Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-02-10
Y. NJ. G. A. Audience Fails to
Guarantee Patronage For
Thomas Orchestra
sIs INSPIRES AN AUDIENCE
Marvellous Results Of Stun Reform in
New York City as illustrated and
Told by Jacob Riis, the Police Re-
porter, Prove Greatest Educational
Entertainment Of Y. M. c. A. Course.

nc SSSHtS VI NOuGdy evening S 4.
NJ. c. A. lecture We're somewhat dis
organized by the efforts of the COM
mittee to enable Marshalltown citizens
to embrace an unusual opportunity to
hear the full Theodore Thomas orches-
ira of sixty pieces Instead of the four
soiolsts VINO are to appear as the last
number on the course. However, 1t is
greatly to be regretted that their efforts
failed. This orchestra, which is the
greatest musical organization in the
world maintained only because of mu-
niticent benefactions from rich people,
aggregating 100000 in the past two
years, is to pass thru Marshalltown en-
route from Des Moines to Cedar Rapids
on a concert tour. Its contract guaran-
tees in such towns as Fort Worth and
Dallas, Tex, are $1,000 for single
night, but as there Il; an open date be-
tween March 81 at Des Moines and
April 2 at Cedar Rapids the Y. M. c. A.
people were offered concert on the
evening of April 1 at half price, a
guarantee of $3.50. !. was planned to
substitute this instead of the concert
by the four soloists from the orchestra
already booked and 10 allow holders of
y. NJ. C. A. tickets to keep their present
reserved seats and secure concert tick
cts at Is cents each, after which the
outside public would be admitted at 81
and $3.50. A vote was taken upon
blanks distributed in the audience, but
as only $50 tickets were guaranteed
Secretary Fellingham will not sign a
contract for the Full orchestra, and
fore arranged.
After this delay the lecturer Of the
evening. Jacob Riis, the wonderful man
who has accomplished SO much in the
reform of slum conditions in New York
City, began his entertainment under
difficulties. AS usual no one seemed to
know how to manipulate the electric
light switches in the Methodist church
and it looked for a time as tho Ri1s
would have to run to .heir rescue. Ihen
just as picture was flashed upon the
scene the stereopticon drew a current
too strong for the fuse in the fuse box
OF the church and fifteen minutes were
in replacing burned fuses.
When things were finally running
Mr.. Riis proved most ex-
interesting lecturer. AS
lecturer he has no talent, but the Won
derful work the man has done and the
intense enthusiasm that consumes his
whole personality effects a lasting i'm
preston upon an audience. Nearly
every one present knew that Riis was
a police reporter on the New York
dailies. they knew that he was a Dane
who had struggled from poverty into
accomplishments which any man would
be proud to own as his life work. that
he had written books upon the subject
and had elected the personal co-opera-
ton of the wonderful Roosevelt IN his
reforms, but few present even family
realized what miracles this mans MT OF
reform had actually accomplished.
The text of the lecturers talk was
that American citizenship is being bred
nv the thousands in the slums and that
sc long as the woeful degradation and
deprayed conditions are allowed to ex-
ist a kind of citizenship will grow up
fit only for the prisons and the work
house. But the man in spite of a llfe-
time spent amid these terrible condl-
tons is an optimist. He is not dis
heartened at all at what he has seen,
and when one has gazed upon the story
as spread upon the canvas he gathers
some of the hope and enthusiasm OF
Riis. The contrast Of the real SUM
with the conditions that have been
brought about by the wave of reform
which has swept over New York City
is inspiring. The change from dark al
leys to ideal tenements that actually
earn 6 per cent on the capital invested,
from the ash piers to public play
and from police lodging houses
to the ideal lucent lodging houses, OF
the reformers, is too marvellous to be
realized from the printed page. 1t can
only be understood by the visions
spread upon stereoDticon screen ana
by the inspiration to be received from
,nch a personality as Jacob Riis. For
these reasons this lecture Is Of the
greatest educational value and the
greatest inspiration 10 true Christian
work of any entertainment that has
,nneared on the Y. NJ. c. A. course.
TRAVELLING ENGINEER.