The Washington herald., 1922-03-11
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NEW YORK. March 1o.-Green-
witch Village. Americas Mont
martre. fies the rag OF genius and
cloaks its poverty in cynical jest.
The fires of ambition in reality
burn feebly but by opera bouffe
hocus pocus the Village has brand
ed itself with the spurious signel
of intellectually.
In the waffle shops and tea rooms
young men escort their maidens.
split the check unabashed and with
a laugh call 1t true Bohemianism.
That is the adroit Village way OF
side-stepping poverty. Laugh 1t of
and loaf on.
The professional villager follows
the line of least resistance and at
tempts to gid a life of penury with
a false glamour. The attic becomes
temple of titanic wisdom and the
crust OF bread and hottie of milk
topics for frall fiippancy.
One finds the level quickly in the
village or moves away filled with
acrid reactions. The daubers, the
scribblers, the sculptors and others
who pursue the seven arts cannot
live there long without being in
huenced by its carefrees outlook
upon life.
There Is no denying that genius
Is to be found In the village, but
laZiness is the soporific that stifes
1t. Mornings are lost in sleep and
afternoons in .remorse. When the
nj
dons the smock and tam but in
stead of creative work dashes out
to the shabby cafes ponderously
to discuss the complex and reflex.
The spotlight is a lure. They en-
JOY being stared at by timld sight
seers from the hinteriand. Poseurs
all. At Bertilotti's nightly a soul
ful-eyed youth sits alone at a table
with pencil poised hour after hour
seemingly unmindful of the slum-
mers' curious gaze. During the day
he sells neckties in a Broadway
haberdashery.
He is the spirit of the village
the spirit of sham intellectualism
Even Tiny Tim. with his velvet coat
and cap who prates on the ethereal
wonders Of his soul candy" lives
in New Jersey and raises hogs.
Washington Irving. nicknamed
New York Gotham" and o. Henry
who never ceased to thrill to its
wonders caller 1t "Bagdad- ont the
Subway" Yet most New Workers
remain blind to the city's marvels.
Their lives are as circumscribed as
those of the crossroads hamlet.
At a public dinner the other
III AaNs Ia
born in New York. admitted that
they had never seen the obelisk in
Central Park, a mighty stone pillar
that stood in front of the Temple of
the Sun in Heliopolis. near Cairo.
Egypt, 1000 years before Christ's
birth.
The busiest corner in New York
is at Columbus Circle, where 29.210
vehicles pass within twelve hours
and yet any New Yorker will tell
you that Forty-second street and
Fifth avenue is the busiest because
it seems more congested.
So quickly does the island diffuse
its newcomers that the $4,000
monthly increase in population is
like adding a drop to the ocean.
The Bronx has more people in It
than Brussels, Rome, Naples, Mad
rid or Dresden, and yet the Bronx
is considered a sort of suburb.
There are 1850 members OF the
New York police force and 5000
members OF the FIRE department ana
it costs s16.00o,o00 a year to clean
it's streets. From Fourteenth street
to Fifty-ninth street there are 14S
hrst-class places of amusement.
An actor. with a Harry Lauder
thrift strain. was told by a Broad
way hotel manicure girl that a GER
tain fellow in town was called the
champion tightwad because he only
tipped her a dime. well" said the
actor. I'm goinf to take the cham
pionship away from him"