Evening star., 1916-05-21
SPEECH BY POLICEMAN
IS GIVEN RECOGNITION
Ecwa-G Laferty Tells of Work of
Hudson Guild in
New York.
Wrought Transformation, He As
serts. in Life of Dwellers in
Tenement District.

Edward Lafferty is a New York po-
hcsman. He made speech on the oc-
casion of the twentieth anniversary of
the Hudson Guild in that city in the
settlement of New Yorks middle West
Side, where he had grown up. and paid
full praise to John l. Elliott. the found
er of the settlement.
The speech of the cop" az reported
was as follows:
When I told my wife that | was GO
ing TO come here and make speech
tonight she gave me the 'ha. ha' right
away. WIZ she said you big boob.
they are kidding you and you don't
know it, ..,
We'll, let that sink i'll and I don't
know whether she told me the truth
or not. Then she wanted to know what
terrible crime you people had commit
ted that I should be wished on YOU. !
got bothered to find out what I would
talk about, and sh said: Well. tell
should be interesting. And. to show
YOU how we'll trained I am, l am going
to do it.
Drink in the Old Days.
Like all the boys went with in
this neighborhood. l left school when
a little over eleven and went to work
driving hosting horse down on the
water front. but instead 1 was kept
busy most of the time running for
beer and whisky for two men in the
boat. The ambition of all of US boys
was to go into a barroom and buy
glass of whisky or beer. 1t wasn't a
case of liking it. but a matter of safe
ty first. When you were IN there you
were safe from the policeman.
"Of course, it was the drink that
PLAYED such large part in breaking
down the health of the fellows. ] know
only two of the boys that I went with
that are living today. Any one who
passed the age of twenty-eight con-
carried OF at least two-thirds before
that age. Since the guild came into the
ueighborhood there are fewer saloons.
"On the place where the Hudson Guild
now stands there was saloon. Where
the Peoples Kitchen is, on the corner
of 27th street and 10th avenue, there
was a saloon; on the northeast corner
OF 2sth street and 10th avenue there
was another. The ground now occu
pied by Chelsea Park held three, and
right next door to the guild there was
one until few months ago None of
these exists now,
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.
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 it was dark.
and throwing the chimney, brick by
brick. at the cops.
That is the. way it went on until l
got to be sixteen, when the neighbor-
sea. 1t was just the same on the other
s.de-nothing but whisky; but also
there was less to eat over there, SO
came back here. .--a---1 'r.-''- e.
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 it by. the
generosity of the drivers or took it
when no one was looking made no diff
ference to their fathers and mothers,
who were usually stepped in the wine
cup.
In. the old days l have known girls
to grow up, live, marry and die in the
rooms they had always lived in. If
girl met nice young man she couldn't
bring him into the neighboThooo. IL
the chap did have nerve 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 gantlet of the different gangs.
and II he arrived at his own destination
il would be the last visit he would
make to this part Of the world.
But nowadays that is all different.
There are very few, il any, gangs now
in the neighborhood, thanks to the ex-
cellent work of the police department
under Commissioner Woods.
Started In a Small Way.
That is the way it went on in this
neishborhood until the Hudson Guild
was born. The guild was pretty small
~ ars, It fitted DR.. Elliott's hat when
! met ~ One Sunday morning I was
coming from church. and there had been
:. crap game going on up the street as
Usual but this morning the game was
broken up and ] asked one of the boys,
w hats the matter with the crap game
.n4, was broken up?" He said. "Oh.
ii.=r big skinny guy across the street
i.,ole ~ the game. He says he Is go
Ing to start a ciubroom for the boys in
the ne:ghborhocd
we didn't believe him, but he started
q all r.Rnt In q small house on West
2.,E street where the park now as
Prem that the guild gVew to its present
sizc. and il has done more things FOR
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