Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-07-24

Upon . ossis of sound commercial prin-
eiples- When hs planned the town II
Pullman be had II lad out in accord
snee with scisnfific and sanitary princi-
plea In the 1rss place. he began with
bit Of virgin prairie and established
before putting up . single building .
magnificent and uniform system Of
sewerage Then followed the roads.
Then came the shops add houses They
were al built ON uniform system Of
srchitecture. The architect. Mr. Beman,
il one Of the best architects In the west.
His good taste and practical abilities as
. designer have given TO the town .
thoroughly harmonious appearance.
These houses are the best that work
men have ever had They were
built under favorable conditions. and
80 can DC rented 10 the workmen al =
cheaper rent than they would be re-
quired To pay in the alleys or tenement
houses Of the poorer quarters Of Chi
cage. And yet the rent pays the cap
italist in the form of the company a
i've per cent return upon his invest
ment, and 50 both interests are well
served The workman has . model
house-clean. well built. well ventilat-
sd and with great floods Of water, fur
nished by an admirable water system,
which gives the poorest family of the
unskilled laborer an equal opportunity
for cleanliness with the highest paid
laberer.
The Pullman company looks after
the sewage and the public lighting.
The sidewalks are also attended To by
the corporation The result Ia one of
the best cared system of streets in any
town In the country. Mr.. Pullman has
done other things for the town He
has built a handsome school building, q
church. market, . great arcade build
ing for shops, in which he has also es-
tablished theater as handsome as any
in New York and library. the books
being presented by himself. These
represent extra expenditures, yet they
contribute so much To the comfort and
satisfaction of the workmeu there en-
ployed that the company doubtless
finds that, regarded as business invest
ments pure and simple, they pay.
The library especially is Of the great
est advantage To workmen who wish to
improve themselves. Here will be found
all of the best books bearing upon the
various trades and industries sought 20
be developed at Pullman. The work
men are encouraged to come to this
library by every possible means. The
regulations are Of the simplest charac-
ter necessary for the preservation Of
the hbrary's contents There is back
room in the library, with . private
staircase, where workmen can come in
from their work without changing their
dress. as they might feel compelled to
do in coming into the large and hand
some part of the library.
This gigantic experiment at Pullman
is one that has attracted wide atten-
ton throughout the world. 1t il the
drst time that an experiment of this ex-
act kind has ever been attempted.
There is nowhere the semblance of
charity or benevolence. There is no
attempt to adopt the cooperative sys-
TEN or to give the employees shares in
the profits of the company. Even the
church, which il built in the town, is
placed there to be rented by any par.
ticular association that tie worku On
may themselves designate. The work
men are never lectured upon their
duties. Mr.. Pullman never permits the
theater to be occupied by professional
philanthropists or lecturers, who have
special axes TO grind The town itself
has some twelve thousand inhabitants.
No liquor is sold in the town. and one
policeman is all that II required to
maintain law and order. This police
man has probably less to do than any
one Of the Chicago policemen.
None Of the workmen are permitted
70 own their houses in Pullman. This
Is considered by many a. q hardship.
But the Pullman company say that
otherwise they could not manage their
property on q uniform and harmonious
system The town il managed a. q pri-
vate estate, and - such it should be
criticised and examined. The Pullman
company does not require its employees
to live In the town. Some two thou
sand live outside of It They have all
the advantages Of the town. however,
90 far Is its public institutions are con-
cerned. These two thousand men have
gone outside for the purpose of owning
their own homes The towns of Rose
dale and Kensington which border upon
the Pullman property have been built
up by these employees. These men
found in the first place easy opportuni-
ties there to buy land and to build
houses for themselves The prosperity
of the Pullman property has contrib
uted To the prosperity of these neigh
boring properties, and to that extent
the outaide workmen are more inter
ested in the success of Pullman than
the men who live there.
But many of the men prefer to re-
main in Pullman. They say that the
low rentals enable them TO live there rs
cheaply ss in their own homes outside
They invest their surplus in outside
properties and 20 many of them have
become quite independent II il true
that the leases of the houses In Pullman
itself can be cancelled upon short notice
by the company IL the tenant becomes
obnoxious. hut this In never done for
any trifiing reason and only when the
tenants conduct IL such - to become .
designating element
There IL nothing ideal about the
town. There 10 no one there who Is not
Obliged 10 work a. he would in any
manufacturing village. There il never
any attempt 10 coddle the workmen-