The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-07-06
NEW voRk,s DERsLlcrs
one-fourth Are College Bred Men
Of Superior Education.

In the books kept by the secretary
of the Young Mems Christian Asso-
citation the inmates are classified ur-
der following heads: University, Col
legiate, Academic, High School and
Common School. In the year just
closed the total number Of men aided
was 3,22S. OF these II we're placed In
the first category, 1S4 in the second,
II In the third and AIT in the ourth,
making an aggregate of $50 who hal
received better than common school
education.
Strange revelations are made by
the men. Among them have been
found former ministers and professors,
men of all classes and conditions and
belonging to families of the highest
distinction. Recently a speaker at
| one of the meetings was man hold
| ing a high place in a large manufac-
| turing corporation. Twenty-one years
ago, according to the records of the
association, he was drinking in every
| saloon of the Bowery., Another OF
those who addressed the men on dhe
same night had come there years ago
| q poverty stricken but shrewd and
clever German. He wss regenerated,
| became sober man, and since served
as acting Consul General of the United
| States in one of the European coun-
| tries.
| Not long ago graduate of an Ohio
university came to New York with
small means, intending to take post
graduate course in a local university.
The enticement of the city caught
him, his money vanished and he final
ly turned to the branch for help. With
FIVE certificates of graduation in va
rious courses from different institu-
tions, he took position that paid him
SO a week
Men with diplomas from theolog-
ical seminaries, graduates of Harvard,
Pennsylvania, Rochester and Syra-
cuse universities, all blow in here,
and about month ago Yale man,
without a shirt to his back asked for
aid. We make no distinction regard
ing color, creed, social condition or
nationality.
Our statistics for the year 1905
show that the men who appealed to us
came from all the large cities and
towns throughout North America and
from twenty-nine foreign countries.
Eighty-five per cent. were between the
ages of eighteen ana thirty-five, put
ha inr Nv nf hn
were less than thirty. Seventy-five
per cent. were single men and thirty
eight per cent. were total abstainers.
Twenty-six per cent. of them had
been educated in universities, colleges,
academies or hign schools. In citi-
zenship seventy-six per cent were
American and twenty-four per cent.
foreign. There we're represented 1873
different professional and trades u
the 3,22S men two per cent. had oc-
cupied professional positions seven
teen per cent, clerical, thirty per cent.
were skilled.
"Curiously enough, seventy per cent.
had been in New York fewer than
thirty days, which is striking COM
mentary on the rapidity with which
men fall into the maelsuom of met
) ropolitan nfe.
) in the large majority of cases, CT
} course, it is drink, but in, many IN
/ stances the men are victims of circum-
t stances In Industrial lines conditions
/ are constantly changing and the
greatest change has been brought
1 about by the increase in the number
of large combinations. These eventu-
ally mean overproduction and the, clos
ing down of industrial establishments.
Z A young man comes in from the coun-
try with fifteen dollars and he thinka
. he has a lot of money. Unable 10
+ find work, it slowly or quickly, as
: the ease may be, dwindles, and u
economic, he drifts to the Bowery
! where living is cheaper. In many
! cases, If he is not robbed of the little
i he has, he is caught by the tinsel
81. no Ts of the streets, and unless
; it is too late we finally get him.
eliminating the question of dissi-
patton. ! think the chief reason VIII,
= so many college men reach these
straits is. that the colleges are turning
out more men than there is a. demand
for. OF course, men with special apt.
tudes and training are always want.
ed, but those who are not proficient
in any particular line can not catct
hold. The numbers of these are In
creasing yearly. Many of them are
> not capable of undertaking Ordinary
= business affairs, and there is nothing
else for them to do What they ma.
be best fitted for they are out OF con
tact with, and at ordinary labor the!
are unhandy.
= Some OF those who come here ar,
not drinking men, but those who hay,