The Washington herald., 1920-01-17
NEW YORK CITY
By o. o. McNTYRE


grad that the pedestrian hnds in
the congested Russian district away
over by the East River below
Fourteenth street. Little Russia Is
peopled with Russian iaborers who
wear high top oiled boots and eat
cabbage for breakfast.
Every block has two or three Rus
sian steam baths for the laborer
looks forward to his Saturday night
steam bath as the real frolic of the
week. All his neighborhood friends
come to the bath and they discuss
until dawn affairs in their old coun-
try.
There are scores of tiny. clean
looking "cuch Eias." the restaurants
with vapored windows and sawdust
floors. Most of the laborers eat at
the "Cuch Mag because they are
here without their families and
must depend upon public fare. Dur
ing the week the street Is like a
country village but beginning Satur-
day noon the weekend festivities
begin.
All the homes are lighted and
passersby may see into the Russian
fashioned mid-western cottage with
its rag carpet. opea CRATE and
whatnots on the mantle. The Rus
sian has. gsyly colored embroidered
towels above the mantle and on the
mantle are pieces Of the milkish
green glassware so favored by the
Lithuanians.
The favorite music for the Satur-
day night merry making Is the con-
certina and after dinner all the
tables are cleared away for dancing.
They sing. too. after drink has mel
lowed them Their songs are the
dirges of the Volgs and as melan-
choly as can be but 1t seems to ex-
hilarate them and clear their
thoughts. Perhaps they think of
the suffering peasants and what
they have endured under the lash
and knout of the Gar.
And cigarettes! They fairly eat
them. Every group smokes one aft
er another. inhaling deeply and ex-
haling slowly. The Russian cigar
cite Is the most foul smelling of all
orders. especially when 1t Is mingled
with the odors of the cooked cab
bage OF the district. The characters
of Little Russia are very interest
ing. Most of them have either
escaped from Siberia or fed Russia
to escape being sent there. Most
of them are deeply religious and
work from sun up until sun down.
Nine. Yvette Guilbert is in America
to establish a school of the theater.
She is cooperating with the Frenc il
Ministry of Fine Arts. Nine. Gull
bert has sought the highly per-
fumed atmosphere of the new artis-
tic section of New York along Cen
trail Park west and has opened her
school at the Majestic only a few
short steps from Sixty-seventh street.
where Christy, Cootes. Flag. Nc
Mein. Lyendecker and the. cream OF
the artistic world have studios.
There are critics who say Guilbert
is as great as Bernhard. She be-
lieves stage greatness can be ac-
quired by anyone who will work
and work hard. Many debutantes
from across the Park on Fifth av-
enue are to become pupils of Nine.
Guilbert. Later on the French gov
eminent expects to build a school
which will be presided over by Nine.
Guilbert.
A sentry box has been built across
the way from Mayor Hylan's home
in Brooklyn and it is considered
the pleasantest police assignment In
greater New York these wintry
nights. The cop used to patrol back
and forth near the mayoral menage
but now he sits in a little wooden
watch house with the window ar
rangements giving vision on all
sides. The structure has n stove to
make the chilly nights comfortable.
From this snug vantage point the
blueco8t Is able to keep a watchful
eye lest some red come along with
evil design on the executives resi-
dence. The vigil is broken by
hourly trips to the signal box a
short distance away in order to as
sure the station house that all Is
quiet on "the mayors beat"
One Of the most enjoyable sports
around the parlor lamp these win
try evenings Is reading the per
sonals" in the New York news
papers. 1 find a lot of pleasure in
Maggie writing for Jake to come
home in all haste. There is Q touch
of pathos, too, in the obvious
BLACK sheep" personal where A.
NJ. It's family announce that they
have paid all his debts and for
given everything. They want him
back because fathers cough is
worse. Then there are the legal
ads. Owney Finchcliffe. of Thin
bledown Road. London, is search
ing for the heirs of Jennie Nor
ton MCGEE (born Flarahity). AL
most any evening 1 expect to find
that some rowing relative. hither-
to unknown. has left me a coral
mine in the South Sea Islands. OF
course. it would be a blow to
literature. But it would be ro-
nance.
Don Marquis was talking about
tho reported stormy interview
Gen. Pershing had with Secretary
Baker. 1T would be very interest
ing" said Marquis, ito see Secre-
tary Baker in a tempestuous mood
/. with the tea leaves flying
Hail Nathan Fuchsman. A res
taurant proprietor charged Nathan
cents more than the list price
Tor "a meal, and explained that
prices had risen since he made on,
the menu. Nathan refused to &C.
cept the gouge. He protested and
was thrown out into the street
Even that did not satisfy Nathan
He had the proprietor arrested and
New York magistrate assessed q
heavy fina
A BIG, BIG WORLD
BY EDMUND VANCE COOKE,