The morning call., 1894-09-02

start could be made, Notwithstanding the
interest in the movement However, the
association elected a governing comm ittee
of nine with Professor Bernard Moses of
Berkeley president and Professor Frank
Angel of the chair OF psychology at Palo
Alto vice-president, DR.. Philip King
Brown of San Francisco secretary and
Miss Virginia Fitch of San Francisco
treasurer.
But how to get funds to start the move
ment was the question. Last Wednesday
meeting of the association was held at
DR.. Caroline Browns residence, and the
way was opened by the mnnifcence of one
Of San Francisco's wealthy women. 1t
was made known then that Mis-. Phoebe
generous gift that would allow the settle.
ment work to be at once inaugurated-
Mrs. Hearst will give $50 month for an
indefinite length of time, " ich means an
income of $500 a year from that source
alone. This will pay the rent of a settle
ment house, the prime obstacle previously
to the first start.
/ At once a committee on location was ap-
pointed. together with a committee on
residence.
Several houses are already in mind. The
site will be somewhere south OF Market
street. Some of the members advocated
the 'tenderl0in" disiricf, north of Market.
but 1t was thought better work could be
done among the homes of the poor in the
less vicious quarter, and the house will be
located there.
This is not another scheme for charity
as is sometimes supposed" said Professor
Bernard Moses, the president of the asso-
citation, but 1t has deep and far-resch-
ing purpose beyond any temporary alleyi-
alton of the miserable condition of large
number OF our people. Its work is two
fold. By bringing practical commou-sense
and scientific method to bear to make the
conditions of life in the least favored parts
Of cur cities more tolerable, and to gather
accurate information as to the life and
conditions in these parts that will form a
basis for future suggestions for ramedies.
There can be no prescribed way for
work in these settlements" continued
Professor Moses. ''the conditions of each
city must determine the method and the
DRY TO be used. New York presents an
entirely different problem from that of San
Francisco. In that city life is already
SLtIoOLy peus Tie ltneulenI-lOuS6 nxeQ and
never will be got rid OF, for so much wealth
is vested in tenements, aud the return
is so great that the condition is perma-
Gent. The fearful conditions existent in
these quarters can only be alleviated, not
eradcated.
Now In San Francisco we have no tene-
ment-house system; there are not more
than two or three tenemeut-houses in the
city, and most OF the worst dwellings of
the class now used for housing the pow
erty-stricken will not last fifty years
longer. Hence the work as to San Fran
cisco is largely preventive. If we can
keep the poorer classes from sinking in the
scale of degradation to the point reached
already in New York, il is our duty to
undertake the work at once. If we can
prevent a tenement-house system of the
New York type growing up with the con-
gesti0n of San Francisco in years to come
the time is now opp0rtune for our work.
1.-THE work is largely suggestive. Thus,
for instance, resident in a New York
Sc Element finds that tenement house has
no water save on the ground floor, or at
best only in the Railways. This means
that the extra effort to keep cleanly is teo
great. The visitor reports, and the settle
ment tries to have water introduced
throughout the house. If successful, the