The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-05-03
Stray Topics From, New York

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 dlfzHmHmRmmmmmIEmmwmmmHH mmmmm New York, May Especial. )-They have got a new wrinkle in the Grand Central Station that Is destined to
 make men with weak hearts live lon- 1 ger, and incidentally protect the small
 and unathletic persons from being
 trampled underfoot by those who are 1 always trying to catch the train ahead.
 The new rule forbids anyone run
 ming in the station in an effort to
 catch his train. A number of stall
 wart policemen are on hand to enforce
 the rule. They grab the hurrying
 train-catcher. tell him he Is ehdan-
 serfng lives by rushing at break meek
 speed through the crowd. and then let
 him go on his way. He generally
 have the gate closed in his face. and
 to see the last car of his train pull
 ing out of the station.
 Hard times are working both ways
 in New York. While certain classes
 of business have been obliged to
 go Into bankruptcy. others are waxing
 fat during the financial stringency.
 Just at present the owners of the big
 storage warehouses are reaping the
 benefit, and the proprietors of the | apartment houses are the losers. Hundreds of the well-to-do families have been obliged to give up their | and either resort to boarding houses
 or so Into the country where living Is cheaper. On the whole. the hard times have affected the very poor and the very rich. The salaried class have felt the stringency less than any others.
 The new "pay-as- -you-enter" cars which have now been in use on Mad ison Avenue for. over d month have proved q success and Mauhattanites are wondering how long 1t will be be- fore some of the other lines will fol low suit. The old-fashioned cars are still in use on Broadway in spite of the heavy trahic. and on some of the cross streets horse cars are still run.
 Visitors to the city are generally more surprised to find horse cars in Gotham than almost anything else that comes to their notice. The new tract a great deal of attention, and already some of the enterprisinR stores have put on a "pay-as-you-enter belt with a little pocket attached for change
 It is planned soon to place a nickel in-the-slot machine on the cars and have each passenger drop in his own
 
 the conductor will have all of his time to assisting passengers on' and on the car. and thus minimize the number of accidents.
 Tn order to meet the tremendous do- mand for experienced office boys the New York public schools are now con- templating giving a course to train bows in all branches of office work. The experiment Is already being tried in one school and if 1t proves sue cess 1t will probably be made part Of the whole scheme to train the public school children in some trade that will enable them to earn a living as soon as they are graduated.
 Although there are hundreds of auc- tions of every kind in New York | every day. the ones that attract most attention are those disposinR of the | personal effects. however slight their intrinsic value may be. of some per son in the public eye.
 This was strikingly illustrated re- gently at the sale of the household | furnishings of Mrs Leslie Carter, the famous actress. The goods were or dered sold by Mrs. Carter's receiver In bankruptcy. and the many friends of inc noted footlight favorite thronged the auction rooms In an effort to get some memento. Even the kitchen things had a price. Notable among these was a wash wringer that brought $1 25. although its working days were over. A lot marked two hotties brought a nicklc.
 A curious document thirtv-two | years old. was found in a sealed draw CT In an old safe in the Finance De- partment the other day that revealed the fact that bribery was not unknown to Gothams officials even in those days.
 The letter. which was addressed to the Comptroller of that time was from a man employed in the Finance De- pertinent The letter reads as follows:
 Enclosed please find $10, which Is bribe money received from J. R. | Wright. There is a drive in 1t. think, | and should be kept a secret at pres ent."
 The J. R. Wright mentioned in the | letter Is not known to Mir. Metz. the | present Comptroller. and he proposes to conduct an investigation of this thirtv-two year old graft. in spite of the bribery that is going on bsfor" his eyes every day.
 Tn the fashionable Easter parade on Fifth Avenue on Easter morning, when 1t was possible to see the latest styles in Parisian gowns and French millin- cry. one woman who was attired in rather a rustic costume attracted most attention. She was accompanied by a young man who also looked as though he had not been born and bred in New York. The woman was dressed all In white except for dark sash" around her waist
 The sash happened to he the arm ot the young man. and the two younR people were apparently unconscious of Inc interest they were creating in the minds of the fashionable crowd along he avenue. where people are more cir 'umspset than in the shady lanes of he country But everybody stopped to ook. and whatever the comments. l' WAS evident that the couple had mad" strong imnression on the most un. street in the world,
 4 man wkhe wished to celebrate Easter Sunday in an appropriate man.