Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-20
ROUND ABOUT NEW York.
RippIes on the Current Of Life I'm the
Metropolis.


A writer in the American magaSine en-
tiers a protest against the impression quite
general "in the provinoes.' that money.
grabbing Wall street. gsrish Fifth avenue.
gorgeous food and drink establishments
and the binding great white way re-
fleet the heart OF the real New York. The
true spirit OF the city," says the writer,
rs reflected In the millions of plain, honest
people who try TO live up TO the most cor
rectly old-fsshioned and healthful domestic
ideals. There is the same proportion Of
men with high ideals in this city as in
any other. Here as we find
thousands Of men who worship only the
material out Of which they paint their pic
lures, write their books, carve their sta
tues. Here as elsewhere there are thous-
ands Of men applying themselves with
scant rewar to the solution of the puzzles
Of science, physicians laboring nightly
among the poor, and c~lergymen wearing
out their lives in the cure OF sin and sor-
row. Even Tammany joins in the physical
improvement Of the city. Even the des-
pissed rich contribute museums, libraries
and hospitals to the general good. and I'M
SYSTEMATICALLY in many cases spend their
time and money In relieving poverty and
suffering. There is no more general wor-
ship of money here than there is in To-
peka. The tone of the people toward 'vul-
gar wealth is one OF good-natured con.
tempt. John D. and Andrew are the
subjects Of many of the most spirited pop
ular jests and the public racks its honest
sides laughing at the feeble or clumsy at
tempts Of Newport to appear magnificent"
A begger who insists on shaking hands
with his victims has appeared on Fifth
N-n,t,a H. L. ~ h,,alxF FaIIAur NTH anf1Na
300 pounds of bone and muscle to
strengthen his grip. He first sreets the
pedestrian with a cordial smile and sweep
of the hand. That is the critical moment
II the pedestrian pauses for a minute up
sldles the beggar.
Don't you know me, boss?' he asks.
Selling the victims hand in a viselike
grasp, I'm one of your old postmen.
Many a letter with good news, and bad,
I've brought to you.
Don't know me? Well, l have changed.
Four months in the Tombs will change
hard luck"
All the time the old postmsn, whom you
cannot of course possibly remember. is
holding onto your hand with all his might.
He won't let go. Tha is a part OF the
6olllC OIlig "iiVl no oNNS NiloN ehNAO 10
a weakening that promises to end in a
contribution does he relax his hold on the
victims hand.
He Is just as cordial and hearty In his
thanks as he was in his approach. One
feels just as much done as ever, yet there
is a fine holiday spirit about the manner
of his holdup that almost reconciles the
victim to the fact that he has practically
| hear, aaaoulfad On NTH aUaDtfa I'm hPoad
daylight
Yet this rascal has been making a daily
progress up and down Fifth avenue for
the last two weeks, failing in his designs
only when the projected victim absolutely
refused to show any signs Of recognition
after the first hearty greeting.
A souvenir Of the civil war came into
the hands Of a delicatessen merchant on
the East Side a few days ago which showed
how scarce small change must have been
in those days. 1t was a green s-cent pos
tage stamp, encased in a thin metal frame
the size Of an old copper cent. The face
of the stamp was protected by a disk Of
mica. On the reverse side the improvised
coin was stamped Good for three cents"
This queer substitute for money was given
along with other small change by a woman
who said 1t was the last OF a number Of
similar pieces which she had owned for
many years, and the man who took the
combination stamp, mica and tin for 3
cents in speaking of It, said: The woman
looked as IL she was prosperous once and
was sorry to give up the piece"
Two men were wrangling as to who
should settle with the waiter for the lunch
con. When the question had been finally
decided and the contestants had gone the
waiter said to one of his regular customers
who was a witness to the scene: That
what we like, for every time 1t happens
we come in for an extra tip. The man
who couldn't get the check has only one
way to get even, and that is by giving the
waiter something, and nine times out OF
ten he does It and makes the amount more
than he would have given IL he had paid
the check. This one ordered extra cigars
and left the change for me. We like the
give me the check quarrels."
Justice Marean, of the supreme court, has
declared invalid the will of a man who
left his entire estate. amounting to $4,000,
in trust to Trinity church at Rockaway,
the condition of the trust being that the
whole income from the bequeSt shouid
forever be used in caring for the testators
grave.
The intended purpose, as the Justice
sees 1t, is not religious, charitable. edu-
c~ational or benevolent, and, therefore, 1T
does not COM Under the exception to the
law against perpetuities. On the con-
trary, ouch a bequest was merely the out
come OF morbid c~oncelt, and he decided
that the estate should go to the natural
heirs, declaring that "a neglected grave
yard is a more effective lesson to pride
and selfishness than the SNUG and self
satisfied dcrency that speaks of mercen-
airy care"
Michael ]. O'Connor of New York City,
who came from Ireland as a child, a year
ago bought his native village of Leitrim
and has just acceded to the request OF his
tenants for a % per cent reduction In
their rents. "As the only American land
lord in Ireland-or rather out OF It," he
says, II am bound to help her out OF her
tenantry troubles, / didn't buy the village
as an investment. but largely from sent-
ment, / guess. l wanted to own the place
: where my ancestor. the last king OF IRE
land-he is my ancestor, for all 1 know
, to the oontrary-is buried. And then,
was born in Leitrim." That Il guess
would indicate that Mr.. Oconnor wal