Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1909-11-26

they've got To save
80 you think they can escahe by
saving? DO you know that New York
has miles ard miles Of streets like
these. with million human beings
herdcd in foul, dark rooms? Can they
all escape by saving?"
IIarglcton started to reply. but Phil
in went on quickly. his voice rising
with intenser feeling:
"Ill tell you how one man escaped
by saving" He pointed down Orchard
street. He lived in that second house.
He was Il poor capmaker. and he shOl
himself because he was out Of work
and couldn'.s bear TO see his wife and
little children suffer. He knew they
would get the insurance money. any
way. That's how he saved. And two
years ago, over there On Eldridgc
street.-the pointed again. found n
family Of poor Jews living in dark
corner Of the hallway under the stairs.
There was no window, no door. 1t
wasn't room at all-Only n narrow
slanting space roughly boarded of
and the landlord made them pay So a
month for it.. There the mother had Il
baby. That's how they saved"
"These tenements are nothing like as
bad rs they were forty years ago." re-
piled Haggletop. What do you think
they did with the garbage forty years
ago? Threw it into the streets for the
pigs to eat. Yes. sir! Pigs were the
public scavengers. This whole region
was so filthy tlat-well. 1t was cleaned
out by cholera and yellow fever more
than once. You knew that, didn't you:
And smallpox was the regular thing.
N'hy. the health wardens used to stand
on the sidewalk and shout to people
upstairs who had it to put camphor In
their clothes and burn some in the
stove. That's how they fought disease!
"Who told you that" questioned
Philip.
"Nobody told me. / saw ii. l lived
here" answered Haggleton. And
there were slaughter houses every
where. and fat boilers. and such vile
tenements that They're all gone
now-'Bone alley and Kerosene row
and the Big Flat in Mott street and
bandits rOost'-but | tell you 1t was
worth mans life to go past them at
night. Now you can go anywhere"
Philip smiled.
"Ill show you few places where
you won't enjoy yourself at night.
still. | admit. we've improved In some
things. but we've gone back in others.
There may not be as many pigs aud
murderers about, but there's a lot
more consumption and overcrowdine7
DO YOU see that little block Just ahead
It's only - by 200 feet How many
people do ynu suppose live in III
Guess
"Seventy-iive feet by two hundred,
reflected IIaggleton. studying the front
of the block. with Its swarms OF cbil-
lren. "Let'S see-a thousand|
1.-Two thousand nine hundred and
siSty-nine by actual count. and that
was five years ago-the population OF
O good sized town in the space of one
of your stables"
"(iood Lord" exclaimed Haggleton
| How many would that give to
house.
From hundred to hundred and
fifty. We're passing through the most
dpnsely populated region in the world
and-you own about half of It,"
"Not that lock?'
"No. but you own enough others. III
show you some presently.
IIaggiaton stopped and laid kind
~ hand en- I'hi.ip's shoulder.
"liy boy. you think too much abou'
the weak. Think about the strong
Don't yoli see that this tenement strug
gle makes men stronger: You knew
it does Would you I've the man YOU