New-York tribune., 1908-07-26
TuE NOOND1Y PROBLEM.
su Hour That Might amount to
Something Wasted Daily.

-.-, &c in This New York a strange anomaly
,r,.xd looking to be amused, willing to
-. !, and no one 70 amuse it Is this like
= Work. II is hardly believable that no one
- ,s,e uarsons have thought Of it but in
- ,a-,s Of the city II is true that no one has;
:. o,e has figured il out that there are so and
-,.nx hundred thousand men and women who
=. :, .te city at regular jobs and who have
-, and such an amount Of time at noon in
-, "a eat drink and revive from their iabors.
7-As. - 10 one has thought Of il with his tongue
a ,5s .s,fak and q thoughtful twinkle in his
= 7. seems incredible for this reason-there
ts sy-,sly money in those figures for some one
.-s xou On the job yourself for eight or nine
,.,,,-s q day. with an hour or so at noon TO
.-,s+,,a in Then ycu know how often you wish
8, ,-ss somewhere TO go and something to do
a. mako 4laf hour q success. At present there
,s ve-v little for the average man or woman
r,5r+ y4r OF low down salarywise) to do but eat
:. como crowded. white lighted restaurant, the
,slIs tables and adjoining faces in which you
-nust forget if you would be happy. After that
:, stroll 2 few blocks over gray stones, looking
a, sbozv windows whose dreary displays you
oo,,d draw from memory. Then back to work
Aren't you wishing things weren't like this?
Take that central New York spot-Madison
souare. 1t is typical of the whole luncheon hour
outlook The only progressive folk there to take
advantage Of the idlers are looking for souls
nat pennies The people who are looking for
,,a,n,es mus: be all dead IL not, where are
tbey, Every day at 12:15 o'clock above the
,rsusl shocking noises Of street traffic and
t4iIdings in erection. rises a trailing melody
nat sends its call high TO the busy Office win
dovs facing the square And when you look
70 see what it is, you find young woman
sanding on g soap box below there beside a
~ f. c lunch wagon al the foot OF the big
tower, playing z Christian cornet- Her asso-
GATES in the enterprise Of saving souls are two
young fnen-one sings. one plays the violin All
together they try To blow, sing and scrape re-
Hsson into the idle crowds who stand around
half smiling and refusing TO join in the song.
Is they are requested 10 do That Is the trailing
melody that swings UP over the trees Of the
park Ike long wisp Of smoke
Sueetly echo the Gospel CAL
Wonderful words Of Life
Offer pardon and peace TO all
wonderful words OF Life.
All SO freely given
Rooing Heaven
Beautiful words. W"nderfnI words
Wonderful words OF Life
An,tser type Of mind stands with the masses
every noon at the foot of the big tower, watch
ing stones and girders swaying UP 10 the clouds
IN a fascinating combination Of safety and dan
gzr More vet sit on benches. following with
their eyes the rise and fall Of the geyser spout
Of the fountain. Some, If they are girls, speno
their time walking up and down, arm in arm; IL
they are men putting smoke and perhaps uncon-
sciously wishing for q street fight, fire, an
g-rest-anything is possible in New York streets.
Few sit on the grass and eat home made
sandwich because Madison Square is not infor-
NAL enough
The picture herewith represents French open
air theatre where the monday crowds are enter
tsined in Paris Il IS somewhat like Punch
and Judy show. but the marionettes impersonate
characters in standard plays which the ex-
hhit0r recites while Juggling the manikins into
Appropriate action Small prices are charged
for seats al the performance, and among those
not seated the hat Is passed for voluntary con-
GibutiOns after each play. It is popular
diversion IN Paris.
4 certain enterprise in Berlin called the Win
te- Garden, where one eats and watches good
vaudeville has made tts fame. But then perhaps
these New Workers cannot afford vaudeville
And 50 one ra-nbles Oh with crowding sugges-
tcns. thinking OF the little street dancers in
faly-no. even on Macdouga1 street-with merely
the lead Of hand organ.
Solemn Anglo o-Arnerican-Saxon idling your
holiday hour away. wishing you could think OF