi-
dent of the New York police board, he
attended a saints -day celebration in
little Italy" and Jacob Riis, who
went with him, thus describes the
scene in the Century:
The rumble of trucks and the slam
ming of boxes up on the corner ceased
for the moment, and in the hush that
fell upon Mulberry street snatches OF
familiar tunes, punctuated by a deter
mined drum, struggled into the dock,
Around the corner came a band OF
musicians with green cock-feathers in
hats set rakishly over fierce, sunburnt
faces. A raft of boys walked in front,
abreast Of two bored policemen, step
ping in time to the music. Four men
carried lk-fringed banner with
evident pride Behind them a strange
procession toiled along: women with
babies at the breast and dragging little
children; fat and prosperous padrones
carrying their canes like slaves OF
office and authority; young men out for
holiday; old men with lives OF hard
ship and toll written in their hating
gait and worn and crooked frames,
lastly, cripple on Crutches. who
strove manfully TO keep up. The Of
ficials in Police Headquarters looked
out of the windows and viewed the
show indifferently. It was an every
day spectacle, This one had wandered
around the block thrice that day. Pres
ident Roosevelt (Of the Police Board),
who had come out to go to lunch, was
much interested To him 1t was new
Where do you suppose they are GO
ing?" he said, surveying Inc process
sion from the steps. He was told
that some Italian village saint was
having his day celebrated around in
Elizabeth street. and he expressed a
desire to see how it was done. So we
fell in, he and |, and followed the band
too, at a little distance.
1t led us to a ramshackle old house
in Elizabeth street, and halted there
in front of a saloon with the appealing
announcement on a swinging sign:
"Vino. Vino, di California, di Italia.
And Kind of Whisky for Sale" The
band and the fat men went into the
saloon. We followed the women,
the children, and the scraggy ones
through gap in the brick wall that
passed for an alley to the back yard,
and there came upon the village OF
Auletta feasting its patron saint.
1t was a yard no longer, but
temple. All the sheets OF the tene-
ment had been stretched so as TO cover
the ugly sheds and outhouses. Against
the dark rear tenement the shrine OF
the saint had been erected shutting II
altogether out OF sight with wealth
Of scarlet and gold. Great candles
and little ones, painted and berib-
boned, burned In a luminous grove be-
fore the altar The sun shone down
upon a mass OF holidayclad men and
women, 10 whom 1t was all as a mem
DRY OF home. 81 the beloved home
across the seas: upon mothers kneel-
ing deyoutly with their little ones al
the shrine. and upon children bring
ing offerings 10 the saints glory. His
face smiled down benignly upon them
from the frame OF gaudy colors with
the coat Of arms OF the village-Or
was 1t a hint at the legendary history
Of the SANTA fox dragging a re-
iuctant rooster by the tall. In his
own country the saint Is held to be
mighty against fever, and the ague, OF
which there ls much there. The faith
which prompted a stricken mother to