Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1867-10-29
DWELLINGS FOR THE PEOPLE

An elaborate report upon the plans and
models for dwellings for the people in the
Paris Exposition, has Just been published in
England The report son dwellings, csarac-
terlzed by eheapness, combined with the con-
ditions necessary for health and com fort" be
gins With the assumption that fully one-hal'
the diseases which aft let the working ciassesi in
Great Britain, and more or less SO those oil
Continental cities, are occasioned by local.
izing causes in and about their dwellings, to-
gether with the misuse of those dwellings by
overcrowding Comparisons between the death
rate upon the Queens estate at Osborne, and
the general labor districts, indicate that if
equal sanitary care were made the universal
rule, the mortality even in the rural districts
would be about ene- half what it is at present
Considerable attention is given To the move
ment in France. under the leadership OF NJ.
Jean Dolius. an eminent manufacturer, the
present Mayor of NJ ulhouse, who deemed the
great point of attack on the progressive mass
of evil 10 be in the amendment Of the habita-
tions. III. Dolfus frs erected an experimental
block Of four dwellings, and then organized a
society with a capital 100000 francs. and
out Of sixty shares took thirty-five himself
Several notifications of the principle of de-
tacked dwellings were tried at NJ ulheuse; but
that which, after some years Of trial, has been
found the most eligible, is the one exhibited in
the garden Of the Exhibition, on the principle
of the Prince ConsOrt's cottage OF tour houses
under one roof, occupying, however, each a
perfect quarter of square, separated by a
double wall, light and ventilation being re-
ceiyed al the gable end as Well as the front
The ground occupied by each house is about IS
yards, and each has about 14i square yards of
garden extending IN front of the house, and a
part Of the gable 10 the line of the wall of the
next house. The sanitary advantages of this
externai arrangement Of these dwellings, as
forming part OF town, are-freer sweep of
the winds for external ventilation through the
town, as well as the advantage of the garden
in fine weather for the children, as also con-
venience for much outdoor occupation for
the housewife, and, further, the benefit Of the
culinary produce of the garden The cost of
each house complete is about 5000, with the
adJuncts of the gard. N, the Kitchen the cellar
and the lott. They sold to the workmen
who pay for them, firstly an advance of 25lf
or scot, and then by annual installments OF
principal and interest, to become pro-
prietors OF their bouses in fourteen or fifteen
years. Out Of 692 dwellings constructed by
the company IN &c August, 1865, 6IU were sold
and the financial operations of the COMPANY
were completely successful. The example was
followed al other towns in France and Ger.
many with equal success.
This plan. now considered the most eligible
in Europe for cheap dwellings, is exactly the
same adopted at " Freedmen's Village" on
the Arlington estate, in Virginia, near this
city. When the frs edmen commenced to con-
gregate in Washington, soon after the procla.
nation of emancipation, they were first shell
tered in barracks on the outskirts of the me-
tropolis, where, living in idleness and filth,
closely packed in ill-ventilated frame struc.
lures, and assoclating with the most deprayed
OF the colored people of both sexes, who had
been here long enough to acquire aII the vices
OF city life. they rapidly deteriorated, physI.
caliy and morally, and the heavily increased
mortality rate was startling, the deaths
being ten times as numerous, on an
average, in their midst, as among the
same number Of whites. Small pox
prevailed 10 considerable extent, and for the
reasons we have mentioned, and because il
was feared they might propagate some deadly
epidemic 10 our midst, the suggestion was
made to the Secretary of ar to remove them
TO some point where they might live more
comfortably, and be probably employed. After
considerable CORES pondence, the Arlington
estate was chosen as the site for village wher,
the freed pepole might be sheltered without
crowding, in comfortable and weIl.ventlated
dwellings, and be employed In farming and
manufacturing; the object being to make them
self-supportirg, and at the same time, to i'm
prove their morals, and their sanitary condi-
ton. Without knowing anything OF these
European experiments, if they had com.
menced at that time-1s63-the plan Of square
cottages, two stories high, divided by cross
walls into four dwellings Of two apartments
each, lower and upper room, the former
Tor living, the latter for a bed chamber, was
decided u, on as the most economical method
OF construction as we'll as the most de SRA
BILE for other reasons. Each Of these
cottages has chimney in the centre
with stove pipe holes, both in the upper
and lower rooms, and to each dwelling is at
tacheo garden plot about as large as tn sse
OF Nj ulhcuse above mentioned. The cottages
also are about the same size as those but at
Freedmen's village the houses are frame while
at Muihouse they are OF bric.s with double
walls. OF course each room has two Sides
where provision may be made for light and
air-having that much advantage over most
OF the apartments in city dwellings, which
are enclosed on three sides-whie the chimney
hues may be SO constructed as to afford the
requisite ventilation Where ground is not too
valuable no better plan than this for detached
dwellings for small families has vet been de-
vised, and we are surprised that it is not more
generally adopted.