1 66 LIBERTY AND A LIVING. 



years the district lying between the Bowery and 

 the East River in New York City has been 

 crowded with very poor people, who make a 

 business of sewing upon ready-made clothing. 

 They are largely Polish Jews of small intelli- 

 gence, and apparently no instinct beyond self- 

 preservation. They live, or rather herd, to- 

 gether in vile holes, for which they pay exorbi- 

 tant rents, and their life is one long struggle and 

 incessant work. According to credible reports, 

 work begins soon after daybreak and lasts far 

 into night, when the poor wretches sink down 

 exhausted upon the piles of clothing which 

 they are making for the cheap shops of the 

 country. Whole families live and die in this 

 wretchedness, the children knowing no child- 

 hood, as we understand it, and old age being 

 out of the question in this atmosphere of foul 

 air and incessant toil. It is not the work of 

 healthy people, but a nervous strain to accom- 

 plish two days' work in one. In many visits 

 which I have made to such homes, I have in- 

 variably noticed that the workers seldom look 

 up, and then only for a hurried glance time is 

 too precious. Well, the society in question at- 

 tempted to solve the problem before them. 



