New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-07
HUMANITY IN LANDLORDISM

The conservation Of the new Church OF the
Holy Trinity yesterday means more than the
opening of a beautiful house for worship and
religious instruction. 1t means more than the
establishment Of one Of those great institu-
tions of benevolence, fellowship and neighbor-
hood work which are taking so prominent
place among the instrumentalites for Christian
enlightenment and social Improvement. Nor is
its special significance in the fact that II marks
the prncely gift of a wealthy woman to the
Church and to charity. Great charities are not
uncommon. Rich men and women frequently
raise memorials to their ancestors. Handsome
architecture. even amid tenement-houses, is
nothing new. Church houses with clubrooms
and libraries and baths are not an experiment.
None Of these things would call for more than
passing mention In the record Of Church prog
ress or of private generosity. This group of
buildings stands for something more. They
testify to the recognition by at least one great
landowner Of the moral as well as the legal
obligation which goes with the right of soil.
It was q pleasant and worthy sentiment
which inspired Miss Rhinelander to erect this
pile on the site where her father and grand
father had lived. but ii was something better
for her to think that she owned the roofs over
hundreds OF people for some other purpose than
TO collect their rents and from the profits there
Of TO live luXlIriOusy In some more pleasant
part of the town. Much Of the land in the
neighborhood Of the church belongs TO the
Rhinelander estate 1t Is covered with high
tenement houses Though they make no pre-
tence 10 being model tenements.' we believe
they are substantial well conducted. meet the
circumstances and requirements Of the wage
earners who congregate there, and give those
who occupy them the full worth OF their money.
as real estate values go In New-York. In such
fair dealing most landlords would consider that
they had done their full duty. Miss Rhine
lander has higher conception, and sets an
example worthy Of the emulation Of other great
landowners To her the people who dwell on
her lands are her people; they are not mere
rent-payers. but human beings. Transactions
with them are on business basis, as IL right:
but the business Is touched with human In
terest with that personal consideration for
tenants as fellow men and women so frequent
" remarked as a feature Of the relation be-
tween landlord and tenant on old English es-
tates That common recognition Of the obllga-
ton Of the lord Of the manor robbed the tenant
| system Of half its evils. The utterly mercenary
view of land-holding which has become almost
universal with modern industrialism has been
pregnant cause Of misery and social dlscon-
| tent.
| The site Of a tenement house abuts the Holy
| Trinity Churchyard, and a wall as high as the
house is built to hide It's ugllness and complete
the architectural effect. One window plerces
It. giving one tenant n view OF the lawns. II
| is the window of seamstress, which Miss
Rhlnelander would not close, and though II
was necessary to brick up the side wall In
general. that exception was made In the archi-
! tectural scheme Is there not something DIFF
ferent In that from the heartlessness Of this
city Of homelessness, where the few rent rooms
not honesty the month or year, to they
know not and care not whom, while the many
think of landlord only an animated slot
! machine that absorhs their earnings? These
great crowds OF people. without ties TO any par
tlcular place make great city like this In
human. and rob II Of what II sorely lacks.
! the widely difused local pride 80 essential 10
civic virtue.
! When we think how some Of the great land
ed estates Of this city are managed. not per