EAST S1PK MOTHER S
' w "-f TtV . .-
PKETENTIOUS FURNISHINGS SEEN IN TENEMENT RENTING FOR $S I'ER
ETWJiBN the coal strike, the Ice
f- trust and the beef combine the
i New York East Side woman Is
having a hard time of it this
MimAt .. C 1 , . , mn.. V. ... . V.
Duuiiuii, sue maj Duiug lici
ehoulders and raise her eyes to
heaven, but . the coal dealer and long since converted the ice man into a
the Ice peddler are not to be placated, deadly enemy. And through and over it all
She may cry out against the extortionate hangs the awful fear that her husband may
prices demanded by the butcher with whom be overcome by the beat in the great fae
ehe has traded for years, but be will simply tory where be is pressing winter suits and
fall back on the meat combine. What can overcoats for twelve terriiic, prostrating
she do? hours each day. Then he would be taken
The East Side housewife Is most thor- to the hospital, from which she would be
oughly misunderstood and misrepresented barred by the blue-coated guardians whose
of women. She is pictured as living, with- language she has not mastered. Yet all
out a murmur. In squalor and filth her this she faces with a dim philosophy that
favorite pastime to gussip and quarrel with it Is a mortal 111 to be borne, not com
her neighbors, or, better still, with her un- bated, and that somehow she and her off
fortunate Janitrees her children physically spring will survive the torrid wave.
Impoverished because she either cannot or The East Side, as it is popularly known,
will not prepare food according to the latest
hygienic rulings of American cooking clubs what less than half a square mile, wherein
-her husband to be commiserated in the is crowded a little city of its own, the
... : . ........... . .. - .
rniy wue.
k English.
and only
.orlyrela-
her true
she cannot refute these charges, and only
inose wno come Into close, nelghb
Hons with her can anureclate
worth. She is at once the iov and in de-
spair of the typical settlement worker of
fine theories and high Ideals.
In reality, she wages perpetual warfare
on the common enemy of all housekeeoers-
dirt and under the most exasperating, the
most impossible conditions. Her landlord
-
does not set her a shining example of sani
tation and cleanliness, nor does he provide
for her use the simplest of modern conven-
iunri)B An.. ............ .. . v. .. . . . . 1
I ".I . "V l,elui"s 10
uuuoe iu laree rooms even in tne simplest
fashion for her family of six, with perhaps
a lodger or two. must either "nlek un" con
tinually or take refuge on the fire escap?
7,,': 'aC , ' f' r0m- IU'nce ne
...i, uooijui ui tjuai I tllll.
For the sake of her children she will her
self go hungry If necessary, and in the
preparation of dishes peculiar to her raco
or nationality she could "win out, hands
down," against the average head of an
American cooking school. And her hus
land, far from considering her as an ob
stacle to his progress, regards her as a
beacon light, leading him ever onward to a
bank account and competency. She it is
who carries the family purse, purchases
every article In the family wardrobe and pressed by the almost entire absence of
deposits the family savings in a bank of her carpets, the pretentiousness of whatever
own selection after giving the latter deep pieces of furniture her East Side sister may
and earnest consideration. possess and the peculiar arrangement of
Her Vacali....le.. I.lt,. ht'r china cUvt- Thp landlord or his rep
resentative looks at uone of these. Th"
Summer lays on her shoulders ouly fresh all-important question with him is whether
burdens. In her vocabulary there is no tho tenant keeps her stove and copper uteu-
such word as "vacation." The babble of a sils in good condition. If this be the case,
thousand voices rises, along with fetid he feels assured that he has s cured a
odors and beat glare, from the street be. thrifty tenunt who will nice; her rent
low. Even had she money to invest In lux- promptly. Personal neatness apparently
urles like screens and awnlnga, they would counts for little with the real East Sider,
The Brave New York East Side Wife
1
r
BATHTUB.
WHEN
be impossible because they would obstruct
the entrance of what little air inters her
apartments. The cooking of the meals, a
comforting process in winter, now converts
Vtnw t ' 1 Inln f . . r-.... 'I' 1. . 1 , , .. 1
ui.1 i,ub ut.u a iutua,o luirni. 4 lit- tiiauuai
shrinkage in the 5-cent "chunk" of ice has
covers a comparative ly small area, some-
Ghetto, wltn a population or &uu,uuu souts.
Half a million men, women and children.
almost exclusively Polish and Russian
Jews, crowded Into what might be described
a8 four good sized city blocks. That they
almost exclusively Polish and Russian
n or,.i .hri. ,! wm Aa,t Pin,n
is the greatest proof of the ability of the
East Side wife and mother.
Monetarv condUions and a sordid land-
' ?, " ,. . f. t" .
iiti u bfi I lit? iiiiiiL ill utri anal LiutruL a l 1111 tx'
rooms. In the modern tenement each of
these must have access to an open court
or air shaft, but there still stand hundred.
of houses erected before the present tene
ment laws went into effect. In these the
b,.8t room wm overi0k the street or court
according as it may be a front or rear tene
ment. There will be two windows from one
of which runs the fire escape. A room ten
(eet square Is considered spacious, ana a
shallow clothespress In this apartment is
regarded by its mistress with proper ap
preciation akin to gratitude. A door and n
window cut through tho partition afford
"light and air" for the middle room, where
the cooking Is usually done. Beyond Is a
still smaller room, so designated merely by
courtesy, and here there is neither ventila
tion nor light only Stygian darkness.
Stove as Social Standard.
The average American housewife making
her first trip through the East Side is lm-
THE SHAKEDOWN BECOM ES UNBEARABLE.
MONTH.
LIVING
and Juilim-nt is never pronounced on a
newcomer in the neighborhood until the
janitor's wife and perhaps the woman next
door have caught a glimpse of her stove
. , .. Jin A . V. 1 . t
ililu TCpOTU 1 1 1 roil'l 1 1 1 ' II III lilt? uiuri icoi-
dents.
The East Side matron regards the In
stallment house as an Institution of the
evil one's and buys her furnishings only as
she has cash in hand and to spare. In
this case she is apt to "plunge" a trifle,
buying furniture quite out of proportion to
the size and general appearance of her
room. If there Is only one bed In the
house, It will be of white iron, with as
much brass ornamentation as her purse
will permit. At night this is occupied by
the mother and father and during the day
it is piled with the bedding used in making
"shake-downs" for the other members of
, I . .. famltv Tlilct mav rnanh In n hrlt?ht
mc "'"V - o.
almost on a level with the top rail of the
head Ple.ce' but, oncf ln p aoe " carefu"y
hlriitpn frr.m v ew hv a lace bed set or a
rail of the
----- , ' " . . .
Priceless old counterpane brought over by
, " 'Kra",8 fll, V '" '
sideboard and refrigerator fills the ambitions
I'llt IZT, 1 "SI.'
tne amlly 88 emigrants
Hon of the room, and a massive pier glass be-
tween tbJ two front wlndows 18 regarded
88 an cssfntlal- Lace eurtains, the more
obvious the pattern the better, she does not
regard as incompatible with a sanded floor.
Draperies of imitation cretonne in vivid
colorings give life to the dun-hued sur
roundings and are retained the year round
along with the lace curtains. Bureaus and
chiffoniers seem unpopular.
But, however many or meager be euch
furnishings, the china closet of the genuine
East Side woman Is a thing of beauty and
a joy forever. Each shelf is hung with a
pleated curtain of stiffly starched linen,
trimmed with home made lace and inser
tion. Behind these, on the shallow shelves,
are ranged two distinct sets of dishes, ac
cording to the Mosaic law that the animal
products, such as meats, gravb s, soups
made from un at, etc., shall not be eaten
from tho same dishes as milk, heee and
butter. Separate sets of knives, forks and
spoons also are provided and two distinct
sets of cooking utensils. In t lie hand-to-mouth
existence fchc leads, little does the
East Side housekeeper know of store n.oin,
linen room or pantry, but her hina clone
is a part of her religion and Is guarded
with a Jealous eye.
I. miner lu ( orner.
The thrifty East Sid r invariably has a
lodger or two who pay 30 cents a week for a
"shake-down" ou the floor and a peg
whereon to hang the suit he wears lo thi
synagogue. He may also arrange with her
for his morning coffee and roll at 2 cents
i more, according to market prices.
Her day begins early, as the. men must
be at their shops by 6. For a family of six,
HEIt CURTAINED CHINA CI-OSKT.
ii " ' 'i innnii,:" '''7; "71- r i i-wwyi. 1 o" ,? r : JH- .
ROOM IN REAR TENEMENT WHOSE MISTRESS RUNS A FISH CART.
where the dully income is i, the breakfast
will consist of coffee, bread and butter, with
occasionally an egg. Directly after the de-
parture of the men the woman begins tidy-
Ing up. The "shake-downs" are hung on the
fire escape to air If the weather permits,
If not, they are plied one on the other on
the bed If there is one, or In a corner of the
room. The children are prepared for school
with watchful care. The Jew regards the
education of his children as a profitable In-
vestment and sends them to both the public
summer schools In the morning and the
Hebrew schools In the afternoon. More-
over, the mother will stint herself to pro-
vide for at least one member of the family
a musical training, paying 25 cents for piano
lessons, with the privilege of practicing a
certain time each day at the teacher's
home.
The children disposed of. the woman is
l,l ,,r
It may
reauy iur m-i uii o.i.......f, v.....
mert.y 0f a trip down the two,
,h four , hu of g)nlr8 for the daiiy
UI "
wranEle with the ce peddler, whose wares
" i e n I
TckTo her rooms. The delivery system on
6 ion t,mbryonlc Btage.
-he has a refrigerator the disposition
of her purchase Is simple. If she cannot
boast this much-desired possession the Ice
is kept In the stationary wash tub, wrapped
in heavy paper or cloths. In either case
It Is used principally to cool off the drinking
water and not as a means to keep perish
able supplies. The latter she purchases
only as they can be used. She buys a few
ounces of butter at a time, which brings it
up to a figure that would make her West
Side sister wince. This Is one of the con
ditions that confront the East Sider. There
Is absolutely no provision in her tenement
for storing table supplies and she spends a
good portion of her time each day running
back and forth between her home and tho
various shops.
I.niv of Credit.
Her children learn early to ehop, and that
thriftily. There Is practically no credit on
the East Side and the tradesmen thrive.
The Ghetto housewife Is clannish, seldom
roaming far from Hester street, with Its
array of push carts, for her trading, which
may Include anything from a bunch of
onions to a new dress. Of the great de
partment stores beyond Broadway fchc
knows nothing. Over the remnants dis
played on the Hester street curb she
haggles until she wins her point. Th un
yielding bargain placards of the West Side
shops would try her thrifty soul.
She has solveil the fuel question partially
by purchasing a portable, two-hole gas
stove wnu n she mounts on a table or a
box. This costs her $l.f.O new, or consid
erably less if she finds a trustworthy second-hand
dealer. She avoids the monthly
visit of the gas company's collector by
using the slot machine meter. The coin-
I ' Kit
1
MOJO
R 4
'-cCSM
puny pluces in Iu r house u slot machine
Into which she drops u quarter and tho gas
is turned ou at the rate of Jl.O.'i for 1,000
cubic feet. Winn hIio has burned u quar-
ler's worth of gas the flow stops ubruptly
and Is not resumed until u second quarter
is dropped in the machine. An ordinarily
good manager uses LT cents worth of gaH
u week, which is considerably eheuper and
Infinitely more comfortable than coal at
the rate of 10 cents a scuttle, or 35 cents a
hundred-pound sack.
Once a week, on Friday, she starts her
coal lire to do the baking for her Sabbath
day.
Meat is the Item of living which strikes
dread to the heart of the East Side prq-
vider. It must be purchased from a kosher
shop. It must be cut from the most expen-
Blve portions of the animal, the forequat-
ters and breast, and it must be absolutely
uuove suspicion, .-no kosiht uuicner may
keep meat more than three days.
The breast of beef sells at 1
. t.....i.
18 cents a
uuunu, iu em
Vukwh,.r
cents per pou,
the Kur.i Side
largely, to .,
chuck" bringing
Uukosher meats sell as low as & and 6
entB per pound, but the Gentiles living on
patronize the kosher shops
assured of getting clean, un
tainted meat. Only the best poultry Is of
fered ( n the East Side, where it brings from
18 cents to 25 cents a pound. The finest
fish goes to the Hester street shops and
wagons, commanding from 18 to 30 cents a
pound. Pike is regarded as the greatest
delicacy. So minutely and thoroughly does
the East Sldi r's religion enter Into his
domestic life that he eats either the best
there Is ln the m.irket or nothing. Bet
ter black bread anil coffee than savory
meats that are op"n lo suspicion. The
housewife may oiler but one dish at ft
meal, but that will be carefully prepared
according to the l;iw and traditions.
Vegetables she finds reasonable, fruit high.
The latter is eaten, not as a delicacy, a
dessert, but to satisfy uctual hunger. The
East Side child when it gets ii penny does
not run to the nearest candy shop. The
money lepreseuts to him actual food and
is spent usually at fruit stands. Itimiautlve
baskets of strawberries in season sell for 2
cents, bananas ln good condition and of
reasonable dimensions can be had for 1
cent, but oranges are practically unknown
here during the summer months.
All vegetables are now bold by tie- pound,
as false bottoms in measures and a skillful
arrangement of potatoes In reliable meas
ures more than once have nearly caused
riots. Potatoes bring 2 cents a pound;
beets, an East Side staple, have risen to 7
cents a pound und cabbage Us considered
, heap at & cents u head. Onions, which are
used ln Immense quantities, command fj
cents a pound. Cucumbers sell here for a
cent when t is demanded uptown.
All this the housewife has not discovered
(Continued on Eighth Page.)
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