Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-12-05
Hoe Can Good Americans
Come from Such Environments

great many OF the houses are built on "A filed.
In creek and water ia reached but a f. feet below
me surface. with one exception all single.
story and OF frame construction. One room is
used as the family bedroom Another is the
Kitchen and dining room and also contains a co,
Tor boarder. While the other two arc also DC.
cupled by boardcrs Although each room has a
window. some are broken and the openings are
covered with paper.
In ono bedroom two double beds and a cot
we're found close togetherac commo iat ions for
hVe people with less than 200 cubic feet OF air
space for each. The taxpayer covered roofs
frequently leak, but repairs long delayed No
uniform plan of construction street layout was
followed and the houses appear here and there in
hcNcr-skelter fashion separated only By narrow,
winding alleys. The inside walls are frequently
not painted and the woodwork is unfinished.
Tumbledown. rickety fences made Of odd
boards. old pieces OF wood. tin sheets and dis.
carded bed springs, enclose each house and yard
The land In front of The house is used as a small
garden. while the yards are covered with old
neglected woodsheds. drf;.wood chicken coops.
Ihere Ia not much incentive to home ma king in
such houses; and II there we're. how could It be
done! The women the dumps all day,
they have from two to ten or more children, and
from one to ten boarders are provided with
lodging and have their clothes washed and meals
cooked, the boarder furnishing the food. Il Is a
case where the woman's work is never done and
where there can be no home life for the children.
There are no modern sanitary appliances on the
Island. The houses are built on the ground and in
stormy weather the few cellars there are quickly
iiled with water. Drainage is unknown and pud.
dies collect between the houses. In one place In
New York City where garbage could be collected
at the least cost. II Is not collected at ALL
The houses on the east side are supplied from
deep we'll from the plant of one of the companies.
end narrow run to these houses with a goose.
neck connection for each. The residents claim
that the water does not taste good and that they
have to drink beer instead. Nearly all the houses
on the west side obtain water from shallow wells.
IL hardly seems strange that immigrant women
do not learn American ways or American stand.
ards OF living under these conditions. But they
do learn to observe these things when they are
shown how. For instance. for the last few months
there has been q resident Barren Island
TO help the immigrant mothers and housekeepers
In just these ways And the things she has ac-
complished prove that all these women needed
was some to tell them about the American
standard Of living. The nurse has shown mothers
that sick babies must not be fed on cabbage.
She has shown them simple remedies which will
save the lives of very sick babies During this
last week the nurse reports having visited thirty
five sick babies and shown the mother what to
do with them.
This is n very good kind OF Americanization-
this matter Of saving babies. hope there will be
citizenship classes for their fathers. And hope
their brothers and sisters will learn American
civic ideals and grow up allAmerican in their
loyaties and their ideals.
But unless the babies saved and unless the
immigrant mother learns that cabbage and beer
at the age OF SIX months VIII not produce Amer.
lean citizens OF the first order and that Southern
European housekeeping will not III American
climates and American standards we shall NOT
have American homes and the kind OF citizens
that American homes produce
Naturalization for the men and uood cu,1o,
ship leagues and training camps for foreignhorn
citizens, and all these forms Of hncricnnIzation
are very important. indeed, but they are still no;
and practical ways with Americanizinr imm,nrant
women and immigrant homes. And every ,in,a
we talk OF "preparedness' the point shonld h
tha' We are not prepared nation. and will not