The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-12-19

make 1t a condition OF admission that he
remain az Least thIte months. ThcT
chief aim Is TO take the wanderor and the
unemployed from the highways and put
them IN the way OF self supporting IN
dustry. The first OF these colonies was
cp nd at Bi5lefeld, Westphalia, In 1897
and IL became a model TOR those OF later
date. Won Bodelsohwingh, "A German
baron, son OF a Prussian prime minister
aad a trusted friend Ct three empeIors,
has been its directing spirit from It's In
ceptjcn until now. His energy and genuine
sympathy with men VINO are down. coupled
with his remarkable executive ABILITY and
extended knowledge OF affairs, are the
secret OF the success Of this colony. 1t
now owns several hundred acres OF land
fertile and well cultivated most OF which
has been red cmed from the barren sand
dunes OF the neighborhood. II has accom-
modatioDs for 200 oolonlsts. who are ad
mittad with the uud aietandug that they
must remain three months and may re
main two years II they so wish and IL
seems cxped!enl otherwise. For the first
two weeks o. their stay they receive no
compensation other thaI board and Logging
ard after that ihey are paid "a low rate
additional fer their work. The wages
are not at once given them, but each
! man rs provided with credit Look IN
which his cred ts for daily work are en-
tered. Presenting thaee st the c3lnny
store they can make desired purchases
nj a very slight adyaaca over who esalc
rates 10 the maximum OF their credits.
when the time for their departure liz At
hand they are paid In cash whatever then
is due. Since It's opening this colony has
had 5000 men In charge and has found
permanent employment for 1900.
Originally established to provide work
for tramps ana for other CLASSES OF the
unemployed aud 10 help them into WHY'S
OF self supporting Industry. II was rot
long after the establishing OF the first
colony until 4 seemed Eecogsary TO open
them 20 d schargei prisoners I'll re. a.
with u.s. many Of these ar without homes,
Their imprisonment. in rart at least, ro9s
them Of the ability TO secure honclt and
Iaying labor. and without som help they
seemed doomed TO fall back into criminal
ways. Hence 1t was thought best 10 opel
the work colonies to them and in lato
years three fourths OF the 10000 men who
each year wers received. have belonged
] to this class. Many OF them had been ar
rested for trivial offuusss In the Berlin
I work colony for example, 50 per cent OF
ffs inmates had been arrested and i'm.
prisoncd, but 80 pFr cent OF them had been
under arrest aud punished for begging.
Tho original intention Of the colonies
therefore has BEEN somewhat modified ard
enlarged and the type OF the colcnists cor
respond ngly changed since the beginning
Ct the work "a 1882.
! Germany now has twe1ty-nise OF these
I work colonlcs-one OF tb-m exclusively for
women. They have places foT 1900 colon
( Isis. and since their opening 10000 men
have been received by them. All trades
I and cobdticas were represented. Nearly
I half o, the whole number had been punish
ed for crime. They were men experienced
( In wrongdoing. many CT them not wanting
., gocd resolutions. but poor 10 win power.
Not few OF them ssem 10 be reformed.
Frcm 20 to 80 per cent OF all persons adj
nitted 10 the colonies have been provided
with steady work, and so popular haye
these establishments become among tho
) GLASSES for whom they are designed that
msny VITO ask for admission have 10 hc
turned away for want OF room. The col
onies are scattered throughout nearly thu
whole OF the empire. Prn.sa, the prov
i.eez of the Rhine-Hrandenburg saxony.
sSesia and westphaiia-ha two each;
The other provinces have one each. Wur-
temburg has two; Altenbrrg. Bavaria,