The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1885-10-01
THE TOWN OF PULLMAN
A VILLAGE DESIGNED AS A MODEL
WoRkIaGMAN'S COMMUNITY.


| cOilsJTucblDl Df Tile IHclOflAS was HOL peRun
| until the spring Of 1880, when the site of the
town was unbroken prairie lind the city of
Pullman contained last September popula-
| ton of !, 5l3 souls
The intention of Mr. Pullman was 10 make
| it u model community, in which the work
| ingman could obtain many Of the advant-
| ages ordinarily sec red by wealth alone. and
| where the inhabitants could pass lives of al
| most ideal order and beauty He put the
| building of the town under the direction OF
| a single architect, who was instructed to lay
out the place on scientific principles, and was
| able to preserve a unity of design which
| would not have been possible under other
| circumstances
The result is toll very eutertainingly by
| Mr.. Richard T. Ely in the last number of
| Harper's Magazine, and his descriptions and
observations ara accompanied by many il
| iustrations of much artistic merit We
| have also report upon the industrial, So
| cial, AMI economic conditions of Pullman"
made by thu convention of the commission
I ers OF labor statistics of the different states
That convention met last June in St Louis
| and, according to agreement, assembled
| again in Pullman in September ami spent
| three days in studying the working of MI.
| Pullman's social experiment
Both these authorities speak with a mira
| ton of the town in its superficial aspects at
| least. 1t is indeed n sight it is de-
| lightful, says Mr., Ely. what might have
been taken for wealthy suburban town is
| given up to busy workers, who literally earn
| their bread by the sweat of their brow
| There are no drones, and "clergymeu, OIL
GERS Of the company, AMI mechanics live in
hdjonining dwellings The place has an
"all-pervainG air of thrift aud providence"
and in the "laborer's quarters not u delap-
| idatod doorstep nor broken window,
stuffed perhaps with old clothing, is to be
found"
The houses, which are of brick are built
| in groups of two or more, and even in blocks,
but each one has its architectural peculiari-
| ties, and neatiy-trinnled lawns separate the
dwellings from the street. The frontage OF
all the buildings extends along five miles of
solid paved Streets AMI there are fourteen
miles of railroad track laid for the Use of
those in the shops and the town. Great car.
and expense have been expended on scen-
tifc drainage and sewage system, and a
water tower distributes through the town a
supply of water from Lake Michigan
Among the public buildings are IA pictur-
esgue hotel, a church, a market house, and
an arcade containing the only shops i'll the
town, library, and theatre. The streets
are wide, well built and wherever possible
parked The cheapest tenement is supplied
with gas and water and with garbage out
lets 1.-THE housekeeper throws the garbage
into specified receptacle. and has no more
| care of it."
The library contains 10000 volumes the
gift of Mr.. Pullman, and has a reading room
with many periodicals. THE library rooms
are elegantly Furnished with Wilton carpets
and plush-covered chairs, anu the walls are
beautifully painted;" for it is part ~ the
design of Pullman to surround laborers as
far as possible it'll all the privileges of
large wealth." Nothing being free in the
town, the annual subscription to the library
is $3. An attempt has been made to induce
the subscribers to improve their taste in
reading; but, as is usually the case with
such libraries, three-uuarters of the books
taken out works of fiction. There is a
handsome free school building, common
livery accommodation, are provided and
the Pullman company sustains 4 fire depart
ment.
In fact, the Pullman company sustains
ever thing i'll Pullman 1t owns all the
land and all the buildings which now mum
Der over 800, and which are rented ut rates
wary ing from 81 a month for the cheapest
flats to 800 month for the largest private
house in the place. The rent usually paid
varies from al to SIS month; and, as a
business enterprise, Pullman is essful,
for it yields handsome interest ON tina
lihfloy tAleItietl, anu Iilt iAihl ms VASTLY
increased in value, It is also remarkable
for its healthfulne's the death rate being
only about one half that of the nearest town.
The silent educational influence of their
surroundings" we are told works great
change in the inha bitants. Slovenly house.
wives shamed into habits of cleanliness
and order by the good example of their
neighbors and tho spick and span condition
ofthe town generally. "Men who acclIs-
toned to lounge on their front stoops, siaok
ing pipes and in their dirty shirt sleeves,
soon dress and act more in accordance with
the requirements of society"
And yet, Mr.. Ely tells lis, the inhabitants
of this model city are not content; and why.
Because Mr.. Pullman Is resolved that they
shall be happy i'll the way he appoints ard
in no other. They cannot own their dwsll.
ings, for these all felong Ia the company,
which will not sell them. They have no part
in the municipal government and nothing to
say in regard to it, for the company controls
everything with despotic hand. The
power of bismarck in Germany Is utterly
insignificant" says Mr.. Ely, "whsn com
pared with the power of the ruling authority
of tho Pullman Palace Car company in Pull
man. Every tenant holds his house un IA
lease which may be terminated on ten days
notice, and that no reason neei be given for
the notice the lease expressly STIMULATES
The consequence is that people who try
this model community, and come under the
philanthropic despotism of Mr. Pullman, are
usually very tired of it after d short resi-
dence The velvet carpets and plush covered
chairs of tine library, the green and closely
shavcn lawns, the prevalent responsibility,
and even the low death rate do not compen.
safe for the loss Of freedom and spontaniety.
1t is all very nice and proper, but it would
be more to their tastes to sit on the stoop in
their shirt sleeves and smoke pipe, when
they felt so inclined The uuvarying order
becomes oppressive, and, tine statistical
commissioners say, sometimes causes a sigh
for the looser ways and the consequent
iooser morals of other communities One
woman told Mr. Ely that she had been in
Pullman two years, and that there we're
only three families of her acQuaini ances who
were there when she came I'VE call it
camping out she added
The Inhabitants, being ali dependent on
the company, are afraid to express their real
feelings. Large as the place Is there Is no
newspaper through which complaints might
find uttsranee, and evOry body is timid and
distrustful The men bslisvs they ara
watched by the company spotter.'" The
educational advantages Of self government
are lost The citizen is surrounded by con-
slant restraint and restriction, and every
,hing is done for him, nothing by him" He
is MOI ~" Flowed liberty of criticism
Is it any shat bis model commit
nifty is remarkable for - = ic51 'aIsies AMI
suspicious, that changes among its Residents
are so frequent, and that there is an 'an,
perv aiding feeling of insecurity 1t is run
In accordance with beautiful theory, but
one which, unfortunately. is fundamentally
detective in that it takes no account Of hui
man nature.