Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-15

refreshments of Harlem fats to rent" In
the New York newspapers will have been
struck with the Inevitable offer extended at
the end Of the ad. to prospective tenants,
to the effect that the tenants could have
zone months rent free" This offer, 1t
seems, has been so enticing to large num-
berS of New York persons who know how
to live well on nothing a year that for
considerable period back they have been
availing themselves Of 1t enthusiastically.
That is to say, they would move into
fiat, remain therein until they had used up
to the last day their free months rent
whereupon they would amably Intimate to
the landlord or agent that the fiat WASN'T
satisfactory and move into another nat that
advertised free months rent The eco
nomical advantages of this plan were, OF
course, very great. However, when the nat
agents and landlords began to study over
the matter, and when many of them found
that their entire tenantry consisted or per-
who found it inconvenient to store
their household gods in one fiat for more
than one calendar month, they arrived at
the startling determination that they were
standing for more or less cupidity. The
matter was arranged all right at the re-
cent meeting of the Harlem landlords and
agents of flats. They passed resolution.
which is to be adhered to by all, providing
that all new tenants must pay months
rent in advance and shall have the fourth
months rent free. The phrase in the ads
"A months rent Free has not been al
tered. however, and it is only when foxy
persons who expect to lust move in meet
the prospective landlord or tenant that
they learn of the new state Of things, which
causes them to bark back sadly to the
golden age when they were required to pay
no rent. This is cruel blow to New York's
perpetually recruited brigade of "grafters,"
and it is actually touching to hear bunch
Of them commenting upon the same with
rueful countenances.
Straw Hats Must Vanish.
Tomorrow will be STRAW hat day. in this
playful kittenish town, and the Sunday
morning police court dockets are liable to
be filed to repletion with assault and bat
terry cases. This STRAW hat day. business
started on the floor of the New York stock
exchange a good many years ago, until now
1t has spread over the entire municipality.
An unwritten law came into existence
among the brokers that no man should ap-
pear on the floor Of the stock exchange
with a straw hat on his head after Septem-
Der IA. Any man who unWittingly, or out
of a spirit Of defiance to such an arbitrary
convention. viola ted the rule was bounced
upon by all hands on the stock exchange
floor and quickly converted into speaking
likeness to hobo. His garments were torn
from his back, his offending straw hat was
slithered to ribbons, and he was generally
made to feel that this Is strictly a nation in
which majorities rule. The custom has
caused many a serious scrap on the floor
OF the exchange. There have been large,
muscular men among the members who
have declined to yield allegiance to the
pIOpOSlliou tndI their IeuOW members ndQ
right to prohibit them from wearing any
old thing they elected to wear on the floor
of the exchange, SO long as they remained
within the limitations of decency, and sew
eral Of these Independent chaps with
muscle to back them up have thrashed
whole squads and platoons of attacking
brokers good and hard when set upon for
wearing straw head-gear after the closed
season therefor. There was one broker,
In fact, who pummeled virtually every
funny man on the exchange in support of
his contention, and to make the point stick
that he alone was to be the judge of his
wearing apparel he appeared on the ex-
the LIST day Of December. He was attacked
times innumerable. but he biffed and banged
and kicked so energeticaly, and laid out
so many of the floor humorists, that they
at length let him alone. Never a year
passes. however, that two or three of the
brokers fail. out of Observation-Disclosures to
appear on the exchange floor with straw
hats on, so that large crowds flock the gal
leries on September 10 every year In order
to see the fun"
The custom, as said, has spread to the
whole population, and it is now about as
much as a New Workers. life is worth to
show up on the street on September s15
with a straw hat on his head. He Is le-
Ultimate prey, and he is invariably set
upon and made to look like leftover men,
Der of the Coke army. Regularly, how
ever, every year, sundry and divers chaps,
utterly refuse to stand for such treatment
at the hands Of total strangers, and when
they find themselves getting the worst of
1t they resort to gun and knife plays, with
the result that the hospitals have a lot of
business on straw hat day" and Septem-
Der 10 is always one of the busiest dates of
the year in the New York police courts.