New-York tribune., 1902-01-31
JACOB A. RIIS.
THE STORY OF HIS APPROXIMATION.

xiii, 9iS Inc Company
Mr. Riis's autobiography is uncommonly in
teresting reading. In it he tells how he came to
this country absolutely without means and al
most without friends; how he fought the buffets
Of Ill fortune mined coal in Pennsylvania. made
bricks in New-Jersey. did carpentering in Buff
falo and day labor railroad up New-York
State; peddled books. and finally almost starved
in the streets Of New-York. All this story, il
Illuminated IL is with a sense Of humor and
told with light yet often pathetic touch is In
spring to any reader. and should be especially
to the many foreigners who have come. like
Mr. Riis to this country this city penniless
and unbefriended, TO make place of usefulness
for themselves. Most people know Mr. Ris and
his work in the slums of this city His expert
ence. obtained as much of it was. when he
a police reporter for The Tribune. has been ex-
tremeIy varied. but, although he has not been a
keener observer than many others whose ad-
Vantages have been equal TO his, he has. never
theless, been extraordinarily successful in
relating for the public information and guild
ance, in the solution of the great problems OF
the East Side the facts which have come under
his observation.
Mr.. Ris 10 this country because of dis
appointment. temporary only, glad to
say. in his first, last and only love affair Thus
il is that his autobiography could not we'll ex
well. too. for the reader. 1t does good TO
read such honest, manly and tender love
story Of man who has never. it appears, ceased
10 be the lover. Mr.. Riiss steadfastness,
cording TO his own account, not due to lack
of contrariwse opportunities One Of his first
empioyments was in a Pennsylvania coal mine,
where he met pretty barefooted daughter of
coal miner, who appeared 10 take interest
in what he doing. But" he says "she
dlSGnrearad aft r had cLraI l,a, nIof,,
what setting ones cap for any one meant I
was curious because I had heard her mother
say TO a neighbor that Julia was doing that to
me. But the evenings were very long" His
actual experience as a coal miner limited
TO one day. 1t can scarcely be said. however,
that it was average coal miners day. Hear
the author on this point:
The sudden arrival of donkey with it's
cart gave us a dreadful fright. The friendly
beast greeted us with joyous bray and rubbed
ITS shaggy sides against in a most compan-
lonabe way. In the fckering light of my lamp
l don't believe had seen three donkeys before
In my life; there were none where 1 came from
and heard that demoniac shrek and / verify
peheNe thought the evil one had come for me
In person know that nearly tainted
How Mr. Riis stormed the Church-st. police
station with paving blocks after he had been
robbed In one Of its cells how he found his
way TO Buffalo and went TO work in a lumber
larn' now he set up as a lecturer ana failed
because oI his weakness at mathematics, must
be read to ne appreciated II was never strong
at mathematics he says. My education in
mat pranch had run into snag about the
middle OF the little multiplication table A bow
had challenged me to fight as 1 was making
my way to recitations. trying TO learn the table
by heart. 1 broke off in the middle of the sixes
10 wallop him. and never got any further"
His most successful venture before he drifted
INTO newspaper work was also his most disas-
Tous one. He got work a commercial trav-
eler Tor furniture manufacturing firm. They
gave MIN catalogue of their goods, and he
went out on the circuit Nobody wanted any,
thing but extension tables but everybody wanted
those' Mr. Ris was delighted with his success
1t seemed that the public would never get
enough Of extension tables Pretty soon tele-
grams from his employers set out upon his
track recalling him. but SO energetic was he
that they never caught up with him until all
his funds were gone. When he returned to
Buffalo he found that there had been mistake
IN the price printed in the catalogue, and that
he had sold phenomenal quantities of extension
tables at a price considerably below what il
cost TO make them.-
His first experience as an editor and later
as the proprietor Of The South Brooklyn News"
strikes the keynote of his subsequent career
that tried the best knew how to get along
with the politicians l served, but in the long
run ii simply could not be done" Mr.. Riis never
has been able to get along with the professional
politician, nor with the average police power
ana IL is a good thing for the city which he has
served so we'll that this is true. The vivid chan
tiers which tell of his work as a reporter at
Police Headquarters contain many an anecdote
OF pathos and of tragedy He tells, for example
of going TO the house of three sisters whose
brother had been drowned. He found them of
course, dissolved in tears, and he continues:
1t was very hot July day. and to guard
against sunstroke had put a cabbage leaf in
my hat. On the way over ! forgot all about IT,
and the leaf. getting limp. settled down snugly
Upon my head like 4 ridiculous green skulI can
Knowing nothing OF this, l was wholly unpre-
pared for the effect my entrance hatless had
upon the weeping family. The young ladies
ceased crying, stared wildly. and then TO my
utter bewilderment broke into hysterical laugh
ter For the moment I thought they had gone
mad. For years afterward the thought of IL had
the same effect upon me that the cabbage leaf
produced so Unexpectedly in that grief stricken
home
Possibly the best story in the whole book is
one Of General Grant. Mr.. Riis says he told il to
Fred Grant the Generals son, when the latter
was a Police Commissioner. but doubts if he
appreciated it, He not cast in his great
fathers mould" says the author bluntIy Kere
is the Grant story:
The occasion refer TO was after the Generals
second term in the Presidency. He was staying
at the Fifth Avenue Hotel when one morning
the Masonic Temple burned. The fire line
was drawn half way down the block from Fifth
ave, but the police were much hampered by the
crowd, and were out Of patience when l. standing
by, saw man in a great ulster. with head
and ,;nly;,