The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-09-02
Frederic Haslkin' 5 Letter
The Pueblo Y. M. G. A

The tuen
Pueblo. Colo, Aug. 3l.-The larg-
ut r. II G. 4. in the world ID To-
cated here IN Pueblo. It 10 also
The host remarkable r" in exist
Bnco. n It possessed many novel
features that no other Young Mems
Christian association ever thought
81 having among other things =
large feminine membership. Bnt
Il IL really run for the benefit OF
puehlo's Steel workers.
About q block from II doors ia
the giant plant OF the Colorado Fuel
& Iron company. This plant, which
To- famous for it, iron and steel. is
equally famous for it, skillful In
management It 10 said
to b the first concern In the coun-
try to introduce employees repre-
seutation, which it did SIX or seven
years ago, and now it has set q new
example 10 the Industrial world by
hitching the 7. N. C. A. to its star
or vice versa, - you prefer.
In other words, 1t has adopted
the system originated by the govern
ment during the war. In all OF it,
mining camps It has built club
houses and furnished them com
pletely. even to heat. light and wa
ter, after which they are turned
over to the Y. M. C, A. to run. II I
deficit occurs in the operating ex
penses, the plant makes It up, bu
otherwise It figures in the manage
ment not at all, being PARTICULAR!
anxious to avoid the appearance o
paternalism.
The camp clubhouses, however
are not reserved for the miner
alone but are also open to, thei
families. The women come to tn
"Y" during the day for their baths
and in the eyening they compet
with the men for the best arm
chairs and bowling alleys.
The Pueblo "Y'' Is Just . large
edition Of the camp clubhouse. Th
steel plant built it at cost OF
hundred thousand dollars, with tn
idea of making 1t community al
fair. While the steel workers ar
accorded special rates and privil
eyes, their grocers and doctors an
| landlords and BARRIERS can also be
come members, by paying twice a
large q membership fee. Thi
broad membership policy has bee
adopted because It has been foun
that men yield more satisfactory
| to Americanization as communitie
than they do as individuals. FRS
the men alone were taught, bu
with little success, since thei
homes still used the old languag
! and customs. Then, the wome
were induced to attend the classe!
which proved greatly 10 facilitat
the work, and now the Americani
ration campaigners are going afte
the foreign shopkeepers who az
pear to be the only obstacle LEI
in the path Of democracy.
Teaches English to Americans.
And one of the chief duties
the Pueblo "Y" Is to teach tn
English language and the Amer
can constitution to groups of 3
different nationalities; for anon
the 1000 men employed at the ste'
plant every imaginable race an
nationality. is represented, with th
possible exception Of the Africa
Bushman. In addition to demo'
racy, the women are taught dome.
tic science.
The first floor Of the massiS
brick building which houses tn
educational club contains a huE
lobby, with a large fireplace, hui
dreds of small reading tables ar
comfortable leather easy chairs ar
a soft drink fountain. At two-thi
ty in the afternoon when the ste
plant changes shifts and about
OoO men are released. this floor
crowded with blue-overalled worl
men, lolling back in the ca!
chairs after the best manner
Fifth avenue clubmen, or quafflr
the latest soft drinks with distinc
ly audible enthusiasm.
At the end Of the lobby is a lar!
billiard room containing six
eight tables, which are the Joy
the steel workers, many OF who
have become experts. The rest
the floor, which extends on and ,
for another half block.is devoted
. a huge auditorium, or theater wi
| a seating capacity OF 1000 person
. and a special entrance opening I
the street. so that the audience m;
enter and leave without disturbil
, the occupants Of the rest Of I
/ building. Movie performances a
| given here on four nights Of t
week, while during the cool weat
Ter it is used extensively for am
teur theatricals. folk sings . a.
concerts. "Pinafore" and 9th
| light operas have been given wi
I great gusto and a surprising she
of artistic skill by the members.
The Soul Of the Organ.
But the glory of the theater is
I great electric organ, which, q
, cording to one Of the Italian wor
. men. have a SOUL" Less soul
! but almost as precious is a vent
ating system which hurls 240.0
cubic feet of fresh air into the au
forum every minute.