Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-05-26
Riis 40 New York Newspaper Reporter
Brought About Many Reforms For
esttsrment Of Condition Of Poor
Came 70 Amsriea 40 Psnnilsss lmnsi.
arant When 21 Years Of Ass.

~
ment for heart trouble of long stand
ing.
Now York's Most Useful Citizen.
Jacob August Riis became. thru his
work in behalf Of the poorer people in
New York. "the most useful citizen" of
the metropolis. according to a tribute
once paid to him by Theodore Roose-
welt, his intimtae friend.
AS an almost penniless Immigrant he
obtained knowledge of the slums at
first hand and found conditions there
so repellant that he consecrated his
whole life to warfare against wretched-
ness.
Riis was the thirteenth child Of a
Latin teacher in Ribe. Jutland. Dem
mark. He was born in 1s49. Protesting
at the literary, career which. his father
had cut out for him, young Riis decided
TO work With his hands and became a
carpenters apprentice. Ths vocation he
had chosen did not prevent him. how
ever. from falling in love with Elt1abeth
Nelson, daughter. Of one OF the richest
men in his native town. But she refused
him, and when Riis was a. years old,
having learned his trade. he embarked
for New York with only $40 In his
pocket He spent hAll the sum for .
heavy navy pistol as-soon ~ ne landed
'to nyht Indians and deSpefadoes.
Becomes Reporter.
Riis led q varied career during the
following six years. He built miners
camp, mined coal. made bricks. drove q
80 H.
At 27 he spent his last cent in reaching
New York. hoping to enlist thru the
French consul in the French army
sian war. but his services were re-
beginners place as a reporter for
first he made his most conspicuous sue
east side Of New York.
With only 375 capital and notes for
$575. he succeeding in buying the South
Brooklyn News. which was on the verge
Of bankruptcy, and made such sue
cess with the property that he was able
to sell 1t at a considerable profit few
and married the girl who had refused
prentice. This first wife died In 1905
and two years later Riis married Mary
Phillip Of st. Louis.
AS reporter on the New York Trib-
une and later on the New York Sun.
Riis took up his real work ii slum
fighting. While attending to routine
duty as police reporter. he worked
day and night to arouse the people 20
the need Of improved living conditions.
One Of the frst Of his campaigns was
against the impurity of the city. water,
and it was his fight which finally led
to the purchase of the Crotch water
shed to assure safe drinking water for
New York. Sss7ss s
He brought sunlight to the tenement
districts by forcing the destruction Of
rear teEements. He entirely cleared
Mulberry Bend, one Of the worst tene-
ment sections in the city, and replaced
the squalid homes by shady parks.
Theodore Roosevelt was police COM
missioner Of New York when RiiS at-
tackled the evils Of police station lodg-
ing houses. He won his point and in-
cidentally strong ally In Nj. Roose-
Welt. Riis drove bake-shops out of
tenament Easements; he fought for
laws abolishing child labor; and was
largely instrumental in getting the
passage OF ''the briefest, w.sesf, ana
best statute on the books Of New
York, laying down the principle that
hereafter mo school shall be built
without an adequate playground ~ 81
After twenty-seven years as . re-
porter. Riis resigned to continue his
fight bytwrittng and lecturing. Among
the products Of his pen are How the
Other Half Lives The, Children Of
the Poor" THE Making OF IN, Amer
ican.' (his autobiography. "rhe Eat
tie With the Sum-" Children OF the
Tenements," THE Old Town" 'srh6o-
dore Roosevelt. the Citisen." and
Hero Tales From the Far North.' q