Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-01-31


d. .ggists.
Observation-Disclosures !;
fFor Sunday Reading.
7 An Sorts Of Opinions. !.
Iss@s:.s-s-s..ss....:.
THE FUTURE OF MEMS CLUBS,
Some Of the Disadvantages Of the Lat
est Church Movement.
An anonymous writer in the indie
pendent outlines some Of the difficult
les and dangers to which mems clubs
organized by churches are subject.
These clubs he divides into three
classes. Those which are for the men
already within the church; those organ
lied among men outside the church, but
intended to bring the men eventually
into the church: and, finally, those de-
signed to do work entirely apart from
the church and which Is of value for
its own sake. The first type is theo-
retically correct. but not of wide inter-
est. The second is remarkable chiefly
for It's general failure. The third type
is the one that is Of the greatest inn
portance, and is the one to which this
writer pays principal attention. All
the work done in this kind of club looks
amazingly attractive from without he
says; "but even here there are some
difficulties. OF these the main ones,
should say, are two. The first Is to
keep out fractional fights. Every such
organization is microcosm OF our
whole social order Within each club
the men are seized with the selfishness
of possession and the passion of e&clu-
sion. To win for themselves member
ship in something and then to keep
somebody outfits appears to be the
chief end Of man. The second great
difficulty is to get the men to take up at
all with the thing that they most need;
either to engender anything like initia-
tive upon the part of the members
themselves or to get them to enthuse
over the things initiated for them In
other words the problem i5 first to eS-
cite enthusiasm. and, secondly. to! keep
it in bounds.
ait is entirely possible that the time
has come when those who have the
largest interests OF the church at heart
would do we'll to think twice before
building more mems club houses, II
they would not have those houses stand
some day as monuments to their enthu-
siasm, but as witnesses as we'll to their
mistakes. 1t is certain there are ques-
tions that should be carefully consid-
y,,, 1la,.
commit their reputation to what may
he a doubtful policy and by the laity
before they commit their money In the
same way. OF such questions there are
several. To he accurate, have IN MIND
six. Two of these questions are the
ones most often raised, but these same
two seem to me to be but minor ones.
Let me cite these first, and try to rule
them out by answering them.
First. saws some one: Are You
free from fear of pauperizing
people whom you serve in this way?
believe you are. You no more pauper-
ize 500 workingmen by building for
them a place OF pleasurable resort than
YOU pauperlze the same number OF col
lege students by building Il library or
endowing a professorship. Again, says
some one: Is it not possible that IN
fitting IN luxurious rooms for men to
use as club rooms you engender In those
men a taste for luxury which can never
nuite be satisfied and which In time
produces In them a deep spirit OF dls-
satisfaction? This reasoning, also, l
believe is faulty. The very best thing
that can happen to people VINO llVe
habitually In filth and sordfdness is to
have created in them, in some way, dis
with their lot.
"Then there are two other questions.
7 do not know whether they should pc
by yes or no. The first is,
Can YOU organize and run successfully
any club where you bring the inibarlVe
from without and are dong something
for a community instead OF having that
do something spontaneously
for itself? Secondly, can you cohduct
and make permanent any
which persistently rules
out both politics and religion-fhose
two things which have been the nain-
springs of the most successful volun
tary organizations among men always.
"I,astly. there are two questions
seem IO lie W oC iioS OASAA -
but closed. The first OF these is the
question which formed the theme OF the
criticism of the settlement movement Oh
the lower East Side made by DR.. Dav-
i'd Rlaustein. superintendent of the edu-
cational alliance. before School OF
Philanthropic Work recently, to the
effect that such clubs tend to destroy
the unity of family life. He may have
gone further than was justifiable IN his
form OF statement, especially in regard
to the especial work he criticizes YET
upon the whole and in theory at least,
he is right. Second of these two ana
last of all there is this point. 1t Is com
ing to be seriously questioned by those
who have given the matter most serl
Gus attention whether 1T is not true tnit
about the only possible way ever 70 re-
lieye the horrid conditions of New YORK
city .slum' life is to annihilate the tehe-
ment house. 1t is fact then-a marc
fact TO be sure, yet nevertheless lae'
that in everything you do to MAKE
this tenement life endurable you are 70
that extent interfering With natural
law Of nature--namely, that 'survlval OF
the fittest' which would eventually drive
men in self defense to seek some other
form Of habitat"