The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-05-17
THE SOCIAL PROBLEMS.
The Rev. Louis Albert Banks on The
Sweating System.
HOW TENEMENT PEOPLE LIVE.
The speaker Argues That 1t 10 The Mis-
sion of the Church to Save Men and
women ~ Well as Their souis-sweat
shops Of Boston.

The Rev. Louis Albert Banks OF Boston
Iectured last evening at the Chestnut
Street Methodist Church on Social Pro-
blems In Modern Cities" The lecturer
gave q good explanation of the terms
asweating system" sweaters" and
s'sweat shops" as used in Boston in con-
nection with the retail clothing dealers.
He began by speaking Of the reasons for
the crowding of laborers OF all classes to
growth and indifference of civilization.
The speaker ms anced the improve
mepts made in the production of food.
Machinery has released the greater part
of the former laborers, and they must go
somewhere else and trade their labor OF n
different sort for food. These people go
the city because this era of invention
has drawn people to the centres of labor.
All comforts, such as carpets, cloth and
the many things incident TO keeping up
the home must be produced by the people
in the cities. This Is the reason that peo-
pie crowd to the cities. The cities will in
time govern the State. All the centres OF
power for good and bad are in the city
and their influence must be felt for some
distance outside. The influence of the
great city is felt even outside the state,
as the city Of New York almost rules the
country.
People who are interested in religious
work must hold their own in the cities or
they cannot have the proper influence on
the country. The social problem must
be adjusted in the city first and then the
country will take care OF itself. The
home Is the foundation of our civiliza-
ton The people in the cities must be
we'll housed, fair degree OF cleanliness
and self pride must be preserved. The
- <~f oh Ia al fn IN va
souls but also to save men, women and
children and build them up.
The speaker told of a tenement in Bos-
ton that he had visited, where the families
occupied one room each, showing how
poorly housed are some Of the people who
to-day live in the cities. This was the
home of colony OF Italians.
Modern civilization is at fault for per-
mitting such state of things to exist.
Disease is terminated in such places as
this and for safety il for no other reason
should these things be compelled TO cease.
Many of the women who live in these
close quarters are In the employ OF the
sixteen hours each day, sewing for mere
Mr.. Banks then spoke of the effect of
the sweating system which was to reduce
the wages from 80 TO 80 per cent. to those
who make the clothing of the large retail
dealers. The sweaters are usually Jews
aud the immigrant is engaged to work at
small wages when ne first arrives and be-
fore he learns the English language. The
sweat shops are the rooms where the cloth
ing is cut and the fires are kept going so
that the irons for pressing may be hot and
the absence OF fresh air makes II intolera-
bly, hot, which makes the name sweatshop
q fitting one. A number of instances
were given of people who supported from
three to seven children on from 50 to "a a
week. Many Of the children die for want
of fair chance to live, and there ought
to be genius enough in modern civiliza-
tion to keep them alive in some way. The
church must reach them and then and not
till then will they be released from the
bondage in which they live.