Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-30

known as the scene Of frequent murders
and other lawless acts.
Hundreds of Italians were listening to
the band. which played operate selections,
their favorite music. When the more pop
ular airs were struck, such as III Miser-
ere" or the 'PagHacci Prologue, the
well-known and weather-beaten Inter
mezzo," loud rounds Of applause would fol-
low and an encore was the response. The
occupants Of these benches seemed we'll
behaved people. They were evidently of
the better class. such as shop-keepers,
tailors or clerks. Among them could be
found the peasant, but his presence there
was an exception. While he appreciates
music as much as his better-bred compan-
ion, he Is timid before the latter, and pre-
fers not to mingle with him.
The uptown italian district, which num-
bers about thirty blocks. between Tooth and
115th streets. from I'd avenue to the river.
is commonplace. 1t does not present the
picturesque sights that the lower quarter
does. This is bounded by Center street,
the Bowery. Pearl and Blocker streets: to
the west the whole length Of Thompson
McDougall and Sullivan streets. A unique
feature Of this quarter Is that most of the
Italians live according to the province Of
their BIRTH For instance a native of the
Abruzzi would not live with a Sicilian; he
goes among his own people. where the
dialect Is the same and their tastes run
alike. The same tendency obtains with
those Of the other provinces 1t runs to
the point where cooperative. beneficial or
other societies are made distinct by the
name or the town or province of Its men,
bers. In this manner they retain all their
native characteristics, dialects and habits
The children grow up as though they were
in Italy itself, and seldom acquire knowl-
edge of English or American customs.
Little Italy maintains a number of
book stores. Many sell trash literature,
joke books, Neapolitan song books, dream
and fortune books and books for every
body. Yet on the shelves one will find
Manzoni. Giusti, Pellico and De Amicis
The Italian of Little Italy likes the ro-
mantle novels which portray the valor of
oden times.
streets passed number of shrines to
saints or madonnas. About them oil lights
burn day and night. They are looked after
by the one who had the shrines erected
or representative from one of the Italian
churches, of which there are several nota-
bly, the church Of St. Anthony of Padua,
which numbers over 1000 parishioners and
owns property to the value OF nearly half
million dollars. Then the Church of Our
Lady Of Loretto, where man. miracles
have occurred numbers about 1900 sup
porters.
1t is declared the trouble with the Italian
immigrant today Is that he usually arrives
at an age to escape army service in his
own country and compulsory education
here. He seldom acquires the language,
although the night schools are doing much
for the ambitious newcomer. Several
Italian children's aid societies have schools
which are always crowded. AS n result
most Of them choose vacations which do
not require an education. or even reading
writing.
And yet. the success of the average i'm
migrant Is usually cause for wonder. The
visitors came across one Of many cases
the other day, where the man. now twenty
Of fifteen thousand dollars in ten years. 1
"a
He was grocer, and his acquaintance
was made while on a ramble through the
quarter In search of Facts and material"
He was an orphan at two years Of age, and
was placed tn an institution near Naples
The sisters there treated all the orphans
well and gave them nice things to eat and
comfortable beds to sleep in When he was
seven years Of age a woman applied to the
convent for a boy to adopt, and he went to
her home. Within six months the woman
died, and he remained in the care Of her
husband. This man. who had been honest
up to his wife's death. took to drinking and
gambling He stayed cut until late at night.
and often did not go home at all, and left
the boy totally unprovided for
MANY times went to bed without a hfta
to eat, and often had only a piece of bread
which l found or which was given me by
my own companions" said he IT would 20
to bed and cry my heart out, afraid of the
darkness. had grown afraid of my adopted
fathers footstep, for l knew that whenever
he came In he was drunk and would drag
me out of bed and beat me- Then he would
go out again and would not return for sew
eral days. The neighbors by this time be-
gan to make remarks about me- and the
old mans attention was called to the fact
that had nothing to eat.
We'll. can't he work for it-work as I
do? he would shout in reply. But he did
not provide for me until somebody limited
a threat to the police. Then. with a curse.
he took my presence for granted. For
about q month h6 brought q loaf OF bread
every day, which he would slice and roast.
He rubbed garlic on It, and once he put