Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1903-02-27

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A Socialist Home and School.

Walter Thomas Mills, one of the fosemost
Socialists of the nation, has contracted to- pnr-
chase tract of twelve and one.half acres Of,
land at Rosedalc, suburb of Kansas City. and
is making preparations for building the .Ipter-
national School ot Social Economy. III ex.
pected that the building will be ready for occu.
pancy by December, and the school will open.
the second week in that month.
The proposed building will he only one story,
high, but will spread out over seven acres Of
ground. The first part, which will be built
this year, will contain fifty rooms. The plans
for the completed building provide for 1900
rooms. These will all have outside doors and,
windows, and will be grouped Ground i; great
central court. The building will be in the ssold
mission" style of architecture we'll known in
southern California. The ground is to BE-,
graded into four terraces, including in this
number the part on the street level. A serpen.s
tine road $50 feet wide will wind through the:
grounds from the front entrance, and up the.
easy grades of the terraces. There will be no
stairways or halls in the building, though stairs
will be built at the base OF each terrace.
The first part of the building will be erected
on Kansas City avenue, along nearly the entire
legth of the property, which iss41o feet. As
the work proceeds and more yoom is needed,
strings of rooms will fbe built along the side
lines of the property on each terrace, making
continuous building one room wide to dis.
of foas L. At
situation on the bluff it is assured that no street
will ever be cut through to interfere with these
plans. In the court on one of the terraces be.
tween the sides of the building an open Audit
orium will be erected, where it is planned to
provide the leading speakers on ecomomic ques-
tions for summer meetings. On another terrace
there will be a gymnasium and playground
for children, and on the third a woikiugman's
park.
The building is to be constructed by trades
uuicn labor exclusively, and j. is expected that
nearly all the labor will be contributed. Al
ready the carpentry work is pnoyided fot, and
large part of the masonry wotk. This item,
and the amount already assured for. students,
assures the cost of putting In the buildihs.
The house is to be availahle+ especially for
Socialistic workers and their families. For
this class Of tenants price Of $500 room for
5o.year lease has been made, and already ten
or twelve have been engaged. Two hundred
students are expected in the fall, and each Of
them will pay $5c for the term of twelve weeks,
which will pay tor the room and board as we'll
as tuition.
All the rooms are to be heated from central
plant, and dining-room and kitchen will be
built large enough to accommodate all the ten.
ants. They will divide among themselves the
cos. of running the central power plant and
furnishing light and heat. Those who use the
dining room will divide the cost of food and it's
preparation. The ones who choose to employ
teachers for their children will pay jointly for
these advantages.
Among the Socialist agitators who have al
ready engaged rooms for their families are
Frank O'Hare, of New York, and Emil A.
Stultz, member Of the Socialist party of
Germany.