The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-03-27
THE LOWELL HOUSE.
New Haven Social Settlement.

A New Haven SOCIAL SettleneIlt
John Rllskin took class Of Oxford
students and went road making. Per-
haps the roads were not much mettered,
but the students were, one and al sof
them. Arnold Taynbee went down to
the congested region Of London and be-
came acquainted with working people
at first hand. Later Edward Denison, a
young man Of wealth and social stand
ing, did likewise and from these exam
pies came the movement for social bet
torment on a new plan which has
spread until every large city in Eng
land and America has its own settle
ment; some cities have a dizen.
New Haven was about the last large
city in the land to take hold of the
movement. Although her citizens had
helped financially settlements in New
York and Chicago, it had not occurred
to any one, that one was needed here.
When the movement was spoken of
here, people said, What is settle
ment?" Few seemed to know the diff
ference between a settlement and a
mission, and many thought such an es-
tablishment would either overlap the
work of or seriously infringe on the
work Of the New Haven City Mission.
The New Haven settlement was start
ed by the Second Congregational church
of Fair Haven, and although no public
appeal was made for its support, a few
who were interested volunteered to help.
The house was furnished by the Fair
Haven church and lady physician Sc
cured, who became head worker Miss
M. e. Lanfear Joined DR.. Teele and to-
gether these ladies are establishing the
work. Some help came from the Cen
ter and Davenport churches but al
though the work has been going on
since the first of the year, it is as yet
practically unknown.
Miss Jane Adams, of the Hull House
settlement, Chicago addressed the stu
dents of the Divinity school on settle
ment work a few weeks ago. At the
conclusion of her address she answered
questions bearing on the topic. What
is the ultimate aim of the settlement"
asked somebody, and Miss Adams an
swered it by asking another, What is
the ultimate aim of living?" The first
question brings us to definition of a
settlement. Protestant Christians gene
and .such like" are means to an end"
In other words, that classes in every
conceivable department of life are Civ
en- as bait" by which we catch such
fish as Catholics and Jews and make
good orthodox Protestants out Of them.
That is sometimes done, but it is not
settlement work. 1t is selfish form
of making proselytes and betimes when
they are made they are several fold
more the children of the other place
than the makers. Settlement work is
not mission work. 1t is not evangelis-
tic church work. 1t is not subtle
means of ecclesiastical robbery by
which one book of statistics is filled at
the expense of another.
What is it then? 1t Is profit staring
in matters intellectual, social (espec-
tally sociaD and religious. If culture is
held In trust for ignorance, If wealth is
held in trust for poverty, how can these
trusts be discharged to the best advan-
tages? By the human touch, we thing.
workers take the settlement
plan of sharing their culture with the
by living with them, by
being a neighbor among neighbors, by
making their home center of social
life in a community, by classes or clubs !
for young and old, by means Of which
they may express the desire and work
together for a higher, purer life.
To do this the Unsuitable desire for re-
suits must be dispensed with. Those
who go must be content to do for the |
life of the community what comes to |
hand, and much will come. No cast
iron plan, but an adaptation of life to
life. The worker must not be asked for |
figures. Figures often lie, and various
are the conventional and other lies that |
clothe themselves in figures
The originators had considered seri- |
ously taking very cheap residence
costing about eight dollars per month, |
but finally determined to rent fiat at
fourteen dollars per month. The good |
andlady, few weeks ago, gave the la
dies the fine large basement at a very |
low figure so that they could make a
small bath-house out of it, This will be
one feature of the work and will be the |
only thing in the way of public bath |
house in the city of New Haven A dis
pensary will be opened and operated as
soon as fixtures can be procured.
Already a class in dressmaking has
been opened and many working girls !