Imperial Valley press., 1913-12-01
Idealists Put Star
In nMadisonS Suuare
BY Carlton Ten Eyck
Written for the United Press)

haps they will be more hopeful. The
Idealists aimed at that result. Though
hope is supposed to beat eternal in the
human breast, the brand of expectancy
common around Madison square has
been at low ebb for many years. The
homeless and jobless have first claim
on the benches in the old rectangle and
their share of hope has been limited,
but the star may help.
The ldealists-a group of charitable
and benevolent New Workers with
more money than their own needs re-
Guire. who are careful that their
names are not made public-erected
the star. 1t is g fve-pointed emblem
two feet across, set on high pole.
Scores of electric bulbs that compose
the star shed their pure white rays
over Madison square from sunset to
sunrise. The star will shine every
night except during Christmas week,
when "the tree of light'-a huge pub
lie Christmas tree-will take its place.
The Idealists founded the Madison
square Christmas tree, too. They put
It I'D last Christmas, a huge Christmas
tree from the Maine woods, and COW
cred it with countless electric bulbs of
all colors. Every night from Christmas
eve to New Years the tree shone and
thousands of the poor, homeless and
friendless came from all parts of the
city. the east side, west side and Hell's
Half Acre, to look at the emblem.
The derelicts seemed to get such
real enjoyment and hope from the
tree of light" that the Idealists de-
termined to place a permanent en-
blem in the square. The star resulted.
1t is a queer bit of press agency, a
sign Of 'hope, peace and good will. >
There is no lettering on it, no advice
of any kind; just the cleaning white
star.
Set there in the historic square with
beer, cigarette, whisky and patent
medicine advertisements glaring in ev-
cry direction, the star strikes peace
full and restful note in the riotous and
raucous glamor. 1t is way below that
part of Broadway that makes up the
present great white way. Its loca
ton was the scene in the years gone
by Of long forgotten splendors and
gaiety. Across the street where now
a huge office building rears its towers
was once the famous Fifth Avenue ho
tel location Of the Amen Corner, scene
of the brilliant balls and functions and
hothouse for some of the most mo-
mentous and far reaching political
plots that have made the empire
states history.
Diagonally across the intersection
of Broadway, Fifth avenue and Twen-
ty-third street was once the old Hotel
Bartholdi, in its day a famous hostel
ry, home of distinguished foreign trav-
elers, visiting diplomats and famous
folk from all over the world. A square
up Fifth avenue was Louis Martins,
one of the first of the lobster palaces"
and for many years one of the most
exclusive of New York's eating places.
But where once the night life of the
big city throbbed at it's zenith is now
little but commerce. The white lights
and automobiles, decollete gowns and
silk hats, have gone northward, and
Madison square is left at night to its
own devices, and to those whose only
refuge is the city's open spaces. Men
and women and children from the east
side tenements come there in the even
ings for fresh air and later in the
night the benches are occupied by job
less men who know no other beds.
1t is for them that the star was
put up. 1t was to give them hope
that the Idealists erected the pole with
it's fve-pointed emblem of cheer. The
detected lounger on the bench and the
belated wayfarer hurrying by can see
the star and perhaps learn from it
that all hope is not dead.
A wag who saw them putting it up
the other day said it was the first time
a "star" had been that far down
Broadway since the Garden theater
became a stock house.
Forty-two dogs live in one block on
East Twenty-frst street, between Sec
ond and Third avenues. That state
ment was made by Coroner Holthauser
at an inquest into the death Of Henry
Blass. Blass owned a dog. His next
door neighbor, Eugene Kluger, owned
a dog. Blass's dog and Kluger's dog
picked a fight with strange dog 60
ing by and the two men with the in
vading dog engaged in fight with
Blass when he attempted to separate
+bo +braa dopc RlacS WAS Killed