Omaha daily bee., 1906-05-16
ROUND ABOUT NEW YORK.
Ripples on the Current of Life in the
Metropolis.

RippIes on the Current of Life in the
Metropolis.
New York officials insist on the best OF
everything going and are particularly
stuck on automobiles warranted to make
speed records. The city owns two dozen
OF these machines distributed among var
ious departments for use principally by the
officials. The original cost varied from
$500 TO 1880 each. Every machine means
an extra job for some political chauffeur
and every four machines provides Job
for a political mechanic. The latter are
kept pretty busy evidently, as the cost Of
maintenance annually amounts to one-half
the original cost of the mahcines. 1t is
believed that by the end OF this year city
owned autos will number fifty and inqulsi-
tive aldermen are limiting that it is alto
gether too much, especially as some OF the
autoed officials frequently scoot for the
races and do considerable private business
with the aid Of the citys costly convey
ances.
The boy with the kit" is seldom seen in
New York any more. Time was when one
must perforce depend on these street ur-
chins for a shoe polish, but those days
have passed into history. Nowadays 1t is
the italian or Greek "shoe-shining parlor."
The dirty, bedraggled, though picturesque
street bootblack in now a back number
In fact one might keep walking all day
without obtaining a sight Of him. 1t is
only in certain sections of the downtown
district that he can be found and then
the chances are his boot-blacking business
is carried on only as a side issue to his
newspaper selling. The reason for this is
plain. The boys formerly charged 10 cents
for a very Indifferent shine. The Greeks
and Italians with their comfortable chairs
and their willingness to work, give you a
mirror polish for nickel.
With the first warm days a sort of
itinerant miniature carrousel, with a street
piano attachment, run by clockwork, has
made its appearance on the Upper West
Side to the delight of the children. The
carrousel consists of a circular seat with
room for about six children. II is set on
a cart, which also bears the street piano
and Is drawn by a gaily caparisoned don
key. The outer edge of the seat is sur
mounted by high back so that the little
ones cgnt fall out. They lean against this,
letting their feet dangle in the center. When
the circular seat is full the door in the
back is closed tight, there is a click, the
street piano strikes up lively tune and the
miniature carrousel begins to whirl with
gentle up and down motion added. The whole
machine is operated by clockwork. After
each revolution, which lasts about two
minutes, the clockwork is rewound and
the carrousel and street piano are neady for
another performance The children pay
cents apiece for each ride.
The Irishman had been drinklng-some-
what. He climbed irto one Of the two
bootblack chairs in front of the Tribune
building and after settling himself comfort
ably, glanced at his next chair neighbor.
Then he laughed. His neighbor, who was
a fat, pompous-looking negro about 50
years of age, dressed in clerical garb,
frowned. well, Smoky" said the Celt,
ignoring the dusky divines look of disap-
proval, this shurely is a queer country.
Here ] am and there you are. It's not so
long since / was a bog-trotter and I sup
pose you were q slave. And here we have
two Dago descendants of julius Caesar
shining our brogans."
Plans are being made to enlarge that ex-
celent institution THE Shop for the Handi-
capped" in which scores OF the blind and
crippled are learning 70 support them
selves. The Chelsea Handicraft House, as
il is called, was established only three
months ago. The little shop on West Twer,
ty-third street has been so successful that
the philanthropic New Workers who are
supporting the movement have decided to
buy two houses in the locality standing
side by side and throw them together into
one big house. There are clubs and classes
OF the usual sort for boys and girls, young
men and women; but the special service
which Chelsea Handicraft House has
marked out for itself Is the teaching Of
handicrafts TO cripples and others who for
different reasons cannot follow the or
dinary Industrial employments and to
maintain a profitable salesroom both for
its own pupils and others OF their kind.
The settlement makes no effort to push
the study of handicrafts among normal
children unless they show a true and alb
sorbing love for art work. But there are
great numbers Of cripples, whose physical
weakness and deformity will forever debar