, 1874-08-09
middle age. and bids fair to enable him to 10
successful swind1er to the eud.


! A..e.....esN
ADJUSTMENTS FOR THE POOR
Committees appointed By the American Social
Science Association have been considering the
| question Of providing amnsements for the poor.
| Their reports are of some value, although cir
| cumstances make the view they take somewhat
narrow one. The main report comes from Bos-
ton. There, We learn with great astonishment,
s.the American seamBtress or shoptender goes to
| lectures OF to concerts; the American mechauic
! is deacon Of his church and attends the
Lowell lectures; his children are elaborately
cared for in Sunday-school festivals and noral
! PROFESSIONS" Happy seamst1ess, mechanic
| children. The lot Of their Western mates ia not
| like unto theirs. The competition Of our seam
stresses for lecture-tcketa has neyor raised the
| price. The deacons OF Chicago might
be po1led many times without discovering
multitudinous mechanics among them. Our
Sunday-schools incline towards more or less
elaborate festivals once or twice year, but they
scarcely furniah amusement for every day. Our
streets arc guiltess Of floral professions" IN
with the name. After the Americans have been e1-
cised from the lists Of anausement-seekers, the
Irish aud Germans remain. The latter are
speedily disposed OF. Parks and baer-gardens
auf1ice for them. The irTepzesaibla Hbernian
remains on our hands. he likes drinking and
fighting but philanthropy does not mean to pro-
vide such sports. The Irish like crowd and
pretty things, and singing and STORYTELLING.
Witne4s their PROFESSIONS, their admiration. Is
servants, Of q Widespread table, their patient
listening to endless and mournful ballads.
and their interest in ta1kauve lectures
about the land they have left The Boston
Committee wishes to utilize these tastea. It
would have the City Government open Faueuil
Hall On the 22d Of February to = Rrand free
show for tue poor,-to-wit. the Irish There
would be 4 tabeau Of Washington crossing tho
Delaware. lin every generation" says the re-
port " there ii Bomo man who looks like Wash
,nston-" This is very kind Providential dis
pensation, but If the blessed man lived in San
Francisco, perhaps powder, and puns, and paint,
and pigtau applied to ordinary mortal would
satisfy the Hibernian ideal Then ''s some high
spirited, swees-yoced person" would recite
Longrellom's =" Building OF the Ship" Tableaux
from Mooros Melodies would follow. 4 thu
morous Yankee piece - would precede the finale
of Lowell's Commemoration Ode" or
"Coloz Sergeant" Another Boston sug-
gestion ls the opening OF reading rooms
in the bad parts Of the town. In thess there
should be debates. concerts, rectaIons. ETC.,
once week. Courses OF lectures on the plan
of the Sundav-afternoon lectures in Chicago
should be given So much for the Hub. New
York suggests the opening Of "tree and respect
able saloons in the Lish wards, with "music,
singing, recitation OF stirring poems, &nd an
occasional dance, with cheap re1reshments." II
philanthropy should open one such place, buai~
ness would soon open others. An Indiana COM
mitteeman thinks a4l theso plans involve too
much done for the poor and not enough by
them Better educate the labonng clauses, says
the wise Hoosier, and they Will then sesk higher
amusements.
The need Of amusement il not 10 these re-
pQlkA HVAtN uAf8 94IdtAAA40AJ oo0AA4Go ~
the Irish poor. It applies to all classes of
Americans, native or foreign~bo1n, poor or rich
Our life il apt to be bare. We cannot parallel
the picture galleries, the geological gardens.
the museums, the muMc, Of Europe. Only one
or two Of our cities can vie with European
capitals in their parks AL these things are
the outgrowths of concentration OF capital
which is as yet unknown On this side Of the
Atlantic. Our climate makes outdoor amuse-
ments difficult. We must seek most Of our en-
ioyment under cover. We need more shows.
Even If they were not Of the highest type, they
would serve to diversity the lives that arc nov
dragged wearily on, from year to year, rortioned
out between work and sleep. It would be an
excellent thing if the annual erpositions Of
Cucinnah md Chicago could be expanded into
permanent exhibitions GU the plan Of the Crystal
Palace in London.