to New York with his family and resumed his
old trade. He is said to be worth about twenty thousand dollars.

At present, in fair weather, a man with a good flute organ can generally
make from two to five dollars a day. Those who have the best and
sweetest toned instruments seek the better neighborhoods, where they are
always sure of an audience of children whose parents pay well. Some of
these musicians earn as much as ten and fifteen dollars in a single day.
In bad weather, however, they are forced to be idle, as a good organ
cannot be exposed to the weather at such times without being injured.

A monkey is a great advantage to the grinder, as the animal, if clever,
is sure to draw out a host of pennies from the crowd which never fails to
gather around it. The monkey is generally the property of the grinder.
It is his pet, and it is interesting to see the amount of affection which
exists between the two. If the grinder is a married man, or has a
daughter or sister, she generally accompanies him in his rounds.
Sometimes girls and women make regular business engagements of this kind
with the grinders, and receive for their services in beating the
tambourine, or soliciting money from the bystanders, a certain fixed
proportion of the earnings of the day.

If the organ grinder be successful in his business, he has every
opportunity for saving his money. Apart from the rent of his organ, his
expenses are slight. Few, however, save very much, as but few are able
to earn the large sums we have mentioned. The grinders pay from five to
eight dollars per month for their rooms, and they and their families live
principally upon macaroni. They use but a single room for all purposes,
and, no matter how many are to be provided with sleeping accommodations,
manage to get along in some way. As a general rule, they are better off
here than they were in their own country, for poverty has been their lot
in both. Their wants are simple, and they can live comfortably on an
amazingly small sum. The better class of Italians keep their apartments
as neat as possible. Children of a genial clime, they are fond of
warmth, and the temperature of their rooms stands at a stage which would
suffocate an American. They are very exclusive, and herd by themselves
in a section of the Five Points. Baxter and Park and the adjoining
streets are taken up to a great extent with Italians.

This is the life of the fortunate members of the class