The herald., 1894-02-03
THE FRIDAY MORNING CLUB.
Topics Discussed at Yesterdays
Session.
Due Consideration of the Troubles of
the Unemployed.
Noted People from Abroad Call Atten-
ton to the Need of Social Reform
In Our Own City-Extracts
from the Addresses.

the Unemployed.
Mrs. S. L. Longstreth gave some care
fully collected data regarding the I'M
employed, their number and treatment
in the vicinity OF Los Angeles
Miss J. e. Collier followed with a
paper on the subject of tho morning.
The first thing necessary was to separ-
ate the tramps from the unemployed.
The scarcity of women at the free
lunches and dinners was noted. Cal
ifornia is not burdened with its own I'M
employed or her problem would be
easily solved. We have need OF caution
and cannot follow the example OF large
cities here. Relief should take the
form OF work for the unemployed. Fear
OF socialistic tendencies should not de-
ter the public officials from furnishing
work. The problem is not a
local but national one. Miss
Collier deplored the fact that the Ameri-
can protective system making nominal
wages high should bring to our shores
hordes OF eraigrants who at present form
the majority of the pitiabIe unemployed
in our country. She compared the in
dustries fostered by protective tariff to
the weak child whom the mother leads
with both hands totteringIy across the
floor before it has gained strength to
walk alone, with the effect OF making it
bow-legged forever after.
She hoped that we might return to the
dignifed system. Of free trade, ii for no
other reason than to discourage immi-
grafton, and give us an opportunity to
find out If we have an American gov
A AZ 10
Miss Jane Adams, ono of the found
settlement on South Halstead street,
Chicago, was present and on invitation
described the various lines of
work of Hull house. The work,
began years ago and received its im-i
pulse in visit made by Miss Addama
and her CO. worker, Ellen Starr. to East
London. They began work on Halstead
street, the Five Points" of Chicago,
with work for children in the kinder
gsrten, and through the children the
mothers; the older boys and girls came
next, with their clubs and entertain
ments, and at last the men formed
Social Science club.
Hull house is near the famous
Twelith-street anarchistic corner, land its
hospitible rooms offered opportunity for
all theorists to meet on a fair field.
Socialists, anarchists, single tax men
discussed freely. They have a great
modifying effect on each others opin-
ions--but conversions are not frequent.
A Waid Improvement club among the
best citizens has resulted in electing an
alderman other than the saloon
keeper that has represented the
ward for many years, and has
secured school room facilities for
thousand of unhoused school children.
The Woman's club, whose memb beers are
put in touch with the best things in
Chicago, by sending representatives to
the various good things, who report
what they have learned to the club; and
the Jane club, cooperative working
girls club, where those who are mem
bers live for SO week and have a COM
Portable and refined home, were both
described.
The cooperative coal yard, the coffee
house, New England kitchen, the
Creche, the Music club of 400 meeting
Sunday afternoon, the college extension
classes, about 80 in number, each work
in studies not covered by the ward
school, and many other activities OF the
eocial settlement we're touched upon by
Mics Adams in her 40-minute talk.
Mr.. j. B. Reynolds OF a New York
university settlement said that the
most important work of ouch settle-
ments was to furnish reliable informa-
ton to the public regarding social con-
ditions in those ignored districts of the
city. Regarding the needs of our city,
he said each city has its own problems
and needs intelligent study and sympa-
thetic thought. He had been asked
by the club to tell them some
thing of the social needs OF our city and
did so without mincing, although &C.
knowledging the task an uncongenial
one.
The most impressive thing he had
noticed in his study of Los Angeles was
the culpable ignorance of intelligent
people regarding existing social condi-
lions. He had been told again and
again that there was no poverty in Los
Angeles, and a 10-minute walk had
shown him that it was untrue. The
moral condition of the city was lamen-
table. He had waited the leading cities
of Europe, and had been in cities in
Asia and Africa and had never seen the
roughness and coarseness of immortality
he had seen here. The shamelessness
of vice exhibited appalled, him.
The moral sense of the community
seems to be dead to these conditions.
The police can not be expected to
change things. They are not reformers.
Too much lie expected OF them unless
there be strong moral sentiment back of
them.
The educational facilities are lnade--
quate 800 families in this city have rot
school NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. is no school
room for the children. The anomaly of
teaching all the poor, dishonest boys
trades Cat Whittier) and letting the
poor but honest boys grow up without
them or means of getting them would
hardly teach the latter that honesty is
the best policy"
He urged the women of the club to
careful study of the social wrongs in
Los Angeles and OF the means of right
ing them. Men in this new country
are absorbed with unusual and an alb
normal amount OF work. 1t rests on