The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-06-25

& gory.)
! 3 gk:ng out of our great
SssF that this Republic was not
He'd to have q very long LIE,
md If the conditions that prevail IN
certain sections of New York are per
United TO ramify to any considerable
s extent throughout the country, it
will inevitably turn out that Macau-
$fSlaY was right.
speak of the appalling facts that
1 may be observed Throughout the East
Side, and especially the lower East
Side. by any one who will take the
trouble as did. to go through that
section with open eyes.
It was by Superintendent Straub-
muller. or rather by a zstatement OF
his. concerning East Side conditions,
SsttatI was moved TO make my tour
2 Of. inspection through that region.
II saw things that made my heart
acne.
saw things that reminded me OF
4 the great Florentine's journey, and
y said to myself; Did Dante see any
thing in he'll that was worse than the
4 things L am seeing right hcre?''
saw thousands of children
brisht-eyed. interesting children
growing up as it were in moral
vacuum, bereft, apparently, of every
uplifting influence. drifting, and not
very. slowly either. into the great
3 army of crime.
@5 Profanity, indecency, ruedeness, cru
elty-Ig saw it everywhere, saw it until
was almost overwhelmed with sor.
row and shame.
There are good children on the
East Side, there are nice children on
e the East Side--but they were not out
h on the streets the day made my tour
that way.
Some one has said Life is q comedy
to him who thinks, tragedy TO him
who feelsl' The East Side, as saw
3 it the other day, is tragedy The
person who feels" who has q heart,
does not want to go that way-it will
n give him too much pain
The East Side small boy, as he
bad way He does little but fight
ana gamble an swear
In the Railways, down the cellar
ways, in every old hiding place that
they could find, and often right out
on the sidewalk, they were playing
F'craps,' or other games OF chance
with an enthusiasm that was terrible
to behold!
And what language they used! And
how careless they We're as to wheth-
er their not over-choice speech was
heard by the little girls around about
them
The little girls. Oh, the pity OF it
they did not seem to be the least bit
shocked by the unspeakably coarse
language of their future sweethearts
and husbands
These questions kept coming into
my mind ''fiave these children any
home life at all? Is their only home
these streets. where they are taught to
be criminals, to lie. to cheat, 10 steal,
20 gamble and TO drink p
As stood looking at them, listen
ing to them. plying them, sorrowins
for them, found myself putting to
myself this query: rs there any
& WGeTG upon th!S sI.4 lti- III 6ttS Is>Ai'''
civilized or savage. Christian or
pagan, a locality with worse condi-
tions than those upon which am now
gazing
Again. it will be understood that
this is no wholesale incrmnation OF
the section in question. AS has been
said, there is good on Ire East Side.
Z On the East Side are noble fathers
and mothers and children who are
being reared as they should be. but
well. let US say no more about ii, no
more about the thousands OF children,
who, unless they are helped and help
ed speedily, will grow up 10 be a
curse to themselves and to the coun-
try.