South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-10-02
ST. LOUIS SLUM
LIFE PICTURED
TOCONFERENCE
DR.. Green Defines Work of
Church in Bettering Eco
nOmic Conditions.
CIVIC ORDERS ARE BUSY
Latter Deal Only With Exist
ing Crime While Church
Seeks Its Base.

Police departments. city courts
and charity organizations deal only
with effect in graphing with the
problems Of slum. life I'm our great
cities and the church with it's philo-
sophy OF redemption. taking cogniz-
ance Of the causes leading up to
delinquency. is the only hope Of bet
tering economic conditions I'm our
great centers of population, Rev. T..
r. Green. pastor Of the Trinity
church. St. Louis, Mo. told the
northern Indiana Methodist pastors
Saturday night at the anniversary Of
Home Missions. in Grace NJ. r..
church
Mr.. Green has served a pastorate
Of seven years i'm the heart Of the
slums Of ST Louis and has daily con-
duct with the causes for delinquency
and the beginnings Of criminality
arising from the congested environ
ment OF a great city.
Know Not Evil.
In his discussion OF the problem
Of slum life he said: First Of all.
institutions like the police depart
ment. the juvenile courts and the
charity organizations deal with effect
and make no particular study OF
causes. This obtains from the great
est 10 the least Of the institutions.
Beginning with the police depart
ment. the average policeman walks
about his beat perfectly conscious OF
all the agencies ard Institutions OF
that parish over which he presides-
shat part OF the city under his direct
surveillance. but perfectly uncOn-
scious OF the agencies for evil. Most
Of the homes are tenements of two
and three rooms with twelve people
living in a tenement. The morality
that is suggested need not be dis
cussed. The policeman is perfectly
conscious OF all these things but un-
conscious Of them so far as his Off
cial prerogatives are concerned.
He observes the boys on the street
corner-we have a gang about every
two blocks. Around our church we
have five or six militant street gangs.
The policeman sees them there all
the time and perfectly understands
they are embryo criminals and Grim
inalities are being formed. He is
also perfectly unconscious Of it. lie
has no task TO perform with this
group-no duty 20 perform. They
do not challenge his attention until
they have become criminals but just
as soon as an Offense is committed
they are hailed into court In the
juvenile court they are dealt with
og criminal ofTapte
Preventive Philanthropy.
There is no disposition on the
part Of society i'm any form TO take
into account the causes that lead up
20 this juvenile delinquency. Society
is engaged in no philauthropic eff
fort on any platform except that OF
dealing with effect and fails TO get
:. at antecedent causes.
a THE element OF redemption is not
3in these organizations; there philo-
= sophy Of operation is not a philo-
sophy OF redemT ton, and without a
philosophy that has this redeeming
virtue in 81. there is no hope for the
slum life Of the great city. I take
note that our church prospers when
81 functions on the basis OF proven
tive philanthropy. Preventive phil
anthropy II applied in the name OF
Jesus Christ would save a genera
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