The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-05-24


 ed to make a speech. He made
 one that few of his hearers will
 ever forget, least of all the settle
 ments' founder and head worker.
 John L. Elliott, to whom La,ffer-
 ty paid full praise for the changes
 that he himself had seen and
 helped along.
 Exclusive Service The Survey Press
 Bureau.)
 When told my wife that I was go- ing to come here and make 8, speech tonight she gave him the Ina, ha'' right away. Why she said, ''you big boob, they are kidding you and you don't know ir.'
 Well, I let that sink in and I don't know whether she told me the truth or not. Then she wanted to know what terrible crime you people had committed that I should be wishe ed on you. I got bothered to find out what I would talk about and she said, 'FWell, tell them the history of your past life; that should be interesting And to show you how well trained I am, I am, going to do it.
 Drink in the Old Days.
 Like all the boys I went with in this neighborhood, I left school when 8 lit tie over eleven and went to work driv- ing hoisting horse down on the water fFont-but instead I was kept busy most of the time running for beer and whiskey for two men in the boat. The ambition of all of us boys was to go into a, bar room and buy a glass of whiskey or beer. It wasn't a, case of liking it, but a matter of safety first''; when you were in there you were safe from the policeman.
 Of course, it was the drink that played such 8 large part in breaking down the health of the fellows. only know two of the boys that I went with that are living today. Anyone who passed the age of 28 considered himself lucky, as consumption carried off at least two-thirds before that age. Since the Guild came into the neigh borhood there are fewer saloons.
 On the place where the Hudson Guild now stands there was a saloon. Where the Peoples Kitchen is, on the corner of Twenty-seventh street and Tenth avenue. there was a saloon; on the northeast corner of. Twenty eighth street and Tenth avenue there was another. The ground now oc- cupied by Chelsea Park held three, and right next door to the Guild there was one until few months ago. None of these exist now.
 With the closing of these saloons and the excellent cooperation of the Board of Health in regulating sanitary conditions, there are fewer cases of tuberculosis, though there are still enough to cause us worry.
 .s.ss, NeIghbortood Sports.
 We had two sports in the neighbor-s hood at that time. In good weather it was swimming. That was the day sport. The evening amusement was going up on the roof when it was dark, and throwing the chimney, brick by brick, at the cops.
 Neighborhood Sports
 We had two sports in the neighbor- hood at that time. In good weather it was swimming. That was the day sport. The evening amusement was going up on the roof when 1t was dark, and throwing the chimney. brick by brick, at the cops.
 That is the way 1t went on until I got to be sixteen, when the neighbor- hood got too small for me and I went to sea- It was just the same on the other side-nothing but whiskey; but also there as Less to eat over there, so I came back here.
 We'll, it was worse for the girls there was nothing for them to do. After they came home from school ! they would be sent down to the river for a load of wood or ice or to pick up @ bag of coal. Whether they got 1 it by the generosity of the drivers or took it when no oneJwas looking made 1 no difference to their fathers and mothers, who were usually steeped in the wine cup.
 In the old days have known girls l to grow up. live, marry and die in the rooms they had always lived in. | If gir1 met g. nice young man she 1 couldn't bring him into the neighbor- 1 enough to go to the door the father would say, Mamie, where did you get that dude? ?'' And on the way home he would have to run the gauntlet of the | different gangs and if he arrived at | his own destination it would be the last visit he would make to this part of the world.
 But nowadays that is all different. There are very>few, if any gangs now in the neighborI1ood, thanks to the excellent work of the police depart ment under Commissioner Woods.
 Started in Small Way
 That is the way it went on in this until the Hudson Guild was born. The guild was pretty small at first. It fitted Dr. EIliott's hat when met it. One Sunday morning was coming from church and there had been 9 crap game going on up the street as usual, but this morning the game was broken up and asked one of the boys, What's the matter with the crap game that was broke Up ?" He said, "Oh, that big skinny guy across that street broke up the game. He says he is going to start a T clubr1oom in the neighb orhood.''
 We didn't believe him but he start ed 1t all right in a small house on Vest Twenty-seventh street where the park now is. From that the guild grew to it's present size, and it has done more things for this neighbor- hood than could be done in any other way I can think of
 In addition to the club there is the bureau for working wo- men. There is hardly a day when I am at the crossing at Broadway and street that I do not meet at least one woman asking for