The Saint Paul globe., 1900-03-18


every phase of such movements finds its
expression today, from the Bellamy col-
ony, which is in contemplation in Iouisi-
ana, and the movement among the Po-
lish and Bohemian worllngmen to colo
nize for the more economical and COM
Portable meeting of the demands of daily
life. to the founding of the Ruskin hall
movement at Oxford, the construction Of
improved tenement houses in New York
or the endeavor to promote the religious
and moral welfare OF certain segregated
classes in the big cities by the interven-
tion of the representative men and wom-
en- of the several churches.
College settlements among the poor
seem just at this time to be the most
popular'and flourishing. The G o has.
from time to time. set forth the pur-
poses and accomplished results of many
of these movements. Their general spread
represents one of the most hopeful pros
poets which are presented of the coming
serious amelioration of the condition of
lowly life in big cities. The latest of
these college settlements to which atten-
ton has been called is that of St. Rose,
represented by body of devoted men
and women, but mostly women. identified
with the Catholic church. 1t was estab-
lished originally for the benefit Of non
English speaking Catholics, and is con
Quoted by some thirty or forty members
ligious and educational work and con-
Quoting it on the same lines as prevail
where the consideration of religion is
not an immediate influence.
Speaking of the reason for combining
the religious with the educational influ-
ence in the movement, the head worker
of the St. Rose settlement said the other
day;
Il saw we were not reaching, and
| could not reach the masses, especially the
! Italians and Bohemians, because We did
not know their language. There was
the barrier of religious. difference, too,
for, although the settlement knows no
such thing as religious bias, the Italian
cannot understand that and will have
none of it, if it is not Catholic"
This is the first of the so-calIed settle
ments 10 send its workers into one of the
newly constructed model tenement houses,
which are springing up with such rapidity
in the big city. The scene of their opera
tions is in the center of the two Italian
colonies on Sixty-thlrd and Seventy y-fifth
uyh In no a
sent some 1900 persons. The workers of
it come in contact every day with some
thing like 100 families of this nationality
besides a great many BOhemians and
many Irish. the average membership Of
each of such families being from five to
ten children. Catholic ladies of leisure
there find opportunity to employ them
selves prof tably when freed from other
duties. library of some 1,500 to 1000
volumes has already been made available
and either in the library or in teaching
one or other of the various classes con-
Quoted for both the young and the old of
the settlement, the ladies may be seen
every day serving by turns.
An interesting feature of life among
these people. who represent often the
least advanced types of our foreign i'm
migrants from Southern and Central Eu-
rope, is the establishment Of the model
tenement house. At Slxty-fourth and
Sixty-tfth streets and First avenue a
structure is in course of erection which
will hold go families 1t will be designed
on plans which secure the best sanitary
conditions consistent with the limited
means Of the expected tenants, and will
provide a larger measure Of privacy for
each family and more healthful condi-
tions for the children than have ever been
realized in such buildings until within the
past few years.
1t is to such movements as these we
must look if the influence of poverty, dirt,
drink and crime, which operates so
strongly on the lives of the tenement
population of all large cities, is ever
10 be overcome. Nothing which these
poor people can do for themselves in ex-
listing social and Industrial conditions will
to rise above uufavorable environments,
there is hardly any limit which can be
put to the aid which can be given to peo-
pie of this class by active and humane
women and men from the other ranks of
life.