El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-10-21

bv these II years experience in praee-
teal life. L am going TO try TINS
morning to begin at the beginning
and tell you how city can make Soou
men and women 1 am gong 10 dlNlue
il INTO TWO distinct divisions. the ilrst
extra personal and the second as dis
tiuctIy personal affair
Exfra-PersOnnI Work of a city
First the eXtra-persOnal work OF a
civ am going TO begin with envi-
-onr1eut the environment Of a man. for
environment does have much influence
on men. our environment Shapes Us
We can. 10 a certain extent, shape II
ourselves. but very largely We are
sbaned nv our surroundings. and 7 wish
to sneak of the part OF the city IN the
surroundings OF man. do not expect
a Mexican born below the tracks IN a
one room adobe house. to nave all the
ideas of sanitation that a child born on
this side viii have ] expect that II
will have some effect on him. ProDa-
bIv all this seems apart from religion
The first mart deals with sanitation
We have got to see that drainage and
other such arrangements are efficient
and clean and up 10 date. The CITY
that has case OF typhoid m u Is re-
Elected on by the existence OF TINS case
and il ought to make the city blush
We cannot expect health IN unnealtny
surroundings
remember when we used to talk OF
consumption as decline. and that when
we used TO say she is on the decline
and we used to shut her up IN JlnS
little room. with tiny little WINDOW
tightly closed in an atmosphere that
was enough 10 knock one over ana
then we used to pray 20 God 70 save
We do just as foolish things nova
davs / once lived in a house two or
three years where there were no
drains where they were supposed 10 be.
and vet the city authorities were sup
Dosed 10 see that all houses were prop
erIv drained and all the time we were
in there we had continual sickness IN
til il finally drove Us out
Sanitation the First Necessity
Sanitation is the first necessity IN
the production Of men and women IN =
city. The next is civic supervision OF
HOUSING Every city ought TO see that
every home has real conveniences, that
there are sufficient rooms Tor the lam
ilv One cannot expect children living
in one room. four or five together win
their Dareuts We cannot expect chill
dren living under these conditions 10
grow I'D moral and yet we do expect II.
and when immortality occurs, me wake
a biz noise about II. instead OF going
pack to the cause. Here we are in a
city 500 miles IN every direction spare
land. worth almost nothing, and yet we
live in a four or five room house With
all this land. We crowd into our little
bits OF houses Personally, am sorry
q
in FL Paso. but I am not willing 10
condemn them wholesale 7 like more
room inside and out The more and the
better homes we have, the more chance
we have for raising better men and
women
Next Is Education.
The next thing IS education. Here
in America We have always stood Tor
education. but sometimes we are more
anxious 70 get good buildings than
o-ood mana cement
The fourth factor Is care for leisure
hours Every one naturally has to
have leisure hours. In most or the
small cities. the only place for leisure
hours is the saloon When a city pro-
vfdes for the leisure hours Of its peo-
pie, much can be done TO provide and
elevate life 7 have never been a
pledged abstainer. but 7 am perfectly
willing to give up what little I do take
TO prevent the harm that saloons do TO
others
The city has TO see to the poverty
within its borders. It is absolutely
necessarv sometimes that some people
enter into poverty Misfortune and loss
Of work come. however careful we are
7 believe that every case of poverty
should be seen by the proper authori-
ties II can be done IL has been done
and every case should be known and
helped
Every city should know Of the sick
ness OF its population and every CITY
4
of sickness here is so high that one can
hardly afford TO be sick Yet sickness
comes and every city should have
properly equipped and efficiently man
aged free hospital for its people.
One Great Failing.
If ever I went back to England. and
il were asked my impression OF Amer
lean life. I would be chary OF senerai-
ties but I think that I would say this;
America IS doing many great things,
but she has one great failing, and that
is civic government" We have not
reached the art of civic government.
We have allowed politics TO get into
the hands Of grafters- We must change
this. and make men feel that Il is a
noble thing TO help in city government I
We seem to have let the money ele-
ment have hold and make money out OF I
government once said something
bout politics to a man in FL PasO. and !
he hushed me by telling me that 1 |
must not speak of politics in public,
but I say that politics is one Of the
grandest things Of life I am not going
to give uD using the word. I have had
l. years Of public life. and during all &
that time 1 have given at least two |
nights a week to that work. and 7 can !
honestly say that il has cost me money, |