The Washington herald., 1919-12-28
NEW YORK CITY
By o. o. McNTYKe


Bercovici in his Dust of New
York" describes the city as an or
chestra playing In q symphony. II
only a part, OF II Is heard, a chance
flute or oboe or violin. the music
becomes homogeneous. To under
stand the symphony one must hear
all the instruments playing to-
gether.
1t is in the foreign quarter one
hnds the siren music. The de-
scendants of immigrant parents
French. Russian, Spanish. Jewish.
Rumanian, Gypsy-play their little
bits and fade into the illimitable
background of the metropolis.
There Is Theresa, born somewhere
In Hungary. where the vineyards of
Tokay make the eye brighter. About
her table in the little restaurant
on Second avenue flock the artists
of a foreign land. When she
passes on to another restaurant the
crowd follows.
There is Samuelson. of patriar-
chial visage. who sells candy down
on Grand street. He Is the mo-
tion picture directors delight. for
he has the appearance of q He
brew prophet. But when he buys
new suit. gets a haircut and has
his luscious beard shaved that he
may make a drawer appearance
at the studio, he becomes the d.
rector's despair.
Then there is the fire-eating SEN
ora 1banez. apparently no relation
to the acrobatic hidalgo who rode
the four Horses of the Apocalypse;
she conducts hot tamale restau-
rant on Thirty-fourth street. And
there is the little antique collector
OF Twenty-eighth street who chases
a rare postage stamp around the
world. Neither must one forget the
Goldsteins. who become rich on war
prohts. move away from Tenth
street. lose all their friends and have
some difficulty regaining them.
No one can forget Moskowitz's cell
lar on Rivington street where the
wild airs Of Rumania are nightly
beaten out on the cimbalon. One
does not 20 by a cellar every day
from which issue the strains OF Bee
thoven's Apassionata or Sarasate's
Gypsy airs.
Few cities have. as New York:
GaGlisno, the italian poet bank clerk.
and that other Italian, Salvatore
AhG DdTy inc
French girl, Marguerite Clement. VINO
can cry ''Vive La France" with the
Cabtcgram apprising her of the death
of her husband in her hand: LII
leika, the Syrian widow. so beautiful
one must pay to see her: and old
Samuels. the Jewish actor. who never
can get n job. and Stephan Ivanoff.
the holy healer of Onsk.
II Is bewildering, many-coIoned,
amusing group. Clashing with the
ideals of the New World are the So
and time honored shibbo-
leths of the Old.
Shortly after the war the ''munition
blazed a new path on
Broadway for the wastrel. Ten dol
lars Used to be 4 top price for a choice
table at select cafe or hotel grille
But the ''munition millionire" paid
$50 with easy nonchaIance. The head
walters became scornfuI at the pre-
sentation of so tip. II was, in their
patois. Old STUFF.
But a new and most wonderful group
Of spenders are now receiving the low
bows Of the maitre de hotels. They
are known as the Tire Crowd''-men
who have made money due to the
demand for automobile tires.
Many of them were of moderate
means and plunged into wealth they
are giving the last faint glow OF life
to a wineless White Way One 6f'
the spenders on Broadway incidentally
is a man who Is said to have invested
500 in the Ford Company when start
ed. He is now worth a million.
Someone was Gliding him the other
day for spending so much money.
WELL" he said in this quaint aplIor-
ism. "it is great thing and lot
Of fun to be a Broadway sucker IL
you've got the money. You'll notice
get a lot of attention"
New York believes that there is GO
after the first of the year as there
Is now. Just now the hotels are
jammed and packed, and the shops
are selling everything like hot cakes
F. 4. Turrell. a prominent Cleveland
ca pitalist. declared here the other day
that not only New York but the rest
denied prosperity when the peace
treaty is signed. He believes that the
real reconstruction will set in then
and that America will get better
balance and settle down to hard work
I'VE must supply the world" he
said, and all the Bolsheviks and DIS
turbers cannot disturb or upset the
splendid will OF the American work
man." There has been but one
notable decrease in high prices. The
have scaled their prices
and that is about all. Clothing, it is
predicted. will be higher this spring.
Down In Gramercy Park the other
day a group of children were playing
in front Of their gossiping nurses.
Some OF the nurses were French and
from many of the children came vol
lble Gallo Americanese.
The nearest little girl was talking
to another. very fast and very earn
estly. but not one OF the words was
What is she saying strange
ady asked of the sturdy little brother.
who was smiling pleasantly at her.
The small boy looked at her gravely
but kindly.
rs it French or English" the lady
persisted.
You would not understand he
answered patiently. No grown per-
sons can. but the other child knows.
It's not French and it's not English.
they learn 1t of God and they keep
I TIN they're three"