Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1916-05-26

The tenement houses where most of the flowers
are made are of the worst type, with dark and
shaky stairways. The crowded tenement houses
of the "congested East side," of which so much
has been said in print, are palaces in COMPARE
son to those rickety old structures. And in them
the children of sunny Italy spend their days and
nights. Ostensibly 1t is their inherent love for
flowers that is drawing them to this work.
1t is not easy matter to get the confidence Of
some of the women and to make them answer
questions. They always suspicious that vis
tors are from the board of health with a mission
to make trouble. In some houses no amount Of
arguing or coaxing will bring results-not even
the assurance of the children who return from
school and are appealed to.
However, there are some who are quite willing
to talk and to shed light on the situation.
They are not greedy, but they are very ambi
tous and it is their ambition that impels them to
utilizez every possibility of making money.
Average So a Week.
Thy are all honest, Woodworking people The
children orderly and respectful, and there
q world of love in the mothers eyes seeing
them return from school and resume their work
separating petals and pastng leaves stems.
The earnings of heads of the families were found
to average eight dollars week, which, according
to the standard of living in that locality is fair
income. A good many of the men work in flower
factories and from them they take work home
The others are mostly shoemakers. bootblacks and
pushcart peddlers.
One of the places where children were found at
work after school hours had restaurant and pool
room on the ground floor of the building In which
the family lived. When there are no diners in the
restaurant the long dining table Is covered with
wreaths and punches of cherries and forgetme
nots, mother and her children working diligently
at them. The proprietor of this restaurant was
also in the rag business.
In one place young woman. Margarita Rozzon
Who 0lxnd mi a tha
she being blonde and having blue eyes-was at
work with her little girl. who seemed to be will
ing and ambitious helper. Little Giovanna. three
years old. looked like miniature of her mother
golden haired and eyes of the color of violets. Il
don't want her to help me-" the mother said. "but
she insists on doing that" And she accentuated
her words by bending over the child and kissing
her with all the fondness of mother.
The children meets here in the streets are
all pretty, but their beauty fades before maturity
Their physical development is stunted by long
hours of work and very little play. Their child
hood does not last long A girl who is married at
fourteen is no rare case. Here they make the
step from childhood right to manhood and woman
hood. skipping over the period of youth and maid
enhood.
Why Tony Sells Flowers.
Such child was Tony who at thirteen became
the breadwinner for the family. selling flowers
real fowers-by day and helping his mother make
artificial flowers by night Tony was never boy;
he never played In the streets with other children
never threw ball In the air. Tony's father kept
fruit stand on corner. who're be also shined shoes