The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-21
new YORK sLUMS
Jacob Riis' Lecture One Of Absorb
ing Interest.
LESSON FOR MINNEAPOLIS
Lecturer Emphasizes Old Saying as
to an Ounce of Pre-
ventiOn.


to an Ounce of Pre-
vention.
Jacob A. Riis the famous newspaper re-
porter of the New York Sun, lectured on
'The Slums' before a large audience in
the auditorium of the Y. NJ c. A. building
last evening. The address, which was
illustrated by stereopticon Views, dealt
with past and present conditions In New
York's under world,'' and with the reno
walton OF the slums In the past twenty
years. The lecture was absorbingly inter-
esting. There was much that was palmetto,
in fact almost heartrending, but the mar
velous work of Improvement leagues and
reform police commissions, in which work
Mr.. Riis himself is one of the most ag-
gressive and successful leaders. has done
much to change the conditions.
Mr.. Riis was introduced by J. S. McLa1n,
who spoke briefly of the great influence
Of the newspaper reporter in general, and
of the wonderfully successful efforts OF
Mr.. Riis in particular. Mr. Riis' search
for news in the slums, he said had given
him opportunity to see and appreciate the
awful condition of the poor, and the urgent
need for improvement in their daily lie
and environment. -ra-.
Long Desireds to Come West.
The lecturer was given an enthusiastic
reception. He said that he had long cher
ished desire to s'come vest and see the
people Of push he had heard so mucn
about& II always considered President
Roosevelt a westerner," said Mr. .Riis,
who is one of the presidents close friends,
and whoShe was associated with In the
work Of renovating New York. They told
me he was an easterner, but ne always
seemed to me to have the vim and lire OF
a man from the plains, and 1t gave him
great pleasure when told him this.
Il have seen your wonderful mourning
mills and your handsome residences,
continued Mr.. Riis, "and am greatly I'M
pressed. I was in Chicago few days ago,
and found there conditions like those that
confronted us in New York In the care
of the poor. Chicago has plenty of room
over which to spread, and sincerely nope
that the tenement and slum will get no
plenty of room to spread out, and she, TOO,
should look to it carefully that the poor
are not -cramped into dark, unsan1tary
quarters, Tor in such is found the Degln-
ming from which the slum quickly grows.
Where it takes 81 to prevent, 1t Will take
S. to wipe out the awful tenements IN
city, If you permit q man to live as pig,
can Won expect him to vote as a. man?
Emphatically, no."
A photograph of the beginning from
which the tenements of New YORK city
grew. was shown, and many persons IN
the audience remarked that 1t was strlk-
ingly like some of the novels IN Mlhne-
apolis to-day. From that Mr.. R11s showed
by other st ereopticon views the deveiop-
ment of the great tenement districts
where thousands of poor people are
| housed in unclean, poorly Ventllateo'
dark noisome and disease-infected apart
ments.
Campaign for Reform.
Mr.. Riis then spoke of the campaign for
reform. 1t took the vivid and accurate
newspaper stories, the testimony OF the
camera and excursions of those interested
! into the districts before the board OF
healt and the police commission ana leg
islature took and at last inaugurated a
| movement for the wiping out of the slums.
The lecturer touched upon his part OF
the work in very modest way only. The
stereopticon showed how solid blocks OF
| tenement houses, where thousands mao
| lived cooped up like sardines IN box
| with no place for recreation, mad Deen
renovated or rebuilt, and now parks NAG
| been laid out, Fairgrounds for children
| provided and stands and bands or music
| furnished, making the slum districts. for
merly hot beds. Of crime, vice and disease
veritable paradises in comparison. The
| enthusiastic audience cheered Justify and
| long at the pict ure of the work accom-
plished of few progressive and humane
| New Workers.. ...
For the Little Folk. -.
| The kindergarten, the outing excursions
| the public Fairgrounds, the parks with nc
| "keep off the grass" signs, and the public
| schools, Mr.. Riis said, were the salvation
! York The kindergarten, however. was
the keyst one. There little tots saw the
! world beautiful, and learned how much
may be had for the effort
The wonderment of children on thei1
first outing, said Mr.. Riis, could be inn
4 agined by. persons unfamiliar with the
| slums. A party of little boys and girls
that had. been taken into the country
gathered at the barn yard in the evening
as the COWS came In from the pasture tt
| be MIXED. The munching of the cud by
the COWS could not be understood by the
curious little folk. Finally one little fel.
low turned to the farmer and asked: "Dt
YOU have to buy gum for all of them cows
mister?'.
Value of the Play Grounds.
The Fairgrounds, said Mr.. Riis, hav
saved and will save many a lad from
life of crime. "The boy is Just like
steam boiler said the lecturer. "An
play is his safety valve. You put al
ordinary boy in small, crowded suite o
rooms in tenement, giving him no plac
outside for play, and you have shut tn
safety valve. Then watch for trouble
1t will come, and there are no two way
about It,? The boy takes to the street
abandons his home where there is nothin
that is attractive to him, and in shor
time has mastered his first lesson of tn
street: how to gamble in a small way b.
shooting craps Before he is 10 he
an inveterate gambler. He follows a wei
beaten path into more serious crime, be
comes a. highway robber, perhaps muir
derer. ~. F.. :--E So. 20
The Slum's Deadly Work.
The speaker threw upon the screen
dozen pictures from the ''rogues' gallery.
They were those of boys who had bee1
hanged for appalling crimes. One Of then
was Of boy of 10. He had been raised II
the slums and had passed through tn
various stages Of crime and had killed
man whom he had intended to rob. MI
Riis said he stood by him when he wa
hanged. Just before the trap was droppe
the lad turned and said: "Oh, If any on
had ever told me different"
| Rooseve1t's Work.
| Theodore Rooseve1t's work as polio
commissioner in New York was. brief
touched upon by the lecturer Mr.. Ri
was telling of the tramp-room evils il
the police stations, and of the difficult
he had In securing recognition of his com
plants. Mr.. Rifs had been ledger l.
one of the tramp rooms when lad, an
! had been cruelty beaten there on on
memorable night in his career He ha
reported the condition of affairs In tn
tramp rooms again and again, but n
| ho1 tn1y ne tic