Evening star., 1937-04-27
S[UM CLEARANCE
EXHIBIT IS OPENED
Federal and Social Group
Activity Made Graphic
With Displays.

From Slums to Sanitation could
be the blanket title Of the slum-
clearance and low-rent housing ex-
hibit officially opened last night at
the parish hall of st. Johns Church,
819 Sixteenth street.
Electrically equipped model town
displays, before and after" photo
graphs of housing transitions in
Washington, shaded maps showing
the relation of poor housing to crime,
disease and unemployment and nu-
merous charts and colorful drawings
are shown to give the public an idea
OF what Government, church and
civic agencies are doing to improve
living conditions here and through
out the United States.
Last nights steady rain failed to
dampen the interests of over $50
Washingtonians who attended the
short opening exercises, led by Canon
Arson Phelps Stokes, president of
the Washington Housing Association.
Four Important Groups.
Represented here" commented
Canon Stokes in reference to the
various displays, "are four groups on
which the entire future of clviliza-
ton depends-the family the Gov
ernment, education and religion"
Before introducing Commissioner
Melvin c. HaZen, who is chairman
of the Alley Dwelling Authority in
the District Canon Stokes empha-
sized that in order to solve prob
lens of disease prevention, unem-
ployment, immortality and irrellglon
I'VE have got to 80 to the home"
Describing specific rehousing prof.
ects in Washington and over the
country. Commissioner Hazen point
ed out that more than 10000 alley
dwellers in the District are rapidly
being cleared out" He lauded
the work of John Ihlder, project
director of the Alley Dwelling Au-
thority here, and stated that great
progress has been made and will con-
tinue"
Concerning the exhibit and the
work OF the various rehouSlng agen-
cies Bishop James E. Freeman said:
An extensive housing program in
our great ceters of population will
do more to prevent disease, promote
health and stay crime than any
other method or agency we have
hitherto employed"
Slum Area Transformation.
OF particular interest to the visi-
tors was a special exhibit showing
the transformation of typical slum
area with its crumbling buildings
battered windows and doors, over
the-alley clothes lines and Uttered
streets to a modern apartment CEN
ter with modern ventilation and
lighting, adequate Fairgrounds and
parks and clean surroundings.
A definite relation between Wash
tngton's areas of poor houses, with
their outdoor water supplies and toi-
lets, and juvenile offenders and tu-
berculosS deaths is shown in a group
Of colored maps.
The National Capital Park and
Planning Commission has on display
a miniature of a proposed recrea-
tional system for the city.
Natural color models are included
OF the Resettlement Administration IS
Greenbelt Village at Berwyn, Md,
and Langston Terrace, the huge low
rent housing project being built by
the Public Works Administration for
colored families at Benning road and
Twenty-first street northeast.
The exhibit will continue every
day from noon until $50 pm. at
least through Friday, with a short
talk each noon by some member of
the church or Government agencies
In charge, Canon Stokes announced.