Kansas City journal., 1898-01-08
HOMES FOR The CITY POOR.
ATTORNEY BEARDsLEY'S PAPER BE-
FORE THE GREENWOOD CLUB.
Review of the Reforms Made in the
Great Cities of the World i'm Pro-
viding netter Houses-Paper
Generally Discussed.

The discussion at the Greenwood Club
last night covered a wide field. The sub
ject of the paper of the evening was
Housing of the Poor" by Henry NJ.
BearGsley, but each speaker who followed
offered different theory for the correction
Of the existing social evils. Several So
cialists We're present at the meeting and
they offered their theories for the better
ment OF mankind while there were other
speakers from the business walks of life
Who handled the subject from practical
STANDPOINT and advocated certain reforms
at which the socialists only smiled.
Attorney Alfred Gregory said that he
Thought IL Il very philanthropic movement
CT the part OF the capitalists. 10 offer TO
invest their money in homes and tenement
Houses OF the very best pattern and he
the investment. a number of socialists
advocated such reform III society mat
would make money useless and the usual
supply oil venom WAS thrown into their
Earangues against the capitalists.
Professor j. Nj. Greenwood advocated
that the state should have the right 10 put
each of its individual members under such
environments as would give him the best
opportunity 10 develop mis- natural ab.li-
ties He said that the owners of tenement
houses in the slums should be compelled
b. law to provide these houses with plenty
OF hight and sunshine. before renting them.
Mr.. Beardsley. in his address on the
lem concerned three classes of people. and
a consideration of the question divided it.
sell into three branches: The furnishing
of separate houses for those who were so
situated that they could live at a distance
from business ccnters: the building of ten
ement blocks for family life in the con-
gested districts and the providing of living
places for unmarried men.
10 the solving of this problem of hous-
ing the poor in the great cities public con-
science had been awakened in the last
tries legislative bodies had investigated the
social condition of the poor in order TO
determine what might be done for the
common good in housing the poor
Mr.. Beardsley spoke OF the condition of
the poor in New York city. where, in the
early days. when the city was much
smaller. the homes of TIE well-to-do were
situated where now is the center of bus-
ness life.
tional department of labor which in 1850
made careful investigation of the slums
In the great cities. This report told of the
New York.
And conditions thus described exist il
Graham Taylor who is at the head of ono
of the leading college settlements In Chi
caso. on recent visit TO Kansas City spent
covering two blocks of ground near Ar
nour's packing house. He put what he
there discovered in current number of the
Commons. a paper published by him in con-
neCtion with his settlement work in Chi
caCo. and coutended therein that the con.
ditions found in the Patch matched those
found anywhere in the city OF Chicago.
Referring to what had been done in this
and other countries to overcome these con.
dtions. and for the better housing of IN,
Door. Mr.. Rcardsloy said:
Boston built her first tenement building
under the direction of a company formed
in the year ISL. The most recent Of these
buildings in that city. of which | have
seen an account, is that known as the
Bunker Hill terrace. built by James w
IhlrlpStDWn
Everything has been done which can b,
TO make his buildings absolutely fireproof
OF the $4,000 spent IN the building. $500
was spent upon the paving of the cellal
alone. There was first layer of thre,
inches of concrete: then four sheets of tai
paper then twelve inches of concrete upor
the paper. to insure absolutely agains
daInpness. Not half of the ground Is GOV
cred by the buildings, which are separated
by driveways: there are grass plots. an,
n space reserved for the drying of clothes
There are beds of flowers in the mids
OF plots of grass. There is also buildin;
called the annex. which contains res