Evening star., 1907-11-17

1t is only few minutes walk from the
Capitol building. with its fine trees and
wetl-sraded lawn, to the Pig alley ten
ennent. One day last week Washington
citizen went the rounds with one Of the
agents Of the Associated Charities, and
heir visit to Pig alley brought very sharp
y to his attention some of the problems
confronting the community. He recog-
nized that washington the Beautiful
would never be a reality until its citizens
had devoted a little more intelligent
thought to such problems as Pig alley.
The tenement building with its nineteen
colored families is located IN the south
east section of this city, with side ex-
posure on Pig alley. but present ng
of the broad avenues. There is nothing in
the superficial appearance of the place to
arrest the attention Of the passerby. or to
advertise the trouble and suffering that
result from the congested and insanitary
ife inside. Beyond the usual touch of
dilapidation there is nothing to engage
the sympathies of one unfamiliar with the
homes. or attempts at homes. on the
three floors within.
Stepping across the threshold. the out
slider finds himself in a narrow corridor.
where the absence of sunlight and the
presence Of unsavory odors begin to sug
gest to him the realities. The smoky,
darkened plaster Is torn off in patches,
leaving strips of laths, and the lower floor.
three or four feet below the street .evel.
Is Uttered with debris. Women and chill
dren and cats are rubb ng each other in
the hallway. One woman comes past with
a bundle of unironed clothes; another with
two cents worth of lard, or a two-cent
bucket Of chopped wood. Occasionally
the grimy doors are opened on either side
Of the corridor. while figure sidles out
to get a glimpse of the visitors or to tell
her troubles to the charity agent
4
The first visit last week was made upon
an old man and boy. The child was six
years old, both blind and feebleminded.
The old man opened the door and invited
the guests into the room. The little fel-
low was strapped into rocker. beating
his thin black hands with the pitiable, un
intelligent action of the feebleminded.
The devotion of the old man was evident
at once.
1.-The little boy, he all right" he kept
saying to the agent in answer to her
various questions. The case had been pre-
sented to certain committees, and ef-
forts were being made to put the child in
an asylum.
The old man was not entirely antago-
nistir He wanted to know If the place
were in Washington; If the mother could
see the child: If the house were run by
q colored woman. When the agent an
swered in the affirmative he said: 'An
OIL woman?" "A young woman" the
agent answered. The old man was du-
bious. He talked gloomily about his own
feebleness and insisted he was going
away" His only interest seemed to
be the boy. The mother was working
out, barely earning enough to keep the
three The painful dirtiness and demor-
alization of the room in a vague way
accounted for the little fellow in the
rocking chair. the younger generation.
A number Of rooms were visited most
Of them so hopeleSsly dirty, disord -rly
and demoralized as to indicate absolute
to the condition Of extreme
poverty.
Occasionally there was visible an ef-
fort at home-making and self-respect
One Of group Of three rooms on the