The Savannah morning news., 1904-12-07

healthy and even dangerous symp-
toms i'm our modern life. We should
not permit overcrowding in cities In
! certain European cities ii is provided
by law that the population of towns
| shall not be allowed to exceed a very
| limited density for a given area, so
| that the increase in density must be
| continually pushed back into a broad
zone around the center of the town,
this zone having great avenues or parks
| within il.
The death rate statistics show ter
rible increase in mortality. and es-
/ pecially in infant mortality, in over
| crowded tenements. The poorest FAM
lilies in tenement houses live in one
room, and It appears that I'm these one
! room tenementS the average death rate
| for a number of given cities at home
| and abroad is about twice what II is
! in tWo-room tenement, four times
| what il is in a three-room tenement,
| and eight times what 1t is in n tene-
ment consisting of four rooms or over.
| These figures vary somewhat for diff
! ferent cities, but they approximate
in each city those given above, and in
all cases the increase of mortality, and
| especially of infant mortality, with
| the decrease in the number of rooms
used by the family and with the con-
sequent overcrowdng is startling.
Death Rate of the SlumS.
The slum exacts a heavy total of
death from those who dwell therein
and this is the case not merely in the
great crowded slums of high build
| ings In New York and Chicago. but in
the alley slums of Washington. In
| Washington people can not afford to
| ignore the harm that this causes. No
| Christian and civilized community can
| AFFORD to show happy go-lucky lack
| of concern for the youth of to-day;
for, If so, the community will have to
| pay terrible penalty of financial
| burden and social degradation in the
tomorrow. There should be severe
child-labor and factory-inspection
laws. 1t is very desirable that mar
ried women should not work in fac
tories.
The Duty of Man and Woman.
The prime duty, of the man is to
! work, to be the breadwnner; the
| prime duty of the woman is to be the
mother the housewife. All questions
of tariff and finance sink into utter
| insignificance when compared with the
tremendous, the vital importance of
trying to shape conditions so that
these two duties of the man and of
the woman can be fulfilled under
reasonably favorable circumstances.
If a race does not have plenty of
children, or If the children do not
grow up, or If when they grow up
they are unhealthy in body and stunt
ed or vicious In mind then that race
is decadent, and no heaping up of
wealth, no splendor of momentary ma
terial prosperity, can avail in any de-
gree as offsets.
should BE "a Model Government.
The Congress has the same power
of legislation for the District of Co
! lunabia which the state legislatures
| have for the various states. The prob
lens incident to our highly complex
modern industrial civilization with It's
manifold and perplexing tendencies
both for good and for evil, are far
less sharply accentuated in the city
Of Washington than in most other
cities. For this very reason II is
easier to deal with the various phases
OF these. problems in Washington, and
the District OF Columbia government
should be a model for the other nu-
nicipal governments Of the nation, In
all such matters as supervision of the
| housing of the poor, the creation of
small parks in the districts inhabited
by the poor, in laws affecting labor
in laws providing for the taking care
of the children in truant laws, and In
providing schools.
Care of the 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 Illinois and Colorado by the juvenile
courts. The work OF the Juvenile court
is really a work of character build
| ing. 10 is now generally recognized
that young boys and young girls who
go wrong should not be treated as
criminals, not even necessarily as
needing reformation, but rather an
| needing to have their characters form
I ed. and for this end to have them
tested and developed by a system OF
| probation. Much admirable work has
been done in many of our common
wealths by earnest 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 by profiting by
the experiences OF the different states
and cities in these matters, 1t would
be easy TO provide a good code for
the District OF Columbia
Structural Conditions.
Several considerations suggest the
need for a systematic investigation
into and Improvement OF housing con-
ditions in Washington. The hidden
residential alleys are breeding grounds
OF vice and disease, and should be
opened into minor streets. For num-
Der Of years influential citizens have
Joined with the District Commission
ers In the vain endeavor to secure
laws permitting the condemnation of
insanitary dwellings. The local death
rates. especially from preventable dis
cases, are so unduly high as 20 sug-
gest that the exceptional wholesome
ress OF Washington's better sections
is offset by bad conditions in her
poorer neighborhoods.
A special Commission on Housing
and Health Conditions I'm the National
Capital" would not only bring about
the reformation of existing evils. but
would also formulate an appropriate
building code TO protect the city from
mammoth brick tenements and other
evils which threaten TO develop here
as they have in other cities. That the
nations capital should be made a
model for other municipalities is an
ideal which appeals to all patriotic
citizens everywhere. and such a spec
ial commission might map out and
organize the city's future develop
ment In lines OF civic social service.
Just as Mai. L'Enfant and the recent
Park Commission planned the arrange
ment of her streets and parks.
For n Compulsory school Law.
II Is Notifying to remember that