Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-04
THE MORAL STANDARDS
SUBJECT DISCUSSED AT MEETING
OF CONFERENCE CLASS.
Conditions in Alleys Considered by
Branch Of Associated Charities
The Alley People.

Moral Standards in the Alleys was the
subject discussed on Thursday afternoon at
the meeting of the second division of the
conference class organized by the Asso-
ciated Charities. This second division Of
the class is designed especially for the en-
listment and training of colored friendly
visitors, savings collectors. club and class
conductors and workers in other lines of
volunteer personal service. to neglected
neighborhoods and needy families of the
colored race. The meeting yesterday was
held at Ais p m. in the general office of the
Associated Charities at S11 G street north
west. The speakers were Miss II. Ida
Curry, the Associated Charities agent for
Southwest Washington, and Mrs. Sarah
Collins Fernandis. resident of the Social
Center" designed for clubs and classes OF
colored children. at lis M street southwest.
A Type Described
Miss Curry stated that there are sew
enty alleys In Southwest Washington In
habited by about 1900 people. Some al
leys are filed with white people, but 80
per cent of the alley population Of South
west Washington is colored. The speaker
described the double T-shaped alleys, the
alleys which are shaped like the letter H.
and gave a detailed description Of Will
low Tree alley, where there are 328 people
living In the center of one inhabited block
which contains four small interior blocks
hidden from the view Of the outside sur
rounding streets. Miss Curry told a story
of an unusually bright little colored boy
whom she discovered on one Of the regular
weekly rounds which she makes for the col
lection of small savings. This boy, with his
mother and grandmother. were living in a
little two-room shack, which was one of q
row Of shanties built as temporary barracks
in 1861. The nearest water supply Is one
block away and the only toilet conveniencss
are the old-style wooden box toilets, Of
which there are said to be Il. 900 In the Dis
trict of Columbia.
In this particular house. not only the win
dow glass was missing, but the whole sash
as well, and the window was covered only
by a piece OF carpeting. The unusually
promising little boy had the constant in
fluence of the bad alley surroundings and of
his grandmother, who has been found drunk
every time that Miss Curry has called at
the house The mother also Is occasionally
intoxicated. and a number of loafing soldiers
from the Washington barracks are usually
found in the rooms.
Courtesy Extended.
Mrs. Sarah Collins Fernandis described
the little house which she occupies at us
NJ street southwest. near the borders of
the open sewer. which is called the James
creek canal. and in the center of a region
which has been known as 'Bloodfield." She
asked the members of the conference each
to volunteer an hours service once a week
which they should use in conducting clubs
and classes of colored boys and girls in
the large pleasant room which this social
center affords.
She said the house ought also to be
used as a center for the weekly collec-
ton of small savings among the colored
people in the neighborhood.
She described the uniform courtesy and
kindliness with which the workers from
the social center are received by their
neighborS and said that people who would
give a small fragment of their time to
this personal work would find 1t very in
teresting to become acquainted with peo-
pie who need to be familiariZed with
higher ideals and more wholesome stand
ards of conduct than they come in con-
tact with in their ordinary lives, and
would find 1t also satisfactory and pro-
ductiye of benefcent results.
Mr.. Charles F. Weller, who served as
chairman of the meeting, announced that
the class would visit this southwest so
cfal center" at lis M street southwest on
Saturday. December IL. at PM, when
the class will be taken to inspect some
or the alleys which adjoin the social CEN
ter and to see the first public playground
for colored children, which was deyel-
oped as an outgrowth of the work of one
GLASS In carpentry meeting art 11S M
street southwest