New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-25
FREE WEEKEND PARTIES ANALYZE CROWDED B[OC|
Settlement Workers on the East
Side Report Findings.
CONDITIONS FAIRLY GOOD
Rigid Economy and Almost Total
Lack of Recreation Some
of Features.

VI CctUul
I'm Just Disguised with life, and my
wifes chief ambition is to die was the
answer made by one man to an investigator
who was trying to learn the social and
industrial ambitions OF the jewellers in
certain East Side block. Such an extreme
case OF despair. fortunately. was not often
found.
The Investigation which is being made by
residents of the East Side Settlement House
covers many more points than ambition
however Miss VI. de q. Trenholm, head
worker Of the settlement, says:
80 much has been said and published
about the Southeastern Europeans not be-
ing desirable citizens that we wanted u
give them a chance to tell their own story
We selected the block bounded by '3d ano
18th street, Avenue a and First avenue
This block is thoroughly representative
since 1t contains new model tenements' old
law tenemcnts and some stores, and Is rain
er congested. There are so families all told
"Our first step was 10 let the people
know what the investigation was about
and to explain our own attitude, and this
We did by announcing II IN the newspapers
Of the various nationalties lvinS IN the
block selected
The survey was begun last fall, and Will
probably he completed by August /. While
the percentages for the 2C7 families covered
so far will undoubtedly he changed as the
work progresses. nevertheless much inter
es,inp Information is coming 10 light al
ready.
The nationality most largely represented
in this block is tie Bohemian. but there
are also Russians, Hungarians, Germans
and a few others The reasons given ior
leaving their native land are many ana
varied, but by far the larger part came 70
America for economic reasons. Some wished
10 eyade military service. and a few emil
grated 10 escape massacres.
one fact that stands out prominently Is
that, so far. not single Bohemian mas
been found nllterate, and many OF the"
can write not only in their own Language
Int are familiar with some other European
tongue as we'll From tho standpoint o'
education. the Bohemian Is ahead 81 the
r,,ive horn Americans - some localities
Tho conspicuously predominant industry
&C. tobacco work. but there are also bakers
Iaundry workers. carpenters painters d"'
needle workers I'm abundance heS'a'S
scattering Of those following other oc'"pa
,ions.
Tho Southeastern European. as repre-
scented In this particular ueighborhooa' y
rro,.iJon, souI Most of the families are
rog,,,arlv earning more than they spend
Also the proportion % those carrying Ndri
ous kinds II insurance shows them 10 o'
,rudeD, as well 80 economical So'''
,,r,es bovsyer. this economy has appeared
10 tho investigator TO be rather Overcome
AZ IN many Instances the standard Of livinS
3, below mar Seven hundred and eleven
: ou, ~ sq3 persons were found 20 be In good
health and tho record Of serious illnesses
.,. the las, I'VE years was remarksbly
clear hut Miss Trenholm feels that as a
class they DO not appreciate the importance
~ recreation. and tho eject Or Su''
economy and i too clos" apphcat'h u
work Will eventually he that "h'''
al work and no play had on JACK. r"rN
five Of tho 90 families never Indulge IN
-. -..r.s,ior whatever. Forty seven have
90, o,,tsid. amusement except trlp y
tho mark now and then. Some go TO NOV
Ing mixtures. some to tho theatre ana some
take 4 fishing trip once I'm while. only
a few 70 on vacations or 70 dances MUSIC
90 very popular. and many ~ the families
own some instrument
one question asked in every family was
ono Won Ike farm life" and almost In
vsriabIy the answer was, Not know aooh'
IT," Most Of these people have come ITO"
,ouna and villages. and that rs why ih'
earnest efforts To get them To leave tl'
congested centres and 60 where labor i
needed I'm tho country do not meet WIN
greater success. Country HE u an uh
Lrovcn quantity. and besides when one Is
-, q strange land there Is always less OF
loneliness IL one can stay close 10 h"ish
bors who speak ones native tongue ahp
have the same background Of tradition ava
carly memories. one exception 10 the gen
oral rule was found in family OF -FOUR
where both parents declared That 10 NV
op . farm was their chief wish In ne.
Til, average family consists Of four and
o,c-baIf pcrsons at the present stage ol
the Investigation, and the homes are COM
monty three-room apartments. but gooc
many have four rooms Citizenship does
not appear 10 he the all consuming am
bitiOn or the ulth' s'H'' WV
men have no papers at all, forty-thre'
have ,ust the first papers, and there are
only l6i voters.
When the bare facts about these people
have been written under tho various head
iups and sub-headings on the schedule
card. the touch that lends color 10 th'
whole is added under the title Social oT
Industrial Ambitions" while one man, the
head OF a family Of six, whose aggregate
earnings exceeded expenses by SIS week
declared himself entirely satisfied and
uj,hout further ambition. most of those
asked had some pet WISH th'y were SUI