The Washington herald., 1919-01-11

'pecial Correspondent Of The Washington Herald
New York. Jan. I0-The Orient Of
| ew York is tucked away in the
| outhern end of Washignton street
: 1t is the Orient the Old World knock
ing at the door of the New and ask
ing to give in exchange for its daily
bread all the wisdom culled from
passing centuries.
There are 1900 Orientals in New
York and most OF them are crowded
in the lower part of the city. They
are as remote from American life a.
| II they had never came across the
ocean. They are huddled in o far.
away corner of the city, parked of
on account of their poverty.
1t is true that few of the men
sell rugs in Fifth avenue shops up
town and some old women pedile
| lace along Broadway, but they do not
bring any Americantsm back to thsiI
| qua Tters.
The other night l visited the old
Oriental Cafe. where the loungers sir
from small cups Turkish coffee
brought to the table in the little brass
pot in which it was especially brewed
The waiter wore a red fez on his
$1,000 anu SlllOhtA GuAtlS dl Sibd
cites while serving.
1t was in the early evening and out
on the doorstep was the old patri-
srchal Oriental father smoking a
narShile, the ruby-studded meer-
schaum mouthplece fully ten feet
from the slOwly-burning tobacco in
| the copper urn over the glass vase
filled with fresh water to cool the
passing smoke.
Drinking water is still offered YOU
In an earthep jar, the same as it Yds
offered to the Apostles centuries ago
and though the young blood has
taken to high-heeled patent leather
shoes, the feet that ran barefoot over
the cobblestones of Smyrne and Sa-
lonica are glad when released from
their encasement.
Old feuds enliven the Hlonotony of
life. The old hatred against the
Turks, their neighbors over there and
over here, flares up now and then.
Frequently matters are brought to
the point OF bleOdshed, but every
thing soon returns to its old form
as it was, as IL Is, as it will be.
The signs on the windows Of most
merchants are in the quaint Arabian
script. They look more like CALI
graphic ornaments than tho script Of
an intelli gible language. In the win
dOws are strange looking spices and
roots, which speak of preserved home
medicine. The golden teeth in the
mouth of the old matrons and
swarthy young ladies are not there
of necessity, but as an adornment
The shops are crowded in dingy,
Crumbling buildings, with that ever
present Carelessness of surroundings
characteristic of the Oriental. TW o
blocks east is New York. two blocks
away is Broadway. But the little hit
of Orient Is another world THOUSANDS
OF miles away
To the reader who is more familiar
with theaters than with ships an idea
of the size of the human cargo
brought in by the Leviathan the
other day will be plain when II Is
realized that the II 500 men would fill
the Hippodrome and the Metropolitan
and Manhattan opera houses. Only
one rooted public gathering place in
New YOrk-Madison Square Garden
could bold all these men. They would
occupy all the seats in a dozen Broad
way theaters of the average size
Seen around the town: A bulldog
wearing a fur coat. \ famous clown
begging on Broadway. Senator Ar
thur Capper and Governor AL Smith
sitting side by side, but neither rec
Ognizing the other. in the Majestic
foyer Chinese bus girls in a cele-
brated restaurant. A circus giant
helping a lady midget across Forty
second street a 1O-year-old boy in
toxicated and followed by a crowd of
hOOdlums in the Gas House district
Muratore, the singer. applaudinG n
cheap vaudeville act at a movie
show.
why Western editors have more
farms on which 20 raise early worms
than Fasteners is due, no doubt, 10
the fact that they get up earlier
Olin W. Kennedy. who. in addition to
workin at the job OF editing the st.
Louis Times. owns a fine Oklahoma
farm, left Ea'V York one day this
week disgusted with Gotham's feather
bed cultivation.
Up with the lark which means
about $50 a m. Kennedy started to
get into telephone communication
with his m""y friends =. New TO- K
Nothing doing. All in bed. When .
o'clock came and, the same condition
existed. Kennedy headed FOR the de-
pot, exClaiming: This is a proms-
ing looking town. but if it ever ex-
poets to catch up with St Louis
these guys must learn to get up
earlier. Why. out in our city half the
days work - done by 10 O'clock
leaving us time enough TO play poll
tics and indulge in all the more gen.
teel daylight sports that serve to
make the world worth while"