The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1875-11-02
QUE CITY HOMEs.

ous to both health and comlort. Our
city has been, and probably is still, able
to claim for itself the rank Of the healtni-
est CITY Of the United States. The NOR
tuary statistics of the country will be
found to verify this claim. But, unless
we cease crowding the homes Of the city
with overwhelming numbers, our claim
to this valued distinction OF superior
healthfulness will certainly be lost.
The whole number OF people in the
United States living in cities Of over
5000 population exceeds 100000, or
about oneaseyenth of our whole popula-
tion. The average number of persons to
each house in fourteen Of the principal
cities of the United States is eight. In
Boston this average number Is doubled,
and in New York it is eighteen persons
to each house. In Cincinnati the num-
berris but small fraction less than nine
persons, while in Philadelphia it is but
six persons to each house. New Or
leans, San Francisco and Washington
City average six and a half. Chicago,
st. Louis and Newark average seven.
From this it will be seen that we are
already in excess of our sister cities OF
the West in the crowded state OF our
city homes, and in excess of other man
ufacturing cities in the East in this re-
gard.
In New York and Boston the people
have proceeded upon the tenement house
plan of accommodating tie industrial
classes with family homes. The crowd
ed condition OF those cities, as shown by
the figures of the aboye,ayerage, has be-
come almost intolerable. The tenement
house system is found to be but slightly
beneficial in the matter of cheapeaing
the ordinary expense of rent. And
against this moderate advantage are
the very important considerations of the
tendency of that system to engender dis
ease, improvidence, and vice among the
families housed under this system.
Tenement houses, however large and
imposing in the mass, do not furnish
.'homes'' for their occupants. Their fam
lilies can not command the privacy mol
the comforts of home, even though the
home were much smaller than the rooms
they occupy. The children must neees
Barily be exposed to evil examples an6
vicious ompanionship. The family rooms
must needs be exposed to poisonous
gases and fetid smells. The temptation
to the laboring man to spend his leisure
hours abroad become overwhelming, and
this leads to drink and general demor
alization.
Philadelphia, Buffalo, Detroit and
Cleveland have pursued a different plan
With them the tenement-house is com
paratively little known. Those cities
spread themselves out as population in
creases. Suburban districts become
covered with snug little homes, built b!
working men upon grounds favorably
leased, or sold on extended time, will
annual payments that enable even thu
poorest, by diligence and economy, t.
acquire for himself 'home" in aver!
few years; and the acquisition of tina
little home is the eventual making of tn,
man and his family.
This tendency &c 6yercrowding in Gin
cinnati has been in some measure causet
by our peculiar locality. Situated in
plain of but narrow dimensions, and sur
rounded by precipitous bluffs, the exten
sion of the city territorially could no
keep pace with the increase of popula
tion. To scale the hills and reach tn
unduIating table-lands beyond the bluff
was not easily accomplished by thos
whose Industrial duties demanded fxe
hours Of labor. Consequently, the crowt
ing of our population into houses with
the limits circumscribed by the hills ha
been going on until the numbers to eac
house are becoming excessive; too grea
for health, for comfort, for the moral an
physical well-being of our citizens.
To remedy this tendency to an ey
condition Of our population we need {
least two things-more feasible NEAR
Of transit, cheap, rapid and regular,
enable workingmen to reach their home
in the suburbs; and some systemat
plan of land investments whereby place
for homes on small holdings can be s.
cured by men Of but moderate mean
OF by savings from their stated wages.
No city on this continent has sue
beautiful and healthful suburban su
roundings as has Cincinnati. But I'll
land is held mostly bywealthy land ow
ers, who are content with its growth
value without any improvement OF thei
own, and who do not care to be trouble
with the business Of subdiyidil
and selling of small lots {
time for payment. This thing holds Oh
cinnati back in her growth very mate
ally. Something has been done to OBJ
ate this by means Of '1and associations
whereby very desirable additions ha
been made, by purchase and subdivisio
to our suburban districts. But we ne
a dozen such nterprises where we ha
had one. And we believe there 80
millions" in them, If honorably and
Ultimately conducted; and that the woi
ing people of our CITY now too crowd