The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-04-14
lion and half are vcntered together
Tenement House Reform.

Tenement House Reform.
And may take the time for just
one more illustration of how the Mech
anism of Boston-1915 offers itself to
efficient cooperation? Take the mat
ter of tenement house reform, the re-
lief of the terrible congestion of hui
mainly in city blocks, and the actual
removal of these masses to healthful
and decent quarters. In the time at
my command | dare not even begin to
give you the facts which are obvious
! to every one who will travel through
certain sections and streets of Bos-
ton. Why should so many organiza-
tons as these represented in our
movement be asked to ally themselves
in such a reform? Because all Of them
are directly affected by present evil
conditions The overcrowded tenement
house at the North End, for example,
touches the schools of the city, whose
pupils are retarded by their bad home
surroundings 1t concerns the good
order and law-abiding fame of the city,
because in these crowded quarters
vice thrives and virtue falters. 1t
touches the hospitals and health de-
APARTMENT of the city; it brings APP
peals to charities and philanthropy. 1t
. affects every church whose adherents
are found in these thronging multi
tudes; it hurts the working man, be-
loWarc hic larniDp and
this in turn harms the employer of
labor
And how are we to solve a pro-
blem which affects so many classes
of a city's inhabitants? Only by finding
some means to enable all these classes,
as well as all philanthropic individ-
uals, to combine their planning and
their striving, until through the broad
est cooperation success is gained. No
one is obliged to unite with Boston
1915 unless he sees in such union a
y better way to get help for his speci-
fic task, or unless he finds there some
appeal from another overburdened tot
Il Ter which stirs his sympathy and
calls cut his ready help. No person
. and no organization is obliged to par
y ticipate in any specific program of
. Boston-1915 beyond the point in which
that program is approved; but our
experience thus far tends strongly to
U show that multitudes of earnest la
borers for the good of others and the
int Of ba;
ly looking and are even now ready for
anything which will lessen perplexity
and multiply efficiency; and such an
: agency Boston-1915 is already prov
. ing to be.
;, Il might go on adding illustration
# attey illustration of specific under
G takinCs now upon the docket of Bos-
: ton-19l5. this one suggested by one
-, group OF workers, the ueXt by still an
c other, but al of them serving as mag.
- nets to draw together hitherto un-
- related workers for civic Improvement
:, might tell you of the boys games
j.. (which Boston-1915 instituted last yeal
- and which are to be taken up in larg
o er fashion this summer. We hope by
@ 1915 to give skilled physical examina
h ton and training to every boy IL Bos
ton, and to put upon every boys Goa
y a symbolic button telling that he hos
:, been taught to swim. l might speal
of the vocational instruction now be-
o ing given to the boys and girls, tC
n help them decide upon and enter into
"A that pursuit in life for which they are
being fitted; or of the City Guard
a Of high school boys and girls, organ
70 zed under military system to be al
{ army of scouts to look into every
-, thing which renders streets and al
eys unclean, and to work together fol
- the identifying of every section of the
city; or | might tell of the competi
n ton now going on between the diff
\ ferent schools of the city for thu
,s best essays on good citizenship anC
l., the best song for Boston-1915.
n What Started the Movement.
lie Rather let me pass to a question
/ which by this time is probably il
NJ many minds: How did all this be
e. gin? What suggested the idea? How
IS did Boston happen to have the mel
L who were willing to give their time
ST and thought and money to start ant
1T sustain this movement"
> In answering these questions thu
D speaker described the conditions which
= a few years ago confronted worker,
- for the welfare of citizens, and des
. crlbed certain other organized move
&c ments which, he declared, were alb
'o solutely essential TO the initiation o
III Boston-1915 He dwelt upon the re
&C. suits of large immigration and the con
io gestion of the newcomers in certain
sections of the city; the rapid with
ie drawal of the wealthy and well-to-d,
classes into the suburbs, taking will
Va them the help which as voters and res
Vi idents they could have given to tn
ca city where they continued to spen,
y their working hours; the existence O
'e class and race feeling, which was al
81 ways used by the opponents of pro
10 gress to hinder united efforts by dis