Year: 1879

%@NA~ NN~7J o~A.---
all Churches on an equality before tho law.


REFORMING THE YOUNG


Certainly no movement in behalf Of moral
reform is more worthy Of commcndation md
support than TINT which seeks to reach the
youth of both sexes. The efforts Of the
Citizens League to stop tho sale Of liquor to
minors have been among the most landablo
phases Of the temperance agitation in this
city,, Not only good morals but the welfare
Of local government demand that young boys
aud young girls between the ages Of II and
20 bo protected as far as possible from the
temptations of city life, and the particular
vices which, once indulged, are apt to be
pursued. The meeting Of citizens in the
Third and Fourth Wards, which include ono
of the most popt1lous and respect
able residence districts Of Chicago is
entitled. to respect and encouragement be-
cause its ann is to supplement the
work Of the Citizens League with special
reference to that locality, and it is to be
hoped that SUCCESS may attend the efforts
in this direction. It may bo questioned,
however, without dlscouraging or retarding
this movement, whether the gentlemen taking
part therein are not proceeding upon awrong
basis. The special object Of the meeting was
to consider ways and mems for counteract-
ing the influences Of place known as Meis-
ncr's Hall, on Twenty-second street, which
is o saloon and ballroom, and Of those which
it is expected Baum's Garden, on the corner
of Cottage Grove avenue and Twenty-second
street, will exercise on the youth Of the
neighborhood when opened. It wns decided
that, if the necessary money could be pro-
cured, Neigner's Hall should be rented md
run es Young Peoples Club, under tho
auspices Of q committee from the Citizens
League, as O means to the desired end. The
general design seems to bs to throw open
this building as free place Of resort, with
reading-room, a gymnasium, and perhaps d
bowling-alley and billiards. The hope is that
the youth who have been III the habit of Wis
itine the saloon and ballroom in that build
ing, and who it is feared will begin to fre-
quent BAuM's nav place when opened, may
be attracted to the more moral surroundings
of the new Club.


It may well be doubted whether this
project will bo as successful in its aim as its
promoters seem to think. There appear to
bo certain defects in the arrangement. To
begin with, it is unreasonable so far as it is
aimed at any particular building which has
been occupied for Objectionable purposes.
Chicago is too large, and there arc too many
available buildings, to admit Of n hope that
Objectionable places can be rooted out by
successive occupation Of the buildings where
they may be located. The project for q
Young Peoples Club Of the kind pro-
posed should certainly be considered entirely
apartfrom the existence of AIeisner's Hail. and
that particular building should be selected Or
rejected rs any other, building would be for
sufficient reasons. To establish the proposed
Club there as mems Of getting rid Of the
saloon and ballroom now there would be q
precedent which, if followed up, would prob
ably induce men to start saloons and ball
rooms for tho express purpose OF being
bought out; and even landlords might resort
to this device as means for renting their
buildings to the reformers.


Considered entirely apart from this par
hcular building, the = Young Peoples
Club would be useful or not as moral
agent, according as it might be managed
If designed for both sexes, and dancing were
excluded, the young people who are fond Of
dancing would scarcely be attracted to it in
preference to other places Of resort where
dancing is in vogue. The same would be
true Of cards and billiards. # run as free
institution, it would be regarded by q good
many young men and women as sort Of
charity-refuge, and there would be general
disposition among the young people who
have any money to spend to turn up their
noses at it, and to avoid it. If there were e
special air Of sanctity about it, whether by
reason of the active connection Of the
clergy or by the exclusion of c certain class
of amusements Of which young people are
fond, it is doubtful about its at
tracting the very boys and girls
for whom it is designed. Such
a club would, under all conditions, come into
competition with the licensed places Of re-
sort in the neighborhood, and the degree of
its success in promoting temperance, modera-
ton, and good habits would depend on the
degree of its attractiveness and the discretion
Of its management


Whether the proposed "Young Peoples
Club" be established or not, the evils ap-
pretended by the neighborhood from the
opening Of Baum's Garden may be largely
checked by different plan from that which
has been pursued thus far under Mr. CnAFTs'
leadership. In Germany: for instance. 9