Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-01-15
Jacob Riis Talks Of Country's
Poor, Their Needs and Steps
Taken for Betterment.
FRIEND OF PRIEST. ROOSEVELT
Startling Truths Upon Conditions OF
Destitute In Big Citles--Lecturcs
Here Tomorrow Night.

Jacob Riis. author, personal priend OF
President Roosevelt, and 20 years ago
police reporter on the New York Sun. Is
at the Kenyon, He lectures in Bar
raft Hall under the auspices OF the
Great Western Lyceum tomorrow
evening. Mr.. Ris has been Stun
worker for % years and he is now on a
western lecturing tour.
President Roosevelt and | became
acquainted in New York / covered
police 20 years ago for the New york
sun and this took me into the tene-
ment districts a great deal. l became
deeply interested in the people of the
under world and wrote several books on
the subject. one | called, How the
Other Half Lives The Making of an
American, Battling the Sums" and
Children of the Aenements.' are others.
President Roosevelt was at that time
police commissioner of New York city.
He read my books and WAS interested.
We met since then and have been close
friends. He Is a great man and |
appreciate my acquaintance with him.
He has a heart for all manking and in
his messages you will notice frequent
references TO the conditions of our poor
and their betterment.
FOR MANS UPLIFTING.
work in few minutes Is almost use
less Writers have turned their atten-
ton towards the slums of New York,
finding in their denizens characters
such as Dickens never dreamed OF. |
can not remember any one case which
can call most pathetic In 20 years
work among the poor you find so many
cases pathetic in the extreme that any
Individual case con not be remembered.
We have legislation effected now IN
New York state which, If enforced will
bring our poor to better conditions
A law has been passed making 1t I'M
lawful for any concern to employ
children IA years old or younger and
below IS years old II they can not read
or write. This does not cause privation,
as Is generally believed. Child labor
drags wages down. If a man works
alone, he receives enough pay to sup
port his family. II father. mother and
children work. their combined wages do
not amount to any more than the pay
paid to the father where he, alone,
works. Sweat shop labor's end is COM
Ing slowly and this promises much for
the poor people of our country.
STEPS TO ELIMINATE EVIL.
Social settlements are being founded
which are maintained by contribution,
Destitute persons live In these settle
ments amid clean, bright surroundings.
Inc ltnerlenl HOUSES uullt
| cheap and with no regard to light or
| ventilation, can! no longer be main
| tanned under the law, Buildings of
| this nature must have light, Nenula-
| ton and all the things needed to health
| full living. A large social settlement
| In New York has been named after
me. 1t IL a startling, ugly truth that
| 5000 persons die annually In our city
| of tuberculosis, while three times that
many are dying constantly, A tuber-
| culosis patient win die when direct sun
| rays strike him, while he will linger for
| months In darkness and surrounded by
| filth. II we expect strong men and
| women, we cannot permit our children
| TO work, Their work, and the surround
ings in which they work, sap their vi
| tally, and when they are hardly young
| men and women in years, they are
worn out with no ambition, no desire
| TO live. The great. broad, free west
| does not know what poverty exists In
the larger cities of the east. Great
associations and great men and women
are carrying on an effectual battle
against these things and victory is in
| sight"
Mr.. Rils was in Salt Lake three
! years ago, and declares he had IA bully
| time" while here. He leaves for Ba-
ker City, Oregon, tomorrow night.