The evening times., 1900-03-10
IN THE BOWERY.
Types of Its Ancient style by No
Means ObIiterated.

NTum the NCN 0rk Commercial Adytltlser.D
Some New Yorkers by birth. who had
lived in the West for many years. visited
their native city recently. and one OF them.
on returning home, wrote TO local news
paper about the contrasts between the Now
York of his youth and the greater city Of
toGay What impressed him most was the
change in Bowery life. Ways and means
in that classic precinct Of the tough seemed
so wicked vet so settled and assured with
al. that ne didn't recognize the type Of
turbulent character and resort so notorious
in the old DAYS 4 stroll up the Bow very
wouldn't give exactly that impression TO
New Yorker who had always lived mere,
but he isn't looking for milestones OF prog
ress What impressed the returned West
erner was the B0wery tone and manner, =
final and distinctive in its way as IN Old
French salon Or the learned serenity oi
Harvard.
II We only know it, the Bowery has an
aristocIacy with a binding force Of con
ventiou all its own, and is IN the race OF
progress with other more pretenuOuS so
cieties. Il is interesting 10 observe for
instance. q small Bowery boy issuing in
structious for attack on fruit peIdler-
You feel that he speaks 10 be obeyeI. hay
ing wen his bad little eminence by native
force and shFewdncss Promotion goes here
thrown around among family connections.
His orders to the boys have the curt Ger
taiutv OF much experience. and. whatever
the system that produced him, II has made
an effective orator and given the little
company the right sort OF captain Tor the
work in hand He states his plan. the boys
obey with the instructive confidence that
knows i leader and almost on the srhed-
ule minute debris Of apples. peanuts, ana
various saccharine compounds attests the
success of the expedition, while the boot
less rage Of the fruit peddler and the futile
pursuit of a policeman suggest the STRAIT
egv that provided for those little contin-
gencies The type of stern, well-discl-
plined. and self-reliant little tough is all
too common in that part Of the city. but IN
his wav he is as finished product as can
he seen anywhere The stamp of Bowery
culture is upon him. He represents a
standard set for regulation of some joyous
activities in that district. he and other
leading spirits there have no raw sense OF
elevation but the seasoned quality OF COM
mand. They are on familiar terms with
exciting events in their line. and have the
mise that results when action and reac-
tion are equal
To note the Bowery social code opera
tive on 4 larger scale, visit Everett han,
or. if the function is really grand one,
Tanmauv Hall, which has close afiiation
with this phase of city life. There is no
court chamberlain or goldstick- in waiting
there. but somebody who knows his busi-
ness Just as well and just as expressive OF
the distilled amenities. Any sophomore
from Columbia who went there TO criticise,
armed with few notions on social science,
would better check his faculty. Ten to
one he would go there on a hunt for crude
oddities to illustrate some principle he
thought himself possessed of, but instead
of that he would be more hkely to find
settled arrangements, mastery OF detail,
and absence of fuss. Pressure upon his
pity for the unwashed and unregenerate
would be relieved by the novel interest OF
the situation. If he asked too many ques-
tions he would be met with a smile, and If
he became patronizing it would be lost
upon the careless assurance of masters of
a social art.
Plainly. you could not joke with this en-
vironment which expresses the organizing
genius of Chuck Connors and two or
three generations of Bowery life behind
him. Phrases of invitation, forms of
commitment. and the chatter of the ball
room may not be your style, but you
couldn't poke fun at them as you felt
you would like to do when you came in.
You couldn't, that is to say if you were
capable of interest in homogeneous social
type, which has the same note and accent
wherever you meet with it. 1t is true, all
the same, that the Bowery can teach the
cleverest of US force and brefity of speech,
which, after little polish, reappears in
drawing rooms and conversation at large,
and that alone shows the vitality of this
little social underworld Thus far it has
been too strong to be merged in any other
social type The Bowery may be always
with us.