Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-10-04
SOCIAL ILLS OF HONOLULU And :.
SUGGESTIONS FOR Their REMEDY
Hiifsed Humphries Says All
Large Cities Face Same
Conditions

Every city has social problems all
its oEn, and Honolulu is no excep-
tioE; bur Honolulu's problems are
fundamentally the problems of any
great 10th century city. Go TO any
American city, on go to London. Paris
or Berlin, and you will find problems
Of housing, Of inadequate education,
giaring contrasts between rich and
poor. the exploitation Of child and
woman labor, drunkenness, disease
and crime. Honolulu appears to have
these same social problems, and they
have TO be gfappled with
The foregoing statement is the cam
did view Of the social problems of Ho-
.nolulu taken by WiHred HUMPHREYS,
a graduate Of the Y. NJ. g. A training
school at Springfield, Mass, aud an
expert social worker, who arrived in
this city recently to take the position
of boys work director of the Palama
Settlement Since his arrival, HUNS
plrieG has been making minute sur
Hey Of the Palama and other neigh
borhOods Id order to better acquaint
himself with the work before him,
and the above opinion is the result
Of this survey.
No good comes of blaming the
poor foreigner, says Humphrfes, as
he is not to blame He is more
a:nned against than SHINING. Nor is
itFfair TO blame individual men who
have2b become rich through exploiting
their fellows, for even they are the
victims of the economic system under
which we live today. 1t is certain
that menswork long enough and skill
fully enough: one man today, by the
aid of machinery, produces easily in
one hour what formerly was the toll
of 20 hours, yet in spite of this ems
ormously Increased productivity, the
great mass of mankind still continues
to make but q bare living. and count
Hess thousands are In hunger today,
or In fear Of hunger for tomorrow.
They have worked for othtrs and not
for themselves.
The community has labored for
the enrichment of q few, not for its
own; welfare. There can be no ques-
ton whether it; is legally right or
lmorelly right or economically right.
| 1t is humanity wrong and it must be
stopped. Until it Is, there will not
only be- suffering and poverty there
Twill be no opportunity for the broad
ching; the education and the universal
culture which is every humanitarian
ideal There are certain facts of pow.
lerty, suffering and degradation In the
world, and q cure must be found.
Tmkering with every separate evil is
not adequate; we must get down to
root causes
sHonolulu seems to be graphing
iWell with the amelioration Of condi.
+ tiers az they exist. 1t is splendid to
See the many agencies cooperating
for the physical, mental and moral
Well-being Of the people ] visited the
Kaiulani school the other morning.
being shown the 20 classes by the
principal and have nothing but adj
miration for the way In which the
different problems Of educating more
than 1000 children of every nationaI.
lCy are tackled The children are our
hope for the future, and such social
agencies as sthe schools. the church.
es and the settlements must moye
! heaven and earth to save the chill
idren Honolulu is surely to be con.
graduated that It is carrying on such
valuable community uplift work as
the Palama Settlement. am tamil
lar with the work of the big settle.