The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-04-10

The Congregational Club passed on'
OF the most enjoyable and interesting
evenings in its history last night a
the Trocadero i'm listening TO an ad
dress by Mr.. Jabob A. Riis. police re-
porter OF the New York sun. Mr.. Rii:
is best known as the author of 'Hov
the other Half Lives" He is familiar
spirit i'm the Small Parks Commission
which did away with the tenements OF
Mulberry Bend
From six TO seven o'clock a reception
was held after which the large number
present adjourned to the dining hall
where supper was served. Rev. DIR. Wal
lace Nutting was in the chair. Rev. f.
c. Moore said grace. At the close of
the supper, Frederic c. Adams was
elected a member. DR.. Nutting then in
troduced the speaker of the evening
whose topic was: "Tony's Hardships
1.-The Problem of Tomorrow"
Mr. Riis said in substance: TONY is
the street boy. Ii was a matter OF
amazement TO me when police reporter
on the New York Sun as / am now,
that this Tony was so neglected. At
the same time there was continual
and we were neglecting the important
element in city politics. Now Tony has
a great friend in New York city in DR..
Rainsford and there are many DR..
Rainsfords.
THE first / saw of Tony, he was an
expert in throwing stones at the stain
ed windows of a church. Let us look
at his environment. He lives in ten
ement house with twenty families un-
der one roof. The hall is dark and he is
in continual danger OF stepping on a
baby. There is no privacy in a tene-
ment house and that is why the tene-
ment house is no home but is the curse
OF our land There are million and a
half people I'm tenement houses in New
York city. When there is a great poll
tical election, IL turns on New York.
where the election depends upon the
tenement house population.
SCHOOLS BELUw PAR.
when Tony is six or seven years old.
he is sent to school. which s supposed
10 be the second prop of character in
the boy after the home. The schools
five years ago were decidedly below
par and fifty thousand Tonys were un~
able 10 go TO school at all. When the
fifty thousand were too much in evi-
dence, we sent out our truant officers
and sent them-not TO truant schools
but to jails. How were those who were
arrested for almost every juvenile
crime classified? According to their
moral character? No. Those over -four
feet seven and those under.
"A boy learns by doing. What game
does Tony learn by his EDUCATION on
the street between two gutters-all the
playground he has in many of our cit
ses? The question OF juvenile crime In
many OF our cities can be met by pro-
viding proper play grounds. In many
of the small back yards there are signs
Boys caught playing here will be
dealt with according TO the law. hope
you have no signs in Providence Keep
Off the grass Talk about the sacred
bulls OF India. Here the grass is sacred,
but not the boy.
There are three props taken from the
boy--the home. the school and the play
ground. We have dug down in our
pockets for twenty-three million dol
lars to provide schools. We had many
humbug laws In New York. When
Roosevelt was there he enforced all the
laws. and for that reason We made him
governor. Nearly every boy comes
sometimes to the feeling that he knows
moro than the old man. Unfortunately
VI Is true with Tony. because his father
Is an immigrant. But when Tony has
boy. he gives the boy good thrash
ing. That Is why the gang is mostly