Evening star., 1924-08-13
MANHATTAN DAYS
AND NIGHTS
BY HERBERT COREY.

NEW YORK.-Some one has said
times larger than usual, but never
smaller. Yet our city skin is little
looser now that the weather is really
hot. The luxurious shops on the
avenue-there is only one avenue
are closed on Saturdays. Otherwise,
they are not luxurious but only on
the avenue. The outgoing trains are
jammed. Two months from now the
incoming trains will be running in
four sections and trunk delivery will
be two weeks late. There are FEWER
children on the uptown streets. Be
it never so humble, there's no place
like a mountain in the summertime
for a city-raised kid.
It's only uptown that the difference
is felt. Last night l wandered into
what used to be called the slums,
In some forgotten storm the under
pinning of one narrow street mad
been washed so that the street sur
face sagged in a great bowl.
An inventive boy-or, who knows
but a policeman-had set a board
across the outlet to the stormwater
sewer. Then the hydrant had been
turned on, and in the impromptu tank
thus formed dozen little naked boys
were. .splashing and yoWling, boy
round little tummies. They could not
be any more completely naked In
Naples.
Its against the law" said my ell
grin. At the end of the street a
policeman was carefully facing the
other way.
There are fewer great cars on the
street. Yet there are still SO many
that one ventures into the current
at the very present risk of life. The
hotels are by comparison empty. In
one which in the fashionable season
houses perhaps 5000 a fellow and
tearoom yesterday. A solitary waiter
gazed dismally out of the window
upon the glsring asphalt. All day
and all night the park benches are
filled with listless loafers
This week WestcheSter County
man offered So day for young
women to hoe in his fields. That
work is not fit for American women,
according to American ideas Wonder
why he did not sack the park benches
before, as so many have, and found
they would not leave the debatable
delights of the city?
Some will One of the finest jour
naliSts in America slept on park
bench not many years ago.
ened by the nightstiek on the soles
of my feet" he told me.
And the Salvation Army says that
there is no longer the gruesome pow
erty to which New York was once
accustomed. No one knows where
these park loungers work. and yet
they must work more or less. They
certainly do not beg in the city.
There never were fewer panhandlers.
are filled. night and day. The park
patrol is a careful one, but restless
persons with money and watches are
ill-advised to wander there late at
night
For all New York's hatred of the
word, there are still slums. A friend
Gently. Uptown there is charmin
young woman. pretty, serious, rich,
who loves children.
"She worships them" said my
friend
Through a social worker she set
about work in the slums. She found
one home which was hideously dirty.
The pretty rich girl brought from
her own home soaps and bug powders
returned, to find the children secured
until they glistened and their scanty
clothing clean. But on the floor scam
pered the ancient army of bugs.
why did you not put out the pow
der for the bugs?" she asked.
IT dassn't, lady" said the poor
mother. "You said 1t was poisoned
and the baby eats the bugs"
Copyright, 1921