The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-05-29
CHILDREN FROM THE SLUMS
Many from Eastern Cities Brought to
Indiana and Become Good Citizens.
Inconceivsble Poverty and squalcr Of Tene-
ment Life-Causes Of C~rime-Efeets Of
the Children's Guardians Act.

talking of the children OF the slums. that
all social evils begin in neglected child
hood The fact is. the child problem is
the most important of all social questions.
IL 1t shall be rightly solved. the way is
clearer and easier for all the rest. The
children whose future is so serious a ques-
ton are the children of the slums.
Not merely the waits and stTays, the
fiotsam and ietsam about our ship of
state, but also those who live with their
parents in the midst of city poverty. In
the poorer quarters of all our large cities
are found the 'Hells half-acre.' the Shin
bone alley the Little He'll where the
tenement-house or the wretehed shanty
hounds. With unclaimed streets, alleys
reeking with garbsge. fetid air. scanty
water supply or mono at all. they swarm
with human and with insect life. There
we find children of all ages. in every kind
OF rags, dirty. precOcIous, smart, familiar
with vice and Iewdness. drunk on the dreRs
of the beer-can or the whisky-giass almost
before they can talk. Seldom washed. ha-
bitually III clad. familiar with hunger. Is
Ii possible for q child to grow up physically
or morally sound under such condi-
tions, Life is brought down to
the primary struggle for existence.
The refinements of modesty and decency
disappear. Modesty can oziy develope
where there is some PRIV acy; the child of
the sIums he been from his cradle q par
ticipans by observation at least. in every
incident of LIES history. The births. mar
rlages, sickness and deaths OF a family who
live In one room are In public. Lies most
private details are familiar to all. Home
l.Ha ~ urn IN pHarQfand NJ fhGFa 10 mana hnf
q total absence OF all comfort. Hot and
vermin-ridden in Misunderstanding cold IN
winter, uncomfortable III all seasons are
the rooms of the slum tenement. There is
q quarter IN tie great city OF New York,
down near the water front, where the
houses bear the marks of hardest usage.
Long ago this quarter was oc-
cupied by the families OF well-to-do
citizens. and was one OF the most respect
able In the whole city. Then each house
had It's little garden in the rear. and the
quiet streets were always clean. The
houses were emlnently respectable IN up
pearance, while the inhabitants. Old and
young, were of the better class among
whom such habits as drunkenness and pro-
family were alDSst unknown. But. as, the
commercial ACTIVITY II the city increased,
business warehouse ercr0ached more and
more upon this sos IN. driving out the
merchants and weil-to-Go people. who pre-
ferred q quartet more remote from business
for their homes. and thus these streets
iii WOlO " -
class of inhabitants. In time the houses
were neglected, the streets were left I'M
cleaned, and, as a general air of poverty
and decay settled on the quarter, the
moral tone seemed TO low +. until, at last,
where once espectaoility and wealth
had dwelt. poverty. vice ami crime held
sway. Then. too. many of the smaller
houses disappeared. and tall barracks of
brick occupied the ground. The rooms of
these were made very small, so that the
rental income might be greater; while in
the other houses fronting the street the
larger rooms were divided and subdivided.
and many families were crowded into
buildings originally intended for one.
The fronts were generally altered to serve
for stores: and. what with Junk-shops.
saloons. stores and stables. the street was
entirely changed. But the view from the
sidewalk does not tell the whole story, for
there Is o certain restraint imposed on
those who live In these buildings. and the
waits, the Migrants and criminal seek a
greater seclusiOn from official ey es than is
possible In building s fronting on the streets.
But behind the front buildings, on the
ground once used for gardens. Is a second
row OF buildings, rotten with age and filth.
From the open courtyard between front
and rear buildings ever ascends the odOr of
decaying vegetable matter from the piles
of garbage emptled into tho alley a~ndcourt-
yard as the most convenient of dumping
places. These buildings, as well as the
yard and street. are crowded by day and
by night with balf-dressed men, women
and children; in the daytime playing.
working, swearing. lighting. and at night
drinking and sleeping OH the effects of the
past hours of horrible indulgence, or else
making preparations fog some new break.
In all this quarter SAYS a visitor, the
houses are so old and have been so neg
lected that the water stands In
streamed down from the broken roof
during the last storm of rain, and
on the walls the mold and miIdew send
forth a smell like that from q tomb. The
floors shake under the tread of the passer,
and are worn through In places. revealing
the jOists pierced by rot, and. IN many in
stances. only held IN position by the
remnant of plaster which still cliugs to the
ceiling beneath them. And every one of
these old bui ldings is q perfect haven for
vermin. Walls. wood work. ceiling and
every crack and GRANNY TEEN with n crawl
ing mass of insect life. which preys on any
unfortunate who enters the rooms No
wonder. then. that women and children
keep out in the courtyard and street as
much as possible; for out of the sky there
drops on upturned face no insect pest. and.
though the air be tainted with ell uvla
from cesspOols and sewers, IL il still better
than the death-Iike reek of the buildings.
"ln the DAYS when happy, prosperous
homes were here, u merchant had lett q
driveway on one side of his lot-a drive
way which led 1rOIn the streetto his stables
IL the rear-but IN time this driveway be-
came an alley leading to the wretched
dwellings, Quit on the site or the old
stables and gardens. The houses on either
side of the alley were built out so as TO
roof over the road. and thus il became
q dark. damp and low passage leading from
the street To the rear houses. This passage.
as well as the court between the front aud
rear dwellings. was locally known as Shin
bone alley This is one OF the last resorts
of the penniless and the criminal. Here
humanity has reached its lowest level. ana
here is the ultima thule of degradation and
misery"
Nv hat IS the effect ON society OF such a
conditIonfr was asked.
From city slums come most of our crlmi-
nails. There we are rearing the feIons and
mIsdemeanants who keep our prisons full
and our police courts busy. In New York
State o. per cent. of the prison population
are from New York and Brooklyn. Not less
than 75 per cent. of all persons arrested are
city bred. These facts are familiar. but
are we quite so familiar with the thought
that slumdom. the life of the human savage
in the midst OF civilization, Is not confined
60 large cities Are we who live in cities
of moderate and convenient size. OF in vii
lagos, or more rural places, not 700 apt 90 con-
graduate ourselves that these dreadfulevils
do not touch usf While the horrors are
not so apparent nor so destructive, yet the
same principles that make the city slum
are at work every where. LazIness. drunk
enness, ~debaucbery, disregard of family
ties, willing pauperIsm. neglect OF children
exist In every community. The difference
between the slums of Indianapolis and
those of New York is a difference of degree,
not of kind. and what is true OF Indian
ap0lis Is true. IN a greater or less degree of
almost every village IN the land. Bat of
recent years couteDtment with this evil