The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-11-15
PREDICTS PANIC
d. Fisk, S0clOlOgIst, Says FL
nanciaI Crash is Coming.
Pr0vident Association will Have
Much Work to DO.
IMPORTANT MEETING.
Charity Workers of the City
Discuss Progress and Plans.
Norris L. Gage Pleased With
Work of Association.
IMPORTANT MEETING.

Expressing the belief that the most
colossal, commercial and financial
panic that this country has ever eA-
perienced is imminent; that even the
agricultural prosperity of the country
is likely to see a terrible depression
and that the elimination of these dIfe
events will mean the scattering broad
cast throughout the west from the
thiclxly populated cities of the east
the hordes of the poor, and especlaliy
the immigrants who are being dumpeu
into the country at the rate OF mn
lion q year. DR.. D. M FISK, OF the IA
ultYs of Washburns college, argued tAs1
nfrht before the members of the To-
\ oeka Provident association at thsl
annual meeting in Gemmell nan at lHe
Y. NJ c. A. that such ORGANIZATIONS
as theirs were a necessity, not mercy
because OF the salutary work ma -
being accomplished now by stheTnS Du I
because they will be the means Oh
training men and women to cope IN
tefligently with the disastrous stLua-
tions which will confront them Wneh
the things he predicts will come 10
pass
DR.. Fisk had been invited to ad-
dress the meeting on Social PIop-
lens,'' and he spoke after reports -nau
been made by those in charge OF the
various branches OIL Tie WI
association and also after MOTIFS L.
Gage of Ashtabula, O., the donor OF
the home of the association, had delly-
cred a brief address in which he SAID
that from the work accomplished Dy
the association he felt amply repaid
for the small efforts he had MADE IN
It's behalf DR.. Fisk's dire predictions
came like q bolt of lightning from a
clear sky. That his audience was IN
prepared for them was evidenced by
e~1o Of OH faces
speaking. A good many of them seem
ed to be holding their breaths at the
prospects before them.
DR.. Fisk is a student of sociology
and has had considerable experience
in the workings of eleemosynary inst1-
tutfons and in the beginning of his
talk he confessed surprise at the scope
and magnifcence of the work being
accomplished by the Provident asso-
ciatiOn. He went on to say That the
poor in this country numbered 5000
600 people and that there were an ad-
ditional 4 100000 who were in low
ser stage Of poverty
"a tremendous change is coming
over America" he continued Now
believe me. I am not an alarmist- But
situations are developing which must
have, Cur attention And ore of these
situations is presented by the imnf-
grafton to this country. One million
of these immigrants were set down in
this country during the last Year. g.
5000 in the last five years and the
indications are that they VIII come al
the rate of 1000. 600 a year for the
next two years. I am not saying
whether this immigration Is right OF
wrong or whether it ought to be
curbed.
I'VE people out here do not see much
of its effect just now. Sixty-eight per
cent of it stays in six of the states east
of US. and very little of its bulk gels
beyond Chicago.
Broadly speaking. these immigrants
are poor They lack training; they
lack competency and the problem *
what are we going to do with them,
and a part of this problem is what
about their education.
They are now huddled in the large
cities of the country under the greedy
pull of economic endeavors- They are
changing the complexion of the citizen /
ship of these great cities. They are fill
ing those cities up to the limit which
Will soon be reached and it will not be
long before a struggle for bread will he
on among them.
We are today enjoying a wonderful
prosperity During the last six years
1t has been a prosperity that has been
enjoyed by but few people. But don't
you fool yourself that this prosperity
will always continue. It will not CON
tinue. 1t Is inevitable that it must nos !
Even the great agricultural prosperity
Will not continue. nor will the com
mercial prosperity
Predicts Colossal Panic.
Il am not an alarmist. but in the
near future there Will be. the most !
dustrial panic that this or any other /
mills. the manufactures and the shops I
mills. the manufacturers and the shops
will shut down and then what will Ne
come of the hordes of immigrants who
have been brought here by greed fas- I
ter than we can. assimilate them Nil
lions and millions of them will become t
tramps and will flood from the thickly 1
populated centers out through the weSf /
1T is then that we Will need tho /
mechanism and machinery this armory |
for good works that is being developsd /
by the Proyident Association and other /
associations like it throughout the land |
When that day of doom, and CRYING
poverty comes, and it is not far off /
we have got to be prepared for it and T
you good people are properly preparing /
for It through the interest Won a ra tel-
ing <n this association. You are pre- ,
pairing yourselves to meet the situafif.u
which is bound to confront YOU in ana
intelligent manner"
DR.. Fisk concluded his address with
power which. the women of ToDelsa
were displaying in their Efforts to lend
helping hand to their less for+,,1,l,1a
brothers and sisters and he urged them
to see to it that the ranks of the vvorlr
ers were increased. for thew wo,,Id IL
needed He highly complimented ~
work of the various departments of fbo
association and expressed the o19f~s--
that the three branches of charftahis
work, which are prevalent in the Lars
cities that of Associated Charities.
Provtdent and Settlement could nro
perly. be combined in a city the size ~
Topeka in one organization. the 10.
peka Provident Association.
New Directors Elected.
Probably the meeting of the nA,
bers Of the association last night vas
the most successful one In the bfsto~,,
of the organization. particularly bay,
cause the heads of the various denar+
ments of work we're able to report of
woad erful good which had been aC-
c5@Aplfshed by their departments ~
ing the past year There was. also q
larger attendance than is comment -