Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-18
VISITS GHETTO
TO STUDY LIFE
MRS. WHEAT RETURNS FROM
PROLONGED STAY
WILL PUBLISH BOOK DEVOTED
TO HER EXPERIENCES
Finds Authors and Artists Who VIII
Not Sell Their Works, Prefer
ring to Live by Hard

Toll
Emerging from a seclusion of a year
and a half passed in the ghetto of New
York, where she has been gathering
material for her latest book, Mrs. Lu
Wheat of Los Angeles, author and
artist, has just returned to her native
city. She entertained a number of
friends Sunday afternoon at the resi-
dence OF Mrs. j. L. G. Phipps, 1854
South Figueroa street, telling them of
life in the Jewish quarter.
For nineteen months Mrs. Wheat has
buried herself from the outside world
and shared the lives of poor artists,
sculptors, musicians and craftsmen,
turning her back on ease and tasting
the real poverty Of the New York poor.
The struggles, heartaches and suffering
of the ghetto have been hers for
months.
Few women of such talent and re-
finement as Mrs. Wheat would relish
the idea of leaving children, home and
comforts for the cherries slums. But
Mrs. Wheat is a conscientious author.
She only writes about what she knows
and has actually experienced. "I went
there because I needed the education, -
explains Mrs. Wheat.
Two Previous Works
Mrs. Lu Wheat of 1915 West First
street is the author of "The Third
Daughter" a story of Chinese life
which has won her considerable fame
She lived for years in China, where her
son was connected with the United
States embassy, and improved her time
there by making careful study OF
Chinese life. Chinese character is little
understood by Anglo-Saxons. The work
therefore, is of particular value as Civ
ing an accurate insight into Chinese
mental processes, family life and ideals
1t is simple narrative full Of pathos.
1t is now being revised for supplement
tary reading in the New York state
schools.
Her second literary effort is entitled
Helen" and is a story of western life
Here the author had a more accessible
field to study close at home, and a
more popular subject. While many
people enjoy Helen more than 1.-THE
Third Daughter" the author regards
the latter as of greater value and a
finer production.
For some years Mrs. Wheat has been
engaged in the preparation Of her new
work which, she says, will be the peer
of all her previous literary efforts. The
hero is to be Jew, and the scene will
be laid largely in the ghetto of an
American city.
Poor but Happy
Mrs. Wheat lived among the artists
in the ghetto. making the so-called
studio of the Jewish quarter in Brook
lyn her headquarters. This location
gave her the best opportunity to study
the life that surrounded her. These
poor artists" said Mrs. Wheat, Give a
life of abject poverty, but are among
the happiest men 1 have ever known
They work at their various lines until
they have no more funds to live on,
and then go out and work by the day
until they have set aside enough to con-
tinue their artistic efforts.
'I was greatly surprised to find the
first day one of the men chiseling iii
marble a conception by Whittier-a
most difficult theme and one which he
finally rendered most perfectly. Az
other artist was busily engaged press
ing pair Of trousers, while at one end
of the ironing board was an open
volume of Whittier from which he was
reading to his companion sculptor. A
third was engaged in painting a pro-
duction of an angel figure standing
bathed in blaze Of light, while from
all round men, women and animals
were emerging out of the darkness, all
cropping toward the light.
''Strangest Of all, these artists do not
seem to care to sell their works when
Masterpieces of immense
value lay around in dust-covered at
tics. If they find an appreciative friend
they are only too glad to present him
with one of those priceless works. They
seem to regard the pictures and statu-
ary as part of their own being and too
precious to sell for a price to rich and
people. They prefer to
toll daily for living.
Herded Into Churches
"The original word ghetto meant
divorce. The Jews were divorced or
set aside to themselves in Rome. No
one would associate with them or live
near them. Once a year they were
driven to the Christian churches by
force.
I'm the New York ghetto the in
habitants are mostly Russian Jews.
Many of them are what remains Of
families who have been brutality
in cold blood in their ma
tive land. They say that a Christian
in Russia regards it a pious act to
kill a Jew. I know one mother and
her children who came to the United
States after the head of the family
had been murdered in cold blood by a
Russian who had no grievance against
him except that he was Jew. Those
poor people live in deadly terror of
Christians, even in this country, and
that is one reason why they live apart
to themselves in the United States
According to the Jewish religion
ten men may unite to say certain
prayers. This is the nucleus of a
ghetto. Gradually it grows and then
comes the tabernacle. The New York
ghetto is the largest in the United
States.
Among the strange things I found
were individuals known as ''saviors"
These men have renowned the Jewish
religion and yet they are not consid-
cred outcasts. They call themselves
but in reality are seek
ers after true philosophy rather than
any, cult. They devote themselves to
helping the people with whom they
come in contact. There was one of
these living in our building, and 1 have
known him to get up on a cold night
and go into the street to see If there
was any one out in the snow who was
suffering with cold.
'In our so-called studio most of the
inmates were young men. We all did
our own washing and our own cook
ing. Yes, they were kind to me, for
they are kind to everyone.
1.-THE ghetto is commonly regarded as
p hot-bed of crime. There doubtless
is crime in the ghetto, but there are
other things there which the world
outside does not know about The
Jews in the ghetto do not eat meat Of
any kind. They do not use intoxicat-
ing liquors. Their crimes are against
and never against person"
Just what the title of her new book
will be Mrs. Wheat has not decided
Che boan thin1xino IF oa1Iioor