Evening star., 1900-07-14
LIKE RUSKIN HALL
College for Workingmen to Be Started
in This Country.
INTERESTING SOCIAL EXPERIMENT
It Has Already Met With Great
Success in England.
ANS AND PURPO Sc S

LONDON. July 4, 1900.
Two enthusiastic young Americans came
over here and put their time and money
into the establishment of novel institu-
ton that made a good many conservative
Englishmen smile The English working
men, however didn't smile at all. but con-
cluded that the American idea good
thing, and helped it along. 1t grew and
grew until there was no doubt about its
being a big success, and now, oddly enough
English workingmen are raising $4,000 in
shilings and pennies to propagate in the
United States the idea that originally came
from there. and incidentally some of the
English workingmen are kicking hard be-
cause their brethren doing this thing.
The idea was to establish a workingmen's
college, to which man might go or from
which he might get courses of study at
home. That sounded rather dreamy, like
some of the economic ideas of John I.uskin,
in whose name the work taken up.
But 1t developed presently that 1t was not
the intention to make struggling clerks and
professional men out of well-paid laborers;
also, that IL was not the intention to give
a foolish little smattering of culture but
merely to give workingmen, of whatever
age or condition, such instruction I'm his
tory, political economy, the principles of
politics and the principles of labor move
ments cooperation and such things that
would be of practical help to them in look
ing after their own interests.
The result was the establishment of Rus
kin Hall at Oxford. A good deal was said
about It at the time, but it was rather gen.
orally looked upon fad and then for
gotten except by those who had some per-
sonal interest in it. But the applications
for residence in the hall at Oxford have
from the first exceeded the limited accom-
moda tions, and two more halls have lately
been established in birmingham. another a:
Manchester and another at B:rkenhead. and
others are to be started soon. Further
more, the number of students in the cor
respondence courses is already over 1,5OO,
and Is increasing rapidly.
To Besin in st. Louis.
Various English labor leaders fell in with
the idea, and the suggestion seems to have
come from some of them that it should be
carried back to the United States In con-
sequence the general secretary of Ruskin
Hall, H. B. Lees Smith, and two trained
assistants will start for St Louis in No
vember to establish a Ruskin Hall there OF
which Mr.. Smith will be principal They
expect to branch out from there until in
time every big city in the Unite States has
a branch of this unique college Two
prominent English labor leaders C. w
Bowerman secretary of the London Society
OF compositors, and James Sexton. secre-
tary of the National Dock Laborers' Union
have just gone to the United States TO
talk with the labor leaders there and pre-
pare the way for their cooperation. The
t-''''V icNuii GU 10 start lne college in
America has already been guaranteed, and
a good deal of it has been raised, mostly
from members of the correspondence
classes. 1t has been said that the British
trades unions as body have been backing
the undertaking, but this is not the cas-.
The reason for making beginning in s..
Louis doubtless Is that Walter Vrooman
who was the founder of the college and
supplied the first of the money to start it
was a St. Louis man. and was at one time
actNe IN politics and business there. He
and his wife Baltfmorean. who is inter-
eSted as much in the new movement as her
husband, now live in Oxford, and give nrac
tically all their time to Ruskin Hail. OF
whose council Mr.. Froomar is president.
Plans for the American Hall.
1t Is the intention TO open a hall in ST
Louis as much possible like that in Ox-
ford, and to begin at once a correspondepce
school, As soon as the number of corres
ponding students in any other city seems to
warrant 1t hall will be established there
also, and SO on until, for all that the or,.;
nators can see to the contrary every
american workingman from Maine to Cali
Iornla VIII nave an opportunity to become
an undergraduate
And what are these halls to be like anil
how is this monumental scheme to be man
aged? The best answer can be had through
some account of the peculiar features Of
the huskin Hail at oxford. 1t is housed in
an unpretentious, four-story structure that
was at one time the residence of the fifth
Duke of Marlborough. and was afterward
often visited by John Ruskin while a friend
of his lived there. 1t is just beyond beauti-
| full old ST. Johns College.
To any one who visits it after reyelinp in
| ali the luxury OF the ancient seats of learn
| ing scattered all around it 1t looks bare
indeed. Pine tables predominant and not
| many of the accompanying chairs have
| backs. Work rooms and bed rooms are
furnished in the utmost simplicity. They
| have to be. for the total cost of residence,
| including board and lodging, is $3.50 n
week, and the tuition and tutors fees are
60 cents a week more.
1 found the general secretary in an un-
pretentious room working away at a rough
| board table evidently of home manufacture
and seated on a chair whose value no ap-
praiser would set down as more than
| cents He was surrounded by all sorts OF
papers and documents and was working as