The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1900-11-10
PROSPECT UNION.
An Educational Institution Where
College Men and Laborers Meet.

College Men and Laborers Meet.
Harvard students are conducting a
remarkable educational enterprise of
which the outside world has scarcely
heard. 1t is known as the Prospect
union, but in practice it is a sort of
university with night courses for la
boring men. 1t is so broad that man
may have instruction in almost any
branch from A B c to Greek or meta
physics.
It has volunteer teaching force Of
about IS students and professors from
Harvard university. and among the
! lecturers have been such persons as
Prince Krapotkin, Eugene " Debs,
| Washington Gladden. Lyman Abbott,
and Hamlin Garland.
Freedom of speech is pronounced
feature of the institution. Lecturers
are at liberty to speak for or against
anarchy, socialism, trade unionisnl,
woman suffrage, single tax or any 9TH
err ism except religion. The school has
in other respects been so free from
rules and equations that anarchists
might point to it's success as an argu-
ment for their cause.
| The union has no constitution, and
there are not even any house rules.
There is no election of members and
no inquiry into the applicants charac-
ter If a man wishes to enter the un-
ion and is prepared to pay a small fee,
ia "a ;---@s~tr, laa e1,e~~~-.-O Once in
side, he may select his own course OF
study modify it from time to time or
drop it completely. There is no COM
pulsion, no restriction. Women are
not admitted because it might embar-
rass the men taking primary studies
but in all other respects there is the
utmost liberty of action possible. The
democratic spirit of the institution
\ may be inferred from the character OF
the first executive committee, which
consisted. of three workingmen, two
Harvard students, one Harvard pro-
fessor and clergyman.
About ten years ago Robert E. Ely
was attending lectures at the Harvard
Divinity school and also conducting
meetings in the Port which is the
manufacturing district between Boston
and Cambridge. It occurred to hin
that many of the employees of the fac.
tories would welcome an opportunity
to make up for deficiencies in their ed.
ucation. He organized the union tt
conduct night classes for the purpose
and secured the aid of many under
graduates of Harvard university. The
work has grown steadily, and the un-
ion is now housed in commodious, well
appointed buildings. 1t has no officia
connection with the university. but il
has never lacked for the help and en-
couragement of the professors, officers
and students.
I Some men learn to read and write in
this school and receive patient instruc-
ton. Foreigners who have no knoWl-
edge, or scarcely any, of English are
welcomed and initiated into the mys-
teries of the language. Having as yet
but primitive laboratory facilities, only
theoretical and elementary instruction
fcan be offered in most of the natural
sciencies. But in the languages and in
literature, in history and economics, in
mathematics, from the lowest to the
highest, and in studies which seem tc
have more practical value, such as me
chanical and free hand drawing, pen
manship, bookkeeping and stenography
what may be accomplished is limited
only by the time and ability Of the
pupil.