New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-02-24

well-nigh Impossible 10 succeed. The object No.,
timent In another class of the commnn IN
| that the imperative need OF reform in onr ~
ment house system may be known. On Thnrda.
Institute. when Judge Noah b 5a Cooper =
| Agnew aud others will speak, and when syco,J..
will be given TO the competitors who have sent IL
plans of model tenement-hOuses. Rand tron, . 70
another way by which the question may be soI ved
| DIR. stephen Smith, formerly member of tLs
Health Board, and one who has made special strJv
! OF the teDementbOuse system, was then introduced
'Onc-half of the children that die.' said ks 90
under five years Of age, and for every one thai die
! Is fair To assume that there are 10 who are.s,ot
The chief CAUSES OF the diseases of children N "Sc
of whom die each year, arc the foul AR and Gj,t
found IN the tenement-hOuSes. j. It strapg, tL.,
! this is the result when the house. o,'
occupied by from ten 70 twenty families. oocupviuo
two rooms each The cleanliness Of Is room il =,
! the hands of the occupant; bnt much might b
done for the health of the children We're th.v g,ya
an opportunity to visit the Park two or three me
each week where flesh AR could be- obtained
m abundance. Our poor tenants. too need
10 be taught how to perform al Tie
duties connected with housekeeping. and
particularly how 70 prepare uOuUshinQ food
les work c0nid be- accomplished By q central or
| ganization working through the churches. each ~
which should have a special field"
DOrman y. Eaton was Che next speaker "Noyal
purity said Mr. Eaton, us rs impossible
under the surroundings we have heard de-
scrlbed as j. physical cleanliness. he reports
Of oar several char able institutions show c0nclns
iyoly thar crime tOuTshr, in the Recommendations
district viii a more rank growth than in any Other
localities. he reason O this u obyiOuS II the duy
of the community TO protect t.eif IN this matter
If the change that Ii needed Is greater than he
city has right To ask of the landlords Of these
houses, then the community should provide
for the eXDensr. In PHILADELPHIA, wbers
there are only 900 Of these tencment-hOuses The
death rate - per cent lc-, than in this city 1hs
Health Board Should have the moral support o. tie
community"
Alfred T. White. Of Brooklyn. described with tina
ald of map The tenement-bOuscs which be bad re.
! Gently erected. The suites of rooms are well ven.
tilated sunny aud are isolated, the stairway hclng
on the outside of the house. This latter condition
Is regarded rs essential rs the privacy vi the house
/ Is al!-lmpOitaut.
Tie Rev. Dr. John Cotton Smith said: "We
find The unit IN society T. MOI the Individual but tho
family. The family prcsuppOSes the home, AID We
have seen how inconsistent IS the thought Of
such homes ~ we have heard described and
health ard good morals All classes should
be- interested in tins question, for the seeds Of DIS.
ease app carried from the icnemen-h0uscs into the
cars, and there it Is br'athed by the rich as vel
as the poor. So. too the morals Of al
arc affected by The immortality IN the lowest strs.
tum "t society. just ~ when the foundation is re.
moved me ~upri-tructurc is endaBgercd.'
The Rev. Grorge II. li,pwOrth was introduced
and said mime has been a curious experience
for have met with facts briSttng with honor. [
found one family IN basement that was
flooded At high tide and the members were Obliged
to I've on the tables until the ude went
down. inc loathsOme waves kissed the
very 'bcd>tcad aud kept them imprisoned.
Ia another, room l found tom. families
living and the only partitions that divided them
were chalk lines on the iiOOT. This meeting Is an
Indication that reform IA these things IL
needed and must be carried ont. We,
onght to have crusade in the name of leg
isiatl0u against this evil. For n Is immoral and It
should be- Illegal to build tenement -hou,e- WHOSE
occupation Is 10 result III physical and moral DEATH
4 TERRIBLE TENEMENT-HOUSE STORY.
Ire Eec pt INN, w. kramer a' ne Ep'.,api CaarhQ2
J,ta ne Ecdr jc,vt
The Pey. DR.. John W Kramer preached last ui.ht
in thc Episcopal Church of 81. John the Evangelist
at Eleyonth-,t. and Waycrcy-place, ON a terrible
tcucmrn,-lou,e story The text was from 81.
John. All. ,.
The vital principle Of society, said the preacher.
j. the family. Tho central organ which is the de.
Do>,0Iy Of that vital principle, and whore rrccevS
nutrition, !, the home. The cancer eating into the
home TO the destruction Of the family Is the tene.
ment-hou,r If there We're only one such Eouse N
this great city that lrst one erected abou! forty
years ago wOuld be gross wrong, though not 81
9antic evil But the gross wrong has become
the glgal tic evil when about one-half Of the pOpu.
laton of thS isand--a half mil Hon of Dersons-n'
habit 81 600 such houses; when in the lastten
We rs SS236S. 800 has been invested IN building
them; and when beneath one such roof are tor1d
nlucty-siX children. This them" served To invite
me into q ncghhOrhoOd OF poverty aud >qual0ti
into one Of the most wTetcbed quarters OF the city;
ana there one old-lookng house seemed to tell me
ITS story. The story was something hike tbs
| am modern cdliicc and "A modern institution,
though look Old ~ the city itself / am flll Ot
dirt and foul air ana germs of disease. Ny yene;'
able appearance j, because of premature birth,
which ALWAYS cauSCd me 10 he a SlCllIE thluR. BuL
/ have earned much money for my owner, and
have even helped 10 make my agent rlch Ny con-
cepuon was of Crecd-greed IN I he heart OF rieh
man and cunning IN the brain OF m'an
mechanic were my father and mother. Cunning
made he earliest profits, and built me quickly With
out much regard 10 specifications. Poor mortar was
used unseaSOned lumber was hurried into ny walls,
and on my floors unSkilful and lazy mechanics
were driven at the work of building me anG hence
my premature birth and sIckly existence. was
about built when an Inspector from the Dep1rt-
ment of Buildings came To look at me, lie was
about ~ measure something. when the contractor
and the agent invited HIM across tle
street TO drink a. toast TO nay, me-, heslI =.
The agent said | would he all right, ana mat Dc
would bG sponsor for me. The Insurance a2eht
came TO look at me- and my spoons II gave MIN an
open hand ana friendly INVITATION to toast me, snd
thar is the last have seen of him. Persons Iho'eu
~ soon as | was completed. They were an pour
with one exception. Ibis was the man who tols
the first floor, u grocer, who would I've anywhere
he could make good profits The grocer knew thss
my people would need food and drink al,O. lie WOui
rather sell spirits than bread rum than bacon, ana
he did not care how drunk the brutal man oceans
who beat his wife on my NTH floor.
Tie street in front of the house has never peru
cleaned since was built. Many rain storm bss
washed Il and swept tho filth into the gutter,
TWENTY families lodged in me before was week
old Some OF the families had a number of children
The children slapped each other, and their mothers
took up the quarres. Many persons have been putoI
OF me in thu cold Winter with miserable RAGS OF bed
ding aud clothing, with vermIn crawling out OF le
rags to the pavement; ANA wretched old broAra
furniture crying children and drunken parents,
All huddird together on the sidewalk could TEL
Won OF the SIN and wretchcdneSs and degradation
nave seen How many persons have seen die III
misery,
CONFLICT BETWEEN RICH AND POoR
ne Rer. mr. Morgon Dir az Trinity ChVreh PTVks'aH
EpiSeepGLI
The Rev. DR.. Morgan Dix preached at Trinity
Church in tie morning from She text. Bsessed -
lac that considereth the poor and needy. The L0fu
shall deliver him in the time of trouble tPsain'
Kill. IL After referring 10 the prevailing dstfes