The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-12-22

Values ono WeAeOn Given v-SNrAn1@
Articles ina Arc In n CHrs.
AZ the close Of q department store con-
| cert the other morning three women walked
out. each leaving a fur collar behind her.
All three collars we're rescued by an usher
who sent them to the lost property desk
where eventually they we're found by the
anxious owner.
The season for leaving NUTS and fur
~neckpisces. handbags and ~pocketbooks al
around the store as well as in the con-
cert room has come. and from the way 70
starts in 1 guess We shall be kept buster
I than ever" said an employee.
mo. it's not a question OF hurry with
the concert crowd. At least IL doesn't look
like that to me. Persons VIII stay to the
end and generally stroll out leisurely and
have no appearance Of wanting TO catch
a train or a boat or TO get anywhere in
particular. It's just a case OF forgetful-
ness with most women, and with men too;
but OF course for every man who leaves
goods on a seat. on the floor OF on a counter
there are fifty women. l suppose.
From what 1 see here every day for
zetHulness ID getting TO he a disease for
which there seems to be no cure. And
New York women nave IL more than most
others. 1 think.
"No, l don't think forgetfulness can he
cured in an adult. but l am sure il can be-
prevented IL children are taken in y n
in time. The public schools ought to have
a memory course and watch out that the
with a habit Of forgetting to
hold on to their own property study it,"
When the dry goods - remarks .
were repeated to a railroad man who lives,
in New York he listened without surprise.
Il have noticed the same thing my
self, = said he. referring to the growing
Rorgetfulness of the New York woman.
The reason?
Well. some persons put il down to the
step lively atmosphere ia which she lives
and which il less notiCea able in smaller cities
than here. But that hardly explains il, l
think. Fo~rgetfulness is one Of the be-
sins Of New Workers, and in my
opinion two reasons for it are indifference
to small losses and lack Of the power to
Az a class women living in
small towns attach value to every bit Of
personal property. They are careful about
their private belongings. II a woman
loses a glove in a certain town where |
ave relatives living she doesn't rest until
tina glove is found. To throw away its
mate and think no more about the lost
glove would seem almost wicked to her.
The New York woman is not at all like That.
II doesn't distress her in the least to lose
small articles Of ordinary value. As a
rule she doesn't even take the trouble To
hunt them up.
Where did you lose your boaT Iasked
nv sister. Why on you go after itT
81 was in at least six or eight shops
she answered, and how, on earth can I
tell where l dropped il. For all l know |
may have lost it in the subway. No, I'm
not gong to bother
THAT, l believe, is the attitude Of the
average New York woman-the poor a.
we'll as the rich-toward lost property ex-
cent III tine case OF a sum OF money. More
than half the articles sent To- the lost prop
erty Office of the marlborough Rapid Transit
Company 3 lines are not claimed, l anPtold,
although a large percentage belong to poor
persons evidently ~
This statement was proved 70 be quite
true bv a visit to the lost property Office
mentioned. II was learned there that in
the last six months ended December !
II, 365 lost articles had been turned in, only
half of which were claimed. The other
half will be sold at auction. At this place
lost goods are held subject to the owners
call for six months. consequently the Office
il always overlooking with articles col
lected from the subway and the elevated
roads.
The property clerk himself is puzzled
quite as much over the indifference of New
Workers over lost property as over the
number of things lost.
Take wOmen's aprons now said he.
Dozens of them come in every week.
They head, in fact, the list of things women
lose. and nearly every apron belongs, /
imagine to a working girl who left IL in the
cars On her way home from work. Aprons
cost money, and the owner must NOV
~ A. -u--- I--N - =. .Huy.w -
train and that by spending five cents extra
carfare she can get the apron back. And
yet here the aprons stay. As for men
being less forgetful than women, ! am not
40 sure. Look at those umbrellas the
umbrellas were stacked TO the ceiling
and it's Easy to see that most of them are
mems umbrellas. In the last twelve months
about 1000 umbrellas have been turned in
and only 1000 were claimed. The others
go to auction.
Walters white coats and dickies-nO end
OF them-are left in the cars and scarcely
one Of them is claimed. and we have several
folding music stands such az musicians use
which have not been called for in spite Of
the fact hat the cost of a good one is sew
eral dollars at least and hat musicians
who play in an orchestra are usually a
good way from being rich"
The man pulled open a huge drawer. II
was filled with wristbags and pOcketbooks,
old. new and medium. There were dozens
Of them. at isn't likely thew will ever he
called for" he admitted. But this n
stranger yet. and he led the way to a COM
partment stored with handbags and suit
cases-a couple of dozen of them, maybe.
and mostly in good condition. Not more
than two or three could be called shabby.
One suit case bore the label of an ocean
steamship. Evidently il had travelled
some.
Il guess most of those things belonRsd to
men, " commented the clerk, "and here are
some more articles which go in the same
He un ocked a closet and showed
an array of bottles. big and little. which
included half a gallon OF Chianti' never
opened, a big mask Of gin, a quart bottle OF
whiskey and numerous smaller bo4tlee
containing liquor of some sort.
In number, though. barring the umbrellas.
the clerk conceded that the hundreds Of
packages piled no on tall rows of shelves
and labelled Miscellaneous" and which
dry goods. fancy articles and
underwear, mostly for women's use, more
h Offset the array of mems belongings.
The property clerk admitted. with his eve
on a parrots cage swinging from the ceiling
and which held a teddy bear, that he be-
lieVed New Workers were getting to he moro
and more fOrRo1ful THAT ,.1o