The New York herald., 1879-03-12
Improvement in the Present Tenement
House System Discussed.
DEMONSTRATION At COOPER INSTITUTE.
Speeches by Rev. Dr. Potter. Professor
Chandler and Others

illustrated with stereopticon views by Professor
Charles +. Chandler. and series of resolutions
were adopted, deprecating the evils OF tho present
tenement house system. Addresses were made by
the Rev. DIR. John Hail. Rev. DR.. Bellows, Rev. DR..
H. c. Potter and Colonel George f. Waring. Among
The distinguished gentlemen present. besides those
already mentioned. were:-Peter Cooper Jordan l..
Mott Elisha Harris, +. b. Thurber. D. Willis james,
Charles l.. wingate, Jackson s. Schultz. DIR. Bell DIR.
Farrar. Henry E. Pellew. Henry Bergh. Henry G.
Spauding, Lewis +. Jackson. Henry C. Meyer and
Others including large number of architects.
Mr. Samuel d. Babcock presided. and in taking
the chair said that more appropriate place could
have been selected for tho meeting than the hall
dedicated to the Of humanity by the benevolent
and venerable gentleman who sat near him on
the platform. This reference to Mr.. Cooper
was loudly applauded The building. said Mr..
Babcock, was located in the ward of tho
city which contained the largest tenement houss
population, containing within one-eighteth OF the
area of the city than one-tcnth OF its popua-
ton. 1t was burning shame that such condition
Of affairs could exist. In conclusion he hoped that
some movement would be initiated that would bring
some relief to the prevailing distress.
THE PEOPLE MUST COOPERATE
The Rev. Dr. John Hall was the next speaker. He
expressed his deep sympathy with the movement
that was represented by the meeting From personal
observation of many places in the city he knew that
there were many of his fellow citizens living in cir
cumstances adapted to still and destroy moral
and religious life and which make it very difficult
not only practice the higher virtues, but even the
decencies of life. Outsiders, with intelligence and
means could do great deal to correct the evils of
tho tenement house system. great deal could be
done by the and the city authorities,
and great deal must be expected and made incuin
bent upon the tenants themselves. In any
form nf
all around. There was little danger In the
tenants themselves. When the speaker had
done anything very wrong. nothing pleased him
in his secret heart better than to be cudded
and pitied and be described poor fellow, very
he ought to blame himself The speaker did not
want the great of tenement house people to be
small share OF the responsibility One great benefit
Of the discussion of tho subject might be
so, sss ss, 9 among might the ssan
do something for themselves. There were
multtudes Of fsmilies. lazy. ndolent extravagant.
reckless, and unprincped who, II they were put in
the handspmest club houses up town. would destroy
them in less than six months. The reform must
plished in q day week. Something. however.
could be done at once and it would be worth avast
amount Of combined effort on tho part Of oil the
BAD SMELLING STREETS
Colonel George L. Waring then addressed the meet
ing. He said he came from fishing village on tho
New England coast where his nostrils were RECALLED
Dy the prophylactc odor Of the defunct fish and the
ks ss water was rich snd Sparkling with sim
ulating nitrates and where the mere sus
ssdered .ed IS q public public Insult insult He had como
to New York and learned that the last great probe
Sred human beings could live virnons and happy
lives twenty Ave foot lot. u4aughtcr.) Never
before had he such nasty streets as those be-
tween Madison and Murray Hill. Never
before had he smelled-or hardly ever paughtcr,--
such stinks as assalcd him there. go
then consider what chance you have
Of getting such people help you cleanse anything
above all, to cleanse houses where their poorer
neiehbors live" Like who lived in no glass
house, he came to help them throw stones. The
fact must be recognized d.. he sain sY snemsns .,d
that no reform could be effected which did not
provide for the profitable investment Of that
money It would be one Of the hardest tasks
to induce tenement house people to live IN better
way. in better houses. anu to pay enough for the
the building. Very little could be done with charity
money; it was necessary to urn,.tenement house
done by law to strengthen the hands OF the Board Of
Health. One great fault with the present system was
defective plumbing and drainage.
A REALLY VALUABLE SUGGESTION.
The Rev. DIR. Henry q. Potter followed in brief
address. The important question. he said. was
whether those present intended to take hold Of the
subject themselves. Three things were necessary.
First to recognize the emergency In this city thc
were 500 900 people living in tenement houses. But
It was cruel injustice to say that there not
good people among them. He found multtudes
men a1d women VINO cusn ia sae iasc Oh main.
tanning just as orderly and decorous life as he or
sny Of his hearers. Nevertheless there was certain
style of construction of buildings which tended to
duce moral evil Secondly 1t necessary to iud out
what was to be done in the emergency. He thought
up morally as we'll as physically. Larger tenement
houses should be built not on twenty-five foot lots,
60 tnat every room shouid have access to the
air. Capital would be required, and to
.sa % i so Ssmcd sh0ghs wn .sss sosf nu%Ssr
low priced shares that the poorer classes could
purchase them and the tenants themselves become
part owners of the buildings, and thus have an in
Eercst in keeping them in proper order. Another
scheme which he favored was that of having per-
centage of the rentals from such enterprise net
apart the extension Of the system in the erection
DR.. Bellows was next introduced. He did not be-
lieve in speaking OF the inhabitants of the tenement
houses II OF different class. He disposed to
think that there was essential difference in them
from others in their hearts sensibilites to prog
ress and Improvement. He had immense
faith in the possibilities. of goodness
resident in the tenement houses of New
York To talk OF 100000 fellow beings persons
absolutely devoted TO certain sin misery and ruin
would he believe that take them all in ALL vir
tues and their vices, though Of different and more
glaring sort. he was not very a,,sn much disposed
wcre very much worse than others. Ito rejoiced
10 believe that the tenement house system had not
grown up the part of tho owners but had assumed
Its present shape spontaneously. It was prcpostcr-
Gus and absurd to think that the difficulty to be
come very monstrous. The system had grown
up twenty-five years ago and he believed that twenty
ave years more would it die ont. They wanted TO
create an opinion in what called the upper
classes OF society. though whether they were upper
or lower God only knew. He gave the effort hts
profoundest blessing.
xorrAIIrY AMONG THE TENEMENT POPULATION.
Professor Chandlcr the next speaker. He IL
lustratcd the progress of the Board OF Health from
1866 10 1878, during which time the number of
deaths among infants under five years Of age had
been reduced 5000. New York. he thought, was not
an unhealthy city. The death rates OF other cities
were not complete. while those Of New York
included emigrants who die their passage
TO the West ana persons who dfc in
charitable and penal institutions. Many came hero
TO consult the eminent physicians of New York. and
that augmented the death list. SO that, while tho
apparent number of deaths "a out of every 1000,
thore really less IL such accidental should
be excluded He satisfied, however, that tina
death rate should not exceed IL In loo. He found
shat in the year 1873 sxty-ninc per cent OF
She deaths In tenement houses and only
thirty .onc in private houses. This ratio tenement
houses far too great. There had been much i'm