New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-15
Wouldn't Want a Son VINO
Didn't, He Tells Washing
ton Square Association.
WAS IN A HAPPY MOOD
Outlines Views on Letter Writ
ing, and Tells What Not to
say-Hits Again at
Brooklyn Pastor.


roundings; 1t may have been nothing
but his mood, but whatever the cause
Mayor Gaynor was inclined to the
Christian spirit and TO take humor-
GUS view of things yesterday, when he
addressed the Washington Square AS
ISOLATION In the assembly room OF the
Old First Presbyterian Church, Fifth
avenue and 18th street. He took only
one little shot at his old targets, the
newspapers, and then half atoned for
81 with praise for some, He made only
the very smallest sort of an attack OH
the clergy, and rounded it off with an
attempt at an apology.
The Mayor seemed pleased with the
world and satisfied with himself. Only
once he referred to the Rosenthal muir
der, and then only vaguely when he
said that there was no need Of think
ing everything wrong just because one
thing was. with little show of anger
he begged the indulgence of citizens
and bemoaned their asking that this or
that official be removed.
And those who wish TO unburden
their minds on paper 10 his honor
would do well TO read his remarks on
the way not TO address him or his COM
'missioners.
At the outset the Mayor took Brook
.Iynites to task for their provinciaisIn'
The Mayor did not use the word, but
he did declare that they were tlnicky
as compared with Londoners or win
citizens Of other large European cities
The Mayor was preceded by Eugene
Delano, president of tho association
and r. r. II. Halsey, of the city Art
Commission, who read a paper on
Washington Square and its neighbor.
Greenwich Village. That was part
Of the town the Mayor confessed he
never heard Of until lately.
The Mayor was introduced by Robert
W. de Forest, and after a compliment
to his hearers he said:
have been very much interested in
the paper read by Alr. Halsey. OF the Art
Commission. 1t is very interesting. we
hear now much about Greenwich Village
I declare I never heard Of II until lately
J didn't know what il meant We have
over in Brooklyn, you know all sorts OF
Scring. But this Greenwich Village was
something quite new to me. when | heard
II first in the Board Of Estimate.
There Is one other thing OF your asso-
citation that has pleased me Immensely,
and I may as well tell YOU about II, be-
cause / am pleased occasionally, as well
as disgruntled now and then In fact, l
ike 10 be pleased. On the way over L
read over this pamphlet of correspondence
by your secretary on the one hand and
various city oficials on the other 1 sup
pose it is distributed here at this meeting:
! was pleased with the uniformly, not
only respectful, but kind tone OF the let
ters Of this association by Joseph L.
Delafeld. your secretary. TO city and
borough officials. And as might be eX-
pected, the letters in answer are also OF
polite and kind tone. They arc very
different TO the letters that we are receiv-
ing very often from associations ana from
citizens. We are now about TO finally
sign the subway contracts. and within a
week l have r, 'eived resolutions from So
called civic asi .ciations in .petulant tone
that they ha, been straphangers long
enough and that they would like me 10
have this thing finished.
I received a week or two ago a letter
from a clergyman, the Rev. Mr.. heech-
or Screech-that he owned some property
over in Brooklyn--that he had the mis-
fortune 10 own il was the way he put II
q misfortune which ho could very easy
do away with by giving 1t to the, poor,
and that his life was made miserable Dy
certain city offic al. naming Mr..
Thompson, the Commissioner Of Water
supply, Gas and Electricity.
This reverend gentleman sad mat some me
house TO see If there were not plumbing
leaks IN his house, as they thought there
were some. There was a plumbing leak
end they compelled him to repair leak
IN a faucet That was his whole griev-
snce And then he asked me II could
not, in the whole city. at least find some
man Of common sense TO take e. ' me plaGe
Of tho letters that i receive from over
wrought persons.
A man wrote to INC the other day that
he wanted the police TO arrest every boy
that stole q ride in the City OF New
York, end he thought hundred such ar
rests. 10 be followed by imprisonment
r ~yy1n 9 about IT. well, the boys stole
rides when ] was a boy, and / suppose
they stole rides when he was boy, and
We are here yet. Some of US get hurt
little. but to lock hundred boys up over
night did not strike me very favorably;
can tell you that. Neither would II strike
ahiIdren' or who has brought them up.
But the police cannot, as ! wrote TO him,
see every boy that IS stealing ride un-
less we put policeman on every wagon
A bow can steal ride II he IA any good
st all. at least | could. without police
man seeing him. IL my sons couldn't DO
that I would think I couldn't take much
stock In them. They used 10 steal rides
on Zee wagons and everything else. I
don't want TO encourage them TO do this
thing. but l do always like to see the
cheerful side Of everything. That is why
! ON speaking TO you In this way.
The Mayor then compared Manhattan
with the old City Of London, and ex-
messed a fear that except for a few
residential sections like Washington
Square, the town would be given over
soon to business and apartment build
ings. Even apartment houses he
thought might be displaced by COM
merce, till tho island had only hand
full Of residents left.
Then he went over to Brooklyn and
bemoaned the passing of the Heights
as a fashionable residential section.
Speaking OF it's mansions, once the
homes OF Brooklyn's social elect, he
said:
Now these houses are all boarding
houses, owned by Swedes and Italians
who are conducting one thing and an
other John Claiip's house is a boarding
house. And so on In other districts. one
place after another.
/ always said over In Brooklyn that the
chief reason OF the breakdown OF resi-
Dental sections was that people were
TOO 6nicky. They thought more Of the
outside Of their houses than they did OF