Identifier: newnewyorkcomme00vand (find matches)
Title: The new New York : a commentary on the place and the people
Year: 1909 (1900s)
Authors: Van Dyke, John Charles, 1856-1932 Pennell, Joseph, 1857-1926
Subjects: New York (N.Y.) -- Description and travel
Publisher: New York : Macmillan Co.
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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reatly improved in the last five yearsby new tenements that are better types of housing inrespect to light, ventilation, and general sanitary condi-tions, in conformity to new laws; but the East Side re-mains practically the East Side.^ Is it the tenement thatis so very bad, or is it the crowding of the tenants thatproduces the evil? If the East Side populace weretransferred to the Central Park, with the blue sky onlyfor a roof and fresh air all around, there would still cropout disease and crime from overcrowding. The militarycamp, and that too under strict discipline, often provesas much. The pleas for better homes, family privacy, childrensplaygrounds, more sunshine — in short, better living and ^ The tenants in the new model tenements are chiefly American,German, English, Scotch, Irish, French, and Scandinavian. The Russians,Poles, Greeks, Sicilians, Jews, Slovaks, who are so largely responsible forthe crowding of the East Side, apparently do not care for the improvedconditions.
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Pl. 57.—Tenements near Brooklyn Bridge THE TENEMENT DWELLERS 261 greater comfort — are, however, well made. A betterliving should be provided. But neither the charitably-disposed, nor the landlord, nor the city government,should provide it. The tenant should maintain himselfand his family. Adversity is often galling, depressing,exhausting; but the breadwinner who emerges from itdoes so with more self-respect, a stronger will, a greaterconfidence, than ever. It is the making of the man. But self-heljD, it is well argued, is not possible for allthose on the East Side — not possible at least withinthe citys limits. There are over a hundred thousandtenements and over a million of the poorer class of ten-ants in New York. There is hardly proper breathingspace on the island for such a mass, to say nothing ofcomfortable homes and playgrounds. To improve thetenements is perhaps a temporary makeshift. Andbesides, it results immediately in a new influx of tenantsfrom without to take advan

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