Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-07
Many Types Of Womankind at the
New York Barge Office.
EVERY DAYS FLOfSAM and JBfSAM
How Daughters of Old Countries
Are Received in New.
THEIR SORROWS AND JOYS

| NEW YORK. April 6, 1ga.
| The great throbbing ocean that beats
| against the barge office down at the wall
| OF the Battery is still Offering to our I'M
| willing shores that waif of misfortune, the
| woman immigrant. Every ship that lands
| passengers at this port brings hundreds
| of the iotsam and jetsam of womanknd
from other lands. And. in the days
| when she first came over. the sturdy Puri-
| tan maiden to mother a new race, or the
| deported grisette to find compromise hus-
| band, the woman immigrant OF today has
listened, on that other shore of poverty,
oppression or disgrace. to the siren voice
of the great dividing waters and put her
| self and her hopes their promising
| breast, to waken to a new life on their
| furthermost reach. Sometimes she comes
| to join her husband. who has preceded
| her, or a sweetheart, who has earned a
| home in which to receive her. Or perhaps
she comes TO an enterprising young
| brother, who built air castles in that other
land and then came over the seas to make
them come true. to find habitation for
| her, the old father and a still younger
| brother. who in time will help the pioneer
| adventurer to send for the old mother
waiting in the old place for the price of
ticket to follow her dear ones
The story of such a woman immigrant
came to light at the barge office the other
uds "A young girl naQ come from
the south of Italy with her father and lit
lie brother to join her established brother
| She was named Observation-Disclosures Longo
and she looked like her name When she
entered the room of special inquiry be-
| tween her father and little brother the
eyes OF every one present were bent upon
| her, for she was the only pearl that the
ocean had cast up at the barge office that
day.
An Air Castle Come True.
| She and the boy sat down on a bench
while the father was undergoing his exam
| ination, but everything about Marietta was
meanwhile telling an interesting tale to
every one In the place. Marietta was fif-
teen, she said; she looked like a woman of
twenty but with the eyes and grace of a
chiid. IN some strange way, with the in
snnct OF pretty womanhood the world over
she mad dressed herself with taste almost
with style. Her hair massed itself in a
natural pompadour through which little
rings of baby curls slipped out and Law
against her smooth brow; her young form
defined itself roundly in an olive silk with
pink guimpe, cheap, indeed but simple
and attractive in the combined effect of
color, and she had high-heeled shoes that
had way Of peeping out from under har
skirts to let you see how small they We're
Everything about Marietta had way of
expressing ITSELF somehow all the time she
sat In unaffected and unconscious thought.
Jet She looked sad-like a hurt and lovely
and wondering chfld-it was also uncar-
tain, for they were expecting some one to
meet them and he was not there The old
man said that most of his money had been
taken from him in Naples. and he did not
seem clear about anything. For a long
Tune after his examination they all sat to-
gether silently on the bench
suddenly Well-dreSsed Young man CANA
ln' walked straight to the table where the
poard sat, was sworn and answered the
questions put to him with Intelligence and
dlrectness, when he was told that those he
IL
moved swiftly to the old father and kissed
and embraced him again and again
"A trembling wave of emotion swept over
the little group; Marietta rose, her chin
qulVerlng, tears yelling her eyes. A mo-
ment later she was in her brothers arms
holding to him yet while he turned and en-
pfaced the younger brother. Presently they
were all weeping uncontrolably but the
chairman peremptorily recalled the youn.r
man, who answered the remaining uuestionS
with agitated hesltancy
You see,'' he explained to a sympathetic
bystander, It's nine years since l saw
them
1t was all right at last. The tickets TO
Philadelphia were found in the old mans
pockets, after the young man had displayed
the reassuring price of them to the COM
missioners and the ability to provide for
the newcomers was satisfa ctoriy Indicated
by the young mans statement that he was
earning SIS a week, and besides had money
in the bank Some Of his former earnings
had found their way back to Italy, you may
be sure and part of them had gone to buy
the very gown that adorned Marietta so
becomingly. Surely 1t was an air castle
come true; it was so to them. at least, and
away they went, clutching each other in
frantic happiness.
But why didn't you let them embrace as
much as they wanted to when they first
metz the chairman of the board was
asked. He smiled tolerantiy.
1T Is far better to restrain them" he
said. "They interrupt the board, and be-
sides that. they get themselves in such a
state that they can't answer the necessary ,,
questions. Why, sometimes pair of Rus |
slams will delay US fifteen minutes by their
hySterical weeping over a reunion
About one-third of all the immigrants
landing here are woman, and few of these |
come Independently; those who do are of |
a different type from Marietta, although |
the prettiest women that now come are of \
the Italian peasantry.- In other years the |
Irish and Germans represented the MAORI |
ty, and generally went into service; but |
these two nationalities are now SO amalga-
mated with the American people that they |
can hardly be considered aliens and their |
friends and relatives are almost numer-
GUS in this country as in their own. More |
over, the Irish or German girl who now
comes over has a mind above service; local |
influence or native ability quickly puts her |
into shop or a factory. and If she should |
go into service 1t is but as a means to an
end. Italian girls never go into service, |
and few of them come to this country I'M
less to join male relatives. Even that is
comparatively fnfrequent, for it Is a rule /
that the Italian workman expects to return |
and marry in his own land, and to buy a /
little farm with the earnings he has saved |
here. 1t Is his plan to invest them in thu |
country where money Is reckoned by CEN
times rather than by dollars, and where |
there are blue skies and no hurry-forevsr |
and ever.
Caring for the Unfortunate.
Truly unfortunate is the woman who /
comes to seek oblivion or to compel atone /
ment for the sacrifices she has made. II l
the man can be found he Il communicated