New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-27

&A of a piano." Commissioner
NIX Fetherston says so, and upon
EIE8GJ this belief he bases his plan OF
appointing as an experiment four women In
spectors for the Street Cleaning Department
He had come to the conclusion that, beng
mere men. there were a greaS many problems
and aspects of the departments work winch
often puzzled him and his assistants because
of the male inability to get .he womanS psy-
choogy on the matter
He felt. too that such INSPECTORS could be OF
tremendous service in carrying to the countless
women. with whom the department came into
direct contact in their homes. the idea that tne
Street Cleaning Department is not merely an
AGGREGATION of White Wings formed for the
sake of picking up stray bits Of paper in the
street, but direct, positive agency 1or inc
maintenance of the health of the city, and
therefore of the family.
wonran's tact and shrewdness seemed TO
him necessary to tell an irate complainant
that perhaps her ashes had not been collected
because she did not have the cans ready at the
right moment. and to explain to her exactly
why the collector would not wait or return
little later. when she might have decided to
have them down.
7 was eager to learn something of this ex-
perinent of the Commissioner. now well under
way. so | asked permission to meet Miss Regina
B. Keller and Miss Mary A. Grace, and accom-
panv them on their daily rounds. found them
most adequate looking young women, OF excep-
tionally good carriage and look OF per1ect
serenity and wellbeng. Evidently the IN
spectng Of streets was healthy way Oh
spending ones days.
A STREET CLEANING INCIDENT.
The heat was sitting and the back streets of
Brooklyn, where the infant plague is still rag
ing, squalid beyond description.
We turned the corner of our meeting place
A group of Italians, violently expostulating
garbage collector in his gray uniform and a
patient looking horse and cart came to view.
"Ah," said one of my companions, "now we
shall see something"
We certainly did.
AS we pushed the little group to one side,
there appeared an overturned can from which,
amid the garbage, there crawled millions
literally millions and not thousands-of live
worms.
The gentleman Of the gray uniform was in
good healthy rage-as well he might beat
the idea of depositing this load in his cart.
Quietly one of my companions stepped for
ward.
"Where is the janitor of this house?" she
asked, pointing to her official badge.
"He pretends he does not understand" sput-
tered the gray-uniformed collector, as an ltal-
ian of the crowd came forward.
However the janitor this time decided that
he would make the attempt. He realized that
the calm figure before him meant business.
Wash down the pavement" she commanded.
Buckets of water were meekly brought and
the writing mass sluiced down the. drain.
The gray-unifOrmed one, accompanied by the
patient-looking horse and cart, wended his
way completely pacifed. l rather wondered
what happened when arbitrating peace
angel was not on hand on such occasions.
Next step to find the landlord, who, we dis
covered, lived next door.
"Not my fault, lady," was his piteous wall,
"these people are so dirty
Tell them to go if they won't do what you
tell them," he was sternly told. Next time
there is complaint against you we shall take
you before the magistrate"
1t did not need superhuman intuition to
know that the man was lying and had never
for an instant bothered over the state of this
house and its inhabitants which he owned and
lived close beside, except to see that it brought
him his weekly income.
WHAT LITTERS THE STREETS.
Next we passed greengrocer's shop, the
owner of which was merrily throwing green
branches into the street, which had just been
cleaned for the day. We were told that they
had been used the night before for the christen-
ing celebration of the son of the house. the
proud parent evidently thinking that such an
occasion was excuse for any breaking Of the
law.
This is one of the big difficulties the Street
Cleaning Department has to contend with-no
sooner is the road spick and span than the in
habitants Immediately begin littering it up.
Before the appointment Of these special inspec-
tors such conditions were allowed to go on with
out any attempt at remedy, but now a vigorous
personal expostulation follows each misde-
meanor.
So we progressed from block to block. mar
yelled at the unfaggng patience and common
sense Of my two companions, for even during
my short journey of investigation these igno-