The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-09-16


and the Beanstalk viii be given for the
school children at the small admission
price Of ten cents Thee are positively
III only dates this big show Will be ex-
hibited in Wichita. II is moral refined
high class entertainment for the ladies,
gentlemen and the little ones.
A MAN WHO DOES THINGS.
Jacob A. Riis, author of The Making
Of an American" THE Battle With the
Sum-" How the Other Half Lives. -
THE Children of the Poor "Out of Null
berry Street etc, has been called by
President Roosevelt the most useful
citizen in New York His work in the
slums of that city and his reformations
aided by Roosevelt, when he was COVER
nor of New York, have made Mr.. Riis
the wonder of the philanthropic people
Of this country.
His life reads like a novel. 1t is great
climb from police station ledger to the
most useful citizen in the third city of
the world A man who can do that is
worth seeing and hearing
The things that Jacob a Ris started in
TO do twenty-five years ago were to tear
New York and put in their place small
parks and flower gardens; to see that
sensible tenement house laws were pass
ed and enforced to do away with police
station lodging houses; to see that there
were enough public schools for all the
children of New York; to establish boys
clubs and girls cooking and sewing
schools. When he began on that work
there was scarcely a small park in all
the great city of New York; there were
not schools for half the children; there
were tenement houses in which 1000 ten
ants were crowded in one block. many Of
them living in rooms in which the sun
light never shone, and thousands of
tramps and criminals slept together
nightly in the free police station lodging
houses.
To reform and change all this would
look like a Herculean task, but Riis did
it, His only lever when he began was
the pencil he pushed as police reporter
on the New York Sun. But with every
story that he wrote Of murder. of pow
erty. of starvation of awful misery, Of
abuse. neglect and suffering he put his
appeal for the betterment Of the condi-
ton of the tenement house poor. for the
parks. more schools and the rest. For
twenty-five years he kept persistently.
doggedly at il and at last it same. the
thing he had been working for through
so many long years.
One day he was asked why he was so
strongly opposed to the police station
lodging houses.
faT1 = tory n
swer zone winter night. years ago.
when / was homeless and poor, I was
driven by a storm to seek shelter in the
Church street police station and was
herded in foul room with other home
less ones. I had with me little black
and tan dog that I had picked up on
the street homeless and hungry Ike
myself The dog was not allowed u en-
ter. While ! slept I was robbed Of
a little gold locset fastened about my
neck with string. Il contained lock
Of my sveetheart's hair. complained
70 the sergeant in the morning that
had been robbed and he called me thief
and threw me out The little dog was
waiting outside FOR ne when il saw ne
in The grasp Of the policeman il fastened
its teeth in his leg The man seized the
dog ard beat il 70 death with his club.
The outrage n that night became the
means Of putting an end u one II the
fouIes; abuses that ever disgraced
Christian country.
The free lodging houses were an e7-
coura cement 70 tramrs and criminals,
constant invitation 70 not work man
who VII not work must ~ derived -
the means IT living without it. 50 began
10 fight The free Sleeping rooms
For twenty years ! wrote but II
amounted 70 nothing until Roosevelt was
made president n the rolics bard ard
then 7 took him one niEht % that sane
police station. showed Rim the nen
Sleeping 7here and told hin TIE story =
nv experience twenty years hef0re-
I've beer fChtins for twenty years
- have those pest holes abolished told
BIN.
IN smash them tomorrow Re said
ard b id X
NJ. Riis Is full % vitality. Eraphio =
sescrturion thoroughly IN earnest. With
a heart hrinning vsfh syn-ethv HE
re-,srsashie lecture. The Battle With
the Sums viz Close TIE Isl q attrsc-
lions on ne Carter star Lecture C7uTse-
the finest list q lectures and entertain
rnents ever presented - a TichitE audi
ence- No person in wichita can s-ssd
q miss :his exceptionally hD~ co1rse Of
entertainments this winter