Streets of New York

Tuesday, November 7th., Park Hill, New York.
 
Dinner last night given by the Dutch Treat Club at Kean's Chop House. Over 100. Wallace Irwin gave a good skit on "How to live in New York on 48 hours a day." Amusing. And captures the hectic pace I am obliged to maintain during this visit. In a few words I said I would thank him in print.


I walked down 34th St. to Waterside offices of Italian Lines, saw Duca degli Abruzzi half ready to go. A lot of people on board and a line of third class passengers waiting outside shed for admittance. Nothing but Italian spoken all round me. This swift transition from 5th avenue is very picturesque. Declension of streets sets in immediately after Broadway. 6th Avenue is attrociously paved. After 7th the declension is frank. 10th and 11th are appalling, atrocious, and some of the sidewalks staggering - unworthy of the suburbs of a small provincial town.


This was election day. I saw the sinister but genial fellows bearing openly the insignia of Tammany. Don't, please, think that Tammany is a disease that happens to have attacked N.Y. It is as much an expression of N.Y. character as the barber who shaved me this morning, the pavements, the fineness, the interest in education, etc. etc.

R.H. Davis

Dinner at Sherry's. R.H. Davis, Franklin Adams, Doran and I. Davis told how he interviewed Li Hung Chang for W.R. Hearst. Hearst on it being pointed out to him that bribery would be necessary to get round the whole crowd of Dutch waiters at the Waldorf, where Chang had a suite, said he would give $1000 for the expenses of the interview. Ultimately, after a week of preparing the ground, Chang sent for davis. And Davis entered his suite "with my shoes in my hand". He interviewed him through an interpreter. At the end David asked Chang if he spoke English. He answered "No", in English. Asked if he was rich, he said, "600,000,000 dollars today, nothing tomorrow. All I have is at the mercy of the state." He was very curious about rich men in America. later he sent for Davis as a private man and spoke to him in English. He asked if Davis was married, and Davis said he wasn't because he couldn't afford to be. Chang then said: "Get money. Get a wife. Get a home. Get children." Davis is a writer as well as being a journalist. An interesting man. As a matter of fact he is now married, though he wasn't when he met Chang.