The New York herald., 1922-01-22

York of the past and OF to-day hav,
been Of much interest. but two elementi
of the question seem to be overlooked
sometimes think that In these pro
gressive days the so-calied advantages
have their drawbacks as regards th,
home and the church.
1t is true the old family home wa,
slow: we had to get along without tAs
telephone, the automobile and the NOV
Ing pictures but we did seem to iiv,
In kind OF way. New York did not
go much above Thirty-fourth street or.
cept In scattering fashion, and 1t Gid
take an hour and a half to get 70 Har-
lem; the Bloomingdale mansions were
In the country. and to go to the Dyck-
man place was an all day trip with q
good chance OF getting lost on tho way
back in the evening. But Greenwich
was accessible. Eleventh and Twelfts,
streets and lower Fifth avenue up tc
Twenty-third street were in the heart
Of the city and very central; and the
homes In this section were q little more
than bedstead with roof over It.
The home of my boyhood Is now one
Of the ramshaclkles OF to-day only walt
ing the building wrecker. 1t was no,
large house although twenty-five feet
wide and three and one-half storie:
high. the fourth story being low ceiled
with very small windows both back and
front. This hs&T had Ave bedrooms
very handy on C4niversGry occasions 70
stow away the younger members Of the
family when our guests stayed all night
and we had to double UP.
We did not have to rent a part of the
house to help pay the rent. An extern
sion on the parlor floor was my fathers
library. A big square piano on which
all of the family played was in the
front parlor. Two of my sisters were
performers to whom all were delighted
to listen. We were Just well to do people
with not much as to style but were very
comfortable. The family consisted Of
eight children from to "a years old.
The girls lived at home and we're not
wage earners. They could all make
their own dresses and do anything about
the house, all attending to the welfare
Of the household.
We never had more than one servant
girl at a time. but most of our servants
stayed with us for years and then mar
ried. Our servant had comfortable
room: I'm fact, one just as comfortable
as those of the younger daughters Of
the house. 1t was cold in winter. but
so were all the third floor rooms her
welfare was looked after like that Of the
rest of US.
Most of the families In the neighbor-
hood were church people and attended
some church. Perhaps a night or two
In the week we would go to the theater
or other entertainment but always with
an escort, and these arrangements were
not made over the telephone either The
household had to be up In the morning
for o'clock breakfast, and there was
always more or less hurry at this meal
to be ready for family prayers at S:15
whether any of US were out the night
before or not. If the servant girl left.
which did happen occasionally. the
house ran along 5ust the same and you
would hardly not1De 1t.
Our dinners generally ran from 6 to
o'clock, there being much family talk
around the table, which was encouraged
by the older folks. Sundays We all went
to church. There was never any talk
about who was going. We all went. that
was all. We had dinner in the middle
of the day and Sunday school In the
afternoon. Around 5 O'Clock two or
three young men, friends OF the girls.
would drop in. and they Invariably
stopped for supper. Our house seemed
to be a place where young people liked
to come.
Sunday night all went to church again.
even the young men callers; that was
understood. We young folks could stay
homo because we could not keep awake
during the service. but we were always
wide awake when the older folks re-
turned and then some hymns were sung
and there yas something good to eat
after the-o1d folks went up stairs. The