New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-04-13
TO STUDY THE CONTINENT
Tourist Glass Will Delve Into
Europe's Social Problems.
PLAY AND WORK COMBINED
Americans, by Personal Observa
ton, to See How People
Live Abroad.

Social Problems and Social Soluuons
"a the official title of the European tour
70 be conducted this summer by DR. Id
ward r. Pratt. under the auspices OF the
Bureau of University Travel. DR.. Pratt
offers assurances, however that the trip
will not be such coldly formal aftair as
its title.
ct have been over three times before,
said Or. Pratt, land l have tried different
methods of travelling. l have had walking
trips and bicycle trips, and. of course have
had funny experiences. but you couldn't
really expect me to tell about the times
when the joke was on me-
so far about a hundred letters OF IN
ouiry have come to US from persons VINO
are thinking of going. and the best thing
about IL Is that they are from people VINO
would themselves contribute a lot toward
the interest and the value of the trip. Inc
letters come from factory inspectors, tene-
ment house oricals sanitary engineers
secretaries of charitable societies and. in
fact, all sorts OF people who are actually
doing something 1t won't be at ali IKE
taking over a lot of young things VINO
might gain from the trip. but would con-
tribute nothing 10 it, Then, too, these peo-
DIS VIII NC III n PcNiNAO' -
tice what they learn
I'VE are not going 70 wait until We get
TO Europe TO begin improving ourselves.
shall give a series OF lectures in the cabin
Of the ship going over. and for those I'M
able to attend we shall perhaps have
course OF side rail lectures. The boat we
10 on is one of the one-class variety IRE
ouently patronized by 'highbrowr
,Yfrs lima ma
liz TO studying institutions. We are not taxi
ing this trip Just TO see old ladies' homes
and things Of that sort. you know. We
want to see how the people live II You
wanted TO show friend New York and
New York conditions, you wouldn't take him
only TO institutions. would you? You would
show him the crowded districts OF the East
Side, and you would show him the city
parks and all sorts of things besides pub
lie buildings Just so we want to see the
European cities we are going to visit We
shall ride around in each city. and see
where the poorer people live; we shall see
the model tenements and the Fairgrounds
and everything We can that will help us to
make q real study of social conditions.
Study at Close Range.
Already we have had exchange profess
sorships between the United States and
some foreign countries. That was an effort
10 get broader knowledge OF WORLDWIDE
problems. But for a group of students TO
go and see these things at first hand is
vastly better than for them to get in al
luted fashion the ideas that trickle through
the brain Of an exchange professor.
I've been arranging with good many
prominent persons in the cities we shall
visit to talk TO us about their work and
give us the benefit of their experience. We
are not going TO have this interchange CT
thought formal speechmaking, but in
stead of congregaun8 with ourselves for
dinner each evening, We shall invite the
important peTsonages OF the place we are
in to come and dine with us. In this way
almost every evening we can have real
Iy delightful dinner conference.
The trip isn't meant TO be all work and
no play. The main interest is in things
social, but anybody who wants to see some
thing that the class as a body is not TAX
ing in is expected to do so. For instance
anybody going TO London for the first time
would certainly wish to see Westminster
Abbey. AS individuals they will probably
all go. but there isn't much interest there
for the class as class. The society in
terest there is mostly dead and gone. We
arc going for q good time as well as to
get information, and so far the applicants
are a most promising and congenial lot.
Il should not wonder if this trip proved
10 be the beginning Of a regular summer
school Of social science in Europe"
The party will sail from Boston on June
70, and is due in Liverpool on July S. There
they will visit the docks and the harbor
and will see Port Sunlight and learn some
thing Of the welfare work among the soap
factory employees In Birmingham, the next
city on the programme inspection will be
made Of the model factory town of Cadbury
Brothers, the cocoa manufacturers.
Stratford- will be visited not only
for its historic association, but for the pur-
pose Of studying rural development.
Glass Will Sec Oxford.
During a day spent I'm oxford the class
win have an opportunity of seeing little
OF the vast difference both in housing ar
rangement and in government and methods
Of instruction between the great English
university and our American institutions.
~ Letchwortn the class will see the first
garden city. Letchworth is SO far the only
attempt at building a model city on a large
scale out of nothing. The workers and the
Industries together were brought from
London.
In London a general tour OF the East
End will be made, taking in the docks and
factories and the living districts. The class
will visit Oxford House. Mansfield House
and Toynbee Hail. the first university set
Element Garden suburbs, courts, fails.
warehouses;. municipal housing improve
ments, labor colonies for the unemployed,
the Salvation Army Mission and the Char
ity Organization Society will all be seen.
The conferences in London will be with
labor leaders. Fabian socialists and men,
bers OF the faculty of the University of
London.
After leaving England the party will
visit the penal Industrial colony for tramps
and Migrants near Antwerp. Upon leaving
the colony for tramps Il visit will be made
to the public pawnshops in Brussels. bit
the programme OF the journey does .ot
mention any connection between these
visits Other places OF interest TO be seen
in Brussels are the Museum of Good
Roads. the Museum Of International Or
ganizations, the Museum of Administration
and the Sovay Institute, a sort Of clearing
house for research and social information.
Al Dusseldorf special study will be
made Of city planning, municipal owner
ship and the improvements along the
waterfront. Essen, where the famous
Krupp Gun Works are located, furnishes
splendid opportunity for studying welfare
work. particularly housing and city plan
ming.
Tho Hamburg Stock Exchange labor tu.
ieaus. systems of poor relief and municipal
ownership will be studied and then the
class will go to Berlin. Only five days will