The citizen., 1918-03-14
A Night in a
Metropolis
BY ALAN IiINsDALE


In the great city OF New York there
Is no night. There is darkness In
spots; there Is artificial illumination I;
but the great living current does not
cease to flow.
One night ! lay awake listening to
clock In church tower strike the
hours. There was also confusion of
sounds, the principal one being the
passing Of elevated trains some dis
tance from me at intervals OF few
minutes. -t4a
When the clock struck two ! rose,
dressed myself and went out on the
street. The ongoing was the same as
at MONDAY. In my wapderings
reached an embankment of the Hudson
river that had been made into park.
Sitting on a bench | gave myself up
to meditation. Years ago savages had
looked down on the black stream os
was now doing. A time would come
when not one of those who made up
the stream OF life behind me would be
alive. And yet the human current
would roll on. Where? Who knows7
The day may come when the waves OF
an ocean may roll over Manhattan is
land as II rolled ages ago.
was conscious Of someone sitting
at the other end Of the bench on which
| rested. and turning my head saw a
woman. There was lamplight enough
for me to tell that she was a girl,
somewhere between seventeen and
twenty years old. did not like the
close proximity with n woman at that
hour and was about to arise and move
on when she addressed me.
"Don't CO." she said. II haven't a
friend In the world. have come from
the center of that city of sin and sor-
row. OF good and evil. to find rest from
suffering. l find you here alone, and
you fear me-"
She bent her head down. concealed
her face with her hands and moaned.
There was no acting In what she did
or said. Such grief as hers was not to
be counterfeited. i asked her to tell
me her troubles. She said that she
was one of the many tributaries to
A. . - - - - -
e. - ,,'a a. s
- =. .nn H.. ,,,. ., ~ :,
80. - -.
- -. SsS 80 ss ~,
day looking for work and found none.
Or, No., ,,.oa -, -, 90 -,
,,rh, .au,a sha ha, 30 ono,, ,,,,,h
Witch 90 hrv ,ood or a r,aca 80 s,aan
Sho hoa oo,,o 90 ,h, IT, o. f-on,
,ho 80, .hr. - - aa,,,. =.
80, ~. 49,
"yor noar VI so,, s,raao-,, .,,o.
Won havo oora 90 ,ha nar,, an,,on,,,
-. -, 80, -. "a -, =,
roe, on"
Sha ,,odo M o,,or roo,,, than oons
ond ,o.rs 7 ,oo,, ,,,ana,, e., ,,,,,
nocuo, ond bondad ., 90 ha- Sha ro.
frsod :,
"It will avail notbing now" sbe
said "It would have ovoiled nothing
had II come sooner Wbe, dav comes
I would have heen doomed 70 90 from
Store to store. from factory 70 factory
looking for work am NOT able 70
continue the dreadful tromn. Resides
I have reached n polnt where ANYTHING
seems more mercifuI than that mercj-
less flow Of bumanItv"
with this sba Iaoned hocl on tho
hancb and wos silent motionIass II
occrrred to mo that tho most rroct,ca.
HE thing 70 do would no 70 90 for one
Of the cltv,s men annointed for sucb
,york Ris,ng 7 told ber 20 ramain
where she was and I would return
With somaona who wouId taka care Of
her during the night and on the NOR
row I would interest myself on her he
half
IIeft her and going n short distance
found n no,iceman whom 7 to,d that
had found a dasnoir,ng woman who
needed the citv,s care
arhe towns fnlI of ,em ~ no said .T
wouldn,t advise Won to get mixed nm
v,,,h ono ., them you,n onIv gat
vorrss,s IN trorhIep
.ru Iooron, ,or that-I ran,,ad .It,s
nom. d,,,, as a noI,caman whan call
- ,o,, ,or aid ,n emo, casa 90
oiva a..
IA ro,uc,on,,v oono with ma Wa
,.d not Co. 80 90 IhoS bon, u,v sve
nn % ,ha ~ eo,,ra on ,,a honch ana wbsn
-. o.. =. a. ,,,a,nI,,
io