Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-06-21
Side1ights on Conditions
in a Few of Our Alleys

an down" an sometimes he jest laughs
an sometimes he speak kind g. cross
| like. but he ain't never patched nary q
step up there till last week. Shore mum
come that first cold spell . year ago last
winter, that top step done busted clean
in two an down I comes. clos an all.
plumb to de grOun.
They TUX me in de ambulance to dc
hospital an the doctor Say, says he he never We.
thought of my ole man lynn here help,
less an I jest had to-. git well. But
| when they got through cyarvin' me
they done TUX away the best OF my ole
her waist. Her entire right breast and
| the under part OF her arm had been re-
moved.
"You see. 1 KANT rub wild dat arm
more'n a hour fore it gives out, an
does mos oh my washin' an 1ronln with
my lef arm"
"How many washings do you take In? p
"six an eight week. an I'd like more
eff I knowed whar to git EN-"
why. how on earth do you ever get
'Lawdy. chile. I never 10 through 1
works here tell II an / o'clock ev'ry
night and mostly I never takes my clos
off fore Sunday. You see, the little spell
1 lays down OBJ night 1t don't hardly
soon an I saves a right smart oh time
that a way
We'll, didn't you sue the owner for
damages?"
"well. he paid for your medicine and
things while you were laid up?'
Deed, no, miss. he didn't. did kind
think he might let up on de rent dat
month I was at de hospital. an i up an
says so to his agent, bat Lor' sakes, he
says, Course not an turns on his heel
an sees it warn't no use"
Would IL pay you to go home with your
washerwoman some night? Are you
afraid to?
For years we were blind to the fact
that there was an alley problem. At
last we see the problem, but diff
fer as to the @. E. D. Most of US have
been educated out Of the spotty efforts
of our grandmothers. who bent all their
efforts to relieve specific cases of distress.
to improve local conditions at once, even
If only temporarily. They were consci-
entious about putting the immediate
stitch to save nine in the garment OF
charity. We are learning that sometimes
there is no economy in one stitch or in
the nine, If it is q case whore 1t Is better
to burn the whole garment.
Why relieve one family or ten in a GER
tain alley, put them on their feet, move
them into a model tenement at the same
rent, If We leave the old slum there to
receive the next unfortunate and blast
him with its degrading, crimfnalizing, sick-
ening influence. And the last state is
worse than the first
When the problem Is answered 1t will
not be a mathematical sum of go many
cases of distress relieved, so many sick
visited 1t will embrace an underlying
principle of justice. 1t vii. touch many
sore spots. 1t will even open the Gues-
ton whether we have right to collect
80 per cent, as 1t often "a. On our invest
ment in an alley by emitting sanitary ini-
provements, neglecting needed repairs
and by coming the other mans indigency.
II there Is q usury law for the loan shar
there can be one for the rem. shark.
It has been demonstrated by eelf-sup-
porting, sanitary building associations
that decent. modern, clean and airy
houses, with plumbing. can be built on
paved streets, renting for the same
amount per room az alley tenenlents,
and yet paying per cent ca the invest
ment. Il not q blessed per cent better
than an accused BOT Are we as Amer
leans far-sighted enough to learn from
England and Germany any lessons in
housing our poorf