Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-29
Equality the True Spirit
Of England's Toynbee Hall

the way of Justice and on the weak the
way of charity
| To revert to Mr.. Harvey's epitome of
the spirit of Toynbee Hall the eye is
caught and the mind captivated by a
phrase of description he bestowed upon
the place. the most trenchant ever applied
to It, He called 1t "a great clearing
house of thoughts and IDEAS" and said
that IL was no small thing tol be placed
lin such a center and to see constantly
around one new thoughts springing into
action" Looking into the future, he
spoke these words:
without, the need of London grows
| greater day by day, and sometimes we
may for a moment lose heart as we think
of the vastness of the problems that still
await solution. and the greatness of the
human need that we are SO powerless to
supply. But as we share as best we can
the common burden and set our faces
resolutely toward what light we may
dimly see, we feel that a strength greater
than our own is about us and with us.
and we can wait for the dawn, thankful
1 that, however bad our times may be, they
vet have found room for place where all
! seekers after truth may meet together on
common footing and every honest ef-
fort after good find a welcome and
home"
| Ali this reflects very accurately the
semblences and differences between the
emblances and differences between the
two institutions an afternoons survey OF
the London settlement would, of course
warrant only superficial comment The
environment Of the two Is strangely slml-
lar-small shops, factories, tenements'
huge Jewish population eager TO learn
and to get on in the world, then prick
buildings set around courts, into wnlcn
you come from the clamor of the streets
to find yourself suddenly encompassed py
incredible quiet. The structures in Com
mercial road are of dull red brick. ana
have more the aspect of cloisters more OF
IA scholastic atmosphere than do those in
Halsted street Inside they are not
nearly SO cheerful. The touch OF wo-
mans hand is missing. Some Oh the
school rooms indeed are almost oesoia.e'
and throughout the houses there Is an ap-
sence of that prettiness without fussi-
ness and of that nominees without cut
Ter which Is SO conspicuous ana SO
charming a characteristic of the arrange
ment at Hull House. The drawing rooms,
If they call them that, of Toynoee Han
are. however, full of good pictures anu
casts and have an air of elegance WIFI
ont ostentation. In two respects 1t pos
sesses aids TO beauty and culture In
which Hull House is as yet deficient; the
English ivy climbs luxuriantly over the
walls that inclose the court yard, ana
its library is extensive. iTime VIII Grape
the walls of Hull House with ivy. and in
time, too, the public spirited men OF Cni-
cago will doubtless see to 1t that its IL
brary is as rich as the momentous WORK
of the institution demands that IL snouiu
be- Perhaps it is reasonably sunlcient
now for immediat tie needs, but as l STOOD
within the great. silent book room OF
Toynbee Hall and contemplated It's sooo
volumes extending in close packed array
from floor to ceiling, 1 could not help
coyeting them for the settlement at nome.
The collection is especially strong IN
works of political economy ana. soclai
science. and many of the volumes are
presentation copies from the authors or
from those who are vitality interested IN
the subjects treated. The average num-
her of readers per month is nearly 20O, OF
whom. so one of the secretaries saio' pc
tween 60 and 70 per cent are Jews inc
number of volumes taken home by read
ers every month averages 100.
Memorial tablets adorn various parts or
the buildings. One departed resident Is
commemorated in these words carved on
mantelpiece erected in his honor: Hum
h,e In his boIdness; honest in his revef-
ence: faithful in his service. On set
Of massive doors in the same room appear
these words: Thankful for the example
of his meek and manly service, the
friends of T. S. Widowson have given
these doors.
OF course, the question always In the
mind of the visitor to these institutions
that are keeping democracy pure amid the
complexities and contradictions OF social
and political order that is In state OF
change and experiment is, What are you
. tc illuminating 10
say that they are working in the field OF
language and literature, economics and
history, vocal and instrumental music and
physiology and ambulance work. but u IS
interesting to examine the outlines OF
some of the courses more particularly. For
example, heading the list of lectures ana
classes for the autumn term OF last year
was a course of twenty-five lectures on
English Social Reforners," by DR.. Rick
ett. The charge for this, as for most of
the other courses of the term, was the
ridiculous sum of shilling. 1t must have
been inspiring to have taken up DR.. Rick
ett's course every Wednesday evening
within the walls of an institution that has
added so splendid chapter to English
social reform as has Toynbee Hall. The
briefest syllabus of the lectures reads like
! the music of bugles, including, as 1t does,
these names Zone cannot forego the pleas
ure of writing them DOWN: William
Langland and John Ball, Sir Thomas
4uore, George Fox, John Wesley, William
Wilberforce Jeremy Beutham, William
Cobbett, Francis Place. Sir Samuel Romil-
| Iy, John Howard and Elizabeth Fry, the
earl of Shaftesbury. Robert Owen, Golden,
Ebenezer Elliott John Stuart Mill,
Charles Kingsley John Ruskin, William
Morris and, finally, some women reform
ers have tried to make known the
Toynbee spirit by merely touching upon
some of the manifestations. and l think
nothing so indicates that spirit as the ros-
ter of great men to whose lives and work
it turned the minds of it's people for five
and-twenty weeks. The Toynbee Shake
speare society and the Elizabethan Litera-
ry society held weekly meetings for the
serious study of Shakespeare and the Eliz-