Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-07
PURCHASING
POWER OF THE PENNY

Ice boxes. They have speaking tubes 10 inc
vestfbule, in which there Is mail pox anu
electric push buttons to open the door: IN
the rear is the dunn walter to the 1anltor
quarters in the basement. The 1anitor mas
great deal to do with the system sman
family can live with very little effort with
the assistance of the janitor.
When you move into the fiat you pay
months rent for which you may live two
months and pay your rent again the thlro
month, thus getting months rent free.
This is the almost universal custom. Then
you tell the janitor what morning papers you
wish to take, how much milk you will need
and how many breakfast rolls. The janitor
will sell you for 81 thirteen tickets, each
good for one bucketful of hard COAL or IL
you buy retail he will charge 10 cents
bucketful. Should you not keep a servant
he will procure you for a day, or two
days, or as long you wish. At night you
put your garbage, ashes. papers and rub
bish on the dumb waiter, ring the Janitor's
bell and forget them. At the end of the
week the janitor presents himself at your
door with your milk, bread and newspaper
bills, and expects you to pay them: he has
become responsible for you His remunera-
ton for all this is small commission from
Ehe purveyors.
When your purchases down town are de-
livered at the building he receipts for them
and sends them up to YOU He ascertains
your hour for arising in the morning and
at that time the bell in your kitchen rings
and the dumb waiter comes up with your
newspapers, youl breakfast rolls and the
milk and coal supply for the day. And this
ne does for this ~ a month tenant quite as
willingly as foS him who pays $40 a month.
Almost ever.r block in Harlem Is like unto
town in Itself. Know. then. in the first
place. that all the avenues in Manhattan
run lengthwse CT the island and the streets
across.
Each blocl, IS a little over twice as long
between avenues as it Is between streets.
mere is not an alley in the town. The ave-
nue. sides Oh the squares contain the shops
the side streets the residences There are
Few exceptions to this, save on such thor
oughfares 125th street which are given
over wholly to trade
Elghth avenue is the purveyor to the
great middle west side Of Harlem In each
DOCK on both sides of the avenue may be
round shops of sufficient variety to supply
the jewellers in the block with everything
tney need. So If a man dwelling in one
or THESE blocks could make a living on it
ne could stay there until death. without
SURFING off 1t for a single necessity Of life
10 prove this one might cite the life Of
| Harlem block.
At the intersection of the street and the
avenue there is on one corner a coy, quiet
| little saloon run by an old fashioned. wise
| ana reticent little Irishman. He sells lager
ana ale, and one or two brands Of good rye
| whisky. This saloon is the club of the
plock and when man becomes drunk or
Dolsterous out he goes into the street. On
| the second corner is furniture store
wherein one may furnish his fat for 81 q
week. On the opposite corner is a grocery
! store, and across the way Is a drug store
in which is a subpost office and telegraph
! office.
| At the other end of the block is q sa-
| loon on one corner. and the others are
| occupied by a grocery, a dry goods store
and an excellent market, respectively. Next
| to the market on side of the street
is general clothing store. in which are
sod S shoes and 9d hats quite as good as one
much cheaper for like quality Up the
street one after the other are a 10-cent
store, j. eler and watch repairer, a hard
cream parlor, a fish market. a cobbler.
tinsmith and locksmith, a stationer and
bookseller, miainer, a dairy, in which
are sold milk. butter. eggs and honey. an
oyster and fish shop. and a shoe shop in
which secondhand shoes only are sold.
| Across the street next to the grocery
| store is one that deals in toys periodi-
| Gals and confectionery. a laundry, cigar
store, florist a confectionery and soda
| fountain, a delcatessen store a wurst ge-
| schaft or sausage shop, an umbrella shop.
a shop in which are sold notions and dress
| shop, a photographer, butcher shop, a
| paint shop, two fish and oyster shops in
! fierce competition. with only a narrow
| pawnshop between to keep the peace.
1t must be remembered that each Of these
! stores while complete in itself and neat
| and tidy, is about one-third wide the
| average shop in a western town. Each
| has a narrow show window and a small
| door.
| The propretors are polyglot. There are
| Germans, Italians, Hungarian barber. an
| Alsatian, an Irish saloon keeper, SwisS
druggist. a French photographer, Pole
| who Is a jeweler, a Jew who sells second
! hand shoes. an English cobbler, plain
| East Side New Yorker who opens oysters
and who says "foist' for first. etc.
| Around the corner on the street Is the
| sign of a dressmaker in the window Of a
first floor fat and across the street the
sign of a doctor. Further up the street Is