Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-12-20
RECREATION FOR THE MASSES.
Cardinal Vaughan Gives Some In
teresting Suggestions.

va tP'' NpitNh NtHFsths
London Sunday Paper.
The lines Of the interviewer who is
privileged 10 have aE audience OF the
Cardinal-Archbishop Of Westminster
have truly fallen unto him in pleasant
places. AS one stands on the steps Of
the sonibre.looking Arcbbishop's house
in Carlisle Place, waiting for admission,
one thinks Of Cardinal Vaughan simply
as prince Of tile church, IN august dig
nitary almost unapproachuble in his
majesty. But face TO face with His
Eminence, the prince disappears in the
typical English gentleman, whose kind
illness of manner and welcoming smile
at once put the visitor at his case. Know
ing the keen interest that Cardinal
Vaughan takes in social matters and the
problems of the poor,the cross-eXaminer
of the Sunday Times applied to him for
an expression Of opinion on the subject
of the amusements of the people, which
has already formed the topic Of several
interviews in these columns. The re-
quest was readily granted, and the Car
dinal threw out some suggestions as
valuable as they were interesting on
this matter of pressing Importance.
II have" said His Emlnence, in an
swer to question, Thought good
deal about the subject. | am strongly
in favor of opening recreation halls for
the large masses Of the people. My OBJ
ject would be to cement tho home life,
and to give opportunities for the father
and mother to go with their children to
these halls. to sit down together, to have
the best food at cost price, and TO be
provided with music and all kinds of
wholesome amusements."
somewhat on the lines of the Peoples
Palace?"
"Oh, no !" replied the Cardinal with
emphasis. AT the Peoples Palace it is
all hard work. The people have been
done to death with education. England
always goes mad over whatever il takes
up, and runs the thing to excess.
have great respect for the work done at
the Peoples Palace, but 1t is not the
kind of thing mean by these halls. L
mean something wholly recreatlve.
The children must be amused, the men
may smoke and talk or read, the women
may bring their sewing or knitting, or
whatever they have to do. You see
something on the lines Of what intend
in Germany, Austria and the ryrol,
where whole families take their amuse-
ments together. What can you expect
from people who live crowded up in
some Of the miserable dwellings in the
lowest parts of our great cities? What
can you expect Of the working man who
has only a room, say, 12 feet square, in
which there are several children, with,
perhaps, the atmosphere reeking of the
washtub. He naturally goes out TO the
music hall or the public house, where
he can get entertainment and drink,
and he spends perhaps half his wages in
this way. He cannot afford to take his
wife even If she could leave her chill
dren. All this is not to be wondered
at, considering the circumstances.
81 should be not at all unwilling &c
sell light wines or beer containing, say
per cent of alcohol. Beer is the thing
the people want, and you could give il
them almost non-alcoholic."
would your Eminence suggest some.
thing in the style of the German beef
| gardens?"
awe don't want gardens so much a!
places for the winter. We might. per
haps, borrow an idea from the beer gar
dens, but they would have to be Angli
cised."
Sand the management ?"
81 think they shodld be in the hand
of the municipalities, and not be pri
vate undertaking. No profit ought to b.
made out of them. If just the cost o.
the food is met, that ought to- b.
enough. The municipalities already pos
sess in principle the power to undertak,
such scheme. They buy land for park
and gardens, and provide places for out
door games. In Liverpool they have ex
cellent cricket grounds, and Newcastle
is admirably looked after in this respect
That is all for the summer time. If theI
can do this for the four or five months
of our summer, when people can NOR
or less provide their own recreation, nov
much stronger reason is there that they
should do similar thing under cove
during the six or seven months of thu
winter"
Would you approve of municipa
theatres also?"
81 don't think will say anything or
the subject of theatres. 1t is not of the
upper.miadle classes l am thinking. Oh
course, when you spend thousands o
pounds on perishable flowers for public
gardens, it is quite as much for til,
upper classes as for the poorer. But il
is with view to promoting temperance
quiet and orderly behavior, and an in
crease of family ties that | want to SCI
the recreation halls established. Idon'
believe that family life is promoted b,
locking people up in their miserable
homes, but by letting them 60 out to
gether and amuse themselves together
Some peorle seem to imagine that hom
life means combining persons in the par
ticular tenement in which they live
What is home? Is it Il matter of bricl
walls, or is IL not rather the moral anC
domestic sentiments that bind famil,
together, make them happy together
and cause them to take an interest IL
each others society. There is u grea
deal too much tendency at present t
leave the women out OF sight, aud I,
provide recreatiOns for the men alone
whereas, If We keep the family life il
view we shall provide for the fathers
mothers and children together"
"Should you propose to place tn
recreation halls in all large centres2 ?"
II should 60 first OF all into thu
poorest quarters. do not see the ne
cessity uf providing these things 10
people who arc able TO provide 70
themselves. 1t is the lowest classes tina
you especially need to elevate. Yer,
little is done now for their elevation
but much tor their degradation, for yol
put hundreds of beer houses into thei
midst. think it is n very importan
thing to keep the beer-houses on tn
main streets. At present, the poore
and more miserable the locality, tn
fuller it is OF beer houses and publ
houses. These houses should not onl
be ON the main street, but they shout
be so open and visible that every passer