The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-18
LITTLE ITALY'S GREAT DAY.
THE COLONY 7RANSFORMED ~ HONOR
or the TIRGIS.


Our Lady OF Mount Carmel Yesterday. Tho
reai feast day was July 10. which was Sunday.
| The active celebration Of the day was there
fore partly postponed until yesterday. All Of
the streets OF Little Italy. from lO5th street to
10th street and from Second avenue to the
East River. were filled with Italian folks In the
very best clothes and brightest headdresses
and scarfs they could afford to wear. At
binary times Little Italy Is district where
violence and disorder are not unusual. The
Captain OF police at the East l04th street sta
ton, II he is IA conscientious Captain, usually
ends his day by walking through Little Italy
rather conspicuousv. that tho people there
may have n good view OF an administrator OF
law and fear the same. On the feast OF Our
Lady OF Mount Carmel Little Italy is good
Ncndettas are laid aside. The hottest tenn
pered OF all its householders either leaves his
revolver and stietto at home or forgets that
they are In his pocket.
weary. overheatei laborer with brigand-
ish mustache shoudered his way through the
swinging doors Of the saloon at 18th street
and Second avenue yesterday noon and called
| out in Italian an order for drink. 1t was APP
parent that he had already been drinking "A
| good deal The bartender was a German and
| surly. and did not understand. The man re-
peatcd the order and went to the door
Il coma da back. pref SOON he said. no
| hurry"
| The bartender called him names. The
| Italian whirled about. came back to the bar.
and glared at him angrily.
| Get out. you Dago buml" shouted the bar
| tender. and picked up a siphon of settler and
| sauirted water into the Italians face. The
| Italians hand flashed to his coat pocket. Then.
as II his arm had been struck, the hand
dropped out of the pocket and fell at his side.
| The n ~ who had pNpprt az Il
to see bloody fight, were astonished.
| Don't do it again" said the Italian earn
estly but quietly to the bartender. Another
| day from this YOU maka da big mistake" lie
| walked out Of the place with his head in the
| air.
This was but an inward and spiritual sign Of
| the outward and visible grace of the whole dis
trict. There was no lone widow dependent on
the earnings OF her newsboy son too poor yes
| terday to hang out cheesecloth American and
Italian flags on her fire escape yesterday. The
more wealthy covered the fronts Of their houses
with great garands Of bunting. made gar
| landed bowers OF their Goorways and the
| housetops to briste with flags. In ll5th.
| Hath and 18TH streets the sidewalk in front
| OF every house was merchants booth for the
| sale OF such things. secular and religious, as
make festal day complete. The people
| crowded one another from curb to curb In idle.
merry conversation. Every little while they
| were pushed right and left into compact. swell
tering walls OF humanity. while with trumpet
blare and drum throbbng a gorgeous process
| sion swept by. with gilt appareed riders in the
van and great floats bearing historical tableauN
| following between detachments of fercc-look-
| ing sword bearing men wearing green and
white and red plumes in their visured caps
| The centre OF all the celebration was the
Church OF Our Lady Of Mount Carmel in 10th
The celebration began in tho morning with
cannon firing and frecracker explosions. The
| the quarter and the streets filled with people
IN a Quarter Of an hour They found the mer-
| Many Of them had been at work since midnight
| building ana arranging their stands. transfer
Whee " With srs and no 'h "ns M!
tissue-paper rosettes. Most Of the stands sold
things to eat. Nut kernels threaded together
! stretched from one post of the booth to an
other Great trays. yard or more square.
glazed with white and dark icings There
| were all kinds Of fruit and cheese. At some Of
| vegetables. At every tenth foot along the gut
ter stood men with ice-cream trerzers holding
h e ten n Th% an bqe 70 hen
| to the women and children who gathered
There we're great numbers OF pushcarts with
| loads Of candles and with images and colored
| pictures of the Virgin, One man had wagon
| load OF buttons rather bigger than silver
dollar. uron which was 4 representation OF Our
Lady, OF Mount Carmel. al i'll ,colors. as she
| stands in the basement OF the church with her
| draperirs almost hidden by the golden and
| JeweIled offerings OF her people 1t was "A very
| accurate medallion, except that not nearly so
| manv lOckets ana chains and watches were
shown on the Nationals clothing as were
really hanging on the imaGr at that moment;
| In to the priests on sunday hy folks who were
scrupulous about having gifts representing so
| much selt-sacrilce received by the Madonna
| on the Madonnas own day The candles for
| sal" varied IN size from thos" Z" larger than
ner table to candles eight or nine inches in
thickness and five feet IN length. The little ones
sold for 10 cents each. the larger ones i"rah"ut
40 cent. pound. tn great big ones weig he'd
participates in the feast must buy = candle
sire street said that he had sold sI.500 worth Of
candles during the week to People who were
| preparing for the feast, and had sold 5000
worth lore up to noon yesterday. His stock was
| nearly exhausted and he deplored his lack of
9Fesght With many shFmGs ana smsptatHns
| gilt in more or less ornate lines The larger
the candle the heavier the gilt decorations. Al
| those that were big enough bore enameiled
Holy Child, the ',Banbpo.", framed in gilt,
they made first Of AL for the sellers Of candles
and q the medallion buttons There have
| when the supply Of candles gave out long he
fore the demand was satisfied and many pill
grms went Gciore her image W'tnGm, them or
their friends see them thus uneIupped. The
| tradition OF the lnsuflciency OF candles Is an
| old one and has fixed itself In the minds of the
| people.
Long before o'clock in the morning. when
| the church doors We're opened. the street in
front Of it filled up with men, women and chill
| dren. The men for the most pArt were uni for
Inmates employed by hard hearted contractors
| OF some other nationality who would net or
could not understand why their men should
ask for a whole holiday on Il Sa int day. They
were in some haste to reach the shrine in
order to pay their respects and make their
offerings ana rraSers ET"lerEy before nr II Vas
pleased and gloomy because they could not
participate in the festivities which Were being
prepared all about them, There was no i'm
patience shown by the early corners once they
entered the church. They were absolutely
quiet and res pectful within the doors.
The image Of the Virgin was in the basement
Of the church. al the end furthcst from the
street door. The room itself was g"rE""uS!y
decorated, The pillars Were wound with TIM
settled cloths ol brilliant. colors SralIoprd
hraperioS with heavy gold fringe hung from
the ceiling frorn pillar to pnr,, The altar On
which the image STOOD was a blaze of CORY.
The space before il was filled with packages
filed with small rhotograrure pictures Of the
Virgin hung on loops Of brown tape and with
| rramS OF large, CHEAP pnEraSlngS Of the image.