New-York tribune., 1909-07-25

and undesIrably. until here and there rest!
dent arose and organized a village Improvement
society. In five years after such event had
happened the place would scarcely be recog-
nizable. and it has happened in innumerable cases
in the states mentioned. Crawford, y. J.. a
conspicuous example but. rule. the smaller
the town the more likely K is to have a flourish
ing village Improvement society. All this is the
voluntary work of public spirited citizens. usually
women, and Miss Edith Kendall, of the kips Bay
branch Of the Womens Municipal League. does
not see why the public spirited women of New
York should do much for this neglected
city. The city is rather big and unmanageable,
to be sure. but Miss Kendall thinks it could be
divided into districts each one OF which would
be difficult TO deal with than the country
town.
The Kip's Bay branch. Of which Mrs. J. Noble
Haynes is chairman, has adopted this idea. and
next fall will try TO put it in practice in that
section Of the city 1t will divide the Kip's Bay
district into smaller and mana ageabe sections. and
invite ali persons who have interests in any
given locality to together and consult about
its improvement. II there is a big factory In the
neighborhood, the league will find who the
proprietor is and invite him. If there is public
school, the principal will be invited If there is
church. the pastor will be invited. If there is a
settlement, it viii be asked 10 send a representa-
tive and, of course, the residents will be invited.
In this way Miss Kendall Believes that new
spirit Of local pride will be awakened. and the
Municipal League-of which Mrs. Richard Adrich
is president-joins her in the hope that the move
ment will spread over the entire city. If it does
il will be largely womans movement, Miss Ken
dali thinks for the men are so busy with their
business that they haven't time TO think of making
the city an agreeable place live
Heretofore local conferences OF the kind the Mu
ricipal League has in hard haven't been repre-
sentative In the poorer sections they have been
rather strictly limited to persons having afilia-
tions with the churches and settlements. with per
haps some aid the school teachers. and there
way of getting at anybody else They used
to have conferences of this kind in the Friendly
Aid Settlement, Of which Miss Kendall is secre-
tary but they didn't seem meet the case, and it
occurred TO Miss Kendall that If they knew a little
more about what needed TO be done. and who
would be interested in having it DONE they would
get better.
From this idea grew an investigation which the
Kips Bay branch of the Municipal League will
make the basis of It's city Improvement campaign.
Miss Kendall has spent nearly two years making
a house canvass of the whole hip's Bay
district a region covering and one-third square
miles of territory and bounded roughly by 18th and
5Oth streets. Lexington avenue and East River She
knows just what the needs of the district
and what people 10 call upon for help in any par
ticular locality.
One of the most startling facts revealed by the
investigation was the number of saloons in the
district. There 5s4, whereas there are only
about thirty churches and two parks. Stuyvesant
Square and ST Gabriel Park. Sometimes she found
the corners. and between 3d and 42d streets, on
Third avenue she counted 104 saloons.
For this district. which has a population OF
150,0O0 Miss Kendall found that accommodations
for ten thousand persons had been added in the
last ten years. In stable which had
through whole block had been pulled down and
replaced by q huge tenement crowded TO the limit
Of the law. Many story cottages and shanties
have also been replaced by huge tenements.
All the tenements and fathouses investi-
gated and listed according to their fitness for hu-
man habitation ''fathouse,' according to Miss
kendalfs census, is house built to hold many
families, and she classed such poor fair or
good The first were dirty and unkept the
ond clean, but crowded, and the third large, airy
and well cared for. The tenement" is old
building remodeled for the of many families.
These were classed miserable fit only to ba
pulled down; poor" barely habtable; fair"
clean, but without improvements good" in
the best condition possible for an old building
Among the altruistic agencies listed were st.
Bartholomew's Parish House. Madison Square
Church House the Friendly Aid Settlement St
Georges Church, Calvary Church and the Olive
FTraa Inn