Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-23
THE STUDY OF A CITY
SOCIAL SURVEY OF CONDITIONS
AT ALL VITAL POINTS.
Address of John Daniels Before the
National Conference of Charities
and Correction in St. Louis.

ST. LOUIS, Mo-, May 23.--If the Pitts
burg survey. as an experiment in plac-
ing a city under a microscope and study
ing it in all it's details, did not give all
the results desired, it at least establish
ed a precedent for similar but more far
reaching surveys of other cities, was the
view taken by John Daniels Of Buffalo.
n. Y, in an address before the national
conference of charities and correction
here this morning He defined a social
survey as q study Of the cities conditions
at all their vital points and in all their
vital phases.
IF a city has a large foreign popu-
lation" said Mr. Daniels, the social sur
vey ought by all means to include an In
quiry concerning the various racial groups
and those which are peculiar. the quail
tiles and conditions which should be
fostered and those which should be ellml-
mated. But any study of rac1ai groups
with the purpose of establishing the cohui
lions that are common to all these groups
should he subordinate to a study OF the
community as a whole, socially, polltlcal-
ly, economically and physically
Welding Racial Groups.
I'm an inquiry into social conditions. the
first question should be that OF how to
weld the different racial groups into a
single community. A second closely re-
lated question should be how to bring
about a better understanding and more
sympathetic relation between the So
called lower classes and the so-called
upper classes. Finally, the conditions
which produce poverty. congestion: as
ease, Immortality and crime should be
investigated and after that. the meas
ures which need to be taken along the
lines of sanitation. education and ren-
gious endeavor to bring about Improve
ment With respect to those city condf-
tons which might be termed political.
the social survey should ascertain the
facts relating to naturalization. the
means of promoting alert and honest Cit
Of the most appropriate and most effect
i've plan OF city organization
Study of Economic Conditions.
1.-THE specifically economic part OF the
survey should be divided between the
inquiry into the condition of the laboring
class, with attention to the question of
wages and hours, labor unions, welfare,
work and industrial education and to an
analysis of the business situation from
the point of view especially of measures
designated to promote business progress
and to add to the efficiency of the or
the portion Of the survey devoted to
studying the city physically should deal
with the many problems of civic improve
ment and city planning. Since the days
of the ancients the Importance of meas
uring and defining land has been under
stood. and because land is visible. physi
cal and stationary, the geometry on
which land measurement has been based
has for centuries been an exact science;
but only in the last century has the i'm
portance of measuring and defining So
cial forces begun to be generally under
stood. and because social forces are in
visible. physical and ever in motion. So
GEOMETRY. as a science of the measure
ment Of these forces might we'll be des-
ignated, is still far from exact. The en-
deavor to evolve sociometry of an ex-
actness consistent with the nature of
the subject matter is. however. undoubt-
eddy the dominating movement of today"