Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-12-12
Battle With the SIums''
Of Unusual Interest.
Noted Noted New York Retormer
Speaks Before largAudIsnee.
Miraculous Changes In East Side Sums
Described and Depicted.

thor Df several books and tenement
house reformer. lectured, last evening,
in the Congregational church, the lee
ture being the first of a series of the
lecture course. 1t was the first appear
ancc of Mr.. Kiss in this city. and the
attendance was very large, nearly ev-
cry seat in the large auditorium being
filled when Mr.. RiiS was introduced by
Hon. Herbert NJ. Heath of Augusta.
After listening to the twO-hours' DIS
coarse of MIR. Riis, on his chosen SUD-
ject, "The Battle With the Sums, one
is forcibly impressed with three THINGS
namely: Mr.. Tsis is an ardent disciple
of President Roosevelt; secondly, That
he is d New Yorker, fast, enthusiastic
and straight-from- the-shoulder. al
though d New Yorker only by adop-
ton; and that he is a newspaper man.
During the course of his talk, for 1t
was a talk of the personal and heart
to-heart character, Mr.. Riis mentioned
that his knowledge of the Sums, its
needs, and later Improvements. was
gained by his close contact with the
East side benighted section of the great
metropolis, while he was a police re-
porter on the staff of one of the great
dailes.
For IL years Mr.. RiiS performed night
service for his newspaper at police
Headquarters on Mulberry street, in the
very core and center of the blacklist,
flthiest ard most wretched section of
ali the slums of New York. While this
subject is not entirely q new one with
American people, few of those in the
audience, last evening, have ever been
brought face to face with the condi-
tons Dis they actually exist, today, and
did exist 10 ard 20 years ago. Mr.. RiiS
did rot soar to oratorical heights to
make points. and he did not resort to
favorite little mannerisms sometimes
affected by public speakers to make his
point more evident and forceful at the
expense of the subject under discus
sion. Rather did he tell in everyday
English, Of these things which We're
pictured with the aid of stereopticon
an,i clearly defined Photographic views,
winch MIR. I;is stated he took himself
during his capacity as a newspaper re-
porter.
When one first listens to Mr.. Riis'
talk it is trifie difficult to catch every
word. MIR. Ris is a Dane by birth and a
fine manly American citizen by adop-
ei5n accent is easily apparent-at first.
a very few minutes serve to dispell this
IMPRESSION however. and it would
seem that the speaker Srasps each one
Individually by the hand and takes him
over the ground and points out with his
finger, these spots. these people and
these things. of which the lecture deals.
The reform movement and more par
ticularly the tenementhouse reform
movement, has wrought wonders in
New York City during the past 20
years. according to Mr.. RiiS. At this
time there are 10000 tenement dwelling
houses in the city and they serve to
house three millions of people. a large
percentage of which are little children.
Through reform legislation. legislation
inspired in Il large degree by Presi-
dent Roosevelt when he was police
commissioner. and Mr.. Riis the sloven-
ly building laws have been relegated to
oblivion and now when tenement
houses are erected within the city linn
its, the contractor. or owner must con-
form to the rigid laws which require
light and air and sunlight. and health
protecting sanitation. So much for the
conditions that are in existence i'm New
York. today.
Mr.. Riis showed on the screen large
number of Photographic reproductions
al dark alleys. evil-looking courts and
filthy corners in the tenement houses
as they were 10 years ago, when the re-
fern movement was in it's infancy, al
belt Il lusty infancy. Through the eff
forts of reform commissions, settle
ment workers and public-spirited citi-
IONS of New York, of which Mr.. Riis
has been the leader, these hive-like
buildings are gone. In their places
stand great play grounds, with green
grass and mounds of flowers. In these
parks the cops" cannot enter to chase
the East Side kids" and there are no
signs anywhere that say: Keep Off the
grass" The practical philanthropic
movement of Darius Ogden Mills, the
millionaire banker of New York, was
described briefly by Mr.. Riis. The hor-
rble filthy holes that We're once allowed
to pass muster on the lower East Side
and along the Bowery in particular as
lodging houses are gone because
Mr. Mills with a view to philanthropy
advocated the ''20-cent HOTEL With
1000, Mr.. Mills built two large mod
crn hotels. with separate rooms, clean
beds. and reading and smoking rooms,
bath rooms, and electric elevators.
These two great buildings. known as
Mills hotel No. l and Mills hotel No. .,
are both located down town in the slum
district of the great city. They are
great tail buildings. imposing i'm their
white granite mightineSs and a poor
man may hire a room there for %
cents, Just as one whose pocketbook
was bulsing with greenbaeks would
h're a room in the Waldorf or the Hol-
land house. The room would not be as
hiagniiictnt. but 1t would be lust as
sweet and clean and far more comfort
apl.' according to Mr.. Riis.
the great work of the settlement
workers was described briefly nv
Mr. Riis. The education Of the
children of New York is one 81
the greatest of the problems. that
confront the municipal officials wbo,
L" do with the more-than- mi,,;or
young children. has proven var,
diiiieult problem. too. However w.
innocent school buildings have tarsr
the place of the old red br;ck s,r,,o
lures. where the youpys+ars