Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-29

Italians and Jews from eastern Europe.
Tenement house inspectors in New York
have discovered the existence of more than
one good-sized thriving hennery upon ten
ement roofs; they say that housetop tailor
shops are also numerous on the East Side,
and that 1t is not an uncommon practice
for an italian peddler to put his green
bananas upon the roof to rpen, one of his
children acting as guard during the day
time, the fruit being removed to the own
er's stuffy two or three rooms at nightfall.
Owners of office buildings secure more
rentable space by placing the Jdnitors
work shop in a shed upon the roof; and
permits have been taken out from time to
| time for the erection of glass houses upon
roofs. to be occupied by artists and pho
tographers as studios
| goodly portion of the roof of a GER
| tain skyscraper In New York is covered by
a great wooden barracks, IN which a we'll
known printing house has It's headquarters
This company desired to lease a portion of
a floor in this building. as the building g
owner makes specially OF generating cleo
trical power for running the printing presses
of tenants. But the floors were already
occupied, and would be for several years
to come under the terms of the leases, so
up to the roof went the company rather
than seek quarters farther removed from
the power necessary for the running OF
their twenty-five presses.
And, of course, when the modern roof is
considered from the business standpoint
the vaudeville roof garden, the roof restau-
ground must be seriously considered. In
the average instance each represents an
outlay of money running up into the thou-
sands. Not particularly up-to-date roof
restaurant in an eastern city cost eight
thousand dollars to fit up two years ago,
and 1t is asserted by the owners of metro
politan roof gardens that their expenses
this year In putting their various enter
prises in shipshape for the summer totaled
something over a million dollars. This
may may not be too high a figure; at
any rate, the eye convinces that the outlay
has amounted to a pretty penny, in order
to secure tho extremely bizarre, not to
say unique, treatments that mark the vau-
deville roof gardens this season.
Future Uses Of the Housetop.
and them that worship the host of heaven upon
the housetops ."
And the affairs that on the top of the up
And the Chaldeans = = shall come and set
fire on this city, and burn IT with the houses.
p Re whose roofs they have ohered incense unto
So far as can be learned. upon no city
housetop IS worship held by any religious
congregation, though some of the handful
of Mohammedans in New York ART 'accus-
toned to ascend to the roofs of the tene-
ments In which they live and pray daily
with their faces turned toward Mecca, In
truly orthodox fashion.
But as the city dweller comes to realize
more fully the great boon he has in his
roofs is II mere fancy to believe that he
will go up to them to worship of Sunday
and on Wednesday evening? Even now many
pastors hold preliminary open-air meetings
In front of their churches VIII not some
pioneer preacher, weary of beholding his
pews all but empty on hot Sundays, and go
ing a step farther, erect an altar upon
some friendly roof, lead there his flock, and
expoupd his text, even unto sixthfy, while
zephyrs put his hearers at their comfort and
gain him their close attention?
nd &c har ar W n
tenements and fats and apartment houses
be turned into Fairgrounds by day for the
boys and girls living therein? Would they
not thrive better on the housetops than they
do in narrow asphalted streets, where the
great majority of them now precariously
find their pleasure?
And why again, should not these self
same roofs be available for an airing and a
chat in an eveningtide?" Would not many
a famfshed body, both young and old, be
restored to health thereby? Would not the
toiler be strengthened nightly for the next
days work? Would not evening upon
roof far outstrip in benefits an evening
spent In an cight-by-ten room, though the
seat should chance to be by an open win
dow?
To whatever other uses the roof may be
put, the fact remains that upon it the great
est blessing to be derived in crowded
centers Is that of fresh air. Let this fact
be sufficiently proclaimed upon the house
tops" and 1t may not be long before the
sight is witnessed of modern city ascend
ing en- masse to its roofs of an evening, as
did the jewellers of Palestine long, long ago.