The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1895-04-18
Tro..e. Shopper year. in advance.
I""o' Six Months 80 cents.
houses opened in 1870.

houses opened in 1870.
Walking along the line of docks, you
notice that almost every corner OF
every street there is liquor house,
but this corner at which we stop is of
another kind. Over the door we see the
sign we are looking for, British Work
man Iublic House Co., No. D.. 1t
seems as if palace were dropped
down in this dingy traffic laden street,
with it's great plate glass windows run
ming so feet each way. Let us enter. We
see before us great room, filled with
numerous small tables, scrupulOusly
clean and comfortable; walters are fly
ing around serving their customers,
for it is dinner time, and this house
furnishes dinner to 1900 people daily,
and some times many more. On the
left hand side you see the bar with its
great tea, coffee, and milk urns, in
bright silver plate; and the long
counter filled with pies, cakes, sand
wiches, etc.; all are rapidly disap-
pearing before the hungry multitude;
everywhere you see good order, clean
illness, and civility,-so much for the
ground floor. Now let us mount the
spacious staircase in the centre Of the
room. We find the first floor divided
into four large apartments. First
is reading and writing room, pro
vided with all the daily and weekly
papers, magazines, reviews, etc.
The leading papers are kept on file for
one year-smoking is allowed. This
room accommodates about eighty peo-
pie at one time. Number two is another
reading and writing room, where those
who object to smoking, may retire.
Room number three. is the ladies read
ing and writing room, and is very neatly
fitted up. In all the reading and writ
ing rooms, free paper and envelopes
are supplied if desired. Number four is
the lavatOries, for men and women,
always provided with abundance of
water, soap, and clean towels, free. On
the next floor about one half is fitted
up as a recreation room, and we'll pro-
vided with dOminoes, draughtS, chess,
and similar harmless games; and the
only difference between this room and
similar rooms in the uptown houses, is
that the latter are supplied with pool
tables. The remaining half of this
floor is devoted to meeting room, for
lectures or business meetings of work
| l., ~ hnr
of small comfortable bedrooms, which
are let at from 8 to II cents per night
Reading, writing, and recreation rooms
are free to any guest and orderly dis
posed person, from 6 a. m. until IL p. m.
This is the method of fighting evil,
, inaugurated by Mr.. Lockhart. Now
f let us look at some of it's results. The
r company was formed in 1870. In that
wear it had ten houses, with capital
q of $4,000; in 1887, when | was last in
r Liverpool, it had grown to such an ex-
+ tent as to be one of the greatest powers
for good in the whole city, its capital
! then was $2,5OOO00, and it had 543
+ houses open, and were yearly adding to
p their number, and in no year had the
! stockholders dividend fallen below six
i per cent The moral effect of these
@ houses in Liverpool, was so great, that
o it appealed at once to the Christian
v sentiment of the nation, with the re-
q suit, that London, Manchester, Bir-
h mingham, Glasgow, Bristol, and in
v fact, nearly every large town in Brit
n ain, followed the example set by Liver
!. pool; and it is to the results attained
h by these houses of recreation, and the
o. good work of the Salvation army in
h England, that the credit is due of re-
n ducing crime in Great Britain, more
than one third in the decade ending
q 1891.
If In conclusion, say, that houses OF
II this description could be established in
. every community and that it woulC
q pay such communities, both fianclally
ID and morally, to have houses OF recrea-
w ton, (making the profit from refresh
a ments sold, pay the cost of maintain
of ing the reading and recreation rooms,
"a for our young people, instead OF th'
Ill saloon, the gambling hell, the concer
On saloon, and the brOthel. II.