Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1909-12-10
The Battle
BY
ClftLAND M0fFfTT
Novelized by the Author
From His Great Play OF
the Same Name
Copyright. 1909. By C. W. Diliins.
ham Co.
CHATTER vi.
AKIN WpETEs


a brisk walk around lung block. in
specting his property closely as he
went. He had hardly known that II
formed part Of his enormous real es-
tate holdings.
On his return he found Jenny ready
with the breakfast aud Joe and Moran
already devouring theirs. IL was
bread aud coffee-nothing more.
After breakfast Moran hurried away
to his day of toll In the cellar bake
shop. Joe. after various adroit but
vain attempts to borrow dollar from
Jenny or the new boarler, drifted out,
and Haggleton. after repeated offers
Of service to Jenny. resolved that the
best thing he could do would be TO
take look around and familiarize
himself with the condition his property
was in. Philip Ames. who was "off"
that morning. came In, driven by curl
osity, and offered to pilot "Mr. Jack
son. through that unfamiliar part OF
the town. The offer was accepted with
alacrity.
Ii was now a quarter to 8 as they
Joined the throng of hurrying toilers.
They paused at the Bowery and Canal
street and watched the crush of men
and women fighting their way up the
elevated stairs and packing themselves
into the cars. Then they turned to
the east and walked against the surg
ing river of humanity.
You call these the poorest people In
New York;" asked Haggleton.
81 suppose So"
"Then New York makes a pretty
good showing. Do you see any rags
or misery? Look at these men. They
all wear leather shoes, don't they? In
Europe the poorest people wear wood
en- shoes. That's something. isn't it?
And they all wear derby hats and
Etarched shirts and neckties and watch
chains and overcoats with velvet col
lars"
You can't Judge by appearances,
objected Philip.
Eyes, you can too"
1Ulllp SIOUX Ills uedu. lou See
only those who have work and are able
to work You don't see those who are
left at home. You don't see the sick
and the old and the young. You don't
see the wrecks"
mo. but see what makes the
wrecks. or some of them" answered
Haggleton. "It's extravaganza. Most
of these men smoke-that's bad-and
lot of them go into saloons. which Is
worse. And look at the cheap jewelry
on the women. Why, they all veal
imitation pearls Look at the banners
across the streets with balls and con
certs' at % cents in big letters, tel
you. they waste their money"
These people must have some pleas
- ures." Philip said
Not at first. They must cut out
pleasures at first. did. If they
want to escape from these tenements
they've got to save"
$50 you think they can escape by
saving? Do you know that New Yrt
has miles and miles of streets like
these. with a million human being:
, herded in foul, dark rooms? Can they
all escape by saving|
Haggleton started to reply. but Phil
ip went on quickly. his voice risinl
with intenser feeling:
'I'll tell you how one man escaped
by saving" He pointed down Orchard
street. HE lived in that second house
He was a poor capmaker, and he sho
himself because he was out of wOrl
and couldn't bear to see his wife ant
little children suffer. He knew the,
would get the insurance money. any
way. That's how he saved And tw
years ago, over there on Eldridg
street.-The pointed again-"I found
family of poor Jews living in a dar1
corner Of the hallway under the stairs
There was no window, no door. |
wasn't room at all-only narroy
slanting space roughly boarded Off
and the landlord made them pay So
month for it. There the mother had
baby. That's how they saved"
"These tenements are nothing like a
bad as they were forty years ago." re
piled Haggleton what do you thin
they did with the garbage forty year
ago? Threw it into the streets for tn
pigs to eat. Yes. sir! Pigs were tn
public scavengers. This whole regio
was so filthy that-well. it was cIeane
out by cholera and yellow fever NOR
boA losk
And smallpox was the regular thing
Why. the health wardens used to stan
on the sidewalk and shout to peopl
upstairs who had 1t to put camphor |
their clothes and burn some in tn
stove. That's how they fought disease
"Who told you that?" question:
Philip.
Nobody told me. saw it. live
here" answered Haggleton. AN
there were slaughter houses ever!
where, and fat boilers. and such vii
tenements that They're all gorl
now-.Rone alley and Kerosene row
and the Big Flat in Mott street an
Bandits roost'-but | tell you it wa
worth a mans life to go past them 6
night. Now you can go anywhere"
Philip smiled.
''1ll show you few places wher
you won't enjoy yourself at nigh
Still. l admit. we've improved in som
things. but we've gone back in other.
There may not be as many pigs an
murderers about, but there's lc
more consumption and overcrowdin.
Do you see that little block just ahead
It's only rs by 200 feet. How man
people do you suppose I've in i,
Guess"
"Seventy-fve feet by two hundred
reflected Haggleton, studying the fror
of the block. with its swarms of chi
dren. "Let's see-a thousand"'
1.-TWO thousand nine hundred an