The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-09-03
A City Voyage Of Rediscovery
The Lower East Side Of New York As It Was Fifty
Years Ago and as II Is To-day.

devoted to police purposes in the city
The cells were underground and could
be seen through small barred windows
at the street level. In winter the win
dows were closed. but In summer. when
the windows were open, the prisoners
were fair targets for the boys with
bean shooters putty blowers and syr-
inges. The good little boys Of those days
had. sports that the bad little boys of
to-day know nothing Of. How many
boys to-day put . merchant out of bust
ness with = single bean or pebble
Half century ago many a glass put In
man lost his whole stock. which he car
ried in wooden frame on his back, by
enc shot from bean shooter.
Marbles, tops kites for the boys and
hoops, Jacks and dolls for the girls, and
the return ball with rubber string
attached to 1t to make 1T come back
when thrown away, were the standard
toys, but no boy who had q place to hide
his putty blower and his bean shooter
was without both.
The social life of the East Side half
q century ago was very different from
:
body knew his neighbors, not alone
those on the same floor but those in the
same house and on the same block.
During the day the women gossiped
across the back yards or in the grocery,
bakery or butcher shop, while the chill
dren. when not in school. played on the
street or followed one of the many
German bands that played before sa-
looms and liquor stores. The liquor
stores sold only liquor and had no
accommodations for loungers. In the
beer saloons they sold only. or almost
Only, beer, and there were tables where
customers could sit for hours, drinking
and playing cards.
Then there were ale rooms, generally
behind grocery stores. where men
OF glasses OF ale and eat the coarse
but wholesome and appetizing cracker
end cheese sandwich: two thick blot
biscuits about four inches in diameter,
with plenty of butter and thick slice
of cheese. 1t was full cream cheese,
not the skinned milk cheese that they
handed out in free lunch places.
How did we amuse ourselves half q
century ago?
There were dances in waihalla Hall
in Orchard street. Harmonic Rooms in
Essex street, Concordia Assembly Rooms
on Avenue \ and the score of smaller
halls in the district Then there were
the picnic grounds Jones's Wood, at the
foot of East Sixty-sixth street, Hamil-
ton Park. Bellevue Park. Yorkvilie Park
and Harlem River Park on the East
Side. north of Jones's Wood. and Elm
Park and Lion Park on the upper West
Side. Perhaps once year paterfamilias
took his family on an excursion en-
one OF the big. clumsy barges drawn by
tugboat to one Of the many parks on
the East River. Long Island Sound and
the Hudson River.
I walked down Clinton street, the only
street east of the Bowery that is num-
bered from north to south. There is
still the little synagogue near Houston
street, but not another building on the
block that was there when I was a lad.
Even the synagogue has been changed.
Where is the German alley that was
opposite the building fifty years ago?
There were half dozen houses occu-
pied by descendants, OF 1S4s refugees.
Gone is the little house at the corner of
Rivington street where the most notori-
Gus fence in the country, Mother Mandel-
baum, kept her store. The dry goods
in the store were honestly bought and
paid for. but the stun in rolls, bales,
parcels and bundles. for which she could
show no receipt. disappeared immedi-
ately. and search made few minutes
after a crook brought in his swag was
invariably fruitless.
The old court house near Grand street
Is still standing. but the two fire houses,
che at 154. where Clinton Engine IL was
kept. and the other at $50, where Harry
Howard Hook and Ladder Company II
was stationed during volunteer fire de-
partment days are gone. / passed Grand
street. Gone is Brummelrs, the original
cough drop man, whose mild, bearded
face and slogan. THE genuine has A..
H. B. on each drop" made him famous
and wealthy. There is a candy store
there now. but II is a different build
ing and a different store.
There is a drug store at the corner
of Clinton and Division streets. but It
is small place I'm big tenement. not
the large neat store in the frame build
ing occupied by David Hays. whose an
cestors came here in early Dutch times.
East Broadway has still a number OF
its old time houses. but none Of its old
time atmosphere In Rutgers place was
the house in which Colonel Henry Ru.-
gers of the Revolution lived. A block
OF tenements occupies the site. ] tried
to recall the old place as / knew II fif.y
years ago and closed my eyes. but In
vain. 1t was a ns~~rNew York that
had discovered. MANADoEs.