McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1916-05-26
NEW YORK
LETTER.
Editor Independent:

This monster New York is growing
like SNOWFALL that is rolling down
hill; 1t is magnet that attracts
human elements from every Granny
of the globe. This morning saw
women from Albania and Servia car
rying casks Of fruit on their heads;
heard Italians and Syrians chattering
at their little huckster stands; talked
with Germans from Berlin (who think
that no country bat theirs can posi-
bly, be in the right; chatted with a
Greek fruit dealer; may eat my even
ing meal at a Spanish restaurant
where will meet and speak with ma
tives of Andalusia, Barcelona, Madrid.
Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippines;
there are sections big enough to make
an ordinary city, each crowded to SUI
location with outlandish, ill-fed, i'll
smelling foreigners. From the Brook
Ign Bridge entrance, down Park Row,
that great, silent stream Of humanity
is flowing, all southwark in the morn
ing; all northward in the evening.
Since ! came here eight months ago,
more people have passed Frankfort
street than there are souls in the
whole country. On one day last fall
the police counted 296,20o persons,
that passed that corner in daylight
hours. and there were 1000 vehicles
besides. But the vehicles on Fifth
avenue are simply amazing. / re-
Gently rode down that avenue from
Fifty-ffth street to Park Row, in a
taxi-cab, and it was like river Of
taxi-cabs. in the stream Of which we
could only float as fast as the stream
would allow. When | went to cross
the avenue on foot at Fifty-fifth
street, had to wait my chance to
dash In among the flood Of automo-
biles, taxis, motorcycles, as we'll as
occasional horse carriages. Just
escaping from the wheels of a mon
ster touring car driven by the be-
spangled chauffeur Of one Of the Ivan
Astorbilts", 1 ran right in front of an
other honking engine Of destruction.
Jumping to the left in the nick Of
time, only to be brushed by motor
cycle going like lightning the other
way, and just as began to breathe a
sigh Of relief, another auto footing .
horn that sounded like the crack Of
doom, bore down on me from the
other direction, and as faras | cculd
see in any direction. there were those
autos, their honking horns making
one tremendous blast, while the air
was full Of petrol smell and fine street
dust. No wonder there is an aver
age Of one death a day from these
vehicles. / somehow crossed the
street, and blue-coat on the other
side said it was not busy day; |
ought to see il on one Of the big hol-
idays! | want to be somewhere else
then.
Why are all these people coming to
New York? The city is too big now.
Extending subways build out into the
suburbs. which in turn build up in big |
apartment houses, which soon fill up,
and that brings more subwsys and
elevated railroads. Only for a very
few are the big rewards in city life;
millions must sink in misery. There is
mot one chance in thousand for a
country boy to succeed here. Even
II he should get money New York's
religion he will lose the capacity to
enjoy it, which means that he has
gained nothing And he will lose
that precious jewel Of sincerity and
truth perhaps; all New York is not
bad, but the tendency is that way, and
human weakness is more common than
is strength Of character.
1t is common thing for young
man or woman to come here with
bright hopes, clean character and
good health, with a modest portion of
money, aud within year or two lose
everything worth living for. Fifteen
thousand whisky saloons beckon to
them, and the darker damnation of
immortality turks forthem on thous-
and streets. God and the Great Adj
versary of man know what becomes
Of them. Those who have grabbed
their pitifal little earnings Of patri-
mony, and ruined them, body and
soul, care no more for them than they
do Tor The orange peel they have
thrown in the gutter. Those glitter
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