The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-03-15
GOOD WORK DONE BY
.NE|GhBoRHOOD HOUSE
Recognized Association Holds
les First Annual Meeting
Presidents Address.

| The successful work of the Neigh
borhood house, at 153 Robertson street.
corner of Indiana avenue, West Side.
| was manifested yesterday afternoon in
reports presented to the first annual
| meeting of the reorganized Neigh
| borhood House association. A dozen
| members Of the association, chiefly
women, gathered at the house to hear
| the annual reports of officers and an
| address by President Scholle, and to
| choose a board of managers. The
| present board was reelected.
The report of Treasurer w. B.
| Geery, read by President Scholle, an
nounced that the expenses. since the
| existing management of the house
was established, Oct. 1, 1908, had been
! $800.69, and that the annual expenses
would probably not exceed $1,000, of
which the rent for the twelve-room
building now occupied would be $400
| The receipts had included $943.S0 from
subscriptions. The balance on hand
| was $159.
Chinese Are Presbyterians.
The resident manager Of the
| House, Mrs. M. M. Pentland, reported
that the association was working
Eamong 500 people in 125 families.
| There were eight Syrian families, f1f-
teen French families, ten Scandina-
Wan, four German, two Chinese, ten
| Irish families, with an indefinite num-
Der of Russian, Polish Bohemian and
| Roumanian families. Various relig
| ions were represented, the Syrians be-
| ing Greek Catholics, and the Chinese
| Presbyterians.
| The enrolment in the night school
was lis; in the sewing school, 1885,
! The very efficient teachers at the
night school were seven seniors from
the Humboldt high school. Among the
special branches of instruction We're
found piano playing, singing and
Mothers club had increased from five
| to fourteen. The patrons of the libra
ry now numbered ninety-two. Four
afternoon parties had been given
| for the girls, six evening parties for
| the young people. The prospective
| functions included an orthodox Jew
! ish wedding to be celebrated at the
! house March %.
| Mrs. Pentland suggested that the
association should enlist the services
| of a visitor who might also act as a
probation officer
President Scholle,s giving the result
| of personal inquiry among the man
/ ayers of neighborhood homes in Chi
| cago and the East, said that these
social settlements" Hull houses" or
| "neighborhood houses" had been
brought into being by the immigration
| to America of the dissatisfied, helpless
and prosecuted peoples of Europe. In
| dealing with such foreigners it was
| primarily important ito convince them
| that we have no designs upon their
| money, their children or their faith"
| Object Is to Focus Social Life.
t The work of the neighborhood house
| had assumed such Importance that it
| has been made the subject of special
! instruction in Eastern colleges. That
| work was divided,- according to local
| needs, among kindergartens, night
| schools, gymnasiums, manual train
ing schools, mothers clubs, cooking
schools, mems and boys clubs, social
/ entertainments and the like; the OBJ
/ jeet of the house being, in the words
! of Jane Adams, to focus the social
| life of the neighborhood, to bring to
| bear upon it the results of cultivation
| and training"
SsBut we must impress upon the I'M
| initiated continued Mr.. Seholle,
that all this is done not for charity,
| a most abhorrent word to these people.
| but for remuneration. Everyone pays
| or 10 cents for the advantages Of
fered.
| BY visiting in the houses of the
/ neighborhood-an important branch OF
| the work-the visitors establish the
natural relationship of friends ready to
offer sympathy and advice, or more
| substantial aid, in any time of trou-
BILE"
! Sat meetings Of the mems clubs in
| the house the men are brought to Gull
4 tivate their own independent thought
on political questions and to act in
politics as their conscience dictates.
| The social gatherings at the house af-
| ford opportunity for the young people
| to enjoy themselves under careful SUI
| pervision against excess and license.
| Keeps Girls Out of Dance Halls.
"This is especially important in st.
Paul." commented Mr.. Scholle, where
so many of our working girls are adj
dicted to visiting the dance halls on
! WabaSha and Rice streets. There the
young women are exposed to all sorts
] of temptation, especially to association
| with the soldiers from Fort Smelling,
I who have nothing to gain or lose by
their conduct, and who are undesirable
people to have around at any time,
j except when they are fighting"
| The benefits of the settlement work
| upon the workers were acknowledged
| by Mr.. Scholle.
ever since the advent Of the kin
dergarten,' he said, ''it has been we'll
established that for motherhood there
| is mo better training than a year or
two of active work and teaching
among the little ones; and so there is
/ no better training for the future use
/ fitness, both socially and ethically,
| than that learned in the neighborhood
house"
] Mr.. Scholle thought that the neigh
borhood houses might we'll be estab-
/ Iished "in different parts of the city to
| take practical control of all those in
/ their precincts who need help physlc-
| ally, morally or socially"
| The directors reelected at the con-
clusion of Mr. Scholle's address were:
Rev. Ambrose McNulty. Rev. R. w
/ Boynton, DR.. I. L. Rypins, Rev. Theo-
dore Sedgwick; Mesdames John
Wharry, Benjamin Goodkind, j. H
Buuard; Messrs. Gustave Scholle. l.
S. Gushing, William MeMurray, c. w
Ames, Walter L. Chaplin, Frank
/ Sehlick Jr., A. D. S. Johnston, w. B.
/ Geery. Oscar Taylor. l.. P. Ordway
Joseph Elsinger, A. Simmer. The Off
GERS of the association, elected last Oc-
4 tober for a term of one year, are Gus
/ tave SchoIle, president: DR.. l. l.. Ry-
/ pins, Rev. R. W. Boynton and Rev
Theodore Sedgwick, vice presidents;
w. B. Geery, treasurer, and Mrs. j,
H. Billiard, secretary.
/ The meeting ended tremendously
with song by Mrs. J. w. Ludden and
| 1,or scir 0f Nei0hbOrhOOO