The Raymer enterprise., 1913-09-25

life seems TO be to sit with folded
arms and watch the Kaleidoscope OF
the street. Myriad children swarm
under foot. shouting back and forth
to each other. sometimes in Yiddish,
sometimes In English. usually in sen.
tences Of both tongues.
Changing. Yet Chaneeless.
The very fact that all OF this life Is
so precisely like the life OF the East
side eight or ten years ago naturally
makes one curious to understand
what has become OF the influence OF
the public schools. the playground
centers. the settlements. and all the
other lnnumerable philanthropic char.
liable and educational institutions
which have been established there
for many years. AS one walks through
the streets there are few, II any. evi.
dences OF progress. II Is still an or.
thodoH Jewry. Ten years ago thou.
sands upon thousands OF boys and
bilbs souHh lil'h anu 'ohhh
were looked upon as Americans In
process" One naturally asks what
has become OF the Americans or what
has happened to the process
In the answer 10 this question lies
one more OF the interesting features
OF this situation. The lower East
10 tt. hn NJ
man sieve, Here the immigrants
come and locate Immediately they
have landed, for In this Ghetto they
find a life in outward semblance sim.
ilar 10 the life OF the Ghettos they
have left in Europe. Every one
speaks Yiddish and consequently ig
norance OF English is no drawback
Jewish customs prevail, The pre-
vailing atmosphere Is Jewish. Here
they are at home. The schools. the
settlements. and the social centers
are open TO their children, who are
never slow to avail themselves OF the
advantages and opportunities offered
| them. But as soon as the younger
generation has secured ever so slight
a foothold. they are seized with the
desire to move uptown so they &c
| to the Bronx. to East New York or
to Brownsville, making place for the
more recent arrivals from Europe
/ Thus II Is that the East side while
composed OF a different population. Is
still the same: while changing II Is
| still unchanged The fux OF life
which continues month after month
cXpels from Its borders those who
have become slightly Americanized
| At the same time, receiving others OF
the orthodox type who maintain the
standard OF life and keep unsoiled
from the world about them the old
time atmosphere OF the Ghetto
In certain respects the East side OF
today Is n better East side than OF
ten years ago For one thing. there
| Is less criminallty OF serious char
acter. Formerly young boys. scarcely
out OF school, took lessons from ex.
perienced pickpockets and practiced
their trade among the throngs OF the
East side streets and the Bowery and
on various crosstown cars which In.
terscct the Ghetto. But little time
ago an ordinance was passed which
made "jostllng" In crowd misde
meanor and penal offefse. This
practically broke the backbone OF the
pickpocket ring for iostling Is essen
tial to the successful operation Of
pIckpocketinr on the part OF novices
The od.time Fagln no longer exist,
and the youth OF the East side have
learned that pocketplcklng does no.
pay. Gambling exists because gam
bling will always exist In Jewish
population II Is tempcramental an.
racial trait, Municipal judges inform
mo that drinking is on the increase
among the Jewish population Of III,
East side. This has never been ,
racial Characteristic, Drunkenness
like total abstinence. has herctofor,
been unknown. or practically 70
among this population, but latterl,
there has been n tendency. especial,
on the part OF the younger genera
ton. toward the consumption OF spir
Ituous liquors. which has resulted II
n marked Increase OF drunkenness OF
the part OF che younger Jews.