Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-21

ed is in quarter known as Cisselrs
alley.
To reach it one leaves the Pennsylvania
avenue car at Wisconsin avenue, and
turns to the left 1t is situated between
the canal and the river. If one doesn t
mind prowling about Indefinitely he may
find it alone, otherwise he calls upon the
nearest stranger. Past the slow yellow
waters of the canal the visitor goes to
turn into an alley. deserted save for a
few negro children sprawling in the
scorching midsummer sun, with a few
NANCY yellow dogs lolling about as COM
panions. Down this alley hundred yards
or SO and at a sudden turn, looking Po-
tomacward, he finds Cissell's alley.
A narrow cObble-stoned passageway,
fianked on one side by long row of
houses, which follow one another in their
hurry down the hillside to the river They
are all built alike, with basement level
with the street; Easements that are odor-
Gus, miasmic: easements which surely
are full OF water when rain falls. Evil
IDENTIFY the custom in CiSsells alley is to
live above these Easements, for the rick
ETY. stairways which lead from the street
TO the second floor and the tiny landings
which top them literally swarm with
children children so numerous that they
seem literally to overflow the small, houses
and spill into the alley. And from over
landing ratings and over window sills
lean uncorseted figures. wearing as IL by
unanimous consent ill-fitting dark skirts
and soiled cotton dressing sacks There
are no men visible anywhere.
But the men, one asks Ct the polite
young policeman.
about here SO very much, he replies.
a lot Of them work on the river and
the canal and are away from home a
good share of the time. They're queer
kind of people who live down here-sort
OF little community all TO themselves
Some of them have lived here for thirty
Years. and some OF them have lived close
about here for longer than that They
intermarry from one family to another,
and they just keep on living right here =
On the right as one enters the narrow
alley a hillside rises sharply, and mass
ed closely at the foot to prevent heavy
washing are large round boulders which
the Associated Charities treated to a coat
OF whitewash. giving the one touch of
cleanliness to the entire dreadily dis
heartening way. From up on this hill
trees. comes the sound of children $
voices and. climbing the hill, one finds
two earnest young social betterment
workers and group of twenty-five or
more children.
Seated on the grass in a small space
which had been cleared of weeds and
rubbish of one sort or another, one may
find Miss Lena Wilkins, who is Mr..
Woods associate and chief helper in the
work of the improvised Fairgrounds. Miss
Wilkins is a recent graduate in kinder
garten work. has had some experience
in settlement work. and when George
town proposed to give funds for the pro-
Fairgrounds Mr.. Wood wished to estab-
lish. Georgetown asked that Miss Will
hins be chosen for the work.
The group of girls about her range in
age from four to eleven years and diff
cult as IL is to tell stories pleasing to four
and TO eleven. Miss Wilkins has achieved
the knack.
This group in Cisselrs alley. children
who of necessity by environment have
imagination but very slightly developed.
ciamor most for the most highly imag-
NATIVE tales. Fairy tales of the most i'm
possible kind are their chief delight and
over and over again they ask for some
favorite story of this sort. They are Il
quiet. well hammered lot, for all their
miserable surroundings. responsive TO
the slightest wish Of Miss Wilkins, and
though one might prefer some of them tn
express little nearer kinship with sodli-
ness, for the most part they are quite
trimmed up for the semi-weekly coming
of the teacher who. with her stories