igh and low,
rich and poor, pass along at a rate of speed peculiar to New York, and
positively bewildering to a stranger. No one seems to think of any one
but himself, and each one jostles his neighbor or brushes by him with an
indifference amusing to behold. Fine gentlemen in broadcloth, ladies in
silks and jewels, and beggars in squalid rags, are mingled in true
Republican confusion. The bustle and uproar are very great, generally
making it impossible to converse in an ordinary tone. From early morn
till after midnight the throng pours on.

At night the scene is different, but still brilliant. The vehicles in
the street consist almost entirely of carriages and omnibuses, each with
its lamps of different colors. They go dancing down the long vista like
so many fire-flies. The shop-windows are brightly lighted, and the
monster hotels pour out a flood of radiance from their myriads of lamps.
Here and there a brilliant reflector at the door of some theatre, sends
its dazzling white rays streaming along the street for several blocks.
Below Canal street Broadway is dark and silent, but above that point it
is as bright as day, and fairly alive with people. Those who are out now
are mostly bent on pleasure, and the street resounds with cheerful voices
and merry laughter, over which occasionally rises a drunken howl.
Strains of music or bursts of applause float out on the night air from
places of amusement, not all of which are reputable. Here and there a
crowd has collected to listen to the music and songs of some of the
wandering minstrels with which the city abounds. Gaudily painted
transparencies allure the unwary to the vile concert saloons in the
cellars below the street. The restaurants and _cafes_ are ablaze with
light, and are liberally patronized by the lovers of good living. Here
and there, sometimes alone, and sometimes in couples, you see women,
mainly young, and all flashily dressed, walking rapidly, with a peculiar
gait, and glancing quickly but searchingly at every man they pass. You
can single them out at a glance from the respectable women who happen to
be out alone at this time. They are the "street walkers," seeking
companions from among the passers-by. Some of them are mere children,
and the heart aches to see the poor creatures at their fearful work. The
police do not allow these women to stop and converse with men on
Broadway, and when they find a companion they turn off promptly into a
s