The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-11-14
NEEDS OF THE
WORKING POOR
Rev. Raymond CaIkins Talks to
Members of the Woman's Club
of the Duty of individuals and
Municipalities
SCH00LH0USES SHOULD
BE MADE INTO CLUBR00MS

Their Play and Work and
Schools Should Be Kept Open
All Year Round and Longer
Each Day
Rev Raymond Calkins of Pittsfeld
lectured before the Womans Club yes
terday afternoon in Memorial Hall, on
"The Children of the Working Poor"
The lecture left the impression that
Worcester has yet a great deal to learn
in philanthropic methods from New
York and Boston, while Pittsfield and
some other cities may learn a little
from Worcester. Mr.. Calkins has had
a great deal of experience in work
among the children of the poor, and
his talk was enlivened by anecdotes of
personal observations. There was
| large attendance at the meeting, and
an opportunity was given at the close
of the lecture to meet Mr.. Calkins. The
work department, Mrs. William H.
| Bliss, chairman was instrumental in
securing the services of the lecturer,
who was introduced to the audience by
Mrs. Bliss.
Mr.. Calkins said: 81 am very glad to
meet with the Womans Club Of Wor-
cester today. I feel that we are to-
gether this afternoon because we are
all interested in modern social condi-
lions. We feel there is a class that is
not getting as much out of life as it
should. What we want is to make the
working class enjoy life as 1t should.
1--WE are not here this afternoon to
be entertained or informed I should
like to feel that we are q sympathetic
party. l should be very glad If, at any
time, I could be interrupted from the
floor by questions or corrections. 1 de-
sire this occasion to be as informal as
possible.
81 had certain reasons for announc-
ing the topic as considering children
especially. When we begin with the
child we begin at the very begin
ming. The settlements are doing the
most scientific charitable work that is
being done today. 1t is a hundred times
easier to work with children. You can
get them easier. AT 10 and IL years of
age they will come-at IS you may
whistle for them, but they won't come.
Problems that scientific experts have
not yet solved are how to reach the
young men, how to reach the young
women.
'"To begin at the beginning we have
to think about the houses the children
live in. I asked a Worcester person If
there were any slums here and he said
%, no; we have no slums in Worces-
ter
There are two chronic and univer-
sal causes for poor houses. First, the
cupidity of landlords; second, the iner-
tia of municipal authorities A munich
pal authority in New York when asked
what constituted a light hallway said
that a hallway was light If you could
get In without stepping on a baby.
at was found that Trinity parish in
New York owned tenement houses that
were unfit for occupation Hetty
Green, the richest woman in the world,
was charged with a similar offense.
You can't trust landlords anywhere or
city authorities. We could find plenty
of houses here in Worcester unfit for
habitation.
''I don't know If Worcester has vol
untary sanitary commission but it
ought to have. Such a commission
could accomplish a great deal of work,
and could know what sanitary laws
are 1t could make house vlsitations.
However well housed we think the
working population of Worcester is, we
should find on investigation great need.
An appropriation by the city might be
made to relieve this. A club such as
this could stand behind a committee of
investigation.
another plan for improving house
conditions is that begun by Octavia
Hill You have all heard of Octavia
Hill and her method of rent collection
People who earn just enough to live
on often get into arrears, in case of
sickness, etc. Miss Hill made up her
mind to correct abuses by being a well
come rent collector. Such a collector
advances the necessary money when
family is in arrears and he can take
a mortgage on some article of furni-
ture perhaps. The family Is given a
fair chance when there is intoxication
or any other chronic cause.
This method has worked well in
London and in Mulberry Bend New
, York city. Let's have sanitary COM
mittee-that's only the beginning.
You can't do very much for children in
p their homes-this may sound like
= heresy. but it has been found to be
true. You haven't space enough Poor
children are practically ignorant Of our
simplest parlor games. Conditions are
) all wrong There is no family life. Very
often the food is put on the table and
left on the table; a perpetual meal is
carried on; there is no such thing as
setting the table unless it be to add
what is needed from time to time.
IAN these things are upsetting. Add
TO them a drunken father and a shift
less mother and you have an environ
ment you can't do much with.
THE question of home reading and
home amusements can be settled.
however. A reading group was formed
in a city and books were selected and
put into the homes. The children read
them and met once a week and talked
them over.
IN answer to the question what do
children like most to read, I received.
on slips sent to all the public libraries
of New York city, the unanimous re-
ply, American history. / had one OF
these reading groups in Boston for two
and half years. The Children's Aid
Society in Boston has 30 such groups
1 and the work is very successful.
Then comes educational work. we
first think of the kindergarten. 1t has
passed the stage where it needs any
defense. They traced in New York the
history of a girl who had been neglect
ed in her youth and they found that
1900 Of her descendants had turned out
to be criminals and paupers.
I'm Pittsfield the only free kinder
garten we have is carried on by one
/ woman. Twice has the motion to put
| kindergartens into the school come be-
fore the board but each time it was
rejected owing to the cost. To have
free public kindergartens does not do
away with the usefulness of free pri-
| vate kindergartens.
| ''I am free to confess that the public
school system of today is long way
from performing its legitimate duties.
| The schools think that they perform
their duty when they teach reading,
writing and arithmStic. They are too