Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-12-06

d
| that no amount OF Industrial progperl.
~ ,aud above an no leadership M in'
! ternatonal industrial competition cay
| ln any way atone Tor the tapping OF
the vitality OF those who are usually
spoken Of aa TIE working classes. The
farmers me mechanics. the skilled and
unakIlled loborcrs the small shop keep-
crs, make up the bulk of the popu.n.
tIon OF amy country. and upon thc.f
Wsll-holng generation after Nluerl-
ton the wcll-belug OF the country and
,hc race depends Rapid development
Iu wealth and industrial leadership Is u
good thing but only n 10 goes hand In
hand with improvement. and not date =
loptl1n, physical and moral, The oyC.-
crowdlng OF cities und the draining or
country districts are unhealthy ana
even dangerous symptoms IN our mod
eru me- We should not permit Over~
CroWding lu cities. I'm certain Euro
pcau cities q Is provided by lHH that
the population Of towns shall not be
allowed 20 exceed a very limited deusl.
ty Tor n given area. so that the IT,
crease In density must De continually
pushed back into a broad zone arounl
the center OF the town, this zone hav-
Ing great avenues or parks within g.
The death rate si0ti1tlcs show q terri
bic Increase lu mortality aud especially
IN infant mortality, ln ovcrcroWdc1
tenementg The poorest families In
tenement houses live IN one room. ana
it appears that IN these onC-room tens.
mQnts the average death rate for %
number VI given cities az home
and abroad a. about twice
what II Is In two.ro0m tene.
mont four times what 1t Is IN
threo-room tenement. and eight times
what 70 Is In a tenement consisting OF
four rooms, or over. These figures vary
somewhat for different cities, but they
approximate IN each city those given
above; and IN oil cases the increase OF
mortality and especially OF infant NOR.
tally, with the decrease In the NUM-
Der Of rooms used by the family and
with the consequent oyercrowding Is
startling The s,um exacts heavy to-
tai OF death from those who dwell
therein; and this Is the case not mere
~ IN the great crowded slums OF high
buildings IN New York and Chicago
hut IN the alley sluma Of Washington
In Washington people can not afford TO
ignore the harm that this causes No
Christian and civilized community can
afford TO show "A -gO-lucky lack
OF concern Tor the youth OF today, for,
n so, the community win have 10 pay
q terrible penalty Of financial burden
and social degradation IN the tomor-
row. There should be severe child-la.
Dor and factory inspection laws II Is
very desirable that married women
should not work I'm factories. The
prime duty OF man Is TO work, 10 be
the bread-winner the prime duty N the
woman 10 10 be the mother the house
wife. All questions Of tariff and finance
sink into utter Insignliicance when COM
pared with the tremendous the vital
importance Of trying 20 shape condi-
lions so that these two duties OF the
man and OF the woman can be full
filled under reasonable fayoraby cir
cumstances. II race does not have
plenty Of children. or II the children
do not grow up, or II when they grow
up they are unhealthy IN body and
stunted or vicious I'm mind then that
race Is decadent and no heaping up OF
wealth, no splendor OF momentary
material prosperity. can avail IN any
degree az OFFSETS
POWER or CONGRESS AMPLE.
The Congress has tho same power OF
legislation for the District Of Column
ba which the state legislatures have
for the various states. The problems
incident TO our highly complex mod.
ern industrial civilization, with its
las la
both for good and evil, are far less
sharply accumulated In the city Of
Washington than IN most other cities.
For this very reason it il easier TO deal
with the various phases OF these prob
lens in Washington, and the District Of
Columbia government should be a mod
Ell for the other municipal governments
~ the nation. IN all such matters as
supervision OF the housing OF the poor,
the creation Of small parks IN the Ola.
tiicts inhabited by the poor. In laws
affecting labor, In laws providing for
the taking care Of children, IN truant
laws, and IN providing schools.
TAKING CARE OF CHILDREN.
In the vital matter OF taking care
OF children, much advantage could be
gained by a careful study OF what has
been accomplished in such states as H.
llnois and Colorado by the Juvenile
courts, The work Of the juvenile court
Is really work of character building.
IL Is now generally recognized that
young boys and young girls who go
wrong should not be treated as Grim
inals. not even necessarily MS needing
reformation. but rather as needing to
have their characters formed, and for
this end 10 have them tested and de-
veloped by system OF probation.
Much admirable work has been done in
many OF our commonwealths by earn
est men and women who have made
special study OF the needs Of those
classes Of children which furnish the
greatest number Of Juvenile offenders.
and therefore the greatest number OF
adult offenders, and by their aid, and
adult ofienders.an by their aid, and by
prohting by the experiences OF thedlffer.
Ont states and cities In these matters,
Il would be easy to provide n good
code for the District OF Columbia,
HOUSING CONDITIONS.
hrNtitl NNNNAllbNh bhkhNSt ANC Aetu
Tor "a systematic investigation into and
improving OF housing conditions In
Washington The hidden residential
alleys are breeding grounds Of Vice and
disease and should be opened into
minor streets. For o number of years
Influential citizens have Joined with
the district commissioners IN the vain
cndeavor TO secure laws permitting
the condemnation Of insanltary dwell
ings. The local death rates. especially
from nrcvontahle diseases, are so un-
duly high as to suggest that the eXcep-
tlon1l Wholcsomtnoss OF Washlngtou's
better sections is Offset by bad condl-
lions I'm her poorer neighborhoOds A
special commission on housing and
health conditions IN the national capl-
tar would not only bring about the re-
formation % existing evils but would
also formulate an appropriate building
code to protect the city from mammoth
brick tcnements and other evils which
throattA TO develop here az they have
IN other cities. That the nations capi-
tal should be made q model for other
municipalities e an ideal which appeals
TO all patriotic citizens everywhere.
and such "a special commission might
IMAM ont and Orgaui ga the citvs future