The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-01-11


mating for the balance of December)
we have supplied from two of our
wagons 10000 ten cent meals. Our
Women's Auxiliary, who own and run
the wagons and { subscribed the
money to buy them, decided at the
outset that, while possible losses
would be met by them, profits should
be applied to useful purposes for the
benefit of the city. Out of this de-
cision sprang
Iced Water Fountains
during the heated summer term. In
a city where so large proportion of
the inhabitants live in narrow and
crowded tenements this seemed to us
practical work to do. The cost of
construction varies according to the
distance from the outlet sewer, but
the plant may be roughly estimated
at $120. In the three which we had
in operation during the past summer
we supplied 300 pounds of ice per
day to each. We may legitimately
say that they were useful and bene-
fetal, and diminished to a consider
able extent the number of journeys
made by the growler to the liquor
saloon.
My idea of these was got from Bel
fast, with necessary notifications to
suit New York. The working draw
ings are now prepared, and during
the present winter we hope to erect
two. They are octagonal in form
built in sections so that they can be
taken down and re-erected in six
hours. We hope to make them of so
ornamental character as to harmon
ize with the surroundings of any of
our public parks. The interior ar
rangements will be similar to those
of the wagons, but they will accom-
modate fifteen persons instead of
eight, and we will add the supply of
temperance drinks to that of food.
These three schemes are Introductory
to that of the
Workingmen's Club and Coffee Tavern.
The coffee tavern in Great Britain
has reached the point of successful
and profitable operation. Every con-
siderable town has its company. The
houses are built by share capital and
they are the legitimate business ven
lures of philanthropic men. Of these,
the handsomest and best equipped is
the Golden, at Birmingham. They
make their own provi. ions, manufac-
ture their own drinks, and have uni
formly paid 10 per cent. on their
invested capital. When shares are
openly bought and sold in the mar
ket there is, of course, the risk that
they may fall into hands to whom
profit is the first consideration. To
avoid this the coffee houses and
stands (seventeen in number) in the
city of Belfast are owned and run by
the Irish Temperance League. We
hope at no distant day to carry out
this plan in the city of New York and
to devote towards its accomplishment
any surplus profits accruing from the
unch wagons. This will aim at be-
ing very much more that restaurant.
1t will provide reading room, recre-
alton room, lecture loom, smoking
room, and lodgings for respectable
men not tramps. To these features
we hope to add drill room in the
basement for the use of our military
order of young men known as the
Church Temperance Legion. When
this becomes an accomplished fact it
will introduce another and most i'm.
portant factor, viz, the personal ele-
ment of friendly sympathy as devel-
oped in the Oxford House, and the
sixty-fve Tee-to-tum clubs affiliated
with it in London.
In close investigation made by
me, and extending over many days
and nights, am prepared to say that
the personal touch of capable and
vigorous head like that of Mr.. Ingram
at Oxford House, who harmonizes,
guides and rules, is the touchstone
for the Teas enable solution of our
grave city problems. The institution
is much, but the man is more. In
our own city Qoved as much by the
adopted as the natural SOM, where
the density of population is greater,
though the poverty may be less, and
we have the added serious factor of
large, and as yet unassimilated, for
eign population, the similar work be-
gun by Everett p. Wheeler, extended
by Mr.. Reynolds, and capable of
much wider expansion, is one of the
cousummations devoutly to be wished.