The Washington herald., 1916-07-09
AMERICANIZED.

In this land Of the free and home
of star-spengled campaign speeches
the court language is Yiddish.
Near Delaney street. where we
chuck eighty per cent OF our garment
makers when they are not at their
work benches, Yiddish and cash down
are the only two mediums of express
sion through which one can always
be understood. When an Irishman,
, a Hungarian. an Italian, a German and
Russian get together to put through
deal which will supply secondhand
clothing for all the plantation darkIes
next season. they use a jargon which
is the outgrowth OF all the Yiddish
dialects Of Europe. And usually the
1rishman's tongue wags as fluently as
any.
Grandmother Goldstein chose to live
in that neghborhood.
In vain did her progeny beseech her
to move up town and be stylish. She
liked to visit their flats with such
shining plumbing and polite janitors.
In the summer. she went with them
to grand hotels where Jewish families
fiocked TO frolic in sand and sea and
sandwiches and soft drinks. But firm
| ly she resisted all attempts to trans
fer her to Harlem.
People will think we can't make
money" walled the sons, IF we leave
our old people behind in such set
tings"
The daughters artfully pointed out
that they needed her more. as married
women. than when they were little
girls. Grandmother resisted pleadings
and threats. She said she would learn
to use a telephone and they could talk
to her just as easy. But she stayed
in three little rooms just on Grand
street. and continued 10 do her mar
keting from pushCarts.
Indeed, after the children and grand
children had been lifted out Of the
downtown ghetto by good fortune and
| industry. the little old woman seemed
really to become reconciled to Amer
/ lea. During her young married life
/ in this country. she had been home
sick. i'll. tormented with poverty and
hard work. She saw her children grow
up-and away from her-cauEht in the
terrible American life in which ole
customs were neglected, old trad.
tions fouted. old-cOuntry ways ridi'
culed. The impatient youngsters be
came Americanized with cruel apiditN
that separated them from their pa.
rents almost as soon as they were
big enough to toddle out TO play.
| Mrs. Goldstein was not one Of the
English. She was "old country" but
merited the description Of irreverent
grandchildren who described her a.
some old girl She helped Grand.
father Goldstein in his business anc
picked up English through that But
as she grew older and the family
ideals progressed it took the combined
efforts OF father, sons and grandsons
to convince her that. in America. ar
I,II l. l.
Retirement from business was &C.
complished in many mutterings and
great heartache. Grandmother came
from a long line OF traders and bat.
gaining. buying and selling were al
much a part OF her life as cooking
and baby tending. She thought then
all cruel to make her sit with folded
hands II the children had ruled en-
tirely they would also have made
Grandfather Goldstein close his grub.
by second d-hand furniture shop in Al,
len street. But the old man wa,
backed by the traditions of patriarcha
dominance. and he refused to be {
| loafer an a bum"
| Grandmother had to try to conquer
the training OF a lifetime. In Am.
sterdam. the market stand where hel
father sold everything from antiou,
brass to fresh eggs. was TO her fam.
| lily what an English estate is TO
/ titled eldest son. Generations had
stood there on the scrubbed brick,
and bought and sold and traded. un,
der the scant shelter OF the white
tent-like top She had been the pride
! of her father. who encouraged heI
shrewdness. tact. and judgment Wher
she married and came to America, heI
usefulness in the shop kept her clos,
/ to her husband and she was in toucr
with the new life as few foreign
wives can be because they are i'm,
prisoned in their kitchens and learr
of this country only through theil
tired husbands and needless children
| Grandmother's sons had inherited q
good business instinct. Beginning
with secondhand shoe dealing, they
developed into shoe merchants with
Iup-to-date stores all over town. They
/ had nice families, too. Grandmothel
Goldstein loved their babies. Blu
what modern baby can hll a grand
mother heart tnowadays-with such crank,
notions about open air sleeping and nj
rocking or feelings between meali
and no sweet things at all? She haC
nothing to do in their homes or theil
nurseries And they forbade her L
enter the store at all
At first, she had tried to max,
visits" but she never could resis
sticking a word into a bargain o.
taking stun out of the hands OF clum
sy statesmen who might spoil a sal,
and let a customer escape. All da,
| they made her sit in her neat home
furnished as nicely as money and he
prejudices would permit She cooked
his favorite dishes until Grandfathe
Goldstein was threatened with gout
And then there was an awful perio'
when she sat with her hands wrappet
woefully in her apron. silent, cross
lifeless and much given to drippin,
! tears.
/ No one noticed when the chang
came about. Grandmother had beer
so spiteful and hateful that tn
| children made brief visits and wer
glad 20 hurry away from her temper
ish outbursts. They did not know ths