What went on during the day in the Duane Street Lodging House, after the boys had gone to work?
The Industrial School was in session: different classes were taught in the building
during the day. A newspaper article for which I have no date and source, but which likely was
written in the 1890's, describes 142 "tiny" boys and girls attending classes, aged three
to fourteen. "The doors are open to all who, for any reason, do not attend the regular
city schools. Truants; children whose conduct is so bad that they are not permitted to
attend other schools; children who can only attend half days or only two or three days in
the week; children who must bring "baby" or remain at home to take care of it; children
who have so little clothing that they are hardly covered and must be cleansed and fed
before entering the school room—-all are welcome."
An 1892 article
mentions 250 people, 175 of whom were children attending school, in the building
around 1 p.m. that day. At 9:30 a.m. on one day in 1900, there were about
200 students in the building.
Also, some of the lodging boys had to help with the cleaning and sweeping-up during
the day.
What about schooling for the boys who had to work in the daytime?
The DSLH held night classes from 7:30 p.m to 9 p.m.
The night school had an average of 150 boys attending. One evening a week was spent on
arithmetic; another evening was spent on history. Reading, spelling, writing, and geography
were also covered.
A typical day's census.
On a typical day, the following people were likely to be found at the DSLH:
Newsboys
Other boys needing shelter, such as bootblacks*
Superintendent**
Superintendent's family**
Industrial School Principal
Teachers (day school and night school)
Industrial School students (daytime only)
Night-clerk
Cook(s)**
Servant(s)**
Librarian
Gymnasium instructor
Engineer**
During special events, there would also be visitors, special guests,
and reporters. For the big holiday dinners, police were sometimes asked
to help keep order inside the DSLH, and the boys were told they could
invite any friends they wanted to join in on the feast (provided they
were also boys). The CAS often held board meetings at the DSLH, and
would periodically send inspectors to make sure the building was up to
health and safety standards.
* Bootblacks were shoe-shine boys. It was not uncommon for a
boy to be both newsie and bootblack, depending on the season and his
financial needs. By 1910, however, apparently this double-duty was no
longer common practice, and there had not been bootblacks at the DSLH
for several years.
** Aside from the lodging boys, these people also lived at the DSLH. The
June 11, 1900 official census lists a cook, a servant, a house-keeper,
and an engineer. The cook, servant, and house-keeper were all women.
Nationalities of lodgers.
A boy could not be turned away from the DSLH on the basis of his nationality.
As Heig described it, "I’ve had as many as thirty-nine different nationalities in this
lodging house in one night, including Chinese, negroes, Arabs and Egyptians."
(The Evening Telegram, June 27, 1910)
What were meals like?
The dining-hall could seat 165 to nearly 200 boys.
Dinner was six cents and was served at 7 p.m.
The weekly dinner menu, as reported in 1895, consisted of roast beef on
Sundays, beef stew on Tuesdays, corned beef and cabbage (reported in
1892 to be the second-favorite dish) on Wednesdays, and fish balls on
Fridays. Pork and beans was the most popular dish, and as such was
served Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Tea and bread and butter were
available at every dinner.
Pork and beans nights also included soup (possibly on other nights as
well). A boy was allowed as many helpings of dinner as he wanted.
It's implied in Newsies that there's no breakfast at the DSLH, but in
fact there was. It was another six cents, with bread and butter, oatmeal, rolls, and coffee.
Lunch was not served to the boys. Many would work through lunch, as
the the afternoon editions came out during that time, making the early
afternoon the busiest part of the day.
Did the DSLH supply clothes to the boys?
They would, if a boy needed them when he came to the LH. (I am not sure if he was
required to pay for them, whether on the spot or deferred.)
The CAS regularly took out newspaper ads to encourage readers to donate
old items of clothing, especially winter clothing, which could then be
cleaned/mended (sometimes by the boys themselves) and passed on to the boys. (For an example of an ad
taken out by the Brooklyn CAS, see "No. 61: Images.")
A boy could buy these donated cast-offs from the DSLH. Mrs. Heig, the Superintendent's wife,
was known for her kindness and taught the
boys how to darn their own stockings and launder and mend their own clothes. She sold
them shoes at a great discount and without requiring immediate payment, if they could not afford it.
If a boy could not pay for his "new" clothes in cash, he could work in exchange for them.
Brand-new clothes were frequently given out to the boys at Christmas, usually donated by some generous individual or company.
How old were the boys at the DLSH?
I've seen mentions of boys as young as 6 and as old as 19, although
supposedly the rule was one had to be under 18 to stay at the DSLH.
The official 1900 census, taken on June 11, shows boys ranging in age from 11
to 19 lodging at the DSLH.
What entertainment could you find at the DSLH?
The DSLH provided books, newspapers and games. There was also the gymnasium
on the top floor.
From time to time the Children's Aid Society and/or the DSLH would arrange
for special events at the DSLH. These included a Garden Show (for all the
children of the CAS's schools, not just the newsboys), a speech made by a
popular humorist, a two-hour amateur magic show, and a night of awarding
prizes to the newsboys who had done best in their classes. In 1900, forty
of them were treated to Buffalo Bill's "Wild West" Show, courtesy of a fund
set up by some brokers.
There would often be singing at the end of evening events at the DSLH, such as
at special dinners (hosted by some wealthy sponsor), or at the aforementioned
prize-awarding night.
In addition, the boys set up their own Duane Social and Athletic Club in
1892, the aim of which was to arrange for at least one big entertainment a year.
The Club had its own set of rules: a boy had to be voted in (reportedly
more difficult for the younger boys), and there was a small weekly membership fee.
The first year they held a musical concert; the second year had songs, recitations,
and a speech. I am not sure how long the Club lasted.
Of course, the boys had their own...less official...forms of entertainment
on their own time. There are pictures of them playing dominoes and craps in the DSLH.
Newsboys loved the stage theater; the nearby Windsor Theatre (which was at 45 and 47 Bowery,
near Canal) was a favorite.
The Windsor's evening performances were over by 11 p.m., which gave the boys time
to return before the midnight curfew (provided they had obtained a pass earlier).
A word about craps.
Gambling had always been a vice of newsboys, taking a variety of forms
such as pitching pennies or playing policy (an illegal lottery game),
but in the 1890's THE preferred game of chance amongst them was craps.
A lengthy article in a Dec. 1900 issue of New York Evening Post (reprinted in Nebraska State Journal, Dec. 16, 1900) stated that "with them gambling and 'crap-shooting' are almost synonymous." In Darkness and Daylight,
Campbell noted that the boys defined a "crapshooter" as a boy fond of
gambling. Above all, to newsboys, shooting craps was a mark of their
toughness.
It was, however, illegal. Being caught shooting craps in
the street by police could mean a stern lecture or even an overnight
stay in jail; repeated offenses meant fines or more jail time. Getting
caught shooting craps at the DSLH was grounds for expulsion. In fact,
confiscated dice were kept in a box in a cabinet in the
Superintendent's office, with a separate compartment for loaded dice.
Adding to the risk were the "professionals," older boys or
young men who were not newsboys themselves but who preyed upon the
newsboy's well-known love of craps, and would station themselves near
places newsboys were likely to be. It was these professionals, conmen,
who frequently employed the loaded dice. A newsboy on a losing streak,
even if he knew he was being cheated, would often still continue to
play, as it was considered a sign of weakness to quit.
The Lodging House staff tried to counteract the allure of
gambling through providing other entertainments, and setting up the
savings bank.
The savings-bank.
In order to encourage good savings habits and provide an incentive to not engage
in reckless gambling/spending,
the savings bank was set up at the DSLH.
It took the form of a table, underneath the surface of which were numerous small
compartments to store the money. A boy deposited his cash in the table, which was then
locked for a specified amount of time. At the end of that period, the boy could
retrieve his money, with a generous interest.
In 1895, the interest rate was 6%...not a bad deal at all compared to interest rates
today!
Use of the bank was voluntary. On occasion, a boy too caught up in the spell
of crap-shooting would opt to take his money out early, forfeiting the interest.
What was available in the gymnasium?
The gymnasium was well-stocked with a variety of equipment. These included dumbbells,
shoulder and chest machines, roller skates, boxing gloves and a punching bag, and even
a trapeze.
Sundays.
Sunday was a special day for a newsboy, as it was the one day (not counting major
holidays such as Christmas) that the newspapers would only print a morning edition.
Thus, a boy selling papers full-time would have sort of a half-holiday after
the morning's work was done.
Partly to keep the boys from engaging in less-reputable pursuits--going
to dance halls,
the theatre, drinking establishments, etc.--during their "time off,"
and partly to
instill in them decent values, the DSLH held meetings for the boys
every Sunday evening.
Respected
visitors, including Teddy Roosevelt and his father, were often there to
lead the proceedings.
The singing of hymns was also a key aspect of these meetings. Since
Sunday meetings and bedtime prayers at the CAS's Farm School at Kensico
were non-sectarian, it seems reasonable to conclude that Sunday
meetings at the DSLH would have been the same.
A boy could not be denied admission to the LH based on his religion.
As a side note, Charles L. Brace himself was a Protestant minister; the
two (unrelated, I believe, despite the name) St. Vincent's lodging houses (Manhattan and
Brooklyn)
were strongly Catholic. There was considerable tension between the CAS
and the Catholic institutions regarding the "right" way to care for
homeless children.
The LH's library, which contained 400 books, was also available to the boys on
Sunday afternoons and evenings.
Medical care.
Medical care was provided free at the DSLH. (Although I seem to recall a case in which
the boys took up a collection amongst themselves to pay for a sick boy's hospital care,
but I need to locate the specific article again.) Mrs. Heig tended to sick lodgers
herself.
If a boy were seriously ill or injured, he would most likely have been sent to the
Hudson Street Hospital.
An exterior photo of the DSLH in 1933 shows a sign
that lists "Medical and Dental Clinic" amongst the services provided at the DSLH, although I
do not know if this was true at the turn of the century.