New-York tribune., 1901-05-26
BLIND GUIDES.

The absence of street signs in this city is
not the only trouble that cOnfro1tS the visiting
stranger. The failure of householders TO have
the numbers of their houses so displayed that
they may be readily seen in the evening is
another petty annoyance not merely 20 the
stranger. but to any one who attempts to make
an evening call. Why do the builders of houses
so frequently put the number the panel of
the door that is kept open. thereby eifecrually
hiding it from view? And why do the people
who rent such houses meeky accept the stu
alton, although they must know that I'll callers
thereby put to annoyance and trouble? The
Indifference of those responsible for this piece
of foolishness and the patience of the thou
sands of people who submit to it are alike in
explcable. 1t is true that many houses have
the number on the glass transom over the
outer door But this is quite unsatisfactory.
For generally there is not enough liSlt inside
in the evening to make the number visible, or
else the numbering is so faint that IL can hardly
be made out even in a good light. There are,
indeed, many houses distinctly numbered but
taking the city a whole, the object in
large number Of cases seems 10 be to keep tile
number as much out of sight as possible, and
in the quieter outlying sections of the city it
is often necessary for a visitor to inquire his
way from house TO house All this trouble is
entirely needless. The number of city house
should be so conspicuously displayed ms to be
Immediately visible both night and day.
Then there is another cause for complaint
The guide books. supposed to be the court of
final resort for the uniformed stranger, are
not always as accurate as they might be. One
OF the most popular of these books, which is
on sale nj all the newsstandS. contains many
errors and inaccuracies. In its list or res
taurants one is given which no longer exists,
and the old addresses of several others which
have moved are given. 1t is said that from
Thirty-third-st and Broadway there is an I'M
interrupted view down Broadway as far as
Grace Church. The old name Boulevard is
given to upper Broadway and Columbus and
Amsterdam aves. are referred to as Ninth and
Tenth aves. The chapter about the city's
bridges contains no reference to the new bridge
10 BROOKLYN now in course of erection, though
IL devotes a paragraph to the proposed Hudson
River bridge which may be built some day.
The Church of the Divine Paternity Is still
located at Forty-ffth-st and Fifthave. The
Reformed Church is referred to as the Dutch
Reformed Church. Trinity Church Is called tie
most rituallstic church in the United States.
which IL Is not DR. van Dyke is put down
as the pastor of the Brick Church. The late
DR. John Hall Is enormously said to have come
from Dublin. st. Pauls Methodist Church Is
said 10 be at Fourth-ave and Twenty-second-
St The Judson Memorial Church Is not In
cluded in the list of prominent Baptist churches.
And Robert Collyer is put down as the pastor
of the Church of the Messiah
These errors not all serious IN themselves,
but in a guide book, whose only excuse TO-
being is to give trustworthy information, every
error is inexcusable 1t may be explained also
that some OF the mistakes in the work are due
10 the fact that IL is an old edition. But the
publishers for the sake of their good name 10
say nothing OF their obligation to the Iublic'
should see TO il that copies of the old edi-
ton are exposed for sale. How accurate other
guide books of the city are we have no means
of knowing But in none of them so far rs We
are aware is there adequate and complete
presentation of the facts relating TO the present
city in all its boroughs. In the book 10 which
we have referred The Bronx is almost com
nletely ignored. and there is not a tine about
scores of the important towns that are now a
part of the metropolis. guide book OF New
York that really guides, sold ut price within
the means of everybody, is very much needed.