T-3^ Class Book A COPYRIGHT DEPOSm MAY IS 1910 SPECIAL FEATURES — ! 1(-5« 7 1 The Story of the First Year of Boston- 1915 The Enlarged Directorate Housing Conditions in Boston's North and West Ends Fully Illustrated The Boys' Games of 1909 The Democracy of Boston- 19 15 A MONTHLY RECORD OF PROGRESS IM DEVELOPING A GREATER AND FINER CITY PUBLISHED BY THE DIRECTORATE Of BOSTON 1915 6 BEACOM STREET BOSTON -MASSACHUSETTS VOL. 1. TEM CENTS A COPY MAY 1910 ONE DOLLAR A YEAR, CREDO I BELIEVE In New England — In the preeminence of her location as the gateway to Europe — In the beauty and healthfulness of her hills and lakes — In the undeveloped, unlimited power of her rivers, and the ocean commerce of her seaports — In t' .e variety and marvelous efficiency of her industries — In the skill and inventive genius of her workmen, the public spirit of her business men, and the resulting prosperity of her people. I BELIEVE In New England's mission — In the glory of her past and the greatness of her future — and I believe that the same spirit of the Boston Tea Party, of Lex- ington, and the Civil War — the spirit that lavishly gave its blood, brawn, brains, and money to the upbuilding of the country — still lives in New England's sons and daughters, and waits only the word to call all New England to the still greater things which are before us. I BELIEVE In the tremendous, transforming power of optimism ; I believe that it is lack of faith which checks the development of individuals, associations, and sections — That skepticism is the only thing which stands between New England and her great destiny — And that when pessimism is transformed to optimism. New England will maintain her rightful place in the vanguard of industrial progress. THEREFORE I AM RESOLVED That I will avoid and help others to escape from the deadening, demoralizing rut of criticism, skepticism, and inertia — That I will be a booster, not a knocker — And that I will neglect no opportunity to show my faith in the future of New England and to labor unceasingly for its fulfilment. Copyright, 1909, by Pilgrim Publicity Association In answering advertisements pleas^ mention XEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON 6 Beacon Street Vol. I MAY, 1910 No. 1 Published Monthly by the Directors of Boston-1915 at 6 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass., U. S. A. A Chronicle of Progress in Developing a Greater and Finer City Under the Auspices of the Boston-1915 Movement vSubscription rates: $1.00 per annum; club rate for twenty or more subscriptions from any organization devoted to civic or social improvement, sent in one list, fifty cents per copy per annum. Single copies, 10 cents each. Second-class rates pending at the Boston Post Office JAMES p. MUNROE, Editor-in-Chief JOHN L. SEWALL, Associate Editor LEWIS E. PALMER, Managing Editor RAYMOND P. EMMONS. Circulation and Advertising Manager {Copyright, 1910, by Boston— 1915, Inc.) CONTENTS FOREWORD 1 BOSTON-1915, ITS PURPOSES 1 THE GOVERNMENT OF CITIES 3 THE GENESIS OF BOSTON-1915 5 THE DEMOCRACY OF BOSTON-1915 C. Bertrand Thompson 8 BOSTON'S HOUSING PROBLEM 10 FROM THE ESTABROOK REPORT 18 THE BOYS' GAMES OF 1909 Frank S. Mason 21 SPRINGFIELD'S INDEPENDENCE DAY William Orr 26 A SANER FOURTH FOR BOSTON 30 A SPEAKER'S PUBLICITY BUREAU 34 CIVIC NERVE CENTERS 35 THE EXPOSITION IN 1915 36 SCHOOL HELP. IN CHOOSING A CAREER Meyer Bloomfield 37 THE CITY GUARD Frank O. Carpenter 39 SAVINGS BANK INSURANCE Harry W. Kimball 41 THE NEW VOTERS' FESTIVAL ^^ THE BOSTON CITY CLUB ^^3 WHAT OTHERS SAY '*'* NOTES FROM THE WIDE FIELD 45 NEW BOSTON .1 GAS AND COMFORT NO MORE SMOKE DIRT and WORRY The Cleaner City And the All-Gas Kitchen A CLEAN, COOL, COMFORTABLE HOUSEHOLD, spotless from cellar to garret— INSTANT, FLEXIBLE SERVICE, AT ALL TIMES, day or night,— may be secured now, by means of the ALL-GAS KITCHEN. The GAS RANGE— COMPACT, CON- VENIENT, ECONOMICAL;— and the GAS WATER HEATER— direct-connected to the boiler, providing hot water at any time —REMOVE THE NECESSITY of the COAL STOVE, with its attendant DIRT, LABOR and WORRY. Send for one of our Corps of Representatives for details of installation, or for one of our Demonstrators for advice regard- ing the use of your gas appliances. BOSTON CONSOLIDATED GAS COMPANY 24 WEST STREET, BOSTON Telephone Oxford 1690, Commercial Department WHERE THE Underwood Standard Typewriter has replaced other machines, gains have been made in celerity and accuracy of work — due to the UNDERWOOD features of proven value. Everybody ought to know what the UNDERWOOD will do when put to the severest test. An opportunity to examine and prove ** The Machine You Will Eventually Buy " will be afforded at any branch office UNDERWOOD TYPEWRITER COMPANY "INCORPORATED" 214 Devonshire Street, Boston In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON ©Ci.B21711>4 New Boston The Official Organ of Boston-1915 Vol. I MAY, 1910 No. 1 FOREWORD ANY periodical which today seeks to enter the crowded realm of monthly maga- zines owes the reading public an explanation, if not an apology. NEW BOSTON comes into existence in order to meet a distinct and imperative need. A growing number of citizens in Boston and its Metropolitan District are readj' for co- operation in a broad campaign for civic advance. The Boston-1915 movement, in its first year of effort, has been welcomed as offering representative leadership. It has gathered into group organizations delegates from a thousand of Boston's most efficient agencies and associations. It has received several thousand offers of personal volunteer service. Contributions for its financial support have come from nearly thirty-five hundred individuals, who have thus become contributing members and shareholders in Boston-1915. It therefore begins publication with an assured constituency of interested readers. NEW BOSTON, however, hopes to reach an even wider circle. All over our land and throughout the civilized world the problem of city welfare is recognized as of growing importance. All successful plans and methods for its solution command the attention of an ever-increasing number of thoughtful students of social progress. We venture to hope that in many cities, and in country towns as well, there may be a welcome for this magazine, as it tries to report and discuss progress in a great variety of endeavors directed toward the making of Greater Boston the finest and best municipal center which it can become. BOSTON-1915-ITS PURPOSES Aesop's familiar fable of the belly and the members applies directly to the con- ditions of a modern city. The weakness, through neglect or injury, of any function of the body-politic means serious harm not merely to that single process, but to the system as a whole. If industry or business languish, it is not the comparatively few manu- facturers and merchants who are affected most; the chief sufferers are the wage- earners, the small tradesmen and the great army of their wives and children. If, on the other hand, the health and education of the citizens are uncared for, the ensuing sickness and ignorance do not bear hardest upon the immediate victims; they work even greater damage to all trade and industry. Just as the Widow Kelly's cow set fire to a major portion of Chicago, just as one careless cholera patient has, more than once, paralyzed for months the business of entire states, so wrong social conditions not only^may, they surely will weaken, fetter and in time destroy the material welfare of a whole community. 2 NEW BOSTON It is impossible, therefore, to divorce the problems of business in Boston from those of dailj'- living. Every convmercial question involves a complexity of social questions. Every industrial })roblem is also a human problem, packed full of propo- sitions concerning education, housing, health, play and a hundred other things. On the other hand, it is equally impossible to deal with social questions apart from those of industry and trade. Good living conditions, proper education, right moral standards, etc., are unattainable in any community except upon a basis of active industry, ample commerce and increasing general business. If Boston, therefore, is to be soundly and permanently developed, the city must be dealt with as a whole. It must be regarded as an organism having not only busi- ness but social problems, not only interests in things but interests in human beings, not only questions of docks, railways and factories, but questions of homes, schools and means of recreation. The city is amply provided with existing or potential forces for building up every one of these many interrelated activities; but each force, to be really effective, must have the co-operation of all the others. Business, industry, religion, education, science and philanthropy must get together, every one of these agencies carrying forward with undiminished vigor its own activities, but doing so with regard to the activities of every other, and all of them together constituting, by virtue of organization, an irresistible force for the promotion of the common good. These now widely scat- tered and more or less unrelated interests cannot co-operate, however, without some common center, some clearing house through which efforts may be co-ordinated, needless duplications avoided, and agreements for concerted action reached. Such an exchange and rallying point Boston-1915 is trying to fit itself to be. It seeks, not to create new civic forces but, through effective team-work, to strengthen old ones. It aims, not to supersede, but to correlate, the work of others. It hopes, not to perpetuate itself as an organization, but, by the organizing of existing agencies, to make itself in time superfluous. Having these fundamental ends in view, Boston- 1915 proposes: 1. To attempt to re-establish a genuine town meeting for the city of Boston, through its action in bringing together, as directors of the Boston-1915 movement, representatives from practically every one of the thousand or more organizations which are now working in diverse and unrelated ways for economic, social or ethical advance. 2. Through this representative board of directors to co-ordinate as far as possible the work of their constituent organizations, so that the general field of present and future activities may be surveyed, need- less duplications avoided, and well-considered plans for definite city development arrived at. 3. To bring the successive steps in this general plan before the directorate for discussion, for sub- mission to the bodies which they represent, and, if approved, for concerted action by the hundreds of or- ganizations thus brought together. 4. To keep in touch with the many similar efforts which are under way in the United States and abroad, so that Boston may profit by their successes and avoid their mistakes. 5. To present graphically and visually the problems of city life, with suggestions for their solution through a series of industrial and social expositions conducted either by such bodies as the Chamber of Commerce or by Boston-1915 itself. 6. To impress upon all the people the strength which comes through co-operation and the power given through widespread optimism, by keeping the Boston-1915 idea persistently before the public. Boston-1915 does not propose to regard itself as in any way an agency for re- form. It maintains that a vast majority of the people of Boston desire to have the best city possible, and that they need only intelligent organization in order to get it. THE GOVERNMENT OF CITIES 3 It does not intend to interfere with the work of any existing institution which is really alive and is intelligently working. It will not try to tell such organizations how to carry on their work. It does not propose to create new activities parallel to or interfering with ex- isting agencies. It will not take up partisan, sectarian or other mooted questions regarding which there are seemingly irreconcilable differences. Boston-1915 appreciates that probably in no other city of the United States is so much zealous, unselfish and public-spirited work being carried on as in Boston; but to be effective these efforts must be systematized, mobilized and made part of a definite campaign. To apply the principles of business organization to a feder- ation of all the agencies dealing with all forms of municipal development, and to focus this combined effort by setting definite goals for early achievement, is the single aim of the Boston-1915 plan. THE GOVERNMENT OF CITIES After more than half a century's active service as educator, publicist and dip- lomat, Andrew D. White says in his autobiography that "as a result of observation and reflection during a long life which has touched public men and measures in wide variety, I would desire for my country three things above all others to supplement our existing American conditions. From Great Britain her administration of crim- inal law; from Germany her theatre, and from any European country, save Russia, Spain and Turkey, its government of cities." In the three years and less since Mr. White wrote, there has come a change in the attitude of cities toward their resources and opportunities, and the best methods of applying these resources and opportunities. Good city government has come to mean more than efficient police departments, fire departments and excise boards. More and more it means co-operation in rational city planning, encouraging legis- lation to prevent congestion and disease, establishing playground and park systems, fighting tuberculosis and working for a better all round city. These "new ideas" are taking root in the most fruitful places — the smaller cities and large towns where "problems" have not yet outgrown remedies. City planning — yes, more than city planning — actual accomplishment has been secured with the help of town councils in a dozen small cities we could name offhand. City fathers are giving substantial encouragement to societies working to prevent disease and sickness, parks and play- grounds are being provided for boys and girls of small towns, and banker and mer- chant and laborer are helping in this work that, three or four years ago, belonged alone to the preacher and the women's clubs. In the smaller cities — these movements toward newer ideals stand out most prominently. Boston-1915 is only one example in many that these ideals are present and working in the large cities as well. THE GENESIS OF BOSTON-1915 On March 30 of last year seven men who had been closely associated with the gradual development of a number of or- ganizations working for a better Boston, and who had learned thereby the value of co-operation, brought together, at a dinner, 230 of the active leaders of organ- ized work for Boston. These seven men were Louis D. Brandeis, attorney and publicist; John H. Fahey, newpaper pub- lisher; Edward A. Filene, retail mer- chant; James L. Richards, manager of a great public utility; Bernard J. Roth- well, president of the Chamber of Com- merce; George S. Smith, wholesale mer- chant; and James J. Storrow, president of the Merchants' Association. By vote of the meeting they were authorized to organize a co-operative movement; offices were opened on March 31; Boston — 1915 was incorporated; and work on a broad plan for civic advance was be- gun at once. At this first meeting it was stated that, as soon as feasible, the management of Boston — 1915 would be made thor- oughly representative. The first step towards this end was to enlarge the directorate. Henry Abrahams, secretary of the Boston Central Labor Union; Dr. Richard C. Cabot, head of the Social Service Department of the Massa- chusetts General Hospital; Frank A. Day, banker; Rev. John Hopkins Deni- son of the Central Church; Rev. Thomas I. Gasson, S. J., president Boston Col- lege; Arthur M. Huddell of the American Federation of Labor; James P. Munroe, manufacturer; Judge Michael H. Sulli- van, president of the United Improvement Association; and Robert A. Woods, head worker of South End House, were im- mediately added to the temporary board. The first task was to bring the Boston — 1915 idea before as many citizens as possible. The newspapers, which had been freely consulted regarding the scope and details of the plan, co-operated most generously in this campaign. ■ Public meetings were held to discuss the move- ment, and many clubs and societies requested information. A speakers' bu- reau was organized and at more than a hundred meetings the Boston — 1915 plan was presented. These meetings have been fruitful in suggestions for better co-operation. Bulletins with tentative plans of action and goals for achieve- ment were also issued. It was essential, however, to do things which should show what civic co-operation means. So Boston — 1915 brought certain or- ganizations together to promote voca- tional direction; brought others to co- operate in establishing a part-time school ; secured co-ordinate action in carrying forward a series of boys' games in summer and, most important of all, undertook an Exposition which presented the Boston — 1915 idea visibly and concretely to those who exhibited and to those who came to see. Some of these undertakings are described in detail elsewhere in this magazine. THE BOSTON— 1915 EXPOSITION Of the larger enterprises undertaken during the first year of Boston — 1915, the most important was the Exposition. This was held during the month of November, 1909, and was twice extended, finally to the middle of December. It has been described as the biggest and most im- pressive object lesson ever set before any city. The Exposition was undertaken in the hope of making the Boston — 1915 NEW BOSTON movement better understood, of bring- ing the organizations working in the city into closer acquaintanceship, and of telhng the people of Boston graphically some things about their own community which they might have no other op- portunity to learn. All of these ends were without question pccomplished. In six weeks nearly two hundred thou- sand people visited the Exposition, and opportunity was given to every school pupil to see it. The time for preparing the exliibits was so short that only the readiness of everybody to give generous co-operation made the arduous under- taking possible. That the enterprise was so measurably complete and that it closed with practically no deficit are remarkable evidences of the earnest- ness with which business men, philan- thropists and the citizens at large entered into the work. SOME THINGS ACCOMPLISHED The School Committee having called upon Boston — 1915 to devise means for helping pupils select their life work, this organization brought the Vocational Bureau, which had already given two years' study to this question, and the School Committee together, with the result that vocational direction in the schools is an established fact. The Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation, having undertaken to start a part-time school of engineering, appealed to Boston — 1915 to secure the co-opera- tion of business houses, manufacturing concerns, labor unions and public service bodies in carrying out their scheme. This the organization was able to do. The women employes of one of the large retail stores asked Boston — 1915 if it could not secure the reservation throughout the summer of seats on the Common for women during the midday hours. The Public Grounds Depart- ment responded immediately, and certain department stores co-operated in em- ploying a man to see that the benches were reserved. A series of schoolboy games was held through the vacation season. Alto- gether more than 1,700 boys took part; the final meet with 450 entries was one of the largest ever held in Boston, and outdoor entertainment was given to thousands of onlookers. Simple medals were awarded by Boston — 1915, which also paid the expense involved and se- cured the co-operation of thirty of the best physicians in the city as examining doctors. The arrangements and manage- ment of the games were put into the hands of the Playground Association, which carried them through with the co-operation of the School, Park and Public Grounds Departments. Other large projects already under way deeply affect the great problems of city development. One of these is to educate the people, and especially the youth, in what civic duty really means. To that end Boston — 1915 has offered medals for city progress, to be awarded for extraordinary service to the whole or to some section of the municipality. Organizations and so- cieties as well as individuals are eligible. Representative men and women are act- ing as judges, and many interesting suggestions for awards have been sent in. Mr. Pratt, the distinguished sculptor, is making the design for the medal. Another project already under way is for a "City Guard" of boys and girls who shall be military scouts for report- ing to the department or organization concerned all offences against good city housekeeping. In this connection there has been active since last summer a Boston — 1915 Saner Fourth Committee, which is distributing impressive statistics upon the loss of life and limb through dangerous explosives. This committee has a staff of young surgeons speaking THE GENESIS OF BOSTON-1915 to parents, teachers and children, and is actively planning proper substitutes for the present barbarous methods of celebrating the national holidays. Fundamental to all city development is the question of housing, and the Housing Committee of Boston — 1915 has been carrying on for many months an investigation into present conditions of congestion, and into possible means of remedy. This is a problem to which Boston — 1915 will be called upon to devote immediate, serious and con- certed effort. A complete resume of this report is given on another page. In co-operation with the Chamber of Commerce, the United Improvement Association, the Boston Home and School Association, and other existing effective agencies, Boston — 1915 is active in pro- moting the development of municipal research, the establishing of educational centers, the proper disposal of city wastes, education in hygiene and in the prevention of unnecessary disease and defect, the broadening of aesthetic influences, an understanding of co-opera- tion and the widespread development of a sound civic spirit. To carry forward these co-operative plans already under way, and to promote many others it was essential, of course, to place Boston — 1915 as early as pos- sible upon the broad representative basis originally planned. Therefore, as soon as the tremendous labor involved in carrying out the Exposition was over, the formation of the enlarged directorate was begun. The more than 1,600 agencies active in Boston were divided into groups according to their lines of special in- terest; conferences of these sections were called and every group, except the re- ligious, has elected a stipulated number of directors. In addition the share- holders of Boston — 1915 have chosen five directors to represent Boston, and five to represent the suburbs. Thus has been formed as the Board of Directors for Boston — 1915 a delegate body of men and women who from now on will manage the movement and guide its activities. Substantially all the group conferences, moreover, have permanently organized for co-operative action within their special spheres. Obviously, the problem of financing a great movement like this is serious. In the beginning the necessary funds were provided by those responsible for its inception. Later, voluntary con- tributions were received. And after some months a tentative canvass of certain parts of the city was made so that every one might have a share in the Boston — 1915 work. A plan for extending this canvass systematically and broadly will later be presented. There has never, perhaps, been any similar movement which has so at- tracted the attention of the country at large, and the idea of which has been so generally adopted as has Boston — 1915. It is at once the result and the inspira- tion of a great wave of civic awakening which is sweeping over the whole coun- try and which is destined to produce a profound effect upon the national life. THE DEMOCRACY OF BOSTON-1915 C. BERTRAND THOMPSON A number of interesting problems have confronted the committee appointed to develop a workable plan for Boston-1915, whereby the city's 1,645 organizations might have an effective and controlling voice in the direction of the movement. The general aim was to organize on the mass meeting plan so far as pos- sible, but it was obviously impracticable to call a mass meeting of all the organ- izations interested at one time or place, so they had to be grouped in some workable classification. After weeks of study, modification and compromise the following grouping was effected, which can hardly claim to be logical but which has the far greater advantage of being practical and comprehensive: 1. Business organizations. 2. Charities and correction. 3. Education. 4. Health. 5. Labor organizations. 6. Neighborhood work. 7. Rehgious organizations. 8. Fine and industrial arts. 9. Civic organizations. 10. City planning and housing. 11. Co-operative associations. 12. Women's clubs. 13. Organizations working with youth. The object of this grouping was to provide a convenient means for the election of the governing body of Boston- 1915, by the organizations working in any way for the betterment of the city. An interesting question arose as to the apportionment of these representatives between the groups. Six or seven dif- ferent plans were tried and finally the committee agreed upon a division of the groups into two classes, distinguish- able, roughly, as the larger and the smaller groups. Six directors were given to each of the larger groups, and three to the smaller, thus providing for a Board of Directors which should be widely rep- resentative of all the city's interests, and should include many of the most efficient men and women engaged in active work for the city. In order to maintain the continuity of the movement it was thought best that the present fifteen directors should remain on the new board as charter directors. Also it was found essential to secure for the contributing members of Boston-1915, the shareholders, a direct representation on the board; and so pro- vision was made for ten more directors to be elected by them. As these contributing members are widely distributed through the city of Boston and the whole metro- politan district, the selection of their directors was made to conform to the natural geographical division — five from different parts of the city, and five from the metropolitan area. This makes a total of eighty-five for the new Board of Directors. The actual working out of the plan has developed an extremely interesting social movement. The first group to be gathered together was the labor organiza- tions. These, after full and free discus- sion, decided to have their six directors elected not by the conference of delegates from the labor organizations, but by the Central Labor Union, the Building Trades Council, the Knights of Labor, and the Railroad Brotherhoods. The other groups held conferences beginning on February 21 and ending with the contributing members' meeting on March 17. All of the conference groups not only elected their directors but formed 8 THE DEMOCRACY OF BOSTON-1915 permanent organizations. In that short interval of less than a month, eleven conferences were organized, including representatives from 880 out of a possible 1,100 organizations. Heretofore, when a single group like the workers with boys, or settlement workers, or improve- ment associations, has drawn together fifteen or twenty representatives to form a permanent body, the fact has been heralded as a significant forward step. Imagine, then, the meaning of a process which has resulted in the organization in less than a month of eleven confer- ences representing 880 active institutions. As the result of this work, Boston now has organizations for permanent and effective activity, supported by its workers in education, health, charities and correction, city planning and hous- ing, etc. The Federated Women's Clubs in and about Boston have organized practically a sub-federation to lay special emphasis on the civic possibilities of their work in the city. The business organizations also have combined to give definite expression of their civic in- terest, and the many workers with boys and young men, and with girls and young women, have combined their forces in recognition of the fact that their problems are of such a nature that they cannot be handled separately. The artistic, musical, dramatic, and literary societies of the town, which have general- ly felt that their work was, in its nature, separate and individual, have realized their social and co-operative possibilities and have combined to advise ways and means to extend the highest culture in the broadest and most democratic way. The action of the labor unions is also of great significance. Organized labor has, for years, been struggling for the betterment of social conditions, at the same time that it has-been working for higher wages. Efforts towards co-opera- tion with other bodies have not always been received in the most kindly way, and the result was the formation of an exclusive class consciousness which neces- sarily impaired the efficiency of the unions' social work and retarded the advent of the very improvements for which they were striving. From the beginning Boston-1915 has made every effort to check this tendency. Strong, representative labor men were on the original Board of Directors, and the new board has six more of the lead- ing officials of the Boston unions. Recog- nizing the essential unity of interest of all elements of the community, these men stand for the extension of the same co-operative spirit which was responsible for the organization of their own unions, and the organization of all forces working for civic betterment. The Board of Directors which has been gathered together from these confer- ences may, without exaggeration, be called the most remarkable body of public spirited and efficient citizens that has ever been organized in a single social movement in Boston. The list may be found in earlier pages of this magazine and is worth going over in detail, partly because it shows the wide variety of organizations in Boston, and partly on account of the insight it gives into the kind of men and women which Boston is fortunate enough to possess. It is expected that all of the confer- ences will get sufficiently under way this spring, to show tangible results in the summer or fall. The conferences of charities and correction, education, neighborhood work, fine and industrial arts, and youth organizations have made beginnings, either themselves, or through their executive committees. They are considering such subjects as the detailed plans for the saner celebration of the Fourth of Jul}^ the possibilities of an exhibit of fine and industrial arts during 10 NEW BOSTON the summer at the old x\rt Museum, and the organization of a co-operative store in Brockton. Committees have l)een ap- pointed to consider the education of immigrants in Boston schools, and also to investigate the location and construc- tion of schoolhouses with reference to their more extended use. The Health Conference was represented by Prof. Rosenau, at the hearing at the City Hall, on the disposal of garbage and refuse. In the Civic Conference began the move- ment as the result of which the valuable collection of statistical material, which has been reposing in oblivion at the Public Library, may be brought up to date and made available to all social workers in Boston. A committee will be appointed to ascertain whether the powers of the Boston iVrt Commission are as extensive as they should be to protect the city's aesthetic interests. The Conferences of Charities and Cor- rection, Education, Health, and Neigh- borhood Work are preparing for meetings this spring for a general survey of the needs of Boston in various fields, to be addressed by Robert A. Woods, Charles W. Birtwell, Dr. Charles W. Eliot, James P. Munroe, Dr. Richard C. Cabot, Miss Ellen W. Coolidge and others. Out of these co-ordinated studies, there must, sooner or later, evolve a unified view of the city and its needs such as has not heretofore been possible. Only through such correlated confer- ences as Boston-1915 is now organizing and holding is it possible to consider all sides of the question in their relative importance. This possibility is one of the unique contributions which Boston- 1915 is making to social progress. BOSTON'S HOUSING PROBLEM The report of the Boston-1915 Com- mittee on Housing has already received considerable publicity from the newspapers of Boston. It was quite natural that the local press should "play up" the distressing features that were laid bare by the investigations in the North and West Ends — conditions which demand radical remedy — and not dwell upon the broader question as it affects, or soon will affect, the whole ]\Ietropolitan Dis- trict. In connection with the recent publication of Lawrence Veiller's book. The Housing Problem, there has ap- peared a "going, going, gone" adver- tisement — the two "goings" being ap- plied to the festering housing questions of the town and small city, and the "gone" to the incurable tenements that follow the city's unguided growth. The tenement sections of Boston's North and West Ends have about reached the "gone" stage, and to use the committee's own words "a gradual moving-out process" is necessary, fol- lowed by better housing under natural and acceptable conditions. However, unless careful inspection is extended beyond the city proper — 77,500 persons who do their business or earn their wages in Boston do not sleep there — the committee feels that "we should, in fact, merely be drawing a dead line around our city without reaching the evils with which we seek to deal; we should be driving the disease from which we now suffer out among our neighbors, instead of putting an end to it. Such a course would cost us heavily, and would do no good." AIRSIIAFT ADJOINING i7 CROSS STREET 12 NEW BOSTON No building law, no health or sani- tary regulation which does not take in the entire Metropolitan District can in the long run be effective, and in order to break down any possible "dead line of good housing" the committee feels that new legislation is needed that will empower some body to act through local authorities by means "of supervisory powers and co-ordinate authority in case the local authority were remiss, such as is given to the State Board of Health in other matters. In the pres- ent emergency, however, and until such conditions as now exist can be altered substantially, we believe that little can be accomplished in the district at large except through a strong body acting directly and with power of putting con- gested points under a special system of inspection. Such a body must be given power directly or through local authority, first, to stop the spread of congestion, and then to put an end to it where it now exists, by inaugurating a gradual moving-out process, while new housing is provided for those so moved, under natural and acceptable conditions." This "gradual moving-out process" will necessarily work hardship on the land-owners in the North and West Ends. Some of these are immigrants who have acted on the sound policy of investing their money in real estate and accepted conditions as they found them. If the population in these wards is rapidly reduced, the investments of these persons will be swept away, and in such an event "the community which has for years allowed such conditions to exist has a moral obligation not to throw upon these persons the whole burden of changes which must be made. We do not intend to suggest that this con- stitutes a valid excuse for allowing such conditions to continue — for it does not. But in any measures which are taken to remedy this evil, involving the trans- ALLEY OFF 95 PRINCE STREET BOSTON'S HOUSING PROBLEM 13 fer of values from one district to another, the rights of these persons should be considered and the community should see that no injustice is done because of its failure to do its duty at the proper time." "Illegitimate congestion" is the phrase that the committee uses in considering the reasons for the steady rise in land values in the North and West Ends. That is to say, while congestion and land values have been increasing in Wards 6 and 8, values in South Boston and Charlestown have steadily declined, in spite of the fact that from the manufacturers' view- point property in the latter sections is as valuable as in the former. The com- mittee thinks that "this is perfectly natural, for it is a matter of commom knowledge in this and in other com- munities that congested districts furnish the conditions under which labor of A CHILDREN'S " PLAYGROUND " OFF NORTH STREET A NAMELESS ALLEY OFF CROSS STREET CKl^LAR OF 12 GRAY STREUT, CHARI^KSTOWN this class is cheapest and most plentiful. In fact, it has been given as the reason of some manufacturers for moving into congested districts that it is cheaper to burn men and women than coal. In this way, illegitimate congestion — that is, occupancy beyond what reason- able regulations would permit, tips the KITCHEN IN THIRD FLOOR APARTMENT AT 20 MORTON STREET No provisions for light or air. Window opens on adjoining room. Notice light burning at midday. ENTRANCE TO 16 MORTON STREET This condition existed in August, 1909, while the housing investigation was on. The stairway is used by five familiis. scale in favor of those districts, and Wards 6 and 8 are attracting business at the expense of their neighbors. When manu- facturers move into these wards, this naturally has the effect of increasing land values, which results in increasing rents, which in turn can best be paid by in- creasing congestion. Thus the condi- tion aggravates itself. "Looked at from another side, the situation is this: The average rent per room per week in these congested dis- tricts seems to be approximately ninety cents, while the average rent per capita is about sixty cents, the average number of persons per room being about 1.5. In the uncongested districts that we have studied, where the same class of people are housed, the rent per room has come down to sixty cents, at which price further building for legitimate use is unprofitable." As far as congestion of people within the buildings goes, the committee be- lieves that the law as it now stands vests sufficient power in the local Health Department to deal with the problem. A vigorous public opinion is needed, however, and in order to assist in clearing up the local situation, Boston-1915 will, 16 NEW BOSTON at the suggestion of the Housing Com- mittee, organize a bureau whose duty it shall be to investigate housing com- plaints registered from any portion of the city. This bureau will give op- portunity to the Associated Charities, Nurses' Associations, settlements and kindred social organizations to follow up complaints which, if warranted, will be laid before the proper departments and pushed through, if possible. The report of H. K. Estabrook, who made the detailed investigation of four blocks in the North and West Ends, is much too long for reprint here. Quota- tions are published in later pages of this magazine. The report is being published in pamphlet form, however, and may be obtained at cost price, ten cents, from Boston-1915. Below we reprint that section of the housing committee report which summarizes Mr. Estabrook's find- ings. "The districts in Wards 6 and 8, which can be strictly called tenement districts, cover an area, including streets, of about 103 acres. This area, according to the Massachusetts Census of 1905, had a population of approximately 44,000 peo- ple. In other words, on a piece of land which would be thought small for a single country place w^e find the popu- lation of a good-sized city. The in- vestigations which we have made in- i . M i- f'^t .-:| CLEVEIyAND PLACE 'A foot-hill of the gas-tank" CELLAR WATER-CLOSET IN CELLAR OF 10 GRAY STREET, CHARLESTOWN Used by three families BOSTON'S HOUSING PROBLEM 17 A FILTHY, MUCH USED PASSAGEWAY RUNNING AIvONG REAR OF HALE STREET HOUSES dicate that more than 20,000 of these people live under conditions where they have in bedrooms less than 400 cubic feet of air per capita. That is to say, these 20,000 people are actually living be- low the lowest standard fixed as the minimum by any city, in the United States or Europe, which has undertaken to establish a minimum, so far as we know. We believe the above to be a fair statement of the conditions of conges- tion of people within the buildings. "As to the conditions of congestion of buildings on the land our figures indicate that more than 80 per cent of the land, exclusive of streets, is covered by build- ings, while many of the streets are very narrow, and on the average about 16 per cent of the rooms are dark. "In the matter of sanitary arrange- ments and facilities for washing, we find that there is an average of only one faucet to each family of five persons, and only one water-closet to every eight persons, and a large number of these water-closets are dark and filthy. "A condition of affairs where 20,000 people have less than 400 cubic feet^of air space for sleeping purposes, and where REAR OF 93 PRI.N'CE STREET Every room in this house is occupied 18 NEW BOSTON proper living conditions are impossible, speaks for itself. Its full evil effects, social and physical, are not susceptible of demonstration in figures, though they show plainly enough in the death rate of infants. Moreover, the effects of this condition, in swelling the rolls of hospitals, almshouses and insane asylums, are increasing our annual totals of ex- pense, for state and city; but here also the causes of this expense do not show in the figures." The committee which supervised this painstaking investigation is composed of Philip Cabot, chairman, E. T. Hart- man, Secretary, and Meyer Bloomfield, Matthew Hale, Charles Logue, J. R. Cool- idge, Jr., Richards M. Bradley, W. H. Manning, Henry G. Dunderdale, William D. Austin and Joseph Lee. FROM THE ESTABROOK REPORT BOSTON AS AN IMMIGRANT PORT As Boston is next to New York the largest im- migration port, probably more immigrants settle in the North and West Ends than in any other community except New York. At any rate, the percentage of foreign-born in these districts in- creased from 55 in 1900 to 59 in 1905; and thus their population then increased, and is probably now increased even more through the coming of immigrants than through the very high birth rate. For housing this increase, the West End, and yet more the North End, have a constantly de- creasing area. Lots, and some whole blocks, on which few years ago lived hundreds of persons, are now devoted entirely to business. 427 PERSONS TO THE ACRE In the North End in 1905, 22,779 persons, or 76% of total population of Ward 6, lived on the forty-three blocks bounded by Endicott, Thacher, Washington Street North, Causeway, Prince, Snowhill, Charter, Jackson Ave., Com- mercial, North and Cross streets. These blocks and one-half their bounding streets have an area of 57.2 acres; and the density of population is 398 persons per acre. Similarly, in the W'est End, 21,222 persons, 69% of the population of Ward 8, lived on the thirty-nine blocks bounded by Merrimac, Pitts, (Jrcen, Chambers, Allen, Charles, Leverett, Brighton, Lowell, Minot, Nashua and Causeway streets; with one-half their bounding streets, an area of 45.9 acres, and a density of 462 persons per acre. Thus, the tenement districts of the North and West Ends, with a population in 1905 of 44,001, on 103.1 acres, had a density of population of 427 persons per acre. CONGESTION SURPASSES CHICAGO The tenement districts of the North and West Ends are said to be, and probably are, more densely populated than any other American city or district — except in New York. The Chicago "tenement house population is oppressively dense," those working to improve conditions have said; but the three districts there, with a little greater popula- tion than the North and West Ends tenement districts, have 206.2 persons per acre; and the most crowded district, 265.8. CROWDING IN NEW YORK AND CHICAGO How do these Boston districts really compare with New York, where, for "the Lower East Side, whose congestion is infamously the worst in the world," the maximum density in 1905 is given as 575.5 persons per acre.'' Of New York assembly districts, only eight, all but one of them on the lower East Side, had over 407 persons per acre, and only one not on the lower East Side over 370. Even if these New York densities are accurate — and they are apparent- ly too great because the total population outside institutions is divided by the "acreage of the blocks having residence population" — the average density in our North and West End tenement districts is considerably greater than that of any district but one beyond the lower East Side, and it is 74% as great as on the lower East Side. The chief dif- ference is that New York's densely populated district is several times as extensive as Boston's. BOSTON'S MOST CROWDED BLOCK Block No. 33, boimded by Prince, Thacher, North Margin streets and Lafayette Avenue, was — so far as known — the most densely populated block in Boston; it had 956 residents on .84 of an acre. FROM THE ESTABROOK REPORT 19 They lived in houses averaging three and two-thirds stories high — viz., 310 persons per acre per story. New York's most crowded block had 1,672 per acre in houses averaging five and one-half stories, or 304 per acre per story. The 956 persons on this North End block lived in 403 rooms — according to a careful count, — an average of 2.37 persons per room, including all but halls, bathrooms and closets, and supposing all rooms on the block occupied. New York, for a considerable number of rooms, has found at the most 1.78 persons per room. Thus, the crowding on this block was 33% greater than in New York. The conditions on this block may be extreme. In our North and West Ends and South Cove in 1908 the Immigration Commission found an aver- age of 144 persons per hundred rooms occupied, as compared with 139 in New York's immigrant districts, and from 115 to 141 in five other large cities. TYPICAL BLOCKS STUDIED The four blocks for detailed study are not the best or the worst to be found, — not the most crowded or the least crowded. After consulting many who know the districts well, and seeing something of nearly all the 80-90 blocks of the North and West End tenement districts, I believe these four blocks are typical of all. As live nearly 2,400 persons on these four blocks, so live the 44,000 or more inhabitants of the North and West End tenement districts. The four blocks studied were: — 1st, that bounded by Salem, Stillman, Morton and Endicott streets, whose residents are one-half Poles and one-half chiefly Russian Jews and some Italians; 2nd, the block bounded by Prince, Snowhill, Cleveland Place and Margaret street, whose residents are two-thirds Italians and one-third Jews; 3rd, the block bounded by Pitts, South Margin, Hale and Green streets, with about an equal number of Jews and Italians; and 4th, the block bounded by Poplar, Brighton, Milton and Spring streets, nearly all whose residents are Jews. The study of each block shows to greater or less extent: 1st, crowd- ing of the houses on the land; 2nd, to a limited degree, crowding of too many families in the houses, and far more, the crowding of too many persons within the apartments. CONDITIONS IN THE HOUSES The water-closets and the halls are darker than the living-rooms. In one-third of the houses on the fourth block, and in from 40% to 73% of the houses on the other three blocks, the halls and the stairways were dark, dirty or filthy, and inade- quately ventilated; and in from 52% to 91.3% of the houses on each block, they were less than three feet wide, the minimum allowed by the present Boston building law. Of the water-closets, on each block 48% to 65% are dark— 58% to 67.5% inadequately ventilated, — and 60% to 77% dirty or filthy; on the first block, 23.2% of all the water-closets were filthy when inspected. Living in a cellar or basement is probably bad even where light, ventilation and sim are plenti- ful. How much worse is it for the five families on the second block who live entirely in cellars or basements! IN THE BEDROOMS The Immigration Commission in its recent investigation found an average of 232 persons per hundred sleeping rooms in the immigrant districts of the seven large cities studied. In- cluding kitchens, and even a bathroom, used as bedrooms — as perhaps the commission did not do — we found on the fourth block 209 persons per hundred bedrooms; on the third block 236; on the first block 241; and on the second block 261, or twenty-nine more than the average in the seven cities; on the five blocks together, we found 2,126 persons in 891 bedrooms, an average of 239 per hundred bedrooms. Thus, the North and West End tenement districts are considerably more congested than the immigrant districts of the other large cities. Bedrooms are occupied day and night by two sets of sleepers on each block; one by three persons on the fourth block; two by six persons on the second block; four by ten persons on the third block; and twelve by thirty-three persons on the first block — here, as usual, the worst. In one three-room apartment on the top floor on Still- man street, one room is occupied by three men, the one bed in the other bedroom by a young man during the day and by two young women at night, and in the kitchen a woman sleeps during the day and the mother and two children at night. CONGESTION IN WARDS 6 AND 8 The density of population, for whole wards, is greatest in Ward 8 — 192 persons per acre. In Ward 6, it is 106 per acre. But, as only part of Ward 8 is devoted to housing, and Ward 6 includes much of the business district, these statistics give no idea of real conditions. For whole wards, the average persons per dwelling shows congestion best. In 1907, it was 20.7 in Ward 6, and 16.6 in Ward 8, and in no other ward over 13.4, or two- 20 NEW BOSTON thirds as many as in Ward 6; in fifteen wards it was between 5.5 and 10. BUILDINGS CROWDED ON LAND From 82% to 85% of the entire area of each of the four blocks is covered by buildings. On most corners of two blocks are five or six story business buildings, shutting out much light and air from nearby houses. The houses themselves cover on the average on each block from 81% to 88% of their lots. Though in most cities, including New York, the law allows no new tenement house to occupy more than 90% of even a corner lot, or more than 70% and sometimes 65% of an interior lot, — a large majority of the houses on each side of these Boston blocks cover over 80% of their lots, and most of the others between 70% and 80%. On the second block, only four cover less than 80%, and 48% of all over 90% of their lots. Here, and on each of the first and third blocks, four houses cover their entire lots, and few of these twelve houses are corner houses. DARK ROOMS AND HALLWAYS The crowding of the houses on the land results in many dark rooms. From 13.7% to 18.5% of all rooms on each block are dark; and there are one or more dark rooms in 34% of the apartments on the first block, and in 40% to 47.5% of the apart- ments on the other three blocks. From 14.7% to 22% of all rooms on each block are inadequately ventilated, usually because windows open on a yard or alley under ten feet wide, or because they have no outside window. The water-closets and the halls are darker than the living-rooms. In one-third of the houses on the fourth block, and in from 40% to 73% of the houses on the other three blocks, the halls and the stairways were dark, dirty or filthy, and inadequately ventilated; and in from 52% to 91.3% of the houses on each block, they were less than three feet wide, the minimum allowed by the present Boston building law. Of the water-closets, on each block 48% to 65% are dark— 58% to 67.5% inadequately ventilated, — and 60% to 77% dirty or filthy; on the first block, 23.2% of all the water- closets were filthy when inspected. Living in a cellar or basement is probably bad even where light, ventilation and sun are plenti- ful. How much worse is it for the five families on the second block who live entirely in cellars or basements! MORTALITY RATES Statistics of disease and death in the North and West Ends show, to a very limited extent. the bad results of congestion.* Statistics are not yet available which give any definite idea of the cost of congestion in efficiency and life. For numerous reasons, morbidity — and mortal- ity — rates should be low in the North and West Ends: I — A large majority of the adults are re- cent immigrants, nearly all young, and — on arrival to this country — healthy, strong, and as a rule temperate. II — After few years here, many families move to less congested districts; III — Al- most all the babies are breast-fed — and breast-fed babies of strong temperate parents withstand much that would kill artificially fed or poorly cared-for children of weaker or intemperate parents. IV — About half the total population are Jews who are particularly able to resist disease; and (V) most of the other half are Italians and eastern Europeans who often return to their native lands when ill. But, in spite of all these reasons, the death-rate is considerably higher in the North and West Ends than elsewhere. Here, breast-fed babies die — - three hundred each year — in as large a proportion as the babies of other districts, many of whom are not breast-fed; here, strong young men and women sicken and die faster than the weaker and older men and women of other districts; — because of ignorance, poverty, and — not the least important — congestion. CRIME AND CONGESTION Whether there are any accurate statistics of wrong-doing in congested districts, I do not know. Here, I try to show only the conditions under which thousands of men, women and children live — or exist — in North and West End tenements. The rooms are sometimes cold, sometimes hot, but always close; in the only sitting room are washtubs and much clothing, and sometimes a bed and a cradle; food on the stove, and dishes on the table; the baby crying, other children squabbling, and the mother scolding, for everyone is tired. At bedtime, not only whole families — of all ages and both sexes, and well and ill — but often also unre- lated, unmarried lodgers, between eighteen and thirty-five years old, and of both sexes, — crowd into apartments of two, three and four rooms; for all six or ten of them the only chance to bathe, in most apartments, is at the kitchen sink; often, the only way for those of one sex to enter their bedrooms is through one or two bedrooms occupied by the other sex, and sometimes between the bedrooms there is no door or only half a partition. *The general death rate in these districts, Wards 6 and 8, was 20.4 per 1,000 in 1900, and 17.7 in 1905, the last years for which the population is known, while in the suburban wards — 16, 20, 24, 23 and 25 — Dorchester, West Roxbury and Brighton, it was only 14.5 in 1900, and 13.3 in 1905. Registry Department Report for 1900, p. 5, and Report for 1907, pp. 249-287. .,: -'^'f-''^ JWlC«lS>fN-Tll(HintlT-l THE BOYS' GAMES OF 1909 FRANK S. MASON Chairman Boys' Games Committee In May, 1909, by a pledge of $2,000 for two years, there was made possible a great work for the boys of Boston — a work which 1915 undertook as its first specific task in this field. At a dinner at the City Club, it was voted that the first summer's endeavors should be in the way of organized games, field and track sports. A Boston-1915 Boys' Games Com- mittee of seventeen was organized, and it was decided that the actual working out of the games should be placed in the hands of the Boston School Play- ground Association, with the under- standing that it should change its name to the Boston Playground Association. An early meeting of that association was called and reorganization effected which replaced some ten or twelve teachers that were on the old board with an equiv- alent number of representatives of the Boys' Games Committee. Upon request of the Executive Com- mittee of Boston 1915, Dr. Thomas F. Harrington, president of the Playground Association, submitted a plan for the simimer work, which was approved and endorsed by the Executive Committee. This plan comprised a series of twenty- one meets — twenty district meets and one final meet in which all the winners of the district meets should come to- gether for competition. At the outset the Playground Association was handi- capped by lack of necessary co-operation from the city departments, and as late as July 1 no decision had been reached regarding what playgrounds could be used or whether or not it would be pos- sible to carry on any water sports. Meanwhile, arrangements had been made for registration centers in Charles- town, East Boston, North End, West End, the city proper, two in Roxbury, two in West Roxbury, Dorchester, Ros- lindale, Jamaica Plain, Brighton and South Boston. The settlement houses and branch libraries were important factors in eft'ectively covering the ground. In connection with these centers, a supervisory committee of three persons interested in boys was appointed, and a committee of fifteen boys in each 21 PARTICIPANTS IN THE FINAL MEET .^L^ifiS^IBb^ lA^ira ^.^^ mTw^^^^M .. ./. 24 NEW BOSTON district was organized to work under the supervisory committee. The duties of the boys' committee consisted of bringing about registration, informing other boys of the district about the games, and organizing a nucleus for fair sport and proper registration. To each district was also apportioned two physicians who gave their services. Their duties were to make proper physical examina- tion and certify the applications so that there might be no one unfit physically to take part in the contests. Inasmuch as the first events were scheduled to take place July 10, the Boys' Games Committee made strenu- ous efforts to get the Park Department, the School Department and the Bath Department together on the matter of grounds. As soon as the Park Depart- ment realized fully the importance of the program it had a representative go over the playgrounds with a delegate from the School Department and de- cision was very soon reached. Ten playgrounds were allotted for the sports. The final meet was held at Wood Island Park, September 4, and over 600 boys competed before some 5,000 spectators. No decision was reached by the Bath Department until the latter part of July, so the four meets for water sports were held in August, the last in con- nection with the annual water sports of the Volunteer Life Saving Corps. Every meet was held during the summer as scheduled, and all the events as planned by Dr. Harrington were carried out. The police and grounds arrangements were in most cases excellent. As the playgrounds instructors who had charge of the meets became familiar with the conditions in the respective neighbor- hoods, the events were run ofi' with a smoothness that was almost i:)ro- fessional. The registration, while not so large as the committee had hojied, was very effective in preventing dupli- cation of entries at meets and in hold- ing boys to their districts. No acci- dents occurred at any of the meets, and thanks to the examinations, not one case of physical weakness developed. The awarding of prizes was remark- ably free from any expressions of dis- satisfaction on the part of the boys. In each of the twenty-one events which constituted a meet, four prizes were awarded, the senior events having as prizes shield-shaped emblems in gold and silver plate and solid bronze. The fourth prize was an attractive ribbon. The junior prizes were of the same metals, octagonal shape. At the final meet the prizes were gold, silver and gun metal watches, with silver cups for the winners of the relay races. In all 1,485 prizes were distributed. The complete registration was 2,735, the attendance at the games, 51,500, and the total expenditure, $1,956. The interest of the residents of the districts where meets were held was strongly developed from the start and grew as the meets progressed. There were only one or two instances where less than a thousand spectators were present, and at many of the district meets as many as three thousand were in attendance. The lessons taught by the meets were many and varied. It was demonstrated that such contests are athletic rather than social. The function of the set- tlement, the library, the club and the school was to interest the boy in en- rolling and in bringing home to him the worth of competition as demon- strating his athletic training; and so far as these organizations contributed, the work was of a social nature, but it was soon shown that they had very little influence in inducing boys to com- pete who were not athletically inclined. It was expected by the Boys' Games Committee that the large number of THE BOYS' GAMES OF 1909 2-"i prizes offered and the plan of holding meets in so many different districts, would bring- out a large number of boys with athletic ambitions, but without any great previous training. The idea was not to produce star athletes, but to bring out the qualities in each individual which would make him stronger physically and morally. The meets did, however, bring out many boys of considerable athletic attainment, and the presence of the instructors on the grounds led them to train under conditions that were strictly amateur, rather than to go to hotels and summer resorts where they would undoubtedly have played and competed under semi- . professional conditions. Another feature that was made clear was that the whole playground situa- tion involves at least three or four de- partments of the city of Boston, and that up to the time of these games there was a great lack of co-operation. Each department held itself responsible only for that part of the playground work which was directly under it and showed great disinclination to do anything that would aid any of the other inter-dependent departments. This may have been be- cause of a lack of understanding of the situation brought about by the short time within which the plan was projected and evolved, but to the committee it seemed as if the hesitancy of one department to co-operate with another was the result of methods of administration rather than of individual bias. It has been found that the co-operation of all athletic clubs and associations should be sought and fostered not only for the assistance that they can give, but because the char- acter of the work done at these meets is an incentive to a higher grade of morality in ath'etlcs. The care taken by the Boston Play- ground Association in protecting the amateur standing o contestants through the New England Association of the Amateur Athletic League has been many times highly commended by athletes and by the boys themselves when they came to understand what it meant to them in their future careers. The meets were of great importance to organiza- tions working with boys through the summer, for this is a trying period for all who have at heart the welfare of the city boy. It is the testimony of settle- ments, boys' clubs and parents that many boys were kept out of mischief and temptation, not only during the time spent at the meets and in training, but through the interest aroused in holding such a series of games. Thou- sands of boys who did not compete talked about the meets for weeks, and followed the records of those whom they knew. The committee not only believes that what was gained last summer should be conserved by the repetition of the games during the coming summer, but it also believes that a much more ex- tensive work should develop. There is no reason why, with proper support all the year round, effective work should not be done. Winter sports lend them- selves very strongly to the interest of boys, and with thorough co-operation of all existing agencies a mighty force can be put in motion to upbuild the physical and moral strength of the youth of Boston. ■PIIE CORN FLEET The Springfield Idea for Independence Day WILLIAM ORR After seven years' experience and ex- periment, Springfield has established certain aims and methods for the cele- bration of July Fourth that are attracting widespread attention, and stinuilating many other cities to follow the example of this New England community. In a wholesome reaction from the sense- less din and uproar, the barbarism of high power explosives and blank car- tridges, representative men of the com- munity organized, in 1903, an Inde- pendence Day Association to devise, plan, and execute a program of whole- some, enjoyable and suitable entertain- ment for young and old. The intent of this committee, since its inception, has been so to occupy the minds of the people, particularly the boys, that little time shall be left for the current abuses of the day, and, by a constructive policy, to create a desire for a worthy celebration. One test of the association's standing is the ease with which $3,000 is raised yearly by popular subscription; and the entire willingness of the city government to makeja grant of $500, further attests the recognition of the organization liy the people. While the membership is open to any citizen, the work is done through an executive board, made up of the chairmen of the several committees, and repre- sentatives from each ward, and from the city government, including the mayor. Among the committees are the following: finance, illuminations, fireworks, music, choral singing, athletic sports, literary exercises, children's games, water sports, pageants, civic and military parade. An outline of the day's program will make clear the function of each of these committees. The opening feature is a parade, usually at nine in the morning. Sometimes this is preceded at seven })y a procession of "antiques and horribles." At the close of the parade, literary exer- cises are held at Court Square, the civic center, together with choral singing. Band concerts arc also given at different points of vantage throughout the city. Last year a ninnber of pageants, illus- trating incidents in local history, were presented where the original events oc- THE SPRINGFIELD IDEA FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY 1/ curred. In 1908 a balloon ascension took place at the close of the literary exercises. The noon hour was devoted to family picnics at Forest Park. A band was assigned for this locality. Then came athletic sports for boys and young men and games for the children. At the same time water sports, including canoe, motor boat, and rowing contests, together with swimming matches and diving ex- hibitions were in progress on the Con- necticut River, at Pecousic. In the evening there was a general illumina- tion of Court Square, with fireworks, under the control of the Independence Day Association, while neighborhood celebrations of the same nature were given at three or four local centers. Some description in detail will help to make the Springfield policy and method clearer. The parade of 1908 contained three especially significant features. A boys' batallion, one thousand strong, known as the Independence Day Volun- teers, constituted an excellent way with which to satisfy the boy's desire for ex- citement, and to divert his attention from the blank cartridge and the cannon cracker. Next in order came a series of floats, made up by grammar school children, and illustrating such scenes as Washington crossing the Delaware, the signing of the Declaration of Independ- ence, and Puritan maidens. Most sig- nificant of all, was the third feature — the parade of nations, in which thirteen dif- ferent nationalities, represented in the population of Springfield, took part. Each race made up a float based on some event in its history. The enthusiasm, ingenuity, industry and good taste shown in this portion of the procession won high commendation. The Viking ship, with Leif Ericsson, true in historical detail, was the contribution of the Swedes. The English represented Magna Charta. The Scots showed Queen Mary in her court, with attendant maidens, high- landers and pipers. The Irish took as their theme Columbkille, pleading for the bards before the monarch of all Ireland. A thoroughly typical float was that of the Italians — a symbolic presen- tation of the greatness of Italy, with im- personations of Marconi, Verdi, Galileo and Columbus. Negro veterans of the Civil War showed the assault on Battery Wagner. These illustrations will serve to show in some measure the richness and variety of this pageant. A large part of the value gained from this feature of the July Fourth celebration has been an increased interest on the part of the new elements of the city's population in civic affairs. Last year the chief parade represented the principal industries and business activities of the city. Manufacturers, merchants, trades unions and employers of labor joined heartily in this enterprise. The result of these united efforts was a line of march three miles long. Many of the floats were of notable beauty. Others were of great educational value, as they showed the evolution of special trades, and the application of science to industry. Another means of interesting immi- grants was tried last year with great success, at a public meeting held on Sunday evening, the day before the celebration. Special efforts were made to secure the presence of representa- tives of the foreign-born elements of Springfield. Blocks of fifty to one hun- dred tickets were distributed among the leaders of Armenians, Germans, Hebrews, Russians, Italians, and other people, and these men were asked to see that the tickets were so distributed as to make sure of a good attendance from their followers. The result was a gather- ing, probably as cosmopolitan as any ever assembled in Springfield. The audience followed with rapt attention the national music rendered bv a large orchestra, the THERE IT GOES' THE LANDING OF THE CORN FLEET THE SPRINGFIELD IDEA FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY 29 foik songs and lyrics, given by a chorus of two hundred voices, and a masterly oration by Hon. John D. Long on the Real Significance of the American Revo- lution. An interesting episode was the spontaneous expression of patriotism by the audience in rising when the orchestra, in its opening selection, played strains of the Star Spangled Banner. Another means of expressing senti- ment employed by the Springfield asso- ciation is choral singing in the open air. The arrangements are as follows: — A platform is erected to accommodate the director, a chorus of five or six hundred, and a large band to accompany the sing- ing. Pamphlets, containing words and music, are circulated amongst the people. The selections are patriotic songs of this and other lands, and hymns of universal appeal. It has been found desirable to ask churches, schools, and fraternal orders to familiarize themselves with the selec- tions. Entirely satisfactory results have been obtained. Each year, Springfield, through her Independence Day Association, has been able to perfect the program for July Fourth, to vary the nature of the events, and to enlist new elements of her popu- lation in the enterprise. Gradually, pub- lic opinion has been formed in opposition to the indiscriminate and careless use of fireworks and explosives, so that now sharply restrictive legislation has been enacted by the City Council, backed by popular sentiment. There is every reason to hope for a radical reform of the evils of the ordinary mode of celebration. But the Springfield idea has done more than lead to the elimination of abuses; it has had constructive value; commu- nity spirit has been strengthened; new elements have been brought into vital relation with civic activities; lessons of the broadest patriotism have been taught in most effective fashion, and pride in the city has been stimulated. People are learning how really to enjoy a holiday. Out of all this is coming a better, cleaner, more beautiful city, impenetrated with the true spirit of democracy and human- ity. Such are, indeed, the fitting fruits of Independence Day. 30 NEW BOSTON (Prepared under the Direction of the Boston — iQis Saner Fourth Committee) OUR ANNUAL SACRIFICE ...FACTS- LOSS of life from lockjaw from . 1903-1909, 6 years 901 cases Seventy-five per cent, resulted from blank cartridge wounds Loss of life from Other Fourth of July causes " 630 " Total, 1,531 Loss of sight from Fourth of July injuries, total, 115 cases " one eye " " " " " 518 " " legs, arms, or hands " " " " " 406 " " fingers, one or more " " " " " 1,427 " Other injuries " 30,606 " Total, non-fatal injuries " 33,073 " Total, dead or injured " 34,603 " Blank cartridges as causes of above injuries total, 6,374 cases Fire crackers " " " " " 10,781 " Cannon crackers " " " " " 2,880 " Firearms " " " " " 2,902 " Powder and fireworks " " " " " 10,540 " Number Reported Killed and Injured on Fourth of July in our Largest Cities In Three Years. 1907 1908 1909 Totals City. Killed. Injured. Killed. Injured Killed. Injured. Killed. Injured. New York 22 422 11 316 7 559 40 1,297 Chicago 16 151 12 202 - 118 28 471 Philadelphia, Pa. 7 248 6 426 9 508 22 1,182 Boston 3 59 6 190 5 167 14 416 Newark, N. J. 1 129 2 81 1 150 4 360 Kansas City, Mo. 1 46 - 55 4 67 5 168 Fall River - - - 12 - 19 - 31 Worcester, Mass. 16 2 20 1 42 4 68 Trenton, N. J. - 38 117 1 58 2 113 Lawrence, Mass. -11 1- 5 22 6 33 Manchester, N. H. - 3 - 1 1 5 1 9 A SANER FOURTH FOR BOSTON At the third annual congress of the tlie Fourth of July can be made "sane" Playground Association of America, held and at the same time successful. A in Pittsburg in May, 1900, reports from "sane fourth" became the reason for a nineteen cities and towns showed that special meeting at that congress, and A SANER FOURTH FOR BOSTON 31 CausesofDeathasidetromTetanus(lockiaw)in Five Years As Result of Patriotic (?) Celebrations. Gunshot. Fire from Fireworks. Powder Torpedoes, Etc. Giant Crackers. Ca nnon. Other Causes. Tota 37 23 6 5 7 17 95 38 18 18 3 3 3 83 20 31 13 13 3 22 102 30 22 19 23 7 7 108 17 37 16 7 7 6 90 Year. 1905 1905 1907 1908 1909 76 cases of lockjaw in United States in 1908. 150 cases of lockjaw in United States in 1909. Blank cartridges caused 130 out of 150 (86.5%) cases of lockjaw in United States, 1909. Out of 150 cases of lockjaw, 125 or 84% fatal. CAUSES OF TETANUS (Lockjaw) CASES Year. 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 Blank Cartridge. Giant Crackers. Cannon. Firearms. Powder, etc. Total 363 17 5 3 27 415 74 18 5 1 7 105 65 17 4 5 13 104 54 17 1 7 10 89 52 8 6 4 3 73 58 5 4 3 6 76 130 9 1 4 6 150 DISTRIBUTION OF NON-FATAL ACCIDENTS THIS YEAR New York 559 Philadelphia 508 Boston ...... 167 St. Louis 163 Newark . . . . . . 150 Chicago . . . . . . 118 New York City is SEVEN times the size of Boston and yet it has only THREE Times as many injuries. representatives of forty municipalities general interest aroused, there ought to came together to discuss rational methods of celebrating Independence Day. This year the idea has spread far be- yond the nineteen cities that reported be a big drop in the black death curve of "patriotism" which for years has been mounting up and up. In August, 1909, Boston-1915 ap- progress a year ago. In fact, from the pointed a Saner Fourth Committee, under 32 NEW BOSTON NOTABLE AHERICAN BATTLES For a REAL PATRIOTIC PURPOSE Year. Killed Injured Total Lexington . 1775 122 215 335 Bunker Hill 1775 341 1,133 1,474 Vorktown .... 1781 75 199 274 Chesapeake .and Shannon 1813 68 190 258 Alabama, Kearsarge . 1862 9 24 33 (Compare with these Results of So-called "Patriotism" for ONE Day) Year Killed Injured Total Fourth of July for U. S. A. . . 1909 47 1,575 1,622 INDEPENDENCE DAY TABLE FROM " SAFE AND SANE" CITIES 1909 1908 Cleveland, Fitchburg, Pawtucket, Washington, Milwaukee, Dead Hurt 3 22 Dead Hurt J2 25 10 3 27 1 67 Springfield, Before Modified plan 1892 25 Toledo, 1903 25 Saratoga, Totals, 1899 unobtainable 25 24 J 79 GREATER BOSTON'S HOLI- DAY VICTIMS IN SIX YEARS 1909 Killed . . July 4 4 June 1 7 Total 4 Injured . . 146 (26 272 1908 Killed . . 5 5 Injured . 117 93 210 1907 Killed . . 4 4 Injured . . 130 n 221 1906 Killed . . 1 1 Injured . 154 76 230 1905 Killed . . 2 2 Injured . . 125 64 189 1904 Killed . . Injured . . 178 450 628 Total 6 years Killed . . 16 16 Injured . 850 900 1750 Fires in Boston for the 24 hours of July 4, 1909, 43, occuring at the rate of one fire every 33 minutes: each fire caused an average loss of $141.49 and a total of over $6,100.00 In the United States the total damage caused by fires on July 4, 1909, as a result of so-called patriotic celebration was $446,500.00. the chairmanship of Dr. D. D. Scannell. The other members of that committee are : Frank S. Mason, Charles M. Cox, Phihp Davis, Mitchell Freiman and Herbert S. Underwood. The committee has been busy since its appointment, arousing public sentiment to the dangers of old- fashioned Fourths; and if personal work with parents and teachers and improve- ment associations — advising, warning and "scaring" — goes for anything, then Bos- ton's 1910 Fourth of July will be an all A SANER FOURTH FOR BOSTON 33 (B HE average firecracker fuse takes something less than ten seconds to burn. This varies very much, some burning very quickly and some very slowly. Now we should consider it a very narrow margin if we escaped being struck by a railroad train by ten seconds, but yet we are not alarmed when it comes to permitting our children to have voluntarily this escape hundreds of timesin one day by matching the speed of their arms and quickness of their eye against a ten second fire cracker fuse. ALL THESE FACTS AND STATISTICS ARE ABSOLUTE AND UNDENIABLE Are YOU willing to sacrifice YOUR cliild for a so-called patriotic method of celebration. Is this method of celebration really worth while? YOUR child may be the next!! Don't wait to become a reformer until YOUR child is blind or crippled or dead? What do YOU mean to do about it? round success — yes, even for the small boy. As a result of the committee's work, another committee of 150 has been appointed by Boston-1915, with Mayor Fitzgerald's approval, to co-operate with the city government in planning for a new sort of a celebration for next July. The municipality has set aside $10,000 for this purpose, and the citizens of Boston will in all probability be asked to contribute personally to the fund. On the morning of July 4, there will be a costume parade depicting his- torical events by means of floats, etc. While the energies of the larger boys are being used in the big parade, smaller pageants will be held in different parts of the city for smaller boys. At noon there will be the customary oration at Faneuil Hall, followed by a choral festival, probably on the Common. Athletic contests on a larger scale than usual will be held in the afternoon and in the evening it is hoped to trans- fer the usual fireworks display from the Common to the Charles River Basin. 34 NEW BOSTON The foundation work of the Saner Fourth Committee lay with the parents' associations. Every such organization in the city has been addressed either by Dr. Scannell or by one of the surgeons assisting him in this work. The dangers arising from the use of blank cartridges have been outlined, and the horrors of tetanus have been described in detail. Every parent was given a pam- phlet, entitled Our Annual Sacrifice. That pamphlet was prepared by Dr. Scannell and is reproduced in connec- tion with this article. In the same way the improvement associations and the men teachers were approached. On April 17th Dr. Scannell addressed the members of the Central Labor Union and on the first Monday in May the women school teachers of the city will hear a surgeon's argument for a rational celebration. This whole idea of gett ng at public sentiment has been worked out in a most thorough manner. Par- ents and teachers throughout the city have heard the story of "our annual sacrifice" and now the committee of 150 with its definite program for the new celebration can go ahead with every assurance of public backing. A SPEAKERS' BUREAU ON PUBLICITY Board of Trade, merchant's associa- tions, church clubs, improvement so- cieties, trade associations, advertising clubs and civic bodies of every sort, are invited to make use of the Speakers' Bureau of the Pilgrim Publicity Associa- tion which offers to send speakers to any organization wishing information about modern publicity methods, scien- tific advertising, or the development of plans for the advancement of any worthy interest. A list follows of members of the P. P. A. Speakers' Bureau, with the subjects on which they are prepared to give formal addresses. The committee in charge are George B. Gallup, chairman (address Hemenway Chambers, Boston); George W. Coleman and Charles E. Bellatty. A letter requesting a speaker, if sent to the chairman a few days in advance of the date of a meeting, will be sufficient. If the speaker desired cannot accept, another will be provided. Topics not assigned in the following list will be con- sidered, and if possible, a speaker secured who can discuss the subject adequately. No charge will be made except for actual expenses of the speaker. James T. Wetherald, Adequate Appropriations. Carroll J. Swan, Great New England Successes. J. D. Adams, Industrial Assets. George W. Coleman, Building the New Spirit. Egerton Chichester, Practical Persistency. Carroll Westall, Formulating Faith. S. R. Latshaw, Advertising Textiles. H. B. Humphrey, Uniting New England. J. W. Barber, Historical Climaxes. H. P. Dowst, Making Waste Places Bloom. George French, Advertising. Tilton S. Bell, Making Knockers Boosters. W. H. McLauthlin, Basing Campaigns on Facts. A. B. Harlow, Getting your Message to Millions. D. N. Graves, The Power of the Printed Word. E. J. Goulston, The Good of Good Advertising. George B. Gallup, The Model City. D. J. MacNichol, Digging Out the Proposition. James G. Berrien, Human Interest Copy. R. B. Kingman, The Aesthetics of Advertising. S. C. Stevens, Achievements of the West. A. W. Ellis, Getting Down to Bedrock. Howard Dickinson, Advertising as an Economic Factor. P. J. Evans, Opportunities for the Agriculturist. Perry Walton, Advertising Financial Institutions. Walter L. Weeden, Teaching Advertising to Trade Schools. M. V. Putnam, Developing Loyalty. Charles R. Woodward, Keeping the Veterans in Line. Charles E. Bellatty, Obtaining Publicity for Com- mercial Associations. 11. Wesley Curtis, Pushing Beginners Across the Hudson. R. M. Purves, Team Work. CIVIC NERVE CENTERS The United Improvement Association and its sixteen affiliated bodies have an important part to play in the future of Boston. The discovery finally has been made that civic reform is not adequately accomplished by spasmodic agitations and revolutionary action at the polls or through legislative bodies. On the other hand, such changes are brought about by the awakening of a majority force in the community to an appreciation of the duties and responsibilities of citizenship and by processes of evolution, creating a public sentiment for that which is honest and good and progressive — that which will command representative govern- ment. Corrupt, inefficient city government has resulted from default by citizens, rather than from usurpation by poli- ticians. The system of government is representative, actually as well as nomi- nally. Ordinarily it represents neglect and indifference on the part of the citizens. Wherever there is actual re- form it represents an aroused interest and attention to civic duty. The United Improvement Association and its affiliated bodies are the nerve centers which may, if they will, keep the various parts of the civic body keyed up to full appreciation of duty in regard to municipal affairs and community inter- ests. The recent perambulation of the Mayor and City Council has been treated in many quarters as a joke. It deserves to be taken seriously. With the co- operation of the various improvement associations and such other groupings of community interests as may be formed, it is possible to develop this plan into a most important factor in efficiency. But the periodical visits of the future, whether by the full l)ody or by delegated members, will afford opportunity for inquiry into and discussion of municipal policies in general, and for the direct presentation of community sentiment and opinion to the city government. If the real imjjort of such a program is grasped, it will create an awakened and interested citi- zenship and a responsive city government as well. And if the city government and the citizenship come into such immediate touch, there will be less call for innova- tions like the initiative and referendinn and more faith in the efficacy of repre- sentative government. There is in this co-operation with the experimental plan of the present city government a distinct work for the im- provement associations. They are the beginnings of a movement which ulti- mately should gain formal recognition from the municijiality to the extent that civic sub-centers will be established and maintained as headquarters for all com- munity interests and as distributing points for information concerning the doings of the Mayor, City Council and the administrati^'e departments. There is no better means of securing good municipal government than an interested citizenship, and there is no better agency for securing a;i interested citizenship than these local associations, operating from community civic centers. In the fulfillment of such a plan there is to be gained all the atlvantages of ward repre- sentation without its evils, all the i)o\ver that is contemplated in the initiative and referendum without sacrificing the prin- ciple of representative government, the real kind of nnniicipal reform starting with the electorate, direct contact with the government and a constant, instead 35 36 NEW BOSTON of a spasmodic, generation of healthy piibHc sentiment. Real reform in the political life of Boston will be better achieved through such an agency as this than through occasional "reform" movements, how- ever skillfully engineered. Commercial and industrial development, dependent largely on the tone of legislation and administrative policy, will look to these associations as their strongest backer in the creation of a healthy public senti- ment. The aesthetic, educational and moral interests of the community will find in these generators of public opinion their strongest allies. These are among the most powerful "uplift" agencies in the community, because they furnish the opportunity for the many, rather than for the few, to do the lifting. THE EXPOSITION IN 1915 Since the time of the Columbian Ex- position in Chicago, world's fairs and city fairs of the ordinary variety have become almost as well known as the county fair "back home." Formal ex- hibits, temporary buildings and flashy mid-ways have afforded much pleasure as well as many empty treasuries. From the beginning, Boston-1915 has had a different sort of an exposition in mind, not an ordinary fair but a graphic dis- play of a living, working city, a display of Boston as a going concern. That, in a word, is the plan for the exposition to be held in 1915, and with that plan in mind every organization in Boston, work- ing through the Boston-1915 group conferences, is asked to outline work which it wishes to see brought to com- pletion, or to a fair stage of completion, five years from now. It is proposed to have a central ex- hibition in one of the largest halls in the city where will be "live" exhibits of the business, social, civic, educa- tional, religious and industrial activities of Boston, together with charts, moving pictures and other graphic representa- tions. From this central exhibition building special parties will be con- ducted on sight-seeing trips to points of special interest to those particular groups. For instance, there will be a business itinerary, another trip cover- ing educational work, a third the parks, etc. In this way Boston will have an opportunity to show its advantages as a place in which to live and work. The best things that the city has developed by public spirit and private enterprise will be opened for inspection, the park system, the public buildings, the trans- portation facilities, the manufacturing and other commercial establishments, the multitude of agencies for alleviating suffering and correcting evil, the measures for the protection of health, life and prop- erty, the housing of the people, their education, and the opportunities of their civic, social and religious life. All the places to be shown will be on "dress parade" throughout the exposi- tion, or for so long a time as it may seem desirable to exhibit them, and at the special times covered by the itineraries everything will be in full operation. It is hoped that the art building for the exposition may be the Museum of Fine Arts, showing not only its ordinary possessions but also preparing for a series of important loan exhibitions, and that Symphony Hall or the Mechan- SCHOOL HELP IN CHOOSING A CAREER 37 ics' Hall may be used for the music build- ing, with a series of special performances of opera, oratorio and symphonies. In connection with the central ex- hibits there will probably be a large con- vention hall, and steps will be taken to bring to Boston as many as possible of the great associations dealing with education, economics, philanthropy, etc. The midway features — the part of every exposition that draws the crowds — will not be neglected, but in place of the usual Indian villages and infant incubators there will be historical and industrial pageants, musical features, water carnivals on the harbor and Charles River Basin, carefully organized sight-seeing historical tours, aeroplane trials, Olympian games, etc. The ad- vantages of the whole scheme, both to the exhibitor and to the visitor, are obvious. Actualities, and not idealized "shows," will be displayed, machinery in its every-day surroundings, men and women at their every-day occupations, arrangements of plants for commercial efficiency and not for display. These working exhibits of civic, philanthropic and religious organizations, public ser- vice companies and state and city govern- ments, will make possible a most interest- ing and instructive exposition. SCHOOL HELP IN CHOOSING A CAREER MEYER BLOOMFIELD Acting Director of the Vocation Bureau A few simple principles that appeal to the common sense of the average person are at the bottom of the Vocation Bureau movement. That "ologies" and "isms" are associated with it in the minds of some is not the fault of the friends of this work. No one doubts that the choosing of one's life work is a serious matter, and no one who realizes how com- plicated conditions are today can doubt that such choosing is no easy matter. Indeed it is so difficult that there is little of what may fairly be called choice. Tens of thousands do not choose; they are "pitchforked into the working world," as Charles Booth has said. Now the obvious duty before those who care for the future of our school children is so to prepare them as to make choice possible, informed and intelligent. This requires an organiza- tion somewhere that shall study the conditions of employment, its oppor- tunities, demands, drawbacks and ad- vantages. Such information is not easy to secure accurately and fully, and when secured it must be analyzed, simplified and applied with sense. The school teacher is a natural coun- sellor of the child. Our public schools send thousands into useful careers and many a man and woman looks back with gratitude to the light and inspir- ation that came to them from the teacher. The teachers, however, are very busy with their professional work, which does not cease with the close of school. There is great pressure upon their time and energies to keep up with the heavy requirements of their profession. It is no criticism of them that so many young people go out into working life blind as to the meaning of it all. The situation simply shows that other agencies must supplement the teacher's influence and help equip the teacher 38 NEW BOSTON with that highly specialized iiiforination which vocational assistance calls for. So equipped, the teacher who is con- tinually consulted by parent and child, will be in a position to answer questions about vocations, and with his or her intimate knowledge of the mental and physical make-up of the child can warn, advise and co-operate toward making a decision concerning that particular child's career. It is highly encouraging to find the busy school teachers of Boston ready and eager to take up the work of pre- paring for such wise and practical counselling. The School Committee, Sup- erintendent Brooks, the School Vocation Committee, and many masters, sub- masters and teachers have taken steps to bring about an organization next fall for the study and practice of voca- tional help. Superintendent Maxwell has recommended to the New York Board of Education the establishment of a school vocation bureau. Other cities have started vocational courses, but no city has yet gone so far as Boston in working out a comprehensive plan. The object of the Vocation Bureau, which has its office at 101 Tremont street, is to co-ordinate the various agencies that are actively and efficiently interested in this movement. The Bur- eau itself expects to supply the teacher, counsellors and others who are inter- ested with information about the vo- cations and with suggestions as to methods, literature, and needed things for the carrying on of the work. The organizations working with the Vocation Bureau are the School Voca- tion Connnittee, representing the school system (this affiliation was effected through Boston 191.5), the Girls' Trade Education League, the Women's Muni- cipal League, and the Home and School Association. When the plans of those interested in this movement are under way, and some time must elapse before results show, we may expect to see lessened the vast evil of mis-employ- ment, an evil quite comparable with that of imemployment. Commerce and industry will materially benefit by this work which emphasizes fitness on the part of those who seek a livelihood. The employer will find in- telligent purpose on the part of those who have really chosen, and purpose means steadiness and progressive effi- ciency. Young people will waste less of their precious youth in knocking about from job to job, because of failure to learn where their capacities promise the largest scope. The present day chaos of job-seeking and job-jumping makes vocational hoboes of many thou- sands. The professions will be less overcrowded by those whose talents lie in other and equally honorable direc- tions, but whose ambitions and energies were unguided at the critical moment, and school life itself will be enriched by its contact with the world of work, a contact that should prove educational to both sides. Help in choosing life-work is not new, but what is new is the growing number of those who are determined that our future workers shall have a chance to grow into their life calling intelligently, that the laborer shall be worthy of his hire and that his task shall not be unworthy of his possibilities. FRANK O. CARPENTER Master Dcpartiiiont of Commerce, English High School, Boston Much has been written during the past year in magazines and newspapers of the English "Boy Scouts" and the valuable effect upon those who take part in the field exercises and other duties. In America these benefits are largely obtained by the military drill in the schools as through the Boston School Cadets. But the English scout movement is of value, chiefly, in teach- ing the arts of war, which is not very likely to occur. The City Guard organized in Boston, is the American scout movement for the boys and the girls also, based on a totally different idea, with a nobler motive and a more practical applica- tion. The members are the "scouts of peace " and their work is directed toward making life more happy and en- durable for people in everyday life and work. The object of the guard is to "see and report" the things and con- ditions that make life in the city unhappy, the "things that hurt," and the chances to improve them in the "things that help" or ways by which life in the city may be made easier. The duty of the guard is first of all to get information of conditions. In Boston, perhaps more than in any other city, there are many social ac- tivities organized to deal with all kinds of evil conditions. One thing only is lacking — an organized body to get the information in a regular, constant, and systematic waj^ upon which all these societies shall do the work for which they exist; to establish as it were, a clearing house of information from which reports shall be sent to the proper de- ])artment or society in order that dupli- cation of effort and waste of force may be saved and successful results more quickly obtained. To do this work is the duty of the City Guard. The re- ports are sent to the central committee who classify them and report them weekly, or in important cases at once, to the society best fitted to correct the evil reported. One of the card'nal rules is this: "The City Guard fights con- ditions, not men. It seeks to remedy evils, not to punish men for doing them," and it welcomes the assistance of all citizens in doing the needed work. The evils, corruption, graft and bad government in our American cities are due almost entirely to the fact that our citizens are ignorant of conditions, and so helplessly let them go on un- checked. The only way to correct this state of affairs is to train citizens when young to understand conditions. The guard believes that if boys from fifteen to twenty-one are taught and required to see the things that are wrong, especi- ally in the localities where they live, to 39 NEW BOSTON THE FLAG OF THE GUARD learn how those things come to be and why they are not promptly corrected; if they are taught to beheve that they are "citizens now, voters by and by" and that it is their duty to act as citizens all the time, they will come to manhood wideawake, keen-eyed to discover wrong- doing in city affairs, and strong to de- mand that all city problems be made public. Not the evil side only will they learn, but the good and constructive work as well. The founders of the guard be- lieve most earnestly that the exercise of these duties will make the youth of the city more contented workmen, better men, and nobler and more useful citizens. Two of the mottoes of the guard emphasize this idea — "Office is Service," and "There is Nothing to Get, There is Something to Do." The various details necessary for accual woik have been prepared, but space does not permit printing them. A few, however, are of special interest. The rallying cry or cheer is: "Rally— O, City Guard, Rally— O, City Guard, Rally — O, City Guard, Rally— 0—0. The colors are Blue and Buff, the old Continental colors. The flag is repro- duced in connection with this article. The circle with a dot in it is a symbolic eye that is always sleepless and vigilant. The Stars and Stripes are always to be used at all meetings with the colors of the guard. The button pin is in the guard colors, and is designed from an old Aztec battle shield centuries old. A simple but in- spiring ritual is prepared for use at the meetings of the divisions. The mili- tary program is used to keep up the interest. A march song, with a catchy, popular new melody, has been written and is on sale at the music stores Its title is Nineteen Hundred and Now. The words of the song contain, crystallized, the idea and work of the organization: PROGRESS OF SAVINGS BANK INSURANCE 41 "We watch for the evils in city and street, look hard, look hard. We're scouts of the people that never retreat, on guard, on guard. For the things that hurt, and the acts that pain. The words that tempt, and the deeds that stain. That the city may come to her own again. What, ho there, ho there, make way for the City Guard! "We fight for the city we hope to see, strike hard, strike hard. We watch for the future that is to be! on guard, on guard. For a city that's happy and clean all through. We pray for us all, but we fight for you, There is nothing to get, there is something to do, What, ho there, ho there, make way for the City Guard!" The City Guard was founded in May, 1909, at the English High School, Bos- ton, by the writer. The first division was formed by boys of that school. A number of divisions are organized and others are forming in different parts of the city. The guard is not for the schools only, but for citizens everywhere. By the courtesy of Robert A. Woods, the organization has its headquarters for a time at number 171 West Brook- line street, a branch of the South End House. Inquiries may be made there. Work is not to be confined to Boston. New York and Philadelphia will soon install divisions. The late Charles Sprague Smith of the Peoples' Institute was to take charge of the work in New York. Chicago has already sent for copies of the plan. And as the work to be done is needed in every city it is probable that within the next year many of the large cities of the country will have formed divisions of the army of the City Guard. PROGRESS OF SAVINGS BANK INSURANCE HARRY W. KIMBALL Plank sixteen of Boston-1915 declares that one of the objects of the movement is "to develop and secure the general adoption of a comprehensive system of wage earners insurance and old age pensions." At the present time savings bank insurance furnishes one of the best ways in which this plank of Boston-1915 may become a reality. Therefore, there is a most vital relation between the two movements, and savings bank insurance is one of the efl^ective agencies by which Boston-1915 can accomplish one of its cherished ends. During the first year's operation of savings bank insurance, over one million dollars of insurance was written and at the close of the first year of business, despite the fact that the expenses were especially heavy because of the medical examinations, a dividend of 8 1-3 per cent was declared on all policies that were issued during the year. One of the most encouraging features of the movement is the hearty co-operation which it has received from leading business men and large manufacturing concerns. Between sixty and seventy firms have become agencies for the in- surance department of the savings banks, 42 NEW BOSTON and in this way have afforded an op- por nnity for tlieir employees to take out life insurance and old age i)ensions at actual cost. Under the direction of the Women's Educational and Industrial Union a study has been made of the interest which working women and girls have in insurance. It has been discovered that the sense of thrift and foresight is by no means so well develo])ed in the average working woman as in the aver- age working man. Among the features of this movement which are taking shape at the present time is the preparation of a standardized plan for mutual benefit associations by which the death benefits which are usu- ally paid by these associations shall be paid through the insurance departments of the savings banks. Plans are also in process by which, through the saving banks, some of the large employers of labor may inaugurate a system of pensions for their employees. The plan provides that these pensions shall be taken out under the old age annuity policies of the savings banks, while the employer agrees to pay a certain pro- portionate part of the premium. Savings bank trustees throughout the commonwealth are showing an increas- ing interest in the movement since it has behind it a year of successful oper- ation. Recently the Cape Ann Savings Bank of Gloucester became an agency for both the Whitman and Brockton banks. THE NEW VOTERS' FESTIVAL Through the co-operation of Boston- 1915, the City History Club, Boston Social Union, Roxbury League, The Catholic Union of Boston, Boston Young Men's Christian Association, Boston Young Men's Christian Union and the Boston Equal Suffrage Association for Good Government, the eighth annual New Voters Festival was held in Faneuil Hall on Sunday, April 3. Over six hundred were present, mostly young men who have yet to cast their first votes, and the majority took the free- man's oath, administered by Judge Francis C. Lowell. The oath follows: 'T do solemnly bind myself that I will give my vote and suffrage as I shall judge in mine own conscience may best conduce to the public weal, so help nie, God." President Eliot presided at the meet- ing and advised all new voters to work for a more simplified ballot. "Do every- thing in your power," he said, "to put before the voters on election day a job that they can do. At present in almost all the American cities and states the job given to the voter on election day is absolutely impossible of performance with judgment, intelligence and dis- crimination. "Inform yourselves thoroughly about every possil)le question likely to come to a vote. Study it, and learn what other people have thought about it. A very important part of suffrage is its edu- cational function, enlarging the mind and perfecting the conscience of the voter. "You ought to devote all the best qualities of your heart and the best efforts of your life to making better and more happy the people among whom you live. That's what love does. It makes the ])eople with whom you live better and hapi)ier." Brand Whitlock, mayor of Toledo, THE BOSTON CITY CLUB 43 said that the growth of partisanship has proved a menace to city, state and nation. "It is not well for one to be- come the slave of anything, least of all a political party. A man should by his vote represent his own principle and not that of some other set of men. We hear a lot of talk of lost votes. I do not believe that any vote cast is lost, so long as it represents the principles of the man that casts it, even if it is the only one of its kind cast in the United States. No free man should be owned by a party." The benefits to be derived from affilia- tion with a political party were outlined by Judge Michael J. Murray, who said that every individual ought to be con- nected with a party. "The young man about to cast his first vote should realize that mere honesty is not sufficient for the proper performance of his civic duty. It is necessary to be practical and to co-operate with either one of the two great parties in state or national affairs." THE BOSTON CITY CLUB The membership of the Boston City Club has come within twenty of the limit of 3,200 set by the Executive Com- mittee. There is now a waiting list of over 100 names, and approximately fifty new" applications are received monthly — all going to prove that the new Boston idea, the "get together" spirit, so well exemplified in every branch of the City Club, is really at work. The last club Bulletin says that this "new spirit is proud of the past, but it is unwilling to loaf and bask in the genial warmth of its history. To that spirit the past is only an incentive and not a soporific. Its job is the future, but its tool is the present; therefore, to make the present fruitful is its main concern. It does not believe that a chosen few have been called to help the cit3\ What- ever of good comes to Boston, it asserts, will come because all wish it together and intend to have it. All kinds of people will go to make the finest Boston. No private concern, no ])roprietary tonic will do it — nobody's specific or little civic pills. Certain new movements and the club itself stand for the fundamental principle that every man, whatever his training, has it in him to be of real service to the city and that a gathering place for all these varied and even op- posing units of service will appeal to the people and stimulate the good wished for. The Boston City Club, like the city itself, can only represent the sum total of the individual strength and weakness in its composition. It can continue to develop into a power house of genuine public service — or be the re- verse. It is an opportunity, a privilege and a challenge to its members." During April special lectures and dis- cussions were held as follows: Under the direction of the Art and Library Committee, the evening of April 5 was devoted to the work of the Boston Evening Industrial Schools. An ex- hib'tion of the work of the pupils was shown on the walls of the Club House. Among the speakers were David A. Ellis, Joseph Lee, Stratton D. Brooks, Maurice J. O'Brien, Frank M. Leavitt, and Theodore M. Dillaway. John Hays Hannnond spoke on "The Business Man in Politics" on April 14, M. J. Butler on "Canadian Development" on the '■20th and William Lyman Under- wood on "Hunting with Canoe and Camera in New Brunswick" on the evening of the '■28th. WHAT OTHERS SAY OF US "Boston-1915" is the name of a widespread scheme of development which for several months has been urged upon the people of Boston by an earnest and progressive element. It aims at many things, all tending to make Boston a better place to live in and to do business in. The movement has "caught on." Every element of the Boston community, from the governor in the State House to children in the primary schools, has joined in it and great things are expected through it. There are those who would like to see in San Francisco a movement in imitation of "Boston- 1915"; and the date comes with special significance, because in 1915 we are to have here a great ex- position. The suggestion is a good one, and '..ith leadership and organization it may be transmuted into reality. But leadership and organization are absolutely essential; nothing in a public way comes without the aid of these forces. No suggestion was ever so good or so practicable as to carry itself by its own momentum. — San Francisco, Cal., Argonaut. "One of the most interesting of modern experi- ments in municipal betterment is the 'Boston-1915 movement, which plans for certain far-reaching improvements which it is hoped to accomplish during the next five years Into this great work some of the best men of Boston are putting their best efforts. The movement will be watched with keen interest because Boston's success will mean much, directly and indirectly, for the betterment of all New England. That means that its success will benefit Vermont. Cer- tainly Montpelier, as a small city, may watch Boston, a large city, in her effort to attain higher levels, and profit thereby." — Montpelier, Vt., Journal. "The movement of 'Boston-1915' has not only bestirred the impulses of our people here in a manner unprecedented; it has awakened recognition from onlookers outside as an effort of municipal advance- ment most significant in its methods." — Boston Post. "Philadelphia is pointed to Boston as an ex- amp e of a city that is thoroughly awake and hustling to make the best of its opportunities. Looks as though that 'Boston-1915' cry had made good." — Augusta, Me., Journal. "Boston-1915 is going to 'take' elsewhere, just as the park system took. Other cities are going to watch you as you work out your plan. Harness up all the complex forces of a great modern city and turn that energy on separate pieces of work, and I don't see but you've an answer to most of the things that are puzzling American cities to-day." — G. E. Hooker, Secretary of the Chicago City Club, in the Boston Traveler. "Newspapers in various states are describing the movement now on foot to improve Boston as a city, and are commending its example to their own communities. Boston has had an interesting past, but no city can live on its past in these days. There is but one time in the life of a city, the present; and in the present the wise man, without procrasti- nation or lagging of spirit, builds for the future." —The Boston Globe. "Boston is always expected to do things a little better than they are done elsewhere. Perhaps old 'Tri-Mountain' has been a little sleepy of late years, but the '1915' spirit is sweeping through her now and awakening everyone. The movement is rapidly growing, and is approved by the mem- bers of the Board of Trade, the Boston Merchants' Association, the Chamber of Commerce, district organizations and other powerful bodies, as well as the schools and churches. "Meetings have been held night after night at Faneuil Hall, the 'cradle of liberty,' which has nursed many a patriotic movement. If Peter Faneuil could amble down Tremont Street today, he would find everyone talking about 'Boston-1915,' and would probably be handed this business-like postal : "I believe all citizens should unite definitely to work for their city, and thereafter pledge such service as I can give to 'Boston-lOlS.' " "Space is left for the names of organizations likely to be interested. The first proposition is to thoroughly discuss purposes and plans, and have a definite understanding, utilizing the old 'town nieetin' ' spirit, which is still alive in New England. Another suggestion is that each organiza- tion shall 'review the ideals and possibilities of its own particular work.' And a broader idea is: 'Learn what is to be learned from other cities, here and abroad, where success has been made along improvement lines.' — The National Magazine. Notes from the Wide Field To Set You Thinking SOUTH WEYMOUTH-1920 South Weymouth is the first small town to adopt the Boston-1915 idea. It has chosen "South Weymouth-1920" as its slogan and mapped out an ex- tensive plan for general town betterment. According to its newly adopted constitu- tion seven standing committees will make a careful accounting of present resources, take notes of all that is being done, set forth the particular needs of their special departments and present plans for work ahead. The following committees have the work in charge: Public Health, Public Morals, Village Improvement, Education, Social x\dvancement. Business Progress and Civic Relations. TOWN PLANNING EXHIBITION IN BERLIN During the month of May a general town planning exhibition is to be held in Berlin under the presidency of the oherhurgenneister of Berlin, Mr. Kirsch- ner. The exhibition will include copies of all the best town plans in Europe, including those of Amsterdam, Bremen, Brunn, Budapest, Coin, Chemnitz, Dres- den, Darmstadt, Dusseldorf, Danzig, Essen, Frankfurt, Frieburg, Griesheim, Geestemunde, Gravenhage, Hamburg, Heme, Kopenhagen, Karlsruhe, Karls- bad, Konigsberg, Lubeck, Liverpool, Munchen, Mannheim, Nurnberg, Posen, Paris, Strassburg, Stuttgart, Stockholm, Ulm, and Wien. A letter from the secretary of the ex- hibition says that "it is not enough to build a city economically and hygien- ically. Wise and artistic city-planning can add much to the beauty of the town and its streets, to the charm of the Men in almost every line of business find themselves wondering whether or not they can increase their business with this great power — publicity. If they thought they could, they would be inclined to try. It is at this point that the services of an able advertising agent should be of great value to them. The agent should be much in the position of a captain who not only knows the course but knows whether or not the vessel is seaworthy. Suppose, for instance, your product is not one of general consumption. Sup- pose it is of medium grade, your capital and manufacturing facilities are small and a mis-move would mean failure. How important it is that you find an agent sufficiently well skilled to consider all these factors from a viewpoint dif- ferent to your own, and then decide the question on its merits whether or not money should be first spent in advertis- ing or first spent in getting the business in shape to advertise; mapping out a well-defined policy that places before the proprietor actual goals to reach. Almost any line of business can be increased by advertising in one way or another; but in all cases the publicity is only one wheel in a series that moves the machinery, and if it is ill-fitting lost motion is bound to be the result. If you make an honest product and want it honestly sold, advertise it and you will photograph the name of this product in the minds of the people. This will insure it being intelligently bought, and will make its name a tre- mendous asset if continuously adver- tised — an asset so broad and far-reach- ing that your investment is unassailable. Advertising undoubtedly can give an impetus to your business that you now little realize is possible. A. W. ELLIS AGENCY, 10 High Street, Boston, Mass. Telephone: Main 1544. 46 NEW BOSTON squares and the parks surrounding the city and to the avenues connecting them. The happy spirit of a beautifu city is an invalubale asset to every in- habitant." The BerHn City Council is awarding 6,000 pounds in prizes for best plans for a greater Berlin, and this contest has aroused considerable interest through- out the empire. Special departments of the exhibition will deal with transit and transportation planning, open spaces, playgrounds, parks, cemeteries, treatment of places of historic interest or national beauty, treatment of squares and boulevards, the remodelling of older parts of cities, the development of garden suburbs, etc. The collection will comprise plans, bird's-eye views, photos and paintings, and a large number of models. Souvenir Post Cards and all kinds of Colored Lithographs including book illustrations and Posters, Letterheads, Envelopes, Cards, Etc. Publishers of Automobile Road Maps, City Maps, Guides and Atlases Map Catalogue, Free on Request Walker Lith. & Pub. Co. Walker Studio Building 400 NEWBURY ST., BOSTON, MASS. Emerson College of Oratory HENRY LAWRENCE SOUTHWICK, President Largest school of expression in the United States with students, in one year, from forty states and foreign countries. Seventy teachers were placed last year in positions ranging from high schools to universities. Courses in literature, oratory, peda- gogy, physical culture, voice, dra- matic art, etc. Summer school from July 11 to Aug. 5, immediately following N. E. A. CONVENTION. Send for Catalog HARRY SEYMOUR ROSS, Dean Chickering Hall, Huntington Ave., Boston MULTIGRAPH TYPEWRITING Type-ribbon duplication that exactly re- sembles individual typewritten letters, postal cards, etc., with names filled in to match. Send for samples. Rush orders received by telephone can be mailed at an hour's notice. STENOGRAPHY AND TYPEWRITING Scientific and Technical Manuscripts a Specialty MISS INA A. KEITH Room 1126, 6 BEACON STREET, BOSTON Charles H.Perry ADVERTISING SYSTEM 4a Irvlngton Street H""t'ngton fc> Avenue Telephone 1504 Back Bay Boston, Mass. In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON SPECIAL FEATURES A Notable Address on City Planning Shall "Dip-Tank" Milk Stay or Go? Reception of the Housing Report at Home and Abroad What Boston-1915 is Now Doing Boston's Exposition in 1915 A MONTHLY RECORD OF PROGRESS IM DEVELOPING A GREATER AND FINER CITY PUBLISHED BY BOSTON 1915 INC- 6 BEACON ST- BOSTON • MASSACHUSETTS- U-S-A JUNE, 1910 VOL.1. NO. 2 TEN CENTS A COPY ONE DOLLAR A YEAR, OUR IDEA OF SERVICE VALUE OF GAS SERVICE LOCAL CON- DITIONS AFFECT SERVICE PREVENTION OF WASTE SCOPE OF OUR SERVICE GAS SERVICE is MORE than the supply of GOOD QUALITY gas at a LOW PRICE. The VALUE of our SERVICE depends upon its APPLICATION in the hun- dreds of different forms with which you are famiUar. Gas is only the RAW MATERIAL, so to speak. It be- comes useful only when TRANSFORMED into LIGHT, HEAT AND POWER. While the PRODUCTION of the gas is under our con- trol, and we can invent and furnish IMPROVED APPLI- ANCES for the ECONOMIC USE of the gas, we cannot de- termine the MANNER of its APPLICATION on the premises. For example, no matter how good in quality the gas may be, STOPPAGES in the HOUSE PIPING and CLOGGED or IMPROPERLY ADJUSTED BURNERS will cause a DIM and UNSATISFACTORY Hght. Again the WASTE of gas due to IRREGULARLY SHAPED or FLARING FLAMES means HIGH BILLS, however low the price may be, and a YELLOW FLAME in your gas stove will give INSUFFI- CIENT HEAT, despite all we can do at the gas works. Although we are not responsible for them, we are EXTREMELY ANXIOUS to REMEDY these LOCAL TROUBLES, as we believe it is good business to satisfy our customers. It is for this reason that we have just started this HOUSE-TO-HOUSE CANVASS, which is being conducted by our FORTY REPRESENTATIVES. These men, with your assistance, will ascertain whether all the CONDITIONS of the SERVICE are SATISFAC- TORY. If not, they will report to the office to have the DEFECTS REMEDIED. These reports will be referred to EXPERTS in the following departments for IMMEDIATE ATTENTION: Illuminating Engineers Burner inspectors Women Stove Demonstrators Stove Inspectors Piping Inspectors Gas Engine Inspectors Industrial Fuel Inspectors, etc. As this service is FREE and for our MUTUAL BENE- FIT, we ask YOUR CO-OPERATION to make it as USEFUL as POSSIBLE. BOSTON CONSOLIDATED GAS COMPANY By J. L. RICHARDS, President Telephone Commercial Department Oxford 1690 24 West St., Boston In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON 6 Beacon Street Vol. I JUNE, 1910 No. 2 Published Monthly by Boston-1915, Inc., at 6 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass., U. S. A. A Chronicle of Progress in Developing a Greater and Finer City Under the Auspices of the Boston-1915 Movement Subscription rates: $1.00 per annum; club rate for twenty or more subscriptions from any organization devoted to civic or social improvement, sent in one list, fifty cents per copy per annum. Single copies, 10 cents each. Second-class rates pending at the Boston Post Office JAMES P. MUNROE, Editor-in-Chief JOHN L. SEWALL, Associate Editor LEWIS E. PALMER, Managing Editor RAYMOND P. EMMONS, Circulation and Advertising Manager {Copyright, 1910, by 5oi/o»— 1915, Inc.) CONTENTS NOTE AND COMMENT 47 BOSTON'S LOSS AND PHILADELPHIA'S GAIN 51 AIM OF EXPOSITION OF 1915 52 " SANER FOURTH " LEGISLATION S3 A PROGRAM FOR A •' SANER FOURTH " 54 WHAT BOSTON-1915 IS DOING 55 GROUP ACTIVITIES 58 THE RECEPTION OF THE HOUSING REPORT 61 AN ENGLISH REVIEW OF THE HOUSING REPORT 64 CITY PLANNING Frederick Law Olmsted 65 THE CASE AGAINST " LOOSE MILK " Charlotte Kimball Kruesi 69 THE ROCHESTER CONFERENCE Flavel Shurtleff 72 UNDERMINING DRUNKENNESS Robert A. Woods 74 THE VOLUNTEER DEPARTMENT 75 MR. KELSO'S REPORT ON ALIEN SCHOLARS 77 ATHLETICS FOR YOUTH 79 BILLBOARD LEGISLATION 80 CONGESTION IN NEW YORK CITY 81 TEACHING THRIFT 82 PROGRESS OF SAVINGS BANK INSURANCE 83 TREE PLANTING IN DENVER 84 A CITY PLAN FOR DALLAS 85 NOTES FROM THE WIDE FIELD 86 NEW BOSTON ORANSE peMOE %i TE m ust COFFEf .'^'NEUL. WRIGHT C ?«STON-CHlCA 31WD T White House Coffee is put up for those who want a dependable article of intrinsic value, and are willing to pay a fair price. That price is. not high, certainly not extravagant, as your own experience will prove. You can buy White House Coffee in any business, centipr of this country. Its wonderful growth, in sales in 20 years is the best proof that its splendid standard of quality is not approached by other brands. We offer it asilhfi White House Teas (5 distinct flavors) are just as good s White House Coffee. Both Coffee and Teas are in the !f "All-Tin" cans that keep all: goodness in, all badness out. ' DWINELL-WRIGHT CO, Principal Coffee Roasters. BOSTON— CHICAGO. WHERE THE Underwood Standard Typewriter has replaced other machines, gains have been made in celerity and accuracy of work — due to the UNDERWOOD features of proven value. Everybody ought to know what the UNDERWOOD will do when put to the severest test. An opportunity to examine and prove '' The Machine You Will Eventually Buy " will be afforded at any branch office UNDERWOOD TYPEWRITER COMPANY " INCORPORATED" 214 Devonshire Street, Boston In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON New Boston Vol. I JUNE, 1910 No. 2 NOTE AND COMMENT The Second Number of NEW BOSTON To a large extent the contents of this number, as of last month's magazine, are determined by the progress of events. An enlarging circle of activities calls for both detailed description and editorial comment. We reproduce at some length the dis- cussions in the daily press and other periodicals upon the report of the Housing Com- mittee, which was the most distinctive feature of the last number; these extended comments fully justify our judgment of the value of what is already done, and of the importance of the next steps. We have also tried to answer at some length the ques- tion, "Just what is Boston-1915 really accomplishing.''" We commend to the careful study of our readers the topical chart outlining the activities of the various con- ferences of Boston-1915, noting especially the extent to which different groups find their interests and efforts interrelated. Mr. Kelso's report is an illustration of the manner in which a subject may be investigated and reported to a group for its consid- eration and for later activities by all groups interested. Mrs. Kreusi's article is es- pecially timely, and should help arouse the citizens of Boston to a situation which calls for a remedy without further delay. Mr. Shurtleff's story of the Rochester con- vention, of which he was the efficient secretary, shows that the subject of city planning is coming to receive the attention it deserves. Mr. Woods ably presents the intended worth of the so-called "bar and bottle" legislation from the viewpoint of the sociaj worker. It is hoped that other themes more briefly treated will prove of equal interest Some Things in Store for our Readers The July number of NEW BOSTON, which will appear coincidently with the assembling of the National Education Association in this city, will give special promi- nence to the educational aspects of the Boston-1915 movement. The address of President Eliot given at a gathering of the Educational Group Conference, a few weeks ago, will appear in full; also an article from Prof. James Hardy Ropes of Harvard University, upon the plans and progress of the University Extension work, of which he is the head. Dr. Thomas F. Harrington will describe the out-of-door school room. We are promised, in season for the next number, the story of the Filene Co- operative Association's plans for model dwelling houses; also a review of the important report of the State Commission on the Cost of Living, of which Hon. Robert Luce is chairman.^ A subject of special interest will be "Metropolitan Boston — what it is and how it is^governed," to be treated by Mr. March G. Bennett, and to be illustrated with maps; this will admirably define the extent of the field of Boston-1915. 48 NEW BOSTON The 1915 Idea Contagious One of the gratifying experiences of our office at Beacon Street is the interest manifested by towns and cities outside of nietroj)olitan Boston in our plans, and the help sought for experiments elsewhere. "South Weymouth-1920" was scarcely well under way when Foxboro awakened to its opportunities, and after an evening's visit from our Executive Director entered vigorously upon a "Foxboro-1915" campaign. A meeting recently held by this new organization was addressed by Rev. W. M. Mac- nair of Cambridge, who discussed civic progress under the four heads of a town's appearance, health, profit and spirit. And now an adjoining community, Mansfield, is organizing in like manner. With such flexibility of local adjustment for the Boston- 1915 idea we see no reason why many other towns should not do likewise. It will give us pleasure to forward to any inquirers some instructive literature as to methods of procedure in such cases. Wolves in Sheeps* Clothing An interesting history is connected with the early stages of the new law regulating the use of high explosives. A bill purporting to accomplish this result was introduced at an early stage and sent to the Committee on Mercantile Affairs. An effort was made to withdraw this bill somewhat suddenly just before the date limiting the introduction of new business; the suspicions of the committee were aroused, and they discovered that this measure owed its genesis to a certain manufacturer of high explosives in the hope that it would block the way for any genuine measure for the protection of the public. Thanks to the promptness and skill of certain members of the committee, an effective measure was drafted, with the assistance of Deputy Chief Neal of the State Police, who is an expert upon the subject of explosives. After some persistent opposition from the "interests," whose "craft was in danger," this has become a law, as described elsewhere. We allude to this bit of history to show the ingenious expedients to which the foes of proper legislation will resort, and the vigilance needed to defeat them. An Illuminating Symposium Joseph Cook was fond of emphasizing the value of the unforced opinions of the young men of the land. We find a like significance in the letters of school children sent to the Boston Globe in response to an offer of cash prizes for the best communica- tions answering the question, "What kind of a Fourth of July do the children want?" This has proved an admirable way of giving publicity and endorsement to the "Safer and Saner Fourth Plan." In the letters already published we observe a wide variety of views, as should be expected in genuine children's letters; but there are also some in- teresting agreements upon certain propositions. Many boys and girls are evidently impressed with the dangers that have gathered around recent celebrations of the day, and will heartily welcome deliverance from perils of high explosives in the hands of their companions or of reckless older people. They also manifest a desire to enjoy to the utmost fine displays of fireworks, but to have them set off by "men who know- how." Picnics, excursions and free theatres are the dream of some, but there is a rather surprising desire to learn something about the meaning of the day. A fifth-grade boy in a Roxbury school writes: "I would like all the children to dress up and parade the streets. In the forenoon have a picnic that would last till noontime, with flag decorations. Have some one tell us why we celebrate the Fourth of July. In the afternoon have historical parades, then have a parade representing all the trades. Have meetings in all the halls where speeches could be made telling al)out the Revolutionary War and how the Declaration of Independence was signed." NO'TE AND COMMEN'I' 4^ The greatest preponderance of view seems to be for historical pageants and mili- tary scenes, with costumed reproduction of British and American colonial troops; in which, to quote the words of a small girl, "children should make up parades and dress queerly." We think the committee in charge of arrangements for Boston's "New Fourth" will find some excellent and practicable suggestions in this symposium. The Health of Boston In view of various questions of public concern now pressing for attention upon the officials and citizens of Boston, we foresee a call for great activity on the part of the Health group of the organizations making up Boston-1915. That this body of earnest workers is quite alive to the situation is evidenced by the record of their activities elsewhere described, together with those of the other groups. One of the fundamental problems calling for careful and dispassionate consideration is clearly stated m a signed editorial in The Boston Common from Dr. Richard C. Cabot. The Board of Health should be reorganized under a single executive head, as recommended by the old Finance Commission and by the Chamber of Commerce. For many years the frequent changes in membership, due to the habit of handing out the $4,000 commissioner- ships as payment for political debts, have seriously weakened the authority and efficiency of the board. Boston is the only city of any importance in America which attempts to manage its health-administration by means of a three-headed, three salaried board. We also note with interest an allusion in the same editorial to co-operation between public and private agencies in keeping a city clean : A very hopeful sign of new life and interest in the field of public health is the development of co-operation between public and private agencies which work for a cleaner city. In the sanitary inspection of alleyways, yards and vacant lots the Board of Health has recently co- operated with agents of a private society; also in the home nursing and isolation of contagious diseases. This marks a long step in advance. Public health will improve just as soon as the people at large are interested to improve it. The best way to interest them is to put them on the job. The City's Wastes Few problems now before the Mayor and Council are of greater importance than that involved in the disposal of the city's wastes. Two excellent commissions have given careful study to this question and have issued admirable reports, makmg plain the importance of this matter, and urging prompt action, under expert advice, on the part of the city. Boston suffers today from three main evils in connection with the disposal ot her wastes: from the "dumps" in various parts of the city which are an offence to the nostrils and the eyes as well as a menace to health and property; from the litter- ing of the streets with rubbish and the polluting of the air with dust and ashes due to antiquated methods of collection and transportation; and, worst of all, from all sorts of discomfort and danger arising from the irregularity, especially in the outer sections of the city, with which garbage is collected. In these enlightened days all these evils are unnecessary and should not be tolerated. Sanitary engineers have demonstrated, and cities in this country and abroad have proved by actual trial, that all the wastes of a municipality can be taken care of decently, effectually and at reasonable cost. It is a question simply of the application of modern scientific method under conditions of proper organization and unremitting inspection. Boston cannot claim to be in the first rank of modern cities 50 NEW BOSTON until she has settled, and settled })roperly, this question of waste-disposal, for it is fundamental to the health, comfort, good appearance and self-respect of the entire city. Workmen's Conntpensation Two of the great (juestions of the day in whicli Boston-1915 is deeply concerned are closely interrelated — the problem of bringing about better relations between em- ployer and employee and that of preventing unnecessary delays in the procedure of the courts. It is superfluous to say that the main causes of irritation and misunder- standing between the employer and his men are to be found in the claims and suits for damage arising from industrial accidents; while, as stated in the excellent report of the Commission appointed to investigate the causes of delay in the administration of justice, "much cause of delay would be removed if controversies between master and servant for personal injuries were dealt with under a Workmen's Compensation Act instead of by trial by court." The Committee on Industrial Relations of the Boston Chamber of Commerce has performed, therefore, public service in advocating the enactment of legislation dealing in a common-sense way with this vital problem of workmen's compensation. Such legislation is not radical or new; for in practically all the European countries workmen's compensation or insurance laws, along the lines of this proposed legislation, have been long in force, and with excellent results. The main recommendations i)resented in the report of the Industrial Relations Committee are that the present confessedly inadequate liability law be repealed; that a Workmen's Compensation Act be passed which shall apply to all public service corporations, factories, warehouses, machine shops, etc., employing more than five persons; that under this act the injured person shall give notice of claim within six months and shall submit to examination by a competent physician; that questions arising under the act shall be decided by a board of three persons appointed, one to represent each party and the third to be chosen by these two as referee; and that the decisions by such boards of adjustment, when entered with the clerk of the Superior Court, shall have the same force as a court judgment. All such legislation must be, of course, a matter of compromise between the radicals who ask too much and the conservatives who are disposed to grant too little; but the most casual study of existing conditions, with their prolonged litigation, expensive to both sides; with the award, if made at all, largely swallowed up in fees; and with the small residue reaching the injured j)erson only months or even years after the time when the money is most needed, makes it clear that a workmen's com- pensation act, even though it be in the beginning but an imperfect compromise, is a matter of great and immediate importance. BOSTON'S LOSS AND PHILADELPHIA'S GAIN Mr. Alexander M. Wilson, the executi\'e secretary of the Boston Association for the Relief and Study of Tuberculosis, is soon to leave his work here to take up a very responsible position with the Phipps Tuberculosis Institute of Philadelphia, which has recently become a part of the University of Pennsylvania. He will have charge of the social service department, and also will be the executive head, or superintendent of the institute. The position is a very imj:)ortant and honorable one and is a distinct compliment to his previous success and the ability shown in other fields of work. Mr. Wilson, several years ago, was called from social service in New Jersey to become the secretary of the Boston Tuberculosis Association. He was at that time young, unknown and untried in this special work. He very quickly, however, obtained a grasp of the whole situation, made himself thoroughly acquainted with the conditions as they existed here, readily formed a large ac- c{uaintanceship with those engaged in philan- thropic and charitable work as well as with those in various official positions. Through his creative and aggressive work, the Boston Asso- ciation took a leading part in this state in the tuberculosis campaign, which it has ever since maintained. Mr. Wilson, moreover, not only developed an extended tuberculosis work in this community, but became a power in various other charitable and philanthropic endeavors. The work which he did in this vicinity became so conspicuous for its excellence and extent, that through it he soon became known in other parts of the country, and several years ago he was called to take charge of a similar work in Chicago, which he rapidly developed and enlarged with the same energy and ability which he exhibited in Boston. He was finally called from his tuberculosis work and put in charge of one of the great charitable organizations of Chicago. About a year ago, when the position of execu- tive secretary of the Boston Association became vacant, Mr. Wilson was persuaded to accept it and return to Boston, much to the pleasure of all those who had known and recognized his previous work in the Association and in the city. We consider Mr. Wilson's departure a distinct loss not only to the tuberculosis campaign but to all social work in the city. Mr. Wilson is a thoroughly trained social worker, an admirable executive, and possesses that rare persuasive ability which enables one to obtain assistance from others. He readily made friends and held them. He antagonized no one. His modesty and entire freedom from any egotism would always quickly win him a hearing, and he generally obtained a favorable response to his requests for aid in his work. The Phipps Institute is fortunate in obtaining such an exceptional person to control it. ALEXANDER M. WILSON 51 AIM OF THE EXPOSITION OF 1915 A significant indication of the widespread interest in the plans of Boston-1915 appears in tlie rnnior recently started, and centering in ])roposed Congressional action, to the effect that our New England metropolis is a rival of San Francisco and New Orleans in their ambitions to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal by a colossal Workl's Fair. Boston has, of course, no desire to enter into rivalry with these two cities for an international exposition of the ordinary type, to celebrate an event with which San Francisco and New Orleans are far more intimately concerned ; but Boston- 1915, as was stated in the first issue of "New Boston," is making plans for a graphic living presentation, five years hence, not only of what this city is doing, but of the best that is being attempted and accomplished by all the leading communities of the United States and of Europe. The proposed Boston Exposition will not only be different from the ordinary world's fair, but it will be more comprehensive, more educational, and more vital in its influence upon the development of Boston, of New England, and of the country as a wdiole. In the central buildings there will be exhibited machinery, products, etc., showing the business and industrial activity of the country (especially of New England) , but, in addition to these more or less dead exhibits, all the business and manufacturing interests of Greater Boston will be enlisted to show their mercantile and manufacturing activities in actual process, so that anyone who wishes may see the making of shoes, the spinning of cotton, the preparation of a book, etc., from the beginning to the end of the process. In addition, however, to this living exhibit of business and manufacturing, the exposition in 1915 purj^oses to show in every possible way the best that is being done, not only in the United States but all over the world, in the development and promo- tion of transportation, sanitation, education, housing, recreation, welfare work, good relations between capital and labor, and of all other phases of municipal development in which there is today such widespread interest. This extension of the ordinary functions of an exposition will be covered not only by showing in active operation all that shall have been accomplished at that time in Greater Boston, along these lines of civic development, but also by exhibiting by means of charts, models, moving pictures, stereopticon lectures, etc., the very best things that are being done all over the world for the welfare and happiness of humanity. Furthermore, it is proposed to bring to Boston, in connection with this exposition, as many as possible of the conventions devoted to business, economics, sociology, health, etc., as may be secured; and to carry on in addition special conferences and congresses upon those problems of city development which are of the largest and most vital importance. Appreciating, of course, that what brings the greatest number of persons to ex- positions are the so-called "midway features," the Boston exposition in 1915 does not propose to neglect them. On the contrary, it purposes to present them on a far larger and better scale than has heretofore been seen. Instead of allowing these features to be carried on by private individuals for personal gain, it is planned to enlist the wdiole city in the carrying forward of great amusement features, such as Olympic games, aeroplane contests, historical and industrial pageants, sports and illuminations on the Charles River Basin and in the harbor; and especially to present all those dis- tinctive features from other parts of the United States and from other countries which 52 SANER FOURTH LEGISLATION 53 have to do with entertainment and recreation for the people. In other words, on the amusement side it is intended to make the exposition a great object lesson m wha rbcirdone and can be done to provide for the citizens of a mun.cpahty that rational entertainment which is essential to their happiness and welfare. SANER FOURTH LEGISLATION The nro-ress of the movement, now becoming national, for a '^saner and .safer Fourth of Jufv." depends largely upon aroused and informed local sent.ment, expressed rr ^. and attractive n.ethods of celebrating the day. One ""Port-tP-' "^ '^e progran,, however, calls for a legislative mandate-the preveut.on of '- -'-'^''-Ke;- ous explosives. In .spite of the influences of a well-orgamzed lobby at the State House, Senate B 1 394 was passed by that body with but one dissentmg vote: and .n the Ho"t a oposed po tponing of its operation for one year was met wth such .strong "TXCargunLus that the amendment was lost and the Senate measure adopted unchant^ed by an overwhelming viva voce vote. i j , The significant portion of this new law is found in the fir.,t section, and reads as follows : Section 1 II shall be unlawful for aay per.on to sell or keep for s.le .,ny blank carlr.dge toy „isTo toy gnn or toy e„„no„ that can be nsed to fire a blank cartridge; or to .sell or keep tor sa e, to fi J explode or cause to explode any blank cartridge or bomb; or to sell or keep to sale ' t^ "roff explode or canse to explode any fireworks containing any p.cnc ac.d or p.cratcs, o ;Lv fir cracke7exceeding two inches In length, and three-eighths ot an mch m d>ameter or ot rgrerr'plollve power than a firecracker ot snch sl.e composed wholly ot black gunpowder. Certain exceptions are carefully stated, allowing the use of i"""™!'!;"? fi«™;l;^ ■a night the sale of explosives when sent directly out of the state, official salutes ete^ le ion 2 provide' for licenses for manufactories of firework., by both local aad state a. horiti s, and empowers cities and towns by ordinance and by-law to prohtb.t t ,e saw or use o fireworks or firecrackers, or to limit the t.me .n which they may be 1 « This last-named feature of the new law is worthy of note, as conernng upon eWes atid towns a distinct right of local regulation along the lines of advanemg '™"Th:fnrto sections provide for the enforcement of this law by the di.s.riet police. The penalfe are fines not to exceed «00 or imprisonment not to exceed thirty days: the act takes effect June 1, 1910. -,^, - . • + „,uv. It was the privilege of the Executive Department of Boston-191» to assist, with the help of an.efficient legislative agent, in overcoming the opposition to this measure w^'ich It one stage seemed seriou.sly to threaten its success. The strong support of 1 e daW press of Boston and the letters of friends of the •■Saner Fourth proved suf- "0 enable the committee on Mercantile Affairs to carry their "---'-» for this much credit should be given to the leadership ot Senator Roekwood o Franklin mi- the interest of the jnipils, and keeping them at study long after the age of fourteen, even if the pupils come from families which are in very narrow circumstances. In such schools the i)upils seem to be full of ardor; but then every one of them feels strongly the vocational motive. To some peojjle a vocational motive seems materialistic and low in the scale of human emotions; but is this a reason- able view? Is it true of us adults? Have we any better motiA'e for li\'ely work than tiie hope of making ourselves more useful and successful in the occupation through which we earn our livelihood? Is there any work which we enjoy more than the work we do in and for the call- ing through which all our earning power and serviceableness are developed? The hope of increased earning power and in- creased serviceableness is by no means a purely selfish hope. On the contrary, it may be in a high degree altruistic. At any rate, in these days of individual freedom neither child nor man will work hard except from an internal motive of which he feels the force, — in short, from a personal interest in the work itself. It is (juite possible to study any of the so-called cultural subjects in just as narrow a spirit as it is to study chemistry, physics, agriculture, engineering, or any other subject ordinarily stigmatized as utilitarian. ]\Iost of the x\merican uni- versities now support a graduate depart- ment of arts and sciences; and to that department go men whose education is already well advanced. Now, arts and sciences have a more comprehensive sound than law or medicine, for example, and yet any one of the young men, already bachelors of arts, who fill the graduate schools may work on languages, history, or pure mathematics in a narrow, uncultivated way, just as law students may study law in that objectiona})le spirit. On the other hand, throughout a grad- uate school of arts and sciences the true vocational spirit may be (piite as intense as it is in the school of law, greatly to the advantage of all the students. In- deed, the highest type of mental applica- tion and intellectual enthusiasm cannot be developed without the vocational motive. It is not simply the bread and butter motive — by no means. Every calling nowadays, whether profession or craft, has a side to it which means some- thing more than bread-winning. The men who succeed in the trades or pro- fessions are those who are animated by motive, vocational to be sure, but also altruistic and artistic. The apprenticeship system, which long prevailed in the leading industries of the most civilized nations, illustrated perfectly the good results of the voca- tional motive. When an intelligent apprentice was learning a trade thor- oughly he had a good livelihood in view, to be sure, but while he was learning his trade he was also cultivating his senses, obeying the artistic instinct, and aspiring to an ideal excellence. The apprenticeship method having disap- peared, the schools must utilize the trade motive to procure from their pupils good manual and mental labor, and to instil the love of the beautiful and excel- lent. The vocational motive in almost all the common human employments leads directly to a high degree of sense training and to the development of the artistic spirit. These three great needs of iVmerican education are the only ones which I have time to describe. We may all rejoice in the progress which has been made within our own period of observation in the first and last of the processes to which I have alluded. Progress toward the universal teaching of hygienic living and preventive medicine has barely begun. These three directions of social work ought not by any means to be confined to the school room or to the college lecture room or laboratory. They ought to be developed through all our social efforts, through the plays and recreations of children and adults, as well as through the labors by which a livelihood is earned. In particular, hygienic conditions of living and pre- ventive medicine ought to be determining factors in the plays or recreations of both children and adults. Education is not a process confined to schools and colleges. It should go on throughout life. Hence it is a great social object to study all means of improving the mental effects of the common trades and industries, and the moral effects of exercising the suffrage, that is, of taking BOSTON OPEN-AIR SCHOOL ROOMS 97 part as freeman in the government of the country. The education of the Ameri- can people goes on after school days through two great processes, the indus- trial process and the political process. All through life, therefore, the three lines of effort which I have indicated, — the training of the senses, instruction in hygiene and jjreventive medicine, and the application of the vocational mo- tive, — can be continuously pursued. I never like to take part in a discus- sion of social and educational difficulties without calling attention to the fact that new encouragements for social, educa- tional and moral efforts of all sorts are abundant. The problems of public instruction are grave, because of the increased complexity of trades and pro- fessions, the great variety of occupations for which young people are to be pre- pared, and the infinite diversities of the free human beings with whom the school systems now attempt to deal. The great encouragement in attempting to meet these difficulties is the changed view of educated mankind about evil itself. One need only go back a hundred years to find a condition of public belief concerning evil which was extremely fatalistic. Evil was inseparable from human nature, and from the "provi- dential" administration of the universe. Evil was inevitable and irresistible in this wretched world. For example, how crushing were the pestilences which periodically ravaged both civilized and barbarous society! War seemed the normal condition of mankind. These evils seemed to be a part of God's plan for the universe. The present genera- tions take an entirely different view of evil in general. Most of the evils that once seemed inevitable and irresistible mankind now knows to be preventable by the increase of human knowledge and skill. They are results, for the most part, of ignorance, and for the balance, of vice and crime. That I believe to be the great encouragement to hard social work by the minister, teacher, physician, or man of business who looks beyond the winning a livelihood, or the making of money, to the welfare of the human race. BOSTON OPEN-AIR SCHOOL ROOMS BY DR. THOMAS F. HARRINGTON In addition to the class of children known to be tuberculous and the class of children whose mental defects were the obvious causes of school retardation, recent investigations have called at- tention to a third class of children who may be termed the physically debili- tated. These are children who are able to attend school more or less regularly, and who profit to a certain extent by the instruction, but who are suffering from anaemia and various forms of incipient disease. It is probable that from three to five per cent of all school children belong to this class. These children are suffering principally from debili- tating conditions which arise from city life. The most common signs are anae- mia, enlarged cervical glands, adenoids and hypertrophied tonsils, chorea and physical dwarfing. All these may be looked upon as results of chronic poison- ing by breathing imjjure air. The pres- ence in school rooms of these children has been noted often in the past and has given rise to startling statements that "consumption"' was very prevalent among school children. This class of children, however, is distinct and separate from the tuberculous class to which many would, no doubt, gravitate if left un- aided. For these physically unfit children, as well as for those ciiildren who are backward, not on account of defective intelligence but rather of impaired vi- tality, a new type of school room has been devised. In addition to school rooms of special construction, provisions have been made by the Boston School Committee for assuring an abundance 98 NEW BOSTON THE TYPE OF CLASS ROOM USED of fresh air in the old type of school rooms. These are called the open-air school rooms. Its province is to carry on the instruction of the children with the help of improved methods and sur- roundings, while, at the same time, endeavoring to cure or ameliorate the conditions from which such children suffer. Few lessons in preventive medi- cine need more reiteration than those which will teach the present and the future generations that lower room tem])erature than that usually maintained in this country and a continuous abundance of fresh air from outside the building are the foundations of health. The open-air school room is an at- tempt to return toward the natural con- ditions of living. The established fact that fresh air will aid greatly in the cure of tuberculosis suggests the possibility that if the predisposed child could be given a greater abundance of fresh air, the tuberculosis might be prevented. In the same line, if the over-heating of our homes, schools, and offices is the cause of the prevalence of colds and catarrh in our Northern climate, then open-air rooms with a lower temperature and greater humidity should prevent those forerunners of tuberculosis, pneumonia and influenza. Thirdly, as school chil- dren in rooms with a temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit and over w^ere more listless, less bright, and more prone to evidence of anaemia, chest and nose affections than children of the same age and of the same social environments, attending school rooms with temper- ature of 64 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit, then why not place all the children in school rooms of the better sort, namely, in open-air school rooms? Since the routine surgical removal of adenoid growths has failed to bring about the promised improvement in the physical and mental condition of a large number of sub-normal children, and since the experience at such schools as the Massa- chusetts School at Canton for crippled BOSTON OPEN-AIR SCHOOL ROOMS and deformed children has demonstrated that many cases of adenoids can be cured, even when associated with tul^er- cular bone processes, l)y a Hfe in the open air, wliy not submit the selected cases only to surgical operation and give to the greater number of children with enlarged glands and adenoids the bene- fits of the open-air treatment? These are some of the premises upon which rest the claims for the establishment of open-air schools. For the mentally deficient pupils, selected by an expert on mental diseases, nine special classes have been estab- lished. The special school for the tuber- culous children opened at Franklin Park has been made an integral part of the Boston Consumptives' Hospital Depart- ment. This arrangement solves the feed- ing and transportation problem of these scliool children on the same basis as medi- cal and surgical relief given at out-patient de])artments, i. e., gratuitous, without pauperization, to the needy; part pay- ment by those who are able to pay. This special school has had 196 chil- dren since its opening in 1908; forty- three children have been discharged. Today there are 115 children in the school, and out of this number 15 to 20 per cent will be discharged as cured in June or September. Each "cured case" is followed up by the school nurse and each is examined at Burrough's Place clinic every month. In addition to these classes for these two special groups of children the Boston School Committee has inaugurated a wider camjjaign of education and jjracti- cal demonstration of health measures for the third group of children which promises much good. In an examination of 90,000 Boston elementary school children in December, 1909, the school nurses and teachers selected 5,043, or 5.Q per cent, as suit- able cases for open-air treatment on ac- count of the evidence of anaemia, chorea, glandular enlargements, under-size, or THE SCHOOL NURSE WEIGHS AND MEASTTRES EACH PUPIL EVERY MONTH 100 NEW BOSTON recent illness. The medical inspectors confirmed 4,489 of these findings. The Advisory Committee on School Hygiene recommended that school rooms afford- ing an abundance of sunlight, and free from noise, dust and smoke, and caj^able of thorough flushing with air from out- side the buildings be established in various quarters of the city for the special accommodations of this class of children selected by the medical in- spectors. Plans and specifications were prepared for the installation of such rooms in all new school buildings, and for the preparation of selected rooms in existing buildings. The School Commit- tee amended its rules and regulations and fixed 07 degrees Fahrenheit as the maximum temperature for all school rooms and made it obligatory that every school room shall be thoroughly aired by opening the windows, top and bottom, at ten o'clock a. m, at recess, at the close of school, at three o'clock p. m. and at the close of the afternoon and evening sessions. These rules are to be enforced irrespective of the kind of system for heating or ventilation installed in the building. It was further ordered that the teachers in day schools shall keep the windows, on at least one side of every class room, wide open whenever so doing will not reduce the temperature below 67 degrees Fahrenheit, nor by the admission of rain or dust, or other- wise seriously interfere with the school exercises. Teachers are required to record the temperature of each room each session, in a ])ermanent form, accessible to in- spection, the reading to be made and recorded at a time midway between the opening of the session and the ap- pointed time for opening windows for the purpose of recess or physical training exercises. Six open-air classes have been estab- lished and the results thus far observed have been greater freedom from colds and sore throat, and almost uninter- rupted school attendance by children previously absent frequently; increased mental alertness, and a marked awaken- ing by pupils and parents on the im- portance of fresh air and good food as factors in promoting health. Oppor- tunities are offered each child to procure, during the session, a luncheon at a cost not exceeding two cents. None of the children have failed to procure the neces- Pi ■ 4» ~ I" ^^H ■ ■ • H^^^K ^M^^^^^^^^^^^^^H i' m' 1 ^.1 4 CL.\SS ASSEMBLED FOR MORNING WORK BOSTON OPEN AIR SCHOOL ROOMS 101 THE LUNCHEON AND RELAXATION rERlOD sary funds for the lunches and the result has been that money formerly spent by the children for pickles, candies, and old fruit, is now used in the school for milk, cocoa, sandwiches, puddings and cookies. A regular weighing chart is kept with each child's record, and the majority have shown a steady, progressive gain in weight. Other children not assigned to the open-air classes have caught the school lunch habit, and these children are likewise encouraged by the school nurse and room teacher to keep a record of their weight; scales having been pro- vided by the School Committee for every school district. Se\eral schools have combined the work of the classes in domestic science with the furnishing of the lunches. As to the respective importance of the open air and a regular supply of suitable food, it is not possible to differ- entiate between the results of the two, because each influences the amount of benefit derived from the other. It can, however, be claimed that without the open-air conditions, few of these chil- dren would have eaten the amount of food necessary for functional require- ments and growth, and fewer still would have assimilated properly what they did eat. Little, if any, special clothing, other than covering for the legs and feet, is required in these special rooms on account of the greater freedom in motion allowed the children and the discretion allowed the teacher in the arrangement of her daily program. Every care is taken to avoid giving these rooms the appear- ance of a sanatorium, or to make the child too introspective on his physical condition. The far-reaching influence of these classes upon the home life of the chil- dren and the family, as an educational factor in conserving health and in ward- ing off disease, is beyond estimation. In one open-air class of twenty pupils, the total gain in weight for three months has been eighty-one pounds, the lowest gain being one pound, the highest ten pounds. The average weight of this class had been less than sixty pounds, instead of from sixty-five to seventy pounds for normal children of the same age. These children had been absent 538 school ses- sions during the previous three months, while they were able to be present at every session except thirty-nine during 102 NEW BOSTON WRAPriXG BAGS FOR COLU DAYS the three months of open-air schooHng. Some of the children made remarkable progress in health. A girl of seven years, who was out of school for three months, by order of her family physician, on account of chorea (St. Vitus Dance) was admitted to the class on April 29, weighing sixty-two ])ounds. On May 24 she had gained a pound in weight and parents say, "she sleeps better, eats better, and is very much happier." A boy twelve years old, suffering from malnutrition, weighed sixty-one pounds on April 29, had been absent consider- able, was listless, and did not care to go to school. On IVIay 24, he had gained two pounds, had not missed a session of school, showed a great gain in general appearance, stands and sits erect, does good class-work, and is very happy at his work. A boy eleven years, eight months, absent the greater part of the year on account of bronchitis and sup- posed "consumption." Examination failed to establish tuberculosis. The child was prevailed upon to enter the oj)en-air class. May 29 he weighed eight3'-two pounds and has not missed a school session in three months. A girl, nine years and eleven months, absent more than half the time on ac- count of indigestion and debility, gained from fifty-four pounds to sixty pounds between April 23 and May 24. "Has improved in appetite, in mentality, in attendance, and in appearance." A girl of ten years and four months, suffering from pronounced anaemia, was admitted to the class Ajjril 29, weighing forty- nine pounds. On May 24 she weighed sixty pounds. Has not been absent. "Shows great advancement in her work. Her general health and appearance have improved wonderfully." Boy eleven years and four months, suffering from malnutrition, admitted to class April 29, weighing sixty-six poiuids. \'ery back- ward in studies; pale and undersized. On INIay 24 he weighed seventy pounds. "He has shown a great gain in looks and mental alertness, as well as in vol- untary effort, which is entirely new to him." Girl, age eleven years and ten months, having debility following pneu- monia, on April 29 weighed sixty-four pounds. Had been absent two-thirds of time, very pale, thin and listless. No appetite, bright mentally, but body not equal to mind. On May 24 had gained five pounds; had not missed a session, UNIVERSITY EXTENSION IN BOSTON 103 sleeps better, appetite good. Family says: "Wonderful change in her whole manner." In another class of forty-one i)upils there have been gains in weight except in three cases where the boys worked before and after school hours. In this class each pupil sleeps at least one-half hour a day; one section rests or sleeps while the other section is reciting. Nineteen pupils have shown a marked improvement in mentality. The ab- senteeism has been reduced to a mini- mum. The school nurse makes a weekly visit to the home of every child assigned to the open-air classes and instructs parents in the selection and preparation of suitable food for the child. The average gain in w^eight has been two pounds, the largest gain (classes opened March 23) to date being seven pounds and twelve ounces. In order that the gain in health may be maintained during the long summer v^acation, the Women's Municipal League has volunteered to continue the work of the schools by establishing an out- door school at Castle Island, South Boston, from the close of the regular schools in June until their opening in September. School nurses have selected more than hio children from those ex- hibiting the most urgent needs, and special barges or cars will transport these children daily from their hot, over- crowded tenement districts to an or- ganized day school and play camp on one of Boston's peninsulas. The Fathers and Mothers Club is to take groups of these undersized and anaemic children into the country during the sum- mer and give each child two weeks, at least, of rest, recreation and health. The result of all this health work may not manifest itself at once, nevertheless, the teaching of all lessons today in com- bating disease is that the greatest hope lies in giving to each person a soil, i. e., a bodily resistance, in which the germs of disease cannot take root; and secondly, that an abundance of fresh air and sun- shine, cleanliness, a simple nutritious diet, and a proper proportion of work and rest are the best means of securing such a state of health. These are the lessons on health which the Boston schools hope to teach and instil while the children are under their care for the greater part of that age most susceptible to disease. UNIVERSITY EXTENSION IN BOSTON BY JAMES HARDY ROPES In the educational equipment of a modern city not only is it necessary to provide schools, elementary and higher, for boys and girls, and to have conven- iently accessible colleges for men and women, technical schools for training engineers and scientific workers, and institutions of various kinds to fit those who look forward to other professions. There are also other persons, mainly engaged in regular daily occupations, whose education was cut short but who have come to recognize the advantage of further well-guided study; and it is important that they should have the opportunity to improve themselves in their leisure time. The number of ])er- sons who have continued their education to the age of twenty-one will always be relatively small; and the intelligence of the community as a whole will de- pend on the intelligence diffused through the majority. An understanding of the general principles of economics or science, or of the facts of history, an apprecia- tion for good literature such as comes through knowledge of it — these things are not beyond the capacity of many thousands of our people, and effic- iency, as well as the power of wise self-direction, in a democracy will in some degree be measured by the success of the educational forces of the com- munity in bringing these attainments to large numbers of the poi)ulation. The spread of general intelligence not 104 NEW BOSTON only means j>reater powers of enjoyment to persons with leisure to read and think, it should produce open-minded- ness to ideas and conservatism toward revolution, enhanced command of the practical arts, sounder judgment on the moral (juestions of politics and daily life. P\)r the chief purpose of higher education is the understanding of the forces which are actually at work in nature and in society — whether it be electricity, or human nature expressed in the affairs of business and government. It is with motives such as these that the eight institutions constituting the "Commission on Extension Courses" have organized for 1910 11 a body of courses of college grade and taught by college instructors, which are intended to offer something of the advantages of a col- lege education to ])ersons who did not go to college but who wish they had. The institutions concerned are Harvard University, Tufts College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston College, Boston University, the Museum of Fine Arts, Wellesley Col- lege and Simmons College. The courses will })e given at Boston University, the Institute of Technology, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Boston Society of Natural History, and the Parker Memorial Institute. The hours are in the evening, in the latter part of the afternoon, and on Saturday. The courses offered are as follows: DIVISION I. EVENING COURSES AT 8 P. M. 1. English Litcrafiire and Composition. Mr. V. T. Copeland, Professor Chester N. Greenough, Mr. F. W. C. Hersey, Harvard Cniversity. Tuesday, Thursday. 2a. Expcrimcntid ElcctrirUy. Professor Louis Derr, Institute of Technology. Tuesday, Thursday. {First halj-ijcar.) 2b. Applied Electricity. Professors Harrison W. Smith and W. E. Wickenden, Institute of Tech- nology. Tuesday, Tluu'sday. (Second half-year.) 3. Principles of Economics. Profe.ssor Henry C. Metcalf, Tufts College. Monday, Wednesday. 4. Psychology. Professor H. M. Yerkes, Harvard University. Monday, Wednesday. DIVISION II. AFTERNOON AND SATURDAY COURSES A. — Languages and Literature 1. English Composition (advanced course). Pro- fessor Dallas Lore Sharp, Boston University. Tuesday, Thursday, .'}.;5(). 2. History of English Literature. Professor E. Cliarlton Black, Boston University. Monday, AVednesday, 4.30. 3. derman. German Life (in German). Professor Marshall L. Perrin, Boston University. Mon- day, Wednesday, 4.30. 4. French (elementary covu-se). Professor James Geddes. Jr., Boston I'niversity. Monday, Wed- nesday, 4.20. ,5. French Literature as influenced by French life atid manners. Professor Therese Colin, Wellesley College. Tuesday, Thursday, 3.30. B. — Natural Sciences 1. Physics. The Ionic Theory. Professor Norton .\. Kent. Boston University. Monday, Wednes- day, 3.30. 2. Physiology. Professor Arthur W. Weysse, Bos- ton I'nivcrsity. Tuesday, Thursday, 4.20. {First half-year.) NOTE: — Courses 3, 4, ,5, G and 7 are courses in the Lowell Teachers' School of Science. They will begin Nov. 12, 1910. 3. Mineralogy. Profes.sor George H. Barton, Bos- ton Society of Natural History. Saturday, 9-11 a. m. 4. Dynamical and Structural Geology. Professor Barton. Saturday, 2-4. .5. Physiological Botany. Professor W. J. V. Osterhout, Harvard University. Saturday, 2-4. C. Geography of Europe. Professor Douglas \N. Johnson, Harvard University. Saturday, 2-5. 7. History of Chemistry. Professor Lyman C. Newell, Boston University. Saturday, 11a. m. C. — History 1. English Ilisiory from 1485 to the present. Pro- fessor Frederic A. Ogg, Simmons College. Mon- day, Wednesday, 4. 2. Ancient Art and Cirilization. Mr. Arthur Fairbanks, Museum of Fine Arts. Monday, Wednesday, 4.15, and a third hour. {First half-year.) 3. The Cirilization and Art of the Roman, Byzantine, Gothic, and Renais.^ancc Ages. Professor John O. Sumner, Institute of Technology. {Second h(df-year.) For the.se courses a tuition fee will be charged varying from five dollars to twenty dollars a course. Full informa- tion can be had by writing to the Commis- sion on Extension Courses, University Hall, Cambridge, IMass. The financial supj)ort for these courses is furnished (to the extent of more than half) by the Lowell Institute: for the rest the commission is dependent on the contributions of generous friends of the enterprise to whose attention the education committee of the Chamber of Commerce has undertaken to bring the matter. The extent to which the fees will pay for the teaching and for the moderate other exj^enses remains to be learned from experience. In the long run such courses ought to be so UNIVERSITY EXTENSION IN BOSTON 105 administered as substantially to meet their own cost. This is desirable both for the sake of the permanence of the system of courses, and because students value more highly instruction for which they have to pay something. The commission's group of courses will include the Lowell Collegiate Courses, given in the evening by Harvard pro- fessors for the past three years, and the courses of the Lowell Teachers' School of Science, which have proved useful to teachers for a long period of years. That there is a public demand for such work is showm by the fact that the Lowell Collegiate Courses have each year at- tracted a body of students averaging one thousand. With the enlarged offering the number of students ought to increase. The largest single group of extension students probably consists of teachers, especially in the public schools. In addition to the courses of the commission, certain other instruction is offered to them in Boston. At Boston LTniversity the professors have organized "Courses for Teachers," likewise of collegiate grade. These have been given for the past two years, and will be continued in 1910-11. They are held in the after- noon and on Saturday, and constitute a very valuable contribution to the teacher's opportunities for higher edu- cation. About 1.50 teachers have taken advantage of these courses in the past months. The particular courses to be given next year have not yet been an- nounced. These courses count directly for the A. B. of Boston University. Simmons College also has arranged for next year four important courses for commercial teachers, and for sewing teach- ers. The need of such work has been much felt in recent years. A course at Harvard specially adapted for teachers of Latin has also been put at an afternoon hour, and opened to teachers at a low fee. For the technical training of others than teachers some provision has already been made. The problem is a somewhat different one from that of the extension of regular college work. For ambitious men in industrial establishments the Lowell School for Industrial Foremen offers admirable training in its two vears' evening courses in electrical and in mechanical work. Somewhat more ele- mentary is the work of the Franklin Institute and the Young Men's Chris- tian Association. For men in business three of the Harvard Business School's regular courses have been put at 4.30 p.m. The Architectural League is understood to be planning a system of courses for architectural draughtsmen, and it is to be hoped that some of the courses falling within the range of the commis- sion's work will prove available in these and other technical fields. The work of the commission, then, is an integral part of a large attempt, under the charge of various agencies, to provide for this particular educational need, — the instruction of persons whose regular occupation fills the greater part of their time. These are what we mean by "extension students." "University extension" means the direct transference to a place and time convenient to such students of regular college work under college professors. It is not a lower grade of work; it is the same work done by the same instructors, and altered only in so far as the interests and needs of these students (usually more mature and eager than college students) require. The distinction of this work as under- taken in Boston is that we have tried to maintain it on the highest level, and to secure that the instruction shall be given, not by younger assistants, but by the best and most experienced college professors. The development of the courses of- fered by the Commission on Extension Courses will be guided by experience of what the public desires and can use. Advanced courses will be added in sub- sequent years if a sufficient number of students apply for them, and courses in nearly any subject can be supplied in response to an adequate demand. The courses will be varied by rotation in successive years. At the start they are in part an experiment, and will have to be supported by contributions. As they become established, it is hoped that both their constituency of students and their financial support will prove to be on a j)ernuinent basis. METROPOLITAN BOSTON WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT SHOULD BE GOVERNED BY MARCH G. BENNETT Almost immediately after the founding of Boston, in 1630, it became the social, commercial and political center of the surrounding teri'itory. Farming was then the chief industry, followed by shipping, and these two continued to reign for more than two centuries. The increase in population did not establish new centers, but merely widened Boston's sphere of influence. New towns were created by setting off portions of old towns, and the old towns grew more populous, but no less dependent upon the central community. With the build- ing of railroads, all centering in Boston, and the development of manufacturing industries which followed, came the be- ginning of the suburban development which has grown in such a wonderful manner and has made the city of Boston the workshop, and the surrounding com- munities the playground and bedroom of almost a million and a half of people, living in thirty-nine different cities and towns, every one of which, with the exception of Lynn, is practically wholly dependent upon this city commercially and socially, although each one has an independent political system. The in- crease in the population of Boston and the contiguous towns, and the closer intimacy of their relations, produced a movement toward annexation which, beginning with South Boston in 1804, culminated in 1874, when Charlestown, Brighton and West Roxbury were an- nexed on the same day, as the result of a referendum vote. The full list of annexations, familiar to those who fre- quent the Registry of Deeds, is as follows : South Boston, March 6, 1804. Washington Village, May 21, 1855. Back Bay, April 25, 1859. Roxbury, January 6, 1868. Dorchester, January 3, 1870. West Roxbury, Brighton and Charles- town, January 5, 1874. The other communities preferred to retain their independence, so that Boston has a queer shape, like^a wedge of pie, with Brookline coming in like a thinner wedge. Another result was to isolate Brookline from its county, Norfolk, and to leave it entirely surrounded by Suffolk and Middlesex. If these annexations had not taken place the population of Boston would now be very small indeed and the Chamber of Commerce's task of convincing the country at large that Boston as a commercial entity belongs in the class with New York and Chicago rather than with Baltimore, Buffalo and Cleveland, would be even more difficult than it now is. But the problems which started this annexation movement would not down. The most pressing of these was sewage disposal. Pestilence was threatened by the increasing use by the communities in the Charles and Mystic valleys of those rivers, as sewage outlets, and in the anxiety to prevent this and at the same time to avoid the general annexa- tion, which was so objectionable, a scheme of half-baked federation was de- vised, by the organization in 1889, of the Metropolitan Sewer District. This creation was unique. The only govern- mental subdivisions that had existed up to that time in jNIassachusetts were counties, cities and towns. No acceptable method could be found of bringing about co-operative action by the different cities and towns which were to partici- pate in the benefits and expenses of the proposed works, and it was therefore provided that the Commonwealth should assume the responsil)ility. Accordingly, the act of establishing the district also provided for the appointment by the governor of a Metropolitan Sewer Com- mission, and for the construction Tby this commission of great trunk line sewers throughout the district, which sewers should receive and carrv out to 107 108 NEW BOSTON sea the dangerously swelling volume of sewage that was eollected by the local sewers in each one of the municipalities that joined the district. The state financed the whole enterprise, loaning its credit to the newly created, but governmentally fictitious district, and the commissioners were appointed by the governor and made resjjonsible only to him and to the legislature. The dis- trict was divided into two parts, one known as the North District and the other as the South District, because physical conditions required that one section should be drained to the north, and the other to the south, of Boston, and the accounts of the two districts are separately kept. The cities and towns are reimbursing the state in annual assessments governing both principal and interest upon the construction bonds and upon the annual cost of maintenance. A similarly difficult problem of Metro- politan Boston was water supply. The city of Boston had already constructed a large and exjiensive system, the prin- ciple feature of which was Lake Co- chituate, about twenty miles from (ity Hall, but that system was outgrown almost before it was completed. The other cities and towns were supplying themselves from local sources, which were becoming less and less adequate in volume, and more and more subjectetl to danger of pollution, on accoiuit of the increasing congestion of the i:iopulation. The doctors and health officers declared war upon this prospective pestilence and famine, and, as the sewer experiment had worked well, a Metropolitan Water District was created, to be composed of the city of Boston and such other cities and towns within about ten miles as chose to enter then or at a future time, when their own supply proved insufficient. Although this also was an engineering problem, similar in most respects to that of sewage disposal, it was thought best to place it in different hands, and a new board was created, called the Metropolitan Water Board, with a new set of commis- sioners, engineers, etc., and a new center of o])eration. ("^Fhis situation contiiuied until (Governor Crane recommended the creation of a new board of three com- missioners, to take over the work of both of the old boards, then in the midst of their great tasks, and this consolida- tion was accomplished with much econ- omy and benefit.) The Water Board was given great power and responsibilities. They took whole townships, razed build- ings, transplanted cemeteries, and made a large lake in Worcester County, forty miles from Boston. The water is con- ducted to the district in great mains, and distributed to the consumer through the local mains owned and maintained by the different municipalities. The growth of the metropolis has been so rapid, and the use of water so reckless, that the Metropolitan Water and Sewer- age Board served notice upon us several years ago that at the present rate of consumption it would be but a short time before further sources of supply must be developed, at an additional expense of perhaps $4(),()0(),{)00. The equally wonderful, though less practically and immediately urgent. Met- ropolitan Park system, grew out of the foresight of a number of public-spirited citizens, who pointed out that large areas of great natural beauty, like Middlesex Fells, Waverley Oaks, etc., could then be secured at very low cost, and that if left in their natural state, with very little expenditure they would make a park system that would be in- creasingly valuable as the population increased. This theory has proved cor- rect in ])ractice, except in the matter of exjiense. No sooner were the lands obtained than urgent demands came for more takings, and for the construction of beautiful boulevards to connect the parks with each other, and these de- mands, so strong as to be irresistible by the legislature, together with the am- bitious itch that always possesses our admirable landscape architects to "im- ])rove" upon nature, resulted in a few years in loading the districts with a park debt and maintenance account that woidd have astounded its original spon- sors. To carry out this project, still another commission was created, the Metropolitan Park Commission, with another complement of engineers and satellites, and another headquarters en- tirely separated from the other metro- ])olitan enterprises. The Charles River Basin project, for which we are indebted to Mr. Storrow, was essentially one METROPOLITAN BOSTON 109 that should have been executed by the MetropoHtan Park Commission, but at the time of its adoption the conditions were such that it was felt that the legislat- ure would not pass the bill unless the work was ])laced in other hands, and there- fore still another commission was created, with a full outfit of offices and employees, known as the Charles River Rasin Com- mission. This has been short-lived. It has about completed its work, quickly and admirably, and will this year go out of existence, turning the Basin over to the Park Commission. It will be observed that all of these great works, costing upwards of $80,000,- 000, built for the benefit, and at the ex- pense, of thirty-nine cities and towns which are practically all included wholly or in part within a radius of ten miles of the City Hall, have been carried on by the Commonwealth. The legislature authorized them, the governor appointed the commissioners to carry them out, the commissioners did the work under their direction, the state auditor audited the accounts, and the state treasurer issued the bonds and paid the bills for construction and maintenance. The local authorities had nothing to do with it, except to participate in the benefits, and j)ay the debt. So far as the finances were concerned this was proper and essential, under the circumstances, be- cause the state was loaning its credit, and should have complete control of the situation in this respect. The result of these enterprises has been wonder- fully beneficial. They have been carried out with remarkable fidelity and skill. Too great praise cannot be given to the governors for the kind of commissioners that have been appointed, nor to the commissioners for the work that has been done, the difficulties of which are too little understood or appreciated. This system riiay therefore be said to have been very successful, but it was recognized from the first that it was in- complete, and that it needed a more definite and direct local connection. In consequence the legislature of 1894 passed an act creating a jVIetropolitan District Commission, which was instructed to investigate the following subjects and to report back to the succeeding legislature: First. The advisability of establishing a general government, with limited powers, for the city of Boston and the surrounding cities and towns, generally denominated as the metropolitan dis- trict, allowing each municipality inde- pendence in local affairs, but conferring upon the general government authority in matters which can be administered to better advantage by the general government. Second. The advisability of uniting such cities and towns into one munici- pality by annexing the same, or any of them, to the city of Boston. Third. The advisability of any other system of entire or partial union of such municipalities for purposes of municipal administration. This commission was originally com- posed of William B. Rice, Osborne Howes and Charles P. Curtis, Jr., but Mr. Curtis resigned to become police com- missioner, and was succeeded by William Power Wilson. After an exhaustive in- vestigation, during which Mr. Howes went to Europe and studied the systems in vogue there, the commission reported two general conclusions reached, as follows : First. That there is no manifest and general demand for the annexation of the other cities and towns of the Metro- politan district to Boston. Second. That it is desirable to sim- plify the now complicated systems of government of this metropolitan district by bringing all of its municipalities within the boundaries of a single county, this to have larger legislative and ad- ministrative powers than counties in this state have hitherto possessed. But the creation of a new Metro- politan County was a step far in advance of public wishes or willingness. The met- ropolitan district included the whole of Suffolk and parts of three other counties — Norfolk, Essex and Middlesex — and the county seats of three of these — Boston, Cambridge and Dedham — with all the county buildings, records, etc. The logic of the commissioners' arguments was irresistible. They found a nest of "com- plex and irresponsible governments" ex- isting in a "group which should be treated as a political unit" including, "besides the necessary state and local govern- ments, four county governments and 110 NEW BOSTON three boards of commissioners, each independent of the other, all of the last three varying in areas over which their jurisdiction extends, and none of the entire seven, with the possible exception of the Boston Board of Aldermen and street commissioners, owing a direct accountability to, or coming fairly in touch with the people." With these facts before them, the Metropolitan District Commission felt obliged to recommend drastic changes, and by so doing they defeated the object for which they were ajjpointed; namely, to bring about co-operation between the cities and towns comprising the district, in matters of general and common interest to the district as a whole, and leaving to each municipality full control of its own local affairs as before. This absence of co-operation is the glaring defect of the present system. The executive heads of the thirty-nine cities and towns comprising the district have had nothing to say about metro- politan improvements, unless they volun- teered their advice to commissioners over whom they had no authority (and with whom they were often at loggerheads over the many difficulties that inevitably arose between local and state officials) or through their representatives in the leg- islature. These representatives were often divided in their allegiance, representing more than one town, or belonged to a different political party from the town or city executive; and they were seldom familiar with the finances of their munici- palities. The local executives had no organization, and therefore were obliged to act individually in all matters except as they were able to enlist the help of neighboring executives in the settlement of questions of common interest. The plans for metropolitan improvements never had their united attention or ap- proval, but were put through the legis- lature piecemeal, year after year, upon petition of small groups of individuals who combined to carry out their pet projects. The local representatives were usually more or less concerned with these combinations, but even if a majority of them o])iK)sed they were often quite helpless, because the membership of the legislature from the metropolitan district is only about two-fifths of the entire membership. In other words, upon matters affecting the metropolitan dis- trict only, the local executives who must raise the money have no power to restrain or even advise, and the local represen- tatives are outvoted almost two to one by members who represent outside constituencies, from Berkshire to the Cape, which do not have to pay one cent of the cost of the metropolitan improve- ments. There are many instances on record where expenditures have been authorized by the vote of this outside majority, against the vote of a large majority of the metropolitan members. This is all on the negative side, but it is now very important, because the met- ropolitan debt has become a great bur- den to the municipalities of the district, and the metropolitan expenditure for maintenance is the terror of the local officials, who have no power to check or regulate it. Co-operation between the local authori- ties as a body, and the commissioners, would remove most of this uncertainty and consequent friction, but that is by far the smallest part of the good that it would accomplish. In connection with this, the affirmative side of co-operation, the Metropolitan District Commission may again be quoted. Referring to the sewer district legislation, they said: 'Tt was not at that time foreseen that this metropolitan work would be shortly followed by a metropolitan park scheme, a metropolitan water project, and that later on it would or will have for its successors plans of a metropolitan charac- ter for main roads, the regulation of transportation, the preservation of health, the control of contagious diseases and other broad administrative subjects. In the sewerage matter a board of three commissioners, appointed by the gover- nor, was created, for the reason that there was no other authority that could carry on the work as fairly representing all of the interested communities; and, having once adopted this method of procedure, it was found easy to continue it when other projects were brought forward." Most of the jirojects thus prophesied have since been brought forward by groups of influential citizens, have been made the subject of an exhaustive report METROPOLITAN BOSTON 111 by the recent Metropolitan Improve- ment Commission, and are now being further considered by a heterogeneous body known as the "Big Four," com- prising the Boston Transit Commission, the MetropoHtan Park Commission, the State Railroad Commission and the State Harbor and Land Commission, who also have had referred to them various other metropolitan improvements. Only one of the constituent bodies is a metro- politan organization, and at least two of them have their hands pretty full of the special business for which they exist. Supposing that organized co-operation had existed between the units of the metropolitan district, is it not certain that all of these improvements and many others would have been discovered, dis- cussed and either vigorously forwarded or dropped, as an intelligent and experienced view of the districts' interests dictated.'* Metropolitan Boston is actually a great business federation wdth its official and progressive equipment only half developed, and systematic co-ordination of its departments entirely neglected. Imagine any other business institution composed of thirty-nine departments in which the executive officers of the local departmental affairs never met in consultation with each other or with the officers in charge of the general adminis- tration of the most important affairs of the whole concern! Such an institution might live and even move forward, but it could never achieve its greatest pos- sibilities and it could never hope to hold its own in competition with alert, prop- erly organized rivals. Mr. Howes, of the Metropolitan Dis- trict Commission, became convinced be- fore his death that much of the good which his commission believed required a new county government could in fact be accomplished by co-operation be- tween the local authorities, and for two successive years he brought together the chief executives of most of the thirty- nine cities and towns of the district, who with substantial unanimity endorsed a proposition to create a Metropolitan Boston Council which should have official standing and should meet and consider all matters of general metropolitan in- terest. With Mayor Fitzgerald's assist- ance, several meetings were unofficially held, and the result of these meetings was a series of recommendations upon pending legislation to the legislative Committee on Metropolitan Affairs, which were of great assistance to that committee, and were adopted almost wholly. The proposed Metropolitan Boston Council bill was a modification of one that was already pending before the Committee on Metropolitan Affairs, introduced by the writer, and it created a council of thirty-nine, composed of the mayors of the cities and the chairmen of the boards of selectmen of the towns of the district. This council was required to organize, elect officers, and to consider all metropolitan matters submitted to the legislature, reporting their recom- mendations, if any, to the legislature. Their powers were wholly advisory, but officially organized they would be able to do many things and to make their influence felt more strongly than is pos- sible without such organization. This, again, is only a small part of what the advocates of the council hoped to gain. The great benefit that would arise from such an organization would be in the new ways and means that would surely be discovered of improving commercial and social conditions throughout the whole community by co-operation be- tween the now disconnected units that compose it. Such a body could not possibly meet to consider the affairs of this district without seeing numerous ways in which great improvements could be made, and by co-operating with one another and comparing notes they would not only benefit the district as a whole, but would bring about a uniformity of ordinances, by-laws and regulations all over the district which would be of infinite advantage. In other words, it is believed that through such a body a system of co-operation would develop that would give to the community many, and perhaps nearly all, of the benefits of a consolidated city, with none of its drawbacks; and the men composing this council would be about the last in the whole district to advocate or consent to annexation. The recent Metropolitan Improvement Commission recommended such a body especially to consider the problem of main thoroughfares. The Metropolitan Boston Council Bill 112 NEW BOSTON has been presented to the legislature for several years, but has only been con- sidered two years, owing to the Boston Charter legislation. In both these years it has been unanimously favored by the Committee on Metropolitan Affairs, and in one by the Committee on Ways and Means. This year the latter committee opposed it (it carries the princely appro- priation of $1,000) for reasons that were not superficially clear. It has been de- feated in the house on both occasions, partly because some people cannot be made to see that it is not a "Greater Boston" measure in the annexation sense, partly for other reasons which perhaps cannot be profitably discussed, and partly because the public insistence which is necessary to overcome small fears and jealousies has never been aroused and organized by a general campaign. The press has almost unani- mously favored the bill, and this year gave it most emphatic endorsement, editorially and otherwise. It is an essentially co-operative measure, and if it could have the endorsement and active support of the general co-operative move- ment of which Boston-1915 is the center, its enactment would be certain. But whether this or some other measure pre- vails, or a new commission is created to answer for the year 1911 the same ques- tions that the old commission answered for 1896, it must not be forgotten that this is a vital question for Boston-191o. COUNTING THE COST The report of the Massachusetts Com- mission on the Cost of Living is a re- markable volume. In some respects it has never been equalled. The Legis- lature saw fit to instruct that a question touching nearly every phase of political economy and of sociology should be answered adecjuately within two months. The Commission was appointed March 9, and handed in its report on the first legislative day of May, sharp on time, one of the very few state commissions that was ever punctual. The magnitude of the work had led about everybody to predict that no attempt at prompt- ness would be made. Yet the material was gathered and the manuscrij)t was j)repared for a volume of more than seven hundred pages in a little more than seven weeks. This was made pos- sible by the fact that two members of the commission. Chairman Robert Luce and Edward F. McSweeney, and its secretary. Prof. F. Spencer Baldwin, combined a newspaper training with special knowledge of the economic field. Henry Al)rahams, secretary of the Boston Central La})or Union, Albion F. Bemis, who has served in both branches of the Legislature and in the Governor's Coun- cil, and Mederic J. Laporte, a business man of Holyoke, were able to contribute from practical experience with affairs. The result is a volume that covers a surprising amount of ground, crammed with facts and figures bearing on prac- tically all the ecomonic relations of modern society. Of course it was the first task of the commission to find out just what has been the increase in the cost of living. So the first quarter of the book is devoted to a detailed study of statistics of whole- sale and retail price fluctuations for a generation past, with particular atten- tion to the recent history of the costs of the chief items of living expense — food, rent, and clothing. The meat situation received careful analysis, cold storage was investigated, produce and proA'isions of all sorts were studied. In accordance with the special direction of the Legislature, the complaints about slate in the domestic coal supplies of Boston were made the basis of a special and adequate report by ex-Represen- tative Myron E. Pierce. The rest of the main part of the report is devoted to consideration of the causes of the increase in the cost of living, and sug- gestions of remedies. Family incomes and expenses vary COUNTING THE COST 113 so much, with such differences in earn- ing capacity, habits and tastes, that evidently the commission did not care to commit itself to a generalization as to just how much the cost of living has risen. That was not necessary for its purposes, and might be misleading. But from the many figures it gives one might tiraw the deduction that, speaking in the broadest way, the cost of living is from a fifth to a quarter higher than it was ten years ago, and from a quarter to a third higher than it was at the low point, in 1807. The proof is indis])utable that increase has been a world-wide phenomenon, though varying in degree in different countries. With nearly all the economists the commission agrees that the only cause which can produce such a condition is an increase in money, and this is borne out by the figures as to the unprecedented increase in the production of gold in late years, and of credit money based on the new gold supplies. So far as this is the cause, no remedy is apparent, certainly none within the power of a single common- wealth. But this fundamental cause, the commission believes, has been ag- gravated in its effects here by local phenomena. It finds that a large variety of influences have joined to increase the effect of a plethora of money. It finds that the people themselves are in an important degree responsible for their troubles, and that intelligent action could offset the hardships of rising prices in many directions where public and private welfare might also thereby gain benefits quite apart from those of a mercenary nature. The first and foremost of these op- portunities for advance lies in the direc- tion of economy. The wastes of modern life, both social and individual, get in the commission's report most compre- hensive and thorough treatment. Start- ling statistics demonstrate the waste of war, militarism, national armaments, naval outlay. Figures show the rising scale of expenditure for the costs of government — national, state and local — not necessarily a waste, but a new out- lay adding its share to the general total of increase. Attention is called to the burdens of crime, pauperism, insanity, accident, disease, unemployment, and the like, with alarming totals of the aggregate of the cost of maintaining the defectives of Massachusetts. Next comes discussion of individual wastes — those due to drink, to inordinate luxury, to excess in amusement, and to waste in the household, Prof. Ellen H. Richards furnishing the chapter on domestic waste. Wastage having been disposed of as an uneconomic expenditure, then follows critical study of the economic causes of higher prices, those affecting supply or demand. Under the head of supply are treated factors which many think the most important. First of these is the change in the distribution of popula- tion, which has led to a great increase in the number of city dwellers, with great falling off in the proportion of the total remaining on the farms. Equally significant are the facts about the ex- haustion of natural resources. The truth is that we have reached the end of extensive cultivation, and must now resort to intensive cultivation. This means fertilizers, and fertilizing costs money. We have skimmed the cream off the land. There is no more virgin soil, save what may be reclaimed by irrigation, and the quantity of that is not enough to promise us cheap beef again or a chance to renew our exports of cereals. The commission points out that we have in sight no considerable gains in processes of production, transportation, or manufacture. It cannot be shown that the farmer, the railroad owner, or the manufacturer is making excessive profit, or that the ex])enses of any one of the three can be importantly reduced. The great waste of our economic system is rather to be sought in the processes of distribution that employ the middle- men. It is not charged that the jobber, the wholesaler, or the retailer is indi- vidually overpaid, but it is charged that the system of distribution is extrava- gantly and needlessly expensive. In this field, the commission points out, lies the great op[)ortunity for such movements as that of Boston-1015 and all the other agencies for co-operative effort that can be developed. Dr. Alexander E. Cance of the ^Massachusetts Agricultural College supplemented the 114 NEW BOSTON work of the coinniis.siou itself on this subject, with nuiiUM-ous suggestions of practical value, chiefly relating to the distribution of perishable farm products. Neither Dr. Cance nor Prof. Brooks looks to the New England farm for much help in reducing jjrices, but each sees ways of getting the products of that farm to the consumer with marked gain over |)resent methods. There should be co-operation in getting produce from the farm to the railroad, in sorting, packing and shi])ping. There should be effort i)ut into developing proj)er terminal facilities in the cities, j^rovision made for the storage of perishable food products, the introduction into Massa- chusetts of sales methods already found efficacious elsewhere. Especially should there be progress in developing the trolley freight opportunity already so well es- tablished in the West. Massachusetts lags behind in this matter. Putting our present electric lines to their full use and building others through farming districts- would mean great gains in the handling of milk, vegetables, all sorts of farm products. Another chance for bringing producer and consumer to- gether will come when public opinion proves too strong for the express mono- poly and compels the parcels post. Then in our buying we can save many a middleman's charge just as is the familiar thing in Germany. The commission does not give a clean bill of health to the tariff or to the trade unions, as was inferred by many from the necessarily brief abstract at first given out. It says that to neither of these causes can be laid the recent increase in prices so far as it is general. With less than ten per cent of the labor of the country organized, the commission's conclusion cannot be questioned. Yet statements enough from employers are quoted to show that in i)articular direc- tions the shortening of hours and in- crease of wages nmst have raised some prices. Whether there have been com- pensating advantages was not part of the commission's problem. Also, were there no tariff, very likely the cost of living would be less, but the income with which to meet it might be lower still, and here, too, the commission a])i)ears not to have felt that it had the time to strike a balance between gain and loss. But having been specifically instructed to consider the tariff, it went into the subject far enough to show that the usual comparisons between prices here and in Canada or abroad are most misleading. As a matter of fact, the increase in the cost of living in Canada has been greater than here, and it has risen in free trade England as well as protected Germany. Members of the commission, accompanied by the presi- dent of the Fruit and Produce Exchange and a leading grocer chosen by grocers' associations, visited Canadian cities in order to make comparisons exact in point of qualities as well as in money prices. They found meats slightly lower there, groceries slightly higher. On the whole, in places of the same size and with similar conditions, the total cost of living with the same amount of com- fort, luxury, and convenience, is not materially different in the two countries. The wage scale, however, is the higher here. The commission made few specific recommendations for legislation. No reasonable man ever hoped it would be able to show how the operation of economic laws could be reversed by statute. It did, however, accomplish its legitimate purpose, that of putting within reach of every citizen the facts of the situation. In doing this it set forth a large number and variety of opportunities for public-spirited men in and out of the halls of legislation to join in steps looking toward public and private economy — a more effective use of social and individual resources. More intelligent legislation in many directions must follow perusal of the report, more enthusiastic effort on the part of com- mercial and philanthropic bodies. Pos- sibly conceived with a political purpose, the investigation was comi)letely diverted therefrom by the commission itself. Partisanship appears to have been tabooed from beginning to end. So the report takes on a scientific impor- tance that will bring credit to the com- monwealth, from its quality as a con- tribution of permanent value to economic literature. The Further Use of School Buildings BY FANNIE FERN ANDREWS In the widespread effort to make Boston a beautiful city, the most beauti- ful city in the world, no element is more fundamental than the educational. There is no more important body of workers than the teachers whose aim is to train children to become the efficient, worthy citizens of the next generation. If we could be assured that the boys and girls of today would, as men and women, carry out the present ideals of the many earnest workers, we should indeed be assured of a fine city in the future. Universal recog- nition of the value of training children is evidenced by the thorough system of public schools throughout the length and breadth of the land. The purpose of teachers everywhere is to make these institutions minister to the highest de- velopment of the children. The schoolhouse, however, has a still broader function in the making of a fine city. It can serve not only as an educa- tional institution for the young, but also as an intellectual and social meeting place for boys and girls who have left school, and for adults in the school neigh- borhood. Indeed, this idea has become pretty firmly established in the minds of those who lead the educational move- ment. The "further use of school buildings" has become a matter of common discus- sion. As to the best method, however, of carrying out the idea, we find no general agreement. jMany cities have tried experiments; some have emphasized certain phases of extended activity, while others have pursued wholly dif- ferent policies. Perhaps, however, those activities commonly designated as com- ing under the "further use of school buildings" may be divided into two general classes, recreational and educa- tional, both these terms being inter- preted in the broad sense. New York City offers a model in her efficiently organized recreation centres, and also in her extensive public lecture work. Rochester stands out prominently in her plan for the use of the schoolhouse as a "social centre," which combines both recreational and educational ac- tivities; while each of these cities main- tains evening schools for academic in- struction. It may be well to note here that prob- ably in no department of the educational system can we find a better illustration of the growth in the use of school build- ings than in the evening schools them- selves. Whereas, the instruction first offered to those attending evening school consisted of a narrow academic course, running somewhat parallel to the then insufficient day school curriculum, the progressive evening school of today is keeping a fair pace with the new subjects introduced into the day school, and is adapting its course of study more and more to the particular needs of those who offer themselves as evening school students. We find, for example, in the regular courses of many evening schools, besides the purely academic work, stenog- raphy, typewriting, wood-working, free- hand drawing, dressmaking, millinery and domestic science. The New York evening trade schools offer the following subjects: carpentry and joinery, cabinet- making, pattern-making, blacksmithing, plumbing, machine shop work, printing and typesetting, mathematics, free-hand, architectural and mechanical drawing, machine design, applied electricity, steam engineering, electric wiring and installa- tion, industrial chemistrj^ applied phys- ics, advanced dressmaking, millinery and domestic science. Certainly, this evening school develop- ment illustrates the general feeling that school property ought to be utilized for the improvement of the people. The term "social centre" has come to be used to express a more general neighborhood use of the school plant, and yet this term by no means stands for any uniform program. Many so-called social centre llo 116 NEW BOSTON activities in one city are considered a buildings should be open for both educa- part of the regular evening school cur- tional and recreational activities; and riculum in another; and in spite of the secondly, as to the degree in which any difference in terms, the general result one neighborhood should use its school- seems to be the same. It might be sug- house. gested that, in view of this confusion Having in mind the broad and varied and also on account of the notable lay uses of the Boston schoolhouses for interest in the matter, a nomenclature evening school activities, as shown in of terms should be adopted. This un- the chart at the close of this article, the doubtedly would help to clarify the Committee on the Further Use of School minds of those who believe in the further Buildings of the Boston Home and School use of school buildings, yet have not Association, acting in the capacity of fully decided as to the exact uses to which the Advisory Committee on the Further school buildings should be put. In the Use of School Buildings, appointed by general discussion there seems to be a the Boston School Committee, has pro- difference of opinion, on two points at posed the following plan which has been least; first, as to whether the school accepted by the School Committee: A. ACTIVITIES. I. Parents' Association Meetings. 1. Three Aims. a. To provide an opportunity for parents and teachers to meet each other. b. To provide an opportunity for the study of child development. c. To promote the educational and civic welfare of the school district. 2. Administration. a. Initial steps for organization taken by Home and School Association. b. Each parents' association becomes self-supporting and self-directing. c. Home and School Association, through its central committees and News Letter, suggests lines of activities. II. Vocational Activities. 1. Description. a. Work with Parents. a. Vocational lectures at regular meetings of the parents" associations, or at special meet- ings. After the lecture, opportunity given for personal conversation with the lecturer. Questionaire for parents given out at the meetings. b. Four vocational evenings, in consecutive weeks, where parents may consult with vocational advisers — this to be arranged in each parents' association district. b. Work with Young Men. a. A vocational club in each evening school, meeting one evening a week during the evening school period. Young men not under fourteen and not over twenty-five. c. Activities of Vocational Clubs. a. Study of vocational qualifications and opportunities under the direction of a Vo- cational Counsellor, who will aim to be informed as to the demands for workers. 6. Club might become co-operative where boys help each other to get jobs. (Quincy School Club.) i. Administration. a. Work with Parents. a. General supervision — Vocation Committee of Home and School Association and Vocation Bureau. b. Immediate supervision — Director of Home and School Association. b. Work with Young Men. a. General supervision — Director of Evening Schools, represented by the Master of the Evening School. b. Immediate supervision — Women's Municipal League and Vocation Bureau. c. General executive work in charge of Director of Vocational clubs. THE FURTHER USE OF SCHOOL BUILDINGS 117 III. Junior Civic Clubs, or Junior City Councils. 1. Description. a. A Junior Civic Club in each ev'ening school, meeting one evening a week during the even- ing school period. Young men not under fourteen and not over twenty-five. b. Activities of Junior Civic Clubs. a. Study of municipal problems by outside lecturers and through debates carried on by members of the clubs under the leadership of the paid Director. 2. Administration. a. General supervision — Director of Evening Schools, represented by the Master of the Evening School. 1). Immediate supervision — Civic Committee of the Boston Home and School Association and Civic Conference of Boston-1915. c. General executive work in charge of the Director of the Home and School Association. l\. Reading Circles or Discussion Clubs — Mothers' Classes. 1. Aims. a. To make a study of different phases of child training, through the medium of well-written books. (A permanent library or travelling library should be at the disposal of the clubs.) b. To discuss child problems which require very careful consideration. c. To give instruction to mothers in cooking and the general care of the home. (The mothers who need this especially' are those who have anaemic children, of which there are about 5,000 in Boston.) 2. Administration. a. All organized by the local Parents' Association with the aid of the Director of the Boston Home and School Association. b. Assistance given by the Committee of the Home and School Association which have these special lines of work in charge. c. Books supplied by the Boston Public Library. V. Popular Lectures. 1. Aims — To present subjects of interest to all classes of people. (Modeled after the New York system of lectures.) 2. Administration. a. General supervision — Director of Evening Schools. b. Immediate supervision — Committee on Further Use of School Buildings of the Home and School Association, acting with the local Parents' Association. \T. Evenings with Pictures. L Aims. a. To give stereopticon exhibits in the school halls of photographs of pictures foimd in the Art Museum, for the purpose of raising the standard of appreciation in art. b. To persuade people to \asit the Art Museum so as to view the originals. 2. Administration. a. Pictures loaned by the Art Museum. b. Audiences secured by the Parents' Associations with the aid of the Home and School Director. c. Lecturer to explain pictures secured l)y Social Service Committee of the Women's Munic- ipal League. d. Immediate supervision — Director of Home and School Association and Women's Munic- ipal League. MI. Music. 1. Aims. a. To raise the standard of appreciation in music by forming choral classes and orchestra in each school district. Voluntary services of fine musicians should be sought. b. To give annually a musical festival when the best nuisicians from each district will take part. c. To get speakers to explain the operas. 2. Administration. a. General supervision — Committee on Music. b. Executive work done by the Director of the Home and School Association. 118 NEW BOSTON III. IV B. GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES. I. Salary of Director of Homo and School Association. II. Salary of Stenographer. III. Expense of Office. C. DISTRIBUTION OF EXPENSE. I. Parents' Association Meetings. Boston Home and School A.ssociation. II. Vocational Activities. 1. Work with Parents. Boston Home and School Association. 2. Work with Yonng Men. Women's Mnnicii)al League. \'ocation Bnreau. .Iiinior Civic Connc-ils. Boston-1915. Heading Circles. Bostcm Home and School A.ssocialion. Mothers' Cla.sses. Boston School Committee. \'. Popular Lectures. Boston Home and School Association. ^T. Evenings with Pictures. Women's Municipal League. Boston Home and School Association. \II. Music. Boston Home and School Association and Local Parents' .\ssociations. \'III. General Administrative Expenses. Boston Home and School .Association. It will be noted that this plan confine.s it.self to educational activitie.s, and that the.se are spread over several school dis- tricts. Further, it is seen that in all cases hut one the activities are to be initiated by lay organizations. In proposing these seven lines of activity, the Advisory Committee does not ofi'er anything new, since all of the.se have V)een carried on to a greater or less extent in the Boston .schoolhouses during the past year. Some thirty ])arents' associations, for example, are spread over the city; several vocational lectures have been given, either at the regular meetings of the parents' associations or at special meetings; in one .school district, consecu- tive vocational evenings have been ar- ranged; one or two vocational clubs are already in existence; one or more junior civic clubs are flourishing; one parents' association has organized a reading circle; in two districts mothers' classes are car- ried on; a few ])()pular lectures have at- tracted the people to the .schoolhouses; five or six evenings with ])ictures have j)roved highly instructive and entertain- ing; and one or more choral classes have added to the musical interest. In limiting the proposed plan to educa- tional activities, the Committee does not mean to condemn the use of school build- ings for recreation purposes. Its aim is to develop a program which can be carried out in the immediate future, and for this reason it was thought best to confine the plan to those generally ac- cepted activities for wdiich schoolhouses may be used, and in pursuance of wdiich no changes in the present construction of schoolhouses is made necessary. In adopting a plan which covers prac- tically the whole city, the Committee emphasizes the policy of developing gradually an appreciative use of the school buildings outside of school hours, and so therefore to answer the real needs of a community. These needs cannot be determined suddenly; the neighborhood must be studied carefully in all its phases; more- over, the people themselves should con- stitute an imi)ortant element in develop- ing a plan intended for neighborhood THE FURTHER USE OF SCHOOL BUILDINGS 11« improvement. The ])eople, not the .schoolhouse, should l)e the first point of approach. This policy seems preferable to the social centre idea which throws ojjen the schoolhouse to a neighborhood and offers at once many and varied activities to attract the people within its doors. This latter plan practically eliminates the building-up process which is almost always a prerec(uisite for permanent success. ISIoreover, the great expense involved in running a full social centre is an obstacle to the plan. The Advisory Committee considers it more desirable to distribute this money among many districts to carry on activities which the people really desire. It must be noted that the situation in Boston is different from that of most cities, in that it con- tains already organized groups of people in many of the school districts, whose function is to study the needs of the neighborhood, and who already have initiated substantial plans for the further use of school buildings. To a great ex- tent, these groups of people or parents' associations, as they are called, should help to determine the uses to which schoolhouses should be put. Naturally conservative, they will enter upon no scheme which is not fundamentally im- portant for the neighborhood. In the plan submitted by the Com- mittee, only one activity is designated as properly coming under the authority of the School Committee, that on Mothers' Classes. Since this is so ap- parently a part of the hygiene depart- ment of the school system, the Com- mittee thought that this should at once be started under official sanction. As to the much-mooted question, whether the activities coming under the further use of school buildings should be sup- ported by the School Committee, the policy of the Advisory Committee may be seen in the following communication prepared for presentation to the School Committee: '"We believe in so-called social centre work, but we also believe that this should be carried on, as far as possible, by the people themselves. In this work, we hope to develop the spirit of doing some- thing, not only for the good of the in- dividual, ])ut for the good of the com- nuinity. We hope to eliminate in our work any tendency which may develop the spirit of getting something, either from the city, or from philanthropy. W^e believe that the social centre idea should be developed through the groups of parents and citizens in the several districts: First, because one aim of the parents' association is 'to promote the educational and social welfare of the community'; secondly, because such a ])lan places the community's welfare in the hands of the community itself, which has a nucleus of organization in the parents' association; thirdly, because several of the parents' associations have already introduced activities, which might easily be developed along the social centre line. INIoreover, we think that the widely varying needs of the various districts will demand a corres- pondingly varied development of the social centre idea; and to make this ad- justment, it seems to us wise to follow the judgment of a body of citizens, al- ready organized, whose main interest is the welfare of its own community, and Avhose efforts are already pointed in this direction." The following chart, showing the loca- tion and courses of study in the public evening schools of Boston, illustrates the extended development of industrial branches in addition to the regular academic work of the school: SCHOOL Central School East Boston School Roxbury School Warren Avenue School BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS EVENING INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS LOCATION Mechanic Arts Building, Belvidere and Dalton streets. Back Bay. BRANCHES Old High School, Meridian street. East Boston. Old Dearborn School, Dearborn Place, Roxbury. Public Latin School, Warren Avenue, City. 120 NEW BOSTON EVENING ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Bigelow Bowdoin Coiniiis Eliot-C"()hinil)us Franklin Frederic AV. T.iiicoln Hancock Lyman ... Phillip.s Hn)()k.s School . Quincy Warren AVashinf,'t<)n Allston William Wirt Warren School Wells .... Mavhcw Fourth and E streets, South Boston. Myrtle street, W'est End, Boston. Terrace street, Koxbury. Nortli Bennett street. North End, Boston. Walt ham street, South End, Boston. Broadway, South Boston. Parmenter street, North End, Boston Paris street. East Boston. Quincy street, Dorchester. Tyler street, Boston. Pearl street, Charlestown. Cambridge street, Allston. with a branch in the Waverly street, Brighton. Blossom street, West End, Boston, with a branch in the Chambers street. West End, Boston. COURSE OF STUDY CENTRAL EVENING INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL AND BRANCHES Freehand Drawing .\rchiteclural Drawing Machine Drawing Ship Draughting . Designing Steam Engineering Tool and Jig Making Building Estimating ......... Interior Decorating ......... Pattern Making Preparatory Cour.se for Lowell Institute for men preparing to be foremen. Three year course. Three year course. Three year course. Special practical instruction. Three year course. Theory and practice. Special course. Stationary Engineer. For machinists. For carpenters and builders. For painters. For pattern-makers. EVENING ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS The course of instruction includes the teaching of English to adult beginners, special attention being given to foreign-born people who wish to obtain a knowledge of the English language — Reading, W'riting, Arithmetic, Language, Grammar, Bookkeeping, History, Geography, Civil Government, Physiology and Hygiene. In addition to this cour.sc of instruction, courses in Household Economics are also established as follows: Sewing, Dressmaking, Millinery, Embroidery, Woodworking, Cooking. Dressmaking, Sewing. Dressmaking, Millinery, Cooking, Sewing. Dressmaking, Sewing. Dressmaking, Sewing, Millinerj-, Embroidery. Dressmaking, Sewing, Millinery, Embroidery. Dressmaking, Sewing, Millinery. Sewing, Dressmaking, Millinery, Embroidery. Wood-working, Sewing, Cooking. Sewing, Dressmaking, Millinery. Sewing. Bigelow School Bowdoin School . Comins School Franklin School . F. W. Lincoln School Hancock School . Lyman School Phillii)s Brooks School Quincy School Warren School Washington Allston School PREVENTING INFANT MORTALITY BY CHARLOTTE KIMBALL KRUESI Philanthropies cannot phiy their part in making the growth of new Boston unless they take the spade and dig through the strata of palliatives and repairs down under the effects of civic dis- order to their roots, to the causes which obstruct what the by-laws of Boston-1915 sum up as "the social, material, moral and intellectual welfare of Greater Boston." There is, however, a deter- mination on the part of some philan- thropic institutions, expressed for in- stance by the radical wing at the recent National Conference of Charities and Correction, to call a spade a spade and to wield the unattractive implement with both hands. To such builders the multiplication of children's hospitals, let us say, during the next decade would mean failure; they would use their spades to undermine the foundations. The Milk and Baby Hygiene Asso- ciation is of this mind also. It calls itself a sapper and miner, and takes the field against preventable death and disease as soon as the prospective citizen is born. It holds that the helper who stands at the threshold of life can "aid humanity with a distinctness and defin- iteness which no other help given to human creatures can possibly bestow." Its fundamental purpose is to safe- giiard well babies by all means at the command of current social science; and it is in action, concretely, to improve the milk supply, to prevent sickness and reduce mortality among babies, and to increase the vitality of children and their mothers. Its method, the success of which exceeds sanguine esti- mates, consists first of all in the dis- tribution at cost of clean milk from milk stations Avhich it has established in the neediest districts. Staffs of physicians and nurses at the stations supervise the care and feeding of baliies and advocate maternal nursing, while the nurses follow the children to the home to complete the circle. Instruction in the care of babies is given to high school girls by co-operation with the School Committee and also to fathers and mothers. Con- ferences, lectures, exhibits and publica- tions are offered to milk consumers in co-operation with public health authori- ties. The next extension about to be undertaken is expert research in bac- teriology, bio-chemistry and sociology with reference to infant mortality. The field in which the association works is distinguished by the highest mortality in society. Today, in the city limits a new-born child has less chance of living for a week than the citizen ninety years old; it has less chance of living through the year than has a man of eighty. 2,1'i'i babies under one year of age died in Boston in 1909, of whom seventy-five per cent might have been saved by means within the reach of science. Computed even at the unusually low rate of last year, 120 babies of every 1,000 born in Boston are dying before they are a year old. And of all the babies born in the LTnited States one-third die under five years. It is this slaughter, so long accepted as a decree of biologic or divine law, that the association has been facing for five years, at first drawing from the experiences of its three or four contemporary societies— the New York Milk Committee and those led by Pierre Budin of Paris, Von Behring in Germany, and Cardona in Spain — but now depend- ing more and more upon the results of its own campaigning. During the last year it has cared for 1,781 babies. Many of them were sturdy, but many others were starvelings or on the verge of desperate illness when sent to the association by clinics or pri- vate physicians. For such an average group as all the babies under one year of age the city death rate is 12.5 per cent; the association's is 2.5 per cent. It lost forty-four of its 1,781 babies. If it had been financially able to main- tain one hundred milk stations instead 121 122 NEW BOSTON JEWISH BABIES AT WEST END CONFERENCE CONDI CTED BY DR. BERWICK of ten it would have saved possibly 1,698 of the ^2,1^2^2 infants lost in the whole city. It is even more probable that the Board of Health would reduce the mor- tality by this amazing number, if it could maintain one hundred such stations. When niay we begin to think of it as in the i*ealm of possibility? Precedents for the establishment of municipal milk stations exist in Europe, Rochester, N. Y., and in Cambridge. The e(|uipment with which this work is carried on consists of twelve milk stations, fourteen nurses, twenty-two physicians, a chemist, a bacteriologist, a director and a medical director, a stenographer and nine clerks. There is a council of thirty-three persons headed by George H. Ellis as president and Arthur H. Brooks as treasurer whose big policies are obstructed by a small budget of $10,000. In ten months ten stations collected and paid out $12,500 for milk and bottles sold at cost. These stations are open daily from eight to nine o'clock. At other times conferences on care and nourishment are held, which all mothers buying milk are ex- pected to attend. The plan of the con- ferences follows closely that admirably developed by Budin in Paris, and the numbers vary from five a w^eek at the North End Union to one in Charlestown and South Bay. The average attend- ance is about fourteen mothers and fif- teen babies. Here the twenty volun- teer physicians and nurses strip, weigh and examine every child, card-catalog ITALIAN MOTHERS' CONFERENCE PREVENTING INFANT MORTALITY > ^S the results, continue or change the food formula according to the degree of gain, and finally use the baby as an exhibit under a running commentary in Yiddish, English or Italian. Each mother is thus enlightened by the mistakes and suc- cesses of the others, and undergoes the discipline of class instruction and ques- tioning. Thorough and repeated demon- strations in skilfully simple terms are given of the way to bathe a baby and to bed it in an individual box or basket; how to make a milk refrigerator; how to modify milk, how to make barley water, how a baby should not be dressed, and how it should be. Sick babies are not treated here; the association at- tends rigorously to its unique task of protecting well babies. But much patchwork is inevit- able when the nurse makes her stated visits in the homes, to see that what she knits in the sta- tion is not unrav- elled in the tene- ment. The baby is her base, and with its interests in full view she may have to undertake the renovation of a drinking father or a broken wage- earner, and to distribute other members of the family into such available niches as a convalescent home, a dental clinic, the associated charities, or more decent rooms. This endless repair work is but a casual incident of the association's dif- ficult attempt to construct an educational method that shall bring order out of the chaotic ideas in the community at large concerning milk and its relation to i)ublic health. The "education," so called, of Boston during the milk troubles of April and May was not an education at all except in its reiteration of the old lesson that local governments ignore the economic welfare of the consumer when the quar- rels of private business interests are before their courts, and the state govern- ments use the consumer as their political capital in the game of "special interests." The milk battle, then, was a civil war in wiiich facts were suppressed and dis- colored in part by self-interest, but chiefly by a partisan ignorance of what clean milk is and our rights to have it economically handled as a public necessity. The new science of health admits that it has by no means completed its study A GROUP OF ITALIAN MOTHERS AT A Ml SICAL AT THE NORTH END UNION STATION of milk; and the association is heartily gratified that it is enabled by special gifts to establish a milk research. An expert will be engaged for three years under Dr. Milton J. Rosenau, professor of preventive medicine and hygiene at Harvard Medical School, and vice- president of the ^lilk and Baby Hygiene Association. Dr. Rosenau has oft'ered the use of his laboratory at Harvard Medical School for the study, among other subjects, of the effect of heating and freezing of milk upon its digestion, of the correct methods of handling milk from the farm to the consumer, and of tests which will show after pasteuriza- 124 NEW BOSTON A SAMPLE COXFLRENCE FOR SYRIAN FATHERS CONDUCTED BY DR. WM. P. LUCAS tion the extent of l^acterial life jjrevious to the process. While the bacteriological research is going on in the laboratory the association will be developing a milk exhibit at large which shall adequately demonstrate in graphic popular style the dangers of bad milk and the means already at the disposal of producer, dealer and consumer by which good milk may be secured. The dairy division of the United States Department of Agriculture has recently assisted Cin- cinnati, Pittsburg and other cities to hold such exhibits. Boston milk au- thorities and dealers have offered to take part in one in this city, and all concerned are invited to aid in its or- ganization. The association's educational plan includes also a course of instruc- tion on hygiene of pregnancy designed to reduce the large annual loss by still births, and a brief on the selection of milk inspectors who ought to be brought under the civil service. These items rank comparatively small and easy in comparison with the attempt to convince consumers by the thousand that the milk they buy from dip tanks is dangerously dirty; that they should demand it in sealed receptacles; that they are entitled to have it bottled at the farm direct from tuberculin tested cows; that they should encourage after- noon deliveries for the sake of a fresher supply, and to provide receiving boxes to protect it from sun and frost on their house steps. iVnd the cost? Such milk will undoubtedly cost nine cents and probably ten, not because it might not be sold for less but because we — the consumers — are not ready to let it be. We enact that the dealers shall do business with the antiquated ma- chinery of individualism, while the farmer caught in the same rusty cogs is not able to reduce his costs by co-operation. The result is a shockingly wasteful dupli- cation of effort from cow to consumer — eleven competing milk wagons may be ST. LOUIS CONFERENCE OF CHARITIES AND CORRECTION , 125 seen daily on our quiet Cambridge street tacking foolishly from door to door. How much of the dealer's profits are lost and how considerable a part of costs are added this way, and in seasonal and local price-cutting that in turn demoralizes the producer's market? The producers ought to take the step taken long ago in farming regions abroad and produce milk co-operatively. A virile and ambitious State Board of Agriculture coukl immediately show them how to produce better milk at less cost through co-operative cow test associations. They are flourishing in ]\Iichigan and Maine, and through their economies each cow now earns one dollar a month. These more orderly producers are on the way to becoming collective bar- gainers with whom the contractors may deal candidly and without concealment if they themselves are permitted to or- ganize as vendors of a public necessity under the control of a public board such as that which, for instance, maintains a standard quality in gas and lowers its price. THE ST. LOUIS CONFERENCE OF CHARITIES AND CORRECTION BY JEFFREY R. BRACKETT The Thirty - Eighth National Confer- ence of Charities and Correction is to meet in Boston in 1911. The Conference has met three times only in New Eng- land — in Boston in 1881; in New Haven, 1895; in Portland, 1904. A brief account of the session just held in St. Louis should interest Bostonians. First to be noted is the growth of the Conference in numbers. When it met last in St. Louis in 1884, the attendance registered was 225. This year it was 1,255. From Missouri in 1884 were 64, now there were 345; Illinois, 24, now 123; New York 24, now 93. In Massachu- setts in 1884 there were only seven mem- bers of the Conference; probably fewer attended the session. This year there were 51 persons from Massachusetts registered in attendance. To one w^lio has watched many con- ferences, this one seemed to be marked by the large number of young men and women of much promise. But most of all to be noted is the broadening and deepening of the program in the past few years. The Conference began with a small group of workers in the state boards of charities and correction. Work- ers in such boards are still active in it. Its founders were not unmindful of questions of prevention; but many are the questions today, cropping up through all, which are not so much on the care of dependents as on the prevention of dependence. There are meetings on the treatment of the insane, offenders, and other such special types; but there are also stirring meetings on such subjects as occupational standards, health and sani- tation, the schools and the community. For the first time the president was a woman. And when Miss Jane Addams of Hull House — "of ours," as a clever member of the Conference once spoke of her — rose to deliver her inaugural address, the whole great audience rose also. Her address showed how chari- table folk had been irresistibly led from cure to prevention, and how we now are being led to earnest consideration of vital welfare — to the idea of raising life to its highest value. She emphasized the helpfulness of mutual understanding and co-operation : between the forces of charity and social justice. An inspiring general meeting was that held on the morning after the opening, when brief reports of recent advances were given from nearly all the states. Thus, for example, showing the range of those advances, Maine reported help- ful co-operation of child-caring agencies; Oregon, industrial education in the public schools, and work on stone piles by wife deserters, with payment through the ne NEW BOSTON public authorities to the deserted families ; Florida, efforts for playgrounds and pre- vention of child labor; Texas, a traveling anti-tuberculosis exhibit. A carefully arranged ])rograui of sec- tion meetings was that of the committee on families and neighborhoods. This committee brought together workers with families and settlement leaders. Its presiding officer last year was Mr. Robert A. Woods; this year, Miss Mary E. Richmond. One of its meetings, on information about charities, em- phasized the mutual value of co-opera- tion between business men and leaders in enlightened charity. To this dis- cussion the chief 'business organization in Chicago sent /several delegates. Es- pecially novel was one meeting of the committee on schools and the community, with the committee on children, when moving pictures were shown, with brief talks on the official censorship of moving picture shows in Chicago, and the work of the National Board of Censorship, a voluntary body in New York City. Startling was the announcement that over 400,000 children each day attend moving picture shows in the United States; that such shows, therefore, are a great social problem and a great opportunity for public education. Such joint section meetings emphasize the helpful interchange of knowledge be- tween workers in different but adjacent parts of the great field of social service. At a meeting on health and sanitation there was presented the significance of the recent Illinois supreme court de- cision that the state can regulate the working hours of women; and the chair- man of the section, Dr. Charles P. Emer- son, drew a likeness between the present advances in preventive medicine and the advances hoped for in prevention of misery by the same process of fintling and kiUing the germs of ills. Besides the program meetings there were as usual many afternoon informal reunions, and a number of luncheon meet- ings of workers in particular fields, with good practical sjjeeches. An afternoon re- ception, and a Mississippi boat ride were kindly planned by the local committee. *~ While there were some voices for the next conference to meet in Seattle, and scattering pleas for other places, the Committee on Time and Place unani- mously agreed to come to Boston, and the choice was heartily ratified by the Conference. On many sides were heard such remarks as "We are going to the Boston Conference — and to visit "par- ents," or "grandparents," "uncles" or "cousins" in or near Boston. So closely is New England tied to other parts of the Union! The new committees for 1911 are — Drunkenness, with Mr. Robert A. Woods of Boston, chairman; Health and Rec- reation; Housing; Securing and Training of Social Workers, with Prof. Graham Taylor of Chicago, chairman, and Miss Zilpha D. Smith of Boston, vice-chair- man; Standards of Living and Labor; The Church and Social Service, Rev. Washington Gladden, chairman. The president of the Boston Confer- ence will be Homer Folks of New York, for many years the general secretary of the New York State Charities Aid Association, and commissioner of chari- ties of New York City under Mayor Low. The first vice-president is David F. Tilley of the Massachusetts State Board of Charity and head of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Boston. One of the assistant secretaries is W. H. Pear, general secretary of the Boston Provi- dent Association. The corresponding secretary for Massachusetts is Joseph Lee. On the Executive Committee, as former presidents, ex oflScio, are Robert Treat Paine and Jeffre^^ R. Brackett; as members elect. Miss Frances G. Curtis of the State Board of Charity, and Bernard J. Rothwell, president of the Boston Chamber of Commerce. Boston's New Safe and Sane Fourth Program The dawn of Independence Day will usher in the anniversary of an event, the celebration of which will differ greatly from those celebrations of years past. Boston is the first city of any size in the United States to have a Safe and Sane Fourth of July in the sense that sub- stitutes are initiated to take the place of the destructive features against which public opinion is so aroused that it has enacted legislation abolishing or limiting them. The program for the Fourth of Julj^ is here submitted: At 2 o'clock in the morning citizens of Boston who will look West Roxbury way will see the reflection of a large bon- fire which the City Guard of Boston is preparing to light at that hour in the morning. The members of this civic body, under the leadership of Mr. Frank O. Carpenter of the English High School, have been for weeks accumulating inflammable material. At 6 o'clock in the morning the local districts will have parades of antiques and horribles. Some of these parades promise to be unique. At 8 o'clock the City of Boston's annual Fourth of July athletic games will be held as usual on the Common. The following handicap events, open to registered athletes, will be held: 100- yard dash, limit 6 yards; running broad jumps, limit 2 feet; 440-yard run, limit 'id yards; running high jumps, limit 6 inches; 880-yard run, limit 40 yards; one-mile run, limit 80 yards; three-mile run, limit 200 yards. There will be an open team race, four men on a team, each man to run 440 yards. Gold watches will be given for first and second places and gold- medals for third places and the team races. No entrance fees will be charged. At 9 o'clock in the morning the Fourth of July oration will be delivered in Faneuil Hall by Mr. James H. Wolf of 1 Beacon street, Boston. After that the Declaration of Independence will be read from the Old State House by Mr. Wilfred Kelley of Roxbury. The parade is scheduled for 10.30. The idea of the committee in charge of this parade was that every part should work out some one inclusive subject, and Independence and its Fruits was chosen. The first division is the Mili- tary Division — One Means of Securing Independence. Companies of coast ar- tillery, marines and sailors from the Charlestown Navy Yard, companies of militia, a contingent from the Navy Brigade, Spanish War Veterans, Sons of Veterans, and the High School Cadets will all be represented. The second division is the Historic Division — Steps toward Independence. Fifteen floats will illustrate the advancement toward the freedom of the colonies and states. Such subjects as the Mayflower, John Eliot, Boston Tea Party, Protest of Boys to General Gage, Betsy Ross, Lexington Belfry, Concord Bridge, Bunker Hill, Declaration of Indepen- dence, Constitution, Emancipation Proc- lamation, and the Maine will be shown. Ten nations will also be shown by floats. President Taft's program includes a period of time to be spent in Somerville after which he comes to Boston to re- view the parade. He then goes to Cam- bridge and after luncheon with President Lowell, speaks at the Stadium before the teachers of the National Education Association. At 4 o'clock water sports are to be held on the Charles and elsewhere. The most interesting features will be admin- istered by the New England Regatta Association, and the Yacht Racing As- sociation. One of the most interesting innova- tions this year is the choral music and band concert on the Common at 5 p. m. A chorus invited from choral societies and church choirs and directed by JVIr. Osborne IVIcConathy will rentier a program which will include "Lovely Appear," from Gounod's "Redemption"; "To Thee, O Country," by Eichberg, and "Hail Bright Abode," from the second act of Wagner's "Tannhauser." A band 127 128 NEW BOSTON of thirty-four pieces under the leader- ship of Mr. Theron D. Perkins will i)lay Suppe's Light Cavalry Es]iana Waltz, by Waldtcufel, Victor Herbert's American Fantasy, and the Flag of Victory by Von Blon. At 8 p. m. l)and concerts will be held at ^Marine Park, Wood Island Park, Franklin Field and Jamaica Pond. Fire- works will be held at these places, and, it is hoped, at the Charles River Basin. The disjilay at the Basin will be one of the most magnificent ever seen in Boston and will l)e a joint display held by this city and Cambridge. This year as well as in years past, the wards of the city have an allotment of $75.00 each. The Executive Committee of a Safe and Sane Fourth of July Committee has voted to ask the Civic Improvement Association in some of the districts to supervise the expending of these allotments. Foremost among the organizations which proposed to have extensive local celebrations are the West End Improvement Association, the Orient Heights' Improvement Asso- ciation, Jamaica Plain Citizens' Associa- tion, the Roslindale Association, Harvard Improvement Association, the Lower Mills Citizens' Association, the Francis Parkman Parents' Association and the Sherwin-Hyde Parents' Association in co-operation with the Ruggles Street Neighborhood House. The North Ameri- can Civic League for immigrants has under way plans for lectures to some of the recently arrived immigrants which inform them of the meaning of Inde- pendence Day. Thrift in the Schools of the Commonwealth BY HARRY W. KIMBALL In this good old Commonwealth where thrift has been the watchword for gener- ations, where the first American savings bank was established; and where the accumulations of the provident run into the hundreds of millions, nearly one- third of the entire population are bene- ficiaries of charitable institutions. The recent report of the Massachusetts State Board of Charities shows that last year 013,701 persons accepted public or quasi-public aid; 171,672 received assistance that was absolutely gratuitous; while 74''2,0'29 received help for which in whole or in part some service was rendered. Paupers are now costing Mas- sachusetts $5,800,188 as against only $2,338,578, twenty years ago. It was probably because the Old Age Pension Commission recognized this fact that it placed first in its final recommendations the following: "1. In order to promote independent individual saving and strengthen vol- untary thrift agencies, we recommend that 'thrift' be included in the public schools of this Commonwealth. What- ever solution of the problem of old age pensions may ultimately be settled upon, it is certainly most desirable to take every practical measure to encourage habits of saving throughout the population. The teaching of 'thrift' in the schools should deal with the individual and social ethics of saving in general, and should also illustrate the principles of insurance and investment in particular. The arithmetic of saving could be taught effectively by using mathemat- ical examples in the school texts, which should bring out clearly the methods of saving and investing money. This recom- mendation is not a theoretical one, for the subject of 'thrift' has been taught effectively in the public schools of European countries, notably in France and Germany." The General Court of Massachusetts adopts the suggestion of the Old Age Pension Commission as they have just passed a law which introduces the in- struction of thrift into the public school curriculum. Section 1 of Chapter 42 of the Revised Laws of Massachusetts (as amended by Chapter 524 of 1910) "civil government, ethics, thrift and such THE lOin SUMMER GAMES 12d other subjects as the School Committee may consider expedient may l)e taught in the public schools." The tremendous importance of this whole subject is so clear to the Massachusetts Savings In- surance League that in its recently adopted constitution the object of the league is stated in the following words: "The object of the league is to in- culcate the virtues of thrift and fore- sight and the si)irit of self-help among the working people of Massachusetts, especially by bringing to their attention the advantages of securing life insurance and old age annuities at actual cost." The splendid work which has been done in so many of the lower grades of our public schools through various forms of penny savings needs to be continued by instruction in the high schools on the subject of life insurance, and if these two methods of work can be thoroughly developed in our public schools they will go far in helping to inculcate, in the most practical way, the virtue of thrift. In accordance with the suggestion of the Old Age Pension Commission and in conformity to the law which has been recently passed, the Massachusetts Sav- ings Insurance League office at 161 Devonshire street, Boston, is ready to furnish speakers to the high schools of the state upon the subject of "Thrift as an Element in Character," using the value and advantages of life insurance as a most effective illustration. Recently such addresses have been given before the pupils in the high schools at Lexing- ton and Whitman, and the principal and also the sui)erintendent of schools in the town of Whitman have written to the secretary of the league the following letters of endorsement: I want to express to you my appreciation of the address given at the Whitman High School last week. It was pointed, within the reach of the pupils, and it appealed to me as most practical. Whatever hesitancy or doubt we previously had concerning the advisability of such a talk, given to the high school pupils, was quickly dis- missed from our minds while listening to the address. I am sure that if the superintendents throughout the state can be made to realize the beneficial results to come from this movement of savings bank insurance, they will open wide the doors to you, so that you may have full oppor- tunity of putting the matter before the different high schools in the Commonwealth. The whole series was a success. This talk in particular has my approbation and appreciation. It seems to me that Mr. Kimball has something of value to present to high school boys and girls. At any rate they were very attentive, and later expressed to me an appreciation of the talk as given in my school. A public school committee of the Wo- mens' Branch of this organization is energetically taking up the question of thrift teaching and is preparing to send a letter with suggestions to all women's clubs throughout the state. It is understood that a committee of Boston school principals have a similar undertaking in hand, and elsewhere the problem is under serious consideration. THE 1910 SUMMER GAMES In view of the- success of the Boston- 1915 Boys' games as carried out last summer under the direction of Dr. Thomas F. Harrington and Mr. Frank S. Mason it has been decided to continue them during the summer of 1910. This time the games will be under the direc- tion of a committee consisting of Col. George B. Billing, of the Boston Athletic Association, Mr. George V. Brown, also of the Boston Athletic Association, Mr. EUery H. Clark, the famous athlete, Mr. James B. Connolly, athlete and journalist, Mr. Mitchell Freiman of the West End House, Dr. A. E. Gai-land, Supervisor of Physical Training for the Young Men's Christian Association, Dr. Thomas F. Harrington, Director of School Hy- giene, Mr. William Rand, who made a mark in college athletics and Mr. N. J. 130 NEW BOSTON Young, Assistant Director of School Hygiene. With the co-operation of the School Committee, the Park Department and the Bath Department, it is expected that meets will be held in the following places: Wood Island Park, Charles- bank, Charlestown, M Street, Columbus Avenue, Marcella Street, Roslindale, North Brighton, Franklin Field, Dewey Beach, North End Park, and L Street Baths. The final meet will, of course, be held in Wood Island Park. The events wall be about the same as last year, including running, jumping, swimming, etc. Each meet will be under the direction of a trained instructor and officials appointed by the committee and drawn largely from the members of the Boston Athletic Association. Prizes will be awarded this year as last. In order to avoid accumulation of prizes by two or three star athletes restrictions on entrance will be made somewhat closer this year than last. To carry on the games this season it is estimated that it will cost the com- mittee somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,000. Several of the newspapers have indicated their willingness to offer prizes, and the others will undoubtedly join with these. A finance committee has been appointed, consisting of Messrs. Mason, Billings and Connolly. These gentlemen are now considering the rais- ing of the necessary funds and will greatly appreciate all contributions. It is hard to estimate the value of these games. They utilize the play- grounds for the summer when they would otherwise lie idle. They provide a form of amusement and diversion for boys which keeps them out of other and pos- sibly deleterious activities. They create or maintain a considerable degree of physical development. By their wide- open and untechnical nature they suc- ceed in stimulating an interest in athletics in boys who would not ordinarily be interested, thus bringing within the in- fluence of physical develo})ment many young fellows who would not think of entering the more formal and formidable events. In addition to this there is created a spirit of fair play and honesty which makes its lasting impression upon the boys' characters. In order to stimulate interest in these meets in the boys of each neighborhood it has been suggested that there be a number of local district committees, made up of three adults and twelve or fifteen boys. It is hoped that the Boston Home and School Association will assist in this matter. These committees will provide for registration in their districts, arouse interest in coming meets and as- sist the central committee in other ways. On the whole this work, which is under the general authorization of the Boston-1915 Youth Conference, promises to be one of the most successful and permanently useful things w^hich Boston- 1915 is doing. NEW BOSTt»^ A MONTHLY RECORD OF PROGRESS IM DEVELOPING A GREATER AND FINER CITY PUBLISHED BY BOSTON 1915 INC- 6 BEACON ST • BOSTON • MASSACHUSETTS- U-S-A VOL. 1. TEN CENTS A COPY AUGUST, 1910 NO. 4 ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. ETDIQ ir^^Ji^ l C The Yankee Knack THE story of American industrial development has no more fascinating or impressive chapter than that devoted to the discoveries and improvements resulting from the ex- traoi-dinary inventive genius of the New England workman. He is never content with things as they are. He is forever experimenting — and successfully. He searches until he finds the soul of the. machine, and from this intimate acquaint- ance he begins to eliminate and improve. He accomplishes the paradox of perfecting a perfect article. If there is a practicable way to make one part do the work of two, if some added device will simplify a process or improve a product, he will not rest till he has worked out the problem. This passion for invention has been from the first a vigorous characteristic of the New England mind. The early settlers were artisans rather than tillers of the soil ; and when by a bitter struggle with an undeveloped country they had supplied their immediate wants, they naturally turned again to manu- facturing ; and this mechanical bent, stimulated to alertness by a vigorous climate, resulted in course- of time in an al- most incredible mechanical ingenuity — the "Yankee Knack. " This genius for simplification of processes, this wonderful knack of devising machinery which will do the work of the human hand, has multiplied the output of our factories : and this in turn has increased wages and decreased the hours of labor, and so brought a great uplift into the lives of our workmen ; given them the power to provide better homes for their families, better education for their children, and greater leisure in which to work out a broader destiny for themselves. As in the past, so in the present and the future. The " Yan- kee Knack," which long since turned New England into a vast workshop, is still at its age-long task — simplifying, improv- ing; lowering cost of production, ever raising quality of product — and all to the end that the average American fam- ily shall enjoy today A\hat were luxuries but j-esterday, and gratify in their turn the yet undiscovered desires of tomorrow. Pilgrim Publicity Association, Boston [Copyright, 1910] a ^^^^^-^1 In answering advertisements please mention NICVV BOSTON NEW BOSTON A Chronicle of Progress in Developing a Greater and Finer City — Under the Auspices of the Boston-1915 Movement VOL. I AUGUST, 1910 No. 4 CONTENTS THIS MONTH'S NEW BOSTON 131 SOME THINGS IN STORE 13? SALT LOSING ITS SAVOR 132 A WISE CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENT 133 MOVING PICTURES, BAD AND GOOD 133 THE NEW FOURTH 134 SOCIAL CITY ADMINISTRATIONS 135 ON MINDING ONE'S OWN BUSINESS 136 BOSTON'S FIRST SANE FOURTH 137 WHAT BOSTON NEWSPAPERS SAID 139 THE SANER FOURTH IN BOSTON 141 GIRLS AND THE RECREATION PROBLEM Belle Lindner Israels 149 BEETHOVEN'S PROMETHEUS 155 BOSTON-1915 BOYS' GAMES 160 NEW YORK'S PUBLIC SCHOOL ATHLETICS George W. Wingate 161 INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR CLEAN STREETS Guy C. Emerson 167 MODERN METHODS OF STREET CLEANING George A. Soper 171 WASHINGTON'S CELEBRATION 174 COMMUNITY SOCIALS IN BROOKLINE J. Leonard Mason 177 Published Monthly by Boston-1915, Inc. 6 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass., U. S. A. Subscription rates: $1.00 per annum; club rate for twenty or more subscriptions from any organ- ization devoted to civic or social improvement, sent in one list, fifty cents per copy per annum. Single copies, 10 cents each. Second-class rates pending at the Boston Post Office JAMES P. MUNROE, Editor-in-Chief JOHN L. SEWALL, Associate Editor LEWIS E. PALMER, Managing Editor RAYMOND P. EMMONS. Circulation and Advertising Manager {Copyright, 1910, by Boi/on— 1915, Inc.) NEW BOSTON "A book of intense interest to every intelligent citizen." — Scientific American. THE HEALTH OF THE CITY By Hollis Godfrey "The topics discussed are air, water, milk, food, ice, noise, waste, housing and plumbing. The author has de- voted much time to scientific subjects and his views and advice are worth pondering over. Mr. Godfrey does not uselessly theorize upon the dangers, but proposes means for civic betterment." — Philadelphia Record. "This little book should serve both as an awakening to the indifferent and the ignorant, and a guide to the in- terested, for Mr. Godfrey is one of those very uncommon scientists who writes with compelling clearness and charm without any sacrifice of accuracy." — Collier's Weekly. 1 2mo. $ 1 .25 net. Postpaid $ 1 .36 An American Citizen: William H. Baldwin, Jr. By John Graham Brooks "A serviceable contribution to the study of an extraordinary example of efficient American citizenship." — New York Times. "A most admirable lesson in civic righteousness." — The Dial. "One of the most illuminating and unique books that has been put before serious readers in this country for many years." — IT. A. White. With portraits. 1 2mo. $ 1 .50 net. Postpaid $ 1 .6 1 HOUGHTON MIFFLIN CO. 4 Park Street, Boston BOSTON The Old and the New You know that Bcston is an interesting city — but — do you know Boston? Ten to one you do not, for the highways of Boston are crooked as well as fascinating, and one needs a guide to ferret out many of the most interesting and important spots which lie hidden in the maze of wandering streets. Whether tourist or native, sight-seer or business man, you will find a most useful pocket companion A GUIDE BOOK OF BOSTON By EDWIN M. BACON Price 50 Cents. Wherein are full descriptions of and direc- tions for reaching all points of interest in and about Boston, from the Old North Church to the New Art Museum — from Concord to Plymouth, with maps and illustrations for further identification of routes and places. Books for 1915 and Now Civics ^^y William 11. Allen, Secretary of J the Bureau of Municipal Research; U I , formerly Secretary of the New York Health Committee on the Physical Welfare of School Children . With an Introduction by Pro- fessor William T. Sedgwick, Professor of Biology in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Trade Edition, net $1.50 One of the foremost and most practical contri- butions which has ever been made in America to the subject; in fact, it touches on an aspect of health problems ivhich has been almost com- pletely neglected. IRVING FISHER, Chair- man of Committee of One Hundred on National Health. Education by Plays and Games NEW BOSTON By G. E. Johnson, Superin- tendent of Playgrounds, Rec- reation Parks, and Vacation Schools, Pittsburg, Pa. Trade Edition, net $1.10 / consider Education by Plays and Games the best book for teachers and playground in- structors. It tells ho-iv and why to play a great variety of educational games for children of various ages. LOUIS W. RAPEER, Council Member Playground\Association of America. Send orders to 6 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass. In answering advei tiscincnts please nieiuion NEW BOSTON New Boston Vol. I AUGUST, 1910 No. 4 BOSTON'S FUTURE SKY LINE al Shanmut'Bank NOTE AND COMMENT This Month's New Boston There are half a dozen articles in this number of NEW BOSTON that are directly suggestive to the organizations and individuals working through Boston- 1915. Take the summer recreation ques- tion. The New York investigations con- ducted by the Committee on the Va- cation Resources of Working Girls and described by Mrs. Israels, the chairman, have exposed a pretty bad state of affairs in the dance halls, excursion boats and amusement resorts of the metropolis. Boston's problems are not New York's problems in this respect, but there is plenty of room for a thorougli-going study in this city of what opportunity the working girl has for wholesome summer recreation. "Where to go and what to do are not questions reserved exclusively for the householder and the well-to-do vacationist." Brookline is partially meet- ing this problem through a series of "com- munity socials" described by J. Leonard Mason in this number. The pantomime play Prometheus, given under the direction of Elizabeth Peabody House on the Charlesbank playground, was the first attempt at a production of that kind in Boston. It goes to show still another way of interesting the com- munity in wholesome outdoor play and recreation. Would not open-air plays and festivals make attractive features for next year's celebration of the Fourth? Graham Taylor makes a similar sug- gestion in the Daily Neirs of Chicago. This year that city celebrated with a great military tournament of extreme interest to those who were able to secure seats in the arena, but not of particular value to others. Professor Taylor thinks that "for a still saner Fourth next year the Sane Fourth Association may well unite with the Chicago Playground As- sociation and other patriotic allies in 132 NEW BOSTON arranging a play tournament in every park and playground throughout the length and breadth of the whole city. Democratic, cosmopolitan, free and truly American will be the assemblies which will rally at the call of such a real In- dependence Day to enjoy the peaceful tournament of all the city." The Boston-1915 Boys' Games Com- mittee announces its summer program which was inaugurated on July 23, at the Charlesbank, and Caledonian Play- grounds. The complete registration at the 1909 games was 2,735, and this year the committee expects to pass that mark. We have no record of other cities where boys' meets are held throughout the summer as they are in Boston. The Public Schools Athletic League of New York City keeps a hold on the chil- dren only during the school year. The activities of that highly organized league are described by General George W. Wingate in this number. The league has the support of a mnnber of New York's wealthiest citizens and has reached a state of perfection impossible without ample funds. When the National Education Associ- ation came to Boston last month Mayor Fitzgerald appealed to all citizens for help in keeping the city's streets free from flying papers and the customary rul)bish that collects through individual care- lessness. The resulting apj^earance of general tidiness shows the power in the hands of every individual as a civic housecleaner. Guy C. Emerson's article makes it clear just how every person can help the work of a street-cleaning de[)art- ment. Co-operation rather than criti- cism is needed. An article on garbage disposal by George A. Soper, chairman of the Met- ropolitan Sewerage Commission of New York City will be of special interest to Boston readers since the recent dis- cussion in relation to refuse disposal. An order was put in Council in the early spring for $300,000 to construct an in- cinerator and, although the loan bill has been held up until fall, there is every reason to believe that Boston will soon adopt a better system of refuse dis])osal. Dr. Soper's article is in no sense tech- nical, and for that reason has a general appeal . Some Th'ngs in Store We hope that the readers of NEW BOSTON will feel free to criticise and suggest; that is what we want — criti- cisms and suggestions. Probably we shall neither agree with all the criticisms nor adopt all the suggestions, but the magazine is bound to grow^ and improve if you will tell us just where we are weak, and where — perhaps — we are stronger. There will be some pages reserved for you in the x\ugust number, and we want to fill them up with readers' opinions on the articles, stvle and general effective- ness of NEW BOSTON as an organ of Boston-1915. Three or four cities, notably, Denver, St. Paul and Milwaukee, recently built immense civic auditoriums — great cov- ered "stadiums" on a small scale — for the accommodation of visiting conven- tions and conferences, as well as for the use of local gatherings. Boston needs such an auditorium. It could have handled the National Education Associ- ation meetings more effectively, for in- stance, if a building like any in the three cities mentioned had been at its dis- posal. In coming numbers of NEW BOSTON we hope to tell about the auditoriums of these other cities, how the enterprises were financed and the use to which the buildings are being put. The 1915 Boys' Games will be pic- tured in the September number and the details of a "Civic Advance Campaign," to be conducted in the fall by Boston- 1915, will be described. L. M. Bristol, who has made a thorough-going study of the relation between congestion and mortality rates will outline the results of that investigation. Mr. Bristol finds that "congestion, within certain limits, is not necessarily destructive, but it tends to degeneration, physical and moral, and registers its effects most noticeably on the second and third generation." Another article of special interest in the September number will be by Alexander Johnson, secretary of the National Conference of Charities and Correction, which meets in Boston next spring. Mr. Johnson will tell of some of the notable advances in social work since the conference last held its sessions in this city. NOTE AND COMMENT 133 Salt Losing its Savor According to the Metropolitan Sewer- age Commission which has made its final report to Mayor Gaynor, the health of Manhattan and surrounding terri- tory is menaced by the continued use of New York harbor as a sewerage outlet for that city and other communities along the Jersey shore. The commis- sion's studies cover a territory embracing about twenty miles around City Hall, and include some 100 municipalities with an aggregate population of 5.000,000. A warning is sounded to the effect that it is possible to so saturate the volume of the incoming tide with filth that it will be unable to jjurify itself, and be- come a source of corruption. Some startling facts are given in support of this view, as well as some remarkable statements regarding the willingness, and even persistent efforts of certain communities, to make conditions worse. The report of the commission enforces the importance of watching carefully the impurities in Boston harbor, and adopting wise prevention instead of costly cure. A Wise Co-operative Movement Mayor Fitzgerald has adopted the plan of calling a monthly conference of the heads of all departments in the city of Boston, to secure concerted action among the various divisions and regi- ments of the great army of the city's workers. This is well adapted to pre- vent overlapping or overlooking in the varied activities of municipal administra- tion. In his personal inspection of pro- vision for the people's comfort during the heated term, the mayor found il- lustration of unperformed service re- sulting from uncertainties as to what department was in charge of specific tasks. In the machinery which cares for the commoji material needs of a city's inhabitants there is frequent op- portunity for minor failures unless all departments clearly understand the defi- nition of their duties and the exact extent of their responsibilities, and are inspired by a common ambition for good team work. If all the partici{)ants in these monthly conferences work together in this spirit, a marked increase of ])ublic efficiency will surely result. Moving Pictures — Bad and Good It would be unfortunate if the merited condemnation of the Reno moving pic- tures should result in a general attack on a form of amusement which holds such immense possibilities for good. The past two years have seen steady improvement in the character of motion pictures. Following the establishment of the National Board of Censorship in New York City, an unofficial organiza- tion which, nevertheless, is given the final word both by trust and independent organizations on the acceptability of new films, the manufacturers themselves have gradually adopted higher standards. The latest summary of the situation is given by George J. Anderson in The Congregationalist for July 9 and 16. Mr. Anderson says that "while nearly three-quarters of the motion jjicture films now being made are specially posed and hence chiefly for amusement pur- poses, they are beginning to find other uses. It need not be supposed that Edison and others who have helped to develop this remarkable invention have dedicated it to the theater. The em- ployment of moving pictures in pedagogy and propaganda is increasing, as well as among settlement workers. Pictures of New York school childern on parade have been exhibited in Rome during a cam- paign for improvements in the school system. They have been prominent features in the great English missionary expositions, and their use for this pur- pose is not unknown in this country. Last winter some officers of the Young People's Missionary INIovement went down to Cuba and brought back several reels of pictures on mission work in the island. A French firm conducts a pic- ture show illustrating current events. Moving pictin-e machines have been in- stalled in or{)hans' homes, state institu- tions and the like, and various branches of the federal government, especially the navy utilize them. They are beginning to make themselves felt in advertising, and manufacturers of cash registers, harvest- ing machines, telephones and so on have seen their possibilities. "Perha])s the most striking illustra- tion of educational moving ])ictures is the catalog of the George Kleine Com- pany of Chicago. Some facts from this 134 NEW BOSTON remarkable volume of 336 pages are worth reading. Here are the spheres represented: Agriculture, aeronautics, animal life, bacteriology, biography, bi- ology, botany, entomology, ethnology, fisheries, geography, history, industrial, kindergarten studies, mining and metal- lurgy, microscopy, military, naval, nat- ural history, ornithology, pathology, pisciculture, railroad, religion, scenic, topical, travel and zoology." Perhaps the highest example of the development of the motion picture the- ater is seen right here in Boston in the Bijou Theater, one of Keith's houses managed by Mrs. Josephine Clement. It was unfortunate that Mrs. Clement was obliged to raise the admission price to twenty cents, thus excluding many poorer people, the kind that make up the bulk of the moving picture audiences ; but the fact that "the world in motion" pays at twenty cents goes to show the grip that the business has on the public. A form of entertainment that attracts two-thirds of the entire theatre-going population to performances that are steadily improving in character, should not be generally condemned because of the unquestioned evils of the fight pictures. The New Fourth In the September issue of NEW BOSTON we hope to publish the figures collected by the American Medical As- sociation, showing the downward curve of Fourth of July mortality rates fol- lowing the safe and sane celebration of 1910. This association which has for seven years been making a thorough study of Fourth of July fatalities, is waiting for "the smoke to blow away" in order to see clearly just how many dead and wounded were left on the field. In the meantime we can judge pretty closely about the success of the new Fourth as a saver of doctors' and undertakers' bills, from the news-paper stories published on the morning of the fifth. Among the cities, aside from Boston, to adopt the new idea either in whole or part were New York, Chicago, Cleve- land, Cincinnati, Pittsburg, Louisville, Baltimore, Des Moines, Indianapolis, St. Paul, Buffalo, Omaha, Kansas City, Milwaukee, San Francisco, St. Louis, Denver and Detroit. The following comparative tables tell the best story of the day : 1910 1909 Dead Injured Dead Injured Chicago 2 19 1 47 New York 1 34 5 168 Philadelphia 8 337 3 347 Pittsburg 2 7 2 113 Milwaukee 27 69 St. Louis 1 1 134 Detroit 20 2 84 Minneapolis 12 7 Providence 10 15 Washington Baltimore 6 4 Buffalo 5 22 Bridgeport 137 55 Evidently not a city or a town that tried the safe and sane experiment (and judging from the clippings received in this office, a good part of the country turned reformer) were sorry to say good-bye to the old-fashioned celebration recommended some 135 years ago by John Adams, who believed that "the day should be 'solemnized' with the booming of cannon, ringing of bells, and the discharge of musketry from one end of the country to the other." The best part of the innovation, aside from the saving of lives and property, is the fact that the small boy seemed to take to the idea as vigorously as did his elders. There was a good deal of worry about what would become of the boy minus giant firecrackers and blank cart- ridges, but he was apparently as anxious as anybody to have a safe and sane time — another proof that if you can keep a boy busy at anything that inter- ests him, you can keep him out of mis- chief. Boston's celebration was a complete success. A first experiment of that kind is apt to be marred by inexperience, but from the time that the signal fires w^ere lighted early Monday morning until the "good-night" fireworks along the Charles River Basin, every part of the program was carried out as planned. The pres- ence of President Taft on the reviewing stand and the fact that Boston was entertaining thousands of school teachers NOTE AND COMMENT 135 from all parts of the country, added to the day's pleasure. The effective preliminary work accom- plished by Dr. David D. Scannell and his committee, the splendid co-operation of the city government, the willing assistance of the press, the contributions and volun- teer work of hundreds throughout the city were invaluable helps to the Safe and Sane Fourth Committee of Boston- 1915, which bore the brunt of the work. Some of the results of that work are shown in this number of NEW BOSTON. 1910 has surely marked the new form of Independence Day, not only for Boston but for the entire country. SOCIAL CITY ADMINISTRATIONS City officials are fast recognizing the important part that social questions play in municipal administration. Two conferences of the past month give particular emphasis to that fact. In Providence, under the auspices of the Bureau of Social Research, was held the New England Conference on Street Cleaning, the first of its kind in the United States. A decade back, or even five years ago, a successful meeting of municipal administrators to discuss such subjects as the Social Significance of Clean Streets, School Children and Clean Streets, the Bacteriology of Street Dust and the Co-operation of Street Cleaning Departments and Private Agencies would not have been thought possible; and it is doubtful if thirty-four out of a total of forty-five mayors of second and third class cities would have taken time to meet and discuss the essential prob- lems of municipal health, as they did at Schenectady, N. Y. The highest medical and sanitary authorities in the state attended the New York meeting, and we believe that the resolutions passed, portions of which are printed below, are of extreme importance in indicating the active interest that city governments are taking in social ques- tions : Resolved, that the mayors and other official delegates of the forty-two cities here represented urge upon all municipal authorities throughout the state the following administrative measures and pledge themselves to endeavor to secure their adoption in their respective localities: 1. To secure for municipal health authorities appropriation from the municipal resources more nearly comparable to the importance of the work imposed upon them by statute, by the (levelo])nient of sanitary science, and by the demands of public opinion. 2. To secure for the position of health officer such compensation and such tenure of office and such complete control of the departmental work, independent of his political views and affiliations and independent of political changes in the ad- ministration of the municipality, as will attract the most competent physician, specially qualified by experience and study of sanitary science, and retain him in office during good behavior and efficient service. 3. To secure prompt and complete compliance with all the provisions of the tuberculosis law of 1908, including a complete register of cases of tuberculosis through the co-operation of the medical profession; the thorough disinfection, cleansing or renovation of premises left vacant by the death or removal of tuberculosis patients; and the ef- ficient and sanitary oversight, either by the at- tending physician or the health officer, of all house- holds in which tuberculosis exists. 4. To establish in each municipality, preferably under the direct control of the health department, at least one free tuberculosis dispensary, with one or more visiting nurses and with supplies and facilities for the care, treatment and cure of tuber- culous patients. 5. To aid in securing hospital provision for persons having tuberculosis, preferably in ac- cordance with the provisions of the laws of 1909 authorizing the establishment of county hospitals, or in the event that a county hospital cannot be secured, under direct municipal control, to the end that the State Charities Aid Association's hope, "No uncared-for tuberculosis in 1915," may be- come a fact. 6. To provide such playgrounds and recreation facilities as will permit every child and adult to secure out-of-door recreation and exercise suited to his needs. 7. To protect the supplies of food offered for public sale from contamination, and to prevent the sale of adulterated, decayed or otherwise unfit articles of food. 8. To secure a healthful and adequate water supply. ON MINDING ONE^S OWN BUSINESS It has generally been regarded as good advice and good practice to mind one's own business. There is a type of per- son who is built on the gimlet plan, whose delight it is to penetrate into those aflfairs with which he is not con- cerned. This sort of burglary is de- cidedly to be opposed. No man has an ethical search warrant by reason of which he is justified in forcing himself into the affairs of other people. If there is one plague more vile than an- other in our social life, it is the existence of the inquisitive busy-body, who prowls around with interrogation-jimmies, pry- ing o])en secrets, and purloining every private fact that happens to be for a moment exposed to view and un- guarded. At the same time there is another side to the question. It is necessary to mind one's own business, but it is also necessary to realize just what one's own business really is. At the present time most of us have a very meager con- ception of it. We regard it as being those affairs that directly concern our own interests. They have to do solely, we think, with our business, our home, our social club. Frequently we consider that they are bounded by the circumference of these three. We think of moral obligations only in these limited terms. As a matter of fact, a man's own business is sometimes vastly larger than most of us have thus far imagined. His business is inextricably woven in with every other man's business. The busi- ness concern in which he is a partner is city large. Boston is a business com- pany, and every citizen a member of the firm. With its civic enterprises he is directly and vitally concerned. This is the truth that most we need to learn at this present time, if our city is to attain its largest and its liest. The curse of civic life is the shifting of responsibility for civic ill. If anything that ought not to be exists, there is invariably a "getting from under." Any- one who has ever sought to remedy some social evil, or abolish that which is a civic menace, knows well how he is passed on from office to office in a wild goose chase after the person directly responsible, or who will admit the re- sponsibility. How often some nuisance remains in a neighborhood simply be- cause it is "nobody's business" to re- move it. The cure for such conditions lies in the widening of our conception of per- sonal interests and obligations. As a matter of interest, everything concerns everyone. Everything is everyone's busi- ness. Nothing happens but affects each of us for good or ill. The result may not be seen or perceptibly felt, but it is there nevertheless. Nothing can occur to any- one, anywhere, that does not vitally concern and affect us all in some way. And to be truly wise is to be conscious of this wider interest of ours, and to take such steps as will most effectually guard us from harm and loss. Every man has a share in every other man's business. "I can do what I like with my business," cries the manu- facturer who prides himself upon being a self-made man. He is wrong. It is not his private business, or ever can be. It is an act of co-operation with the public. If he has gained large profits, he has gained them from his fellows. He is dependent upon them. They have made him what he is, and given him what he has. The whole existence of his business depends upon the continued favor of those about him. The business man who does not know this, or who does not make it the basis of his action and methods, w^ll sooner or later find that he has reckoned without his "host." To mind one's own business is to take an active interest in all the affairs of civic and national life. In all enter- prises we have a share. In all rotten- ness we have a responsibility. In every law we have an interest. There are no lines of limitation. There is no strictly private lousiness. Society is complex, and all men are related by ties no less real than the ties of blood. By all means let us mind our own business, but let it be in the wiser and wider way. Boston's First Safe and Sane Fourth "What's the good of speeches ? What's the good of cheers ? What's the good of being Just a boy of 'leven years ? I'm not unpatriotic, I don't like to scoff, But what's the good of fingers If you can't blow 'em off ? " That was the New York Herald's idea of the small boy's lament on the evening of July 3. A poetic sequel was not pub- lished on the morning of the fifth, but in its place, in every city where there was a safe and sane celebration there appeared cold figures that, in striking contrast to previous years, told of lives and property saved, of fingers and hands still intact and of empty hospital beds. On the Fourth of July a year ago 117 accidents were recorded in the hospitals of Boston as a result of injuries from revolvers, firecrackers and other ex- plosives. This year the total injuries numbered thirty-two. Here are com- parative figures showing accident and fire records for 1909 and 1910: 1909 1910 City Hospital 29 3 Relief Hospital 29 11 Grace Hospital 15 East Boston Relief Hospital 23 14 Massachusetts General 21 4 FIRES 117 32 1909 1910 Bell alarms from 6 P. M., July 3 to midnight July 4 44 39 If the small boy of Boston was dis- appointed in the day he certainly did not show it. He had ample opportunity to get up at the old-fashioned hour of 1 o'clock and start the day as a Fourth of July should be started; for with the passing of Sunday, signal fires were lighted at conspicuous points all over the city. Early in the morning, the Declaration of Independence was read by Wilfred Frederick Kelley from the balcony of the Old State House. Later at Faneuil Hall, the oration of the day was delivered by James H. Wolf before an audience of 500. At 9 o'clock, under the management of George V. Brown of the B. A. A., secretary of the Boys' Games Committee of Boston-1915, ath- letic games were held on the Common. The prizes were gold watches for the first and second men, and gold medals for the third. At noon time President Taft reviewed the military and historical procession which was started on time, at 10:30. Although the president was a little be- hind schedule in arriving in Boston, owing to delay in Somerville, the 200,000 people along the line of march patiently held their square foot of ground until the last float had passed. On the Com- mon, back of the President's stand, several hundred children, provided with flags of the nations of the world, sang patriotic songs before Mr. Taft's arrival; and as he drew up to the reviewing stand about twelve o'clock, the children broke out into a grand chorus of America. Then came the parade. Boston has never seen a similar pro- cession. The series of beautifully decor- ated floats depicting various scenes in the history of the country, together with the representations of the nations of the world, and numerous military or- ganizations offered a novel and instructive change from the usual holiday procession. The parade was headed by Brigadier- General William H. Oakes, chief marshal of the day and was made up as follows: FIRST DIVISION Mounted Police. Sergt. George Guard commanding and nine mounted officers. Chief marshal. Brig. Gen. William H. Oakes, MVM (retired). Chief of staff, Capt. J. Stearns Cushing. Adjutant, Frank M. Webb. Band from USS \'ermont. Battalion of sailors from \'ermont and company of marines. Lieutenant commander, Gilbert Chase. Ninth regt., MVM, Col. John J. Sullivan com- manding. First corps cadets band. Co. H, 5th regt., MVM, Capt. George T. Lattimer, commanding. Co. A. Naval brigade, Lieut. Frederick Robinson, commantling George C. Whitten camp 1, Spanish War veterans, James L. Molley, commanding. 138 NEW BOSTON Roger Wolcott camp 23, Spanish War veterans, H. F. Carter, commanding. First corps cadets band and English High and Latin school field music. Boston school cadets. Battalion Dudley school cadets, Capt. Edward O'Dowd, commanding. SECOND DIVISION Col. George A. Hosley, marshal. Patriotic and historic features. Series of Floats and Figurants. Mayflower; Jamaica Plain Citizens Association and Denison House. John Eliot; South End Industrial School. Bunker Hill Monument; Abraham Lincoln Post 11, G. A. R., Charlestown. Colonial League 10. Declaration of Independence; Hale House Association. Frigate Constitution; Float prepared by James Bertram. Companies representing the Wars of 1812 and 1847, United States and Mexican soldiers. Melrose Fife and Drum Corps. Emancipation Proclamation. Guard of Honor, Sixth Regt., MVM, Capt. William B. Gould in command. Company representing confederate troops; from Boston Y. M. C. U. Company representing Indians; Forest Hills Company. Battleship Maine 1898; Lawrence Parents' Asso- ciation Freeing of Cuba and the Philippines; Jefferson House Parents' Association. Floats representing Safe and Sane Fourth of July and the old-fashioned celebration. Recreation; South Bay Association. Anti-Cigarette League. THIRD DIVISION Capt. John J. Dwyer, Marshal. Bates Band. Battalion from the Greek Athletic Societies from Boston, Lynn and Salem. Great Britain; prepared by Charles French of the Harvard Improvement Association. France; Elizabeth Peabody House. Germany; The Lowell Parents' Association. Austria; Bishop Cheverus-Paul Jones Parents' Association. Italy; Frances E. Willard Settlement. Russia; Civic Service House. Spain; South End House. China; Ruggles Street Neighborhood House. Japan; Dudley Dillaway Parents' Association. America; Chapman Parents' Association. Peace of all Nations; float prepared by C. P. McCaf- frey and Frederick Swan. When the procession had passed, the presidential automobile was drawn up in front of the children's stand and Mr. Taft told the youngsters that he was "delighted to be here on the Fourth of July and to congratulate you on be- ginning this movement in favor of a safe and sane Fourth. I always prefer a live boy or girl to a dead or wounded one, and I sincerely hope that this move- ment now begun and evidenced by a statute of your state, begins for Massa- chusetts a great many good things; that this may continue throughout the Union; and that the lives of these little ones so dear to us may not be sacrificed in the foolish desire to make a noise. Good-bye. God bless you!" On the afternoon came the free "ice- cream graft," as one boy put it. Those in charge of this part of the program have learned that a good live boy will go after a dish of ice cream on a hot day, with a little more vigor than a hungry trout will rise to an attractive fly. The ice cream did not last long on the Com- mon, and perhaps some boys managed to get more than their share. Another year, if the distribution is continued, there will be more than one policeman to handle several hundred children, each anxious to secure a little more ice cream than is coming to him. One of the most enjoyable features of the afternoon celebration was the choral singing on the Common of 300 adidts under the direction of Osbourne McConathy of Chelsea. In spite of the fact that there had been but little op- portunity for rehearsal, the singing was unusually good. There were 150,000 persons along the Charles River Basin to witness the display of fireworks in the evening. This was the first great public festival to be held along the new water park, and a more effective setting for a cele- bration of that nature could not be imagined. "The Listener" in the Tran- script for July 6 said that "the christening of the Charles River Embankment, as an assembling place for the million of greater Boston, surely marks 'an epoch.' It is the more epochal in that the old Common at the same time yielded up to the new water-park its immemorial prescriptive right to the Fourth of July fireworks. 'The old order changeth' — the Common is no longer the one in- evitable choice of Boston for the scene of our greatest civic events." On the evening of the Fourth the fence on the waterside was lined three or four deep with enthusiastic spectators. Both Harvard and West Boston bridges were filled, and the Cambridge side of the river was also crowded. Fireworks dis- plays were also held at Franklin Field, WHAT THE BOSTON PAPERS SAID 139 Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury, Rainsford Island, Long Island, Marine Park, and Wood Island Park. Boston's first safe and sane Fourth was a success from start to finish and perhaps the best part of the day was the manner in which the small boy took to the innovation. There isn't any question but that the cele- bration July 4, 1910, has inaugurated safe and sane Independence Days for Boston. WHAT THE BOSTON PAPERS SAID "Safer and Saner" Wins Out Local and national statistics, hurriedly gathered* but approximately correct and not to be altered materially by later evidence, show conclusively that this year's celebration of the Fourth never has been surpassed for a maximum of pleasure and reasonable display of patriotism with a min- imum of loss of property, life and injury or maim- ing of persons. Adults and children, public officials and effervescent youths seemed to have come to the conclusion, defined by President Taft, that "wounds and deaths are not essential to patriotic inspiration or appropriate memorials of the birth- day of the nation," and that "live children are better than dead ones." In precise ratio to the acceptance of the "sane and safe" policy of cele- bration accepted by law-niakers and by public- spirited officials and citizens, the returns from the cities show a falling off in accidents, deaths and fires. Boston's record is better than those of some communities, but it is typical, nevertheless. Here as elsewhere there are smaller losses to be paid by insurance companies, fewer cases for courts to pass upon, less strain and wear and tear upon physicians and nurses in hospitals, fewer wage- earning youth kept from work, fewer interments in the cemeteries, fewer saddened households mourning crippled and deformed inmates or dead members of the family circle. And, on the other hand, never were there so many persons, who, "the morning after," could say that they had profited by healthy athletic rivalry, by pleasure- able excursions inland and to the sea, by watching of pageantry and parades that had an educational aim and that accomplished it, and by enjoyment of a pyrotechnic display that, in Boston at least, was superior to anything the city ever has seen, owing to the peculiarly fascinating environment which the Charles River Basin affords. — The Herald. Safe and Sane Success Yesterday's celebration in this city will long be remembered. Everything pertaining to it was a success. The restrictions with regard to explo- sives was a success. The regulation of fireworks was a success. The sensible police supervision of patriotic observances, in the shape of noise, was a success. But the most pronounced success of all was the parade, which exemplified more than anything else the idea of a safe and sane Fourth. It was interesting, instructive, amusing, and thoroughly enjoyable. The Fourth of July, 1910, marks an important turn in the road of national rejoicing. The pro- moters of the safe and sane idea have reason to be pleased with their achievement. — The Globe. The New Fourth The anniversary of our natal day has been cele- brated considerably more than a hundred times, but this year's observance has been the most significant and gratifying of the entire series. The reaction from the excesses and incongruities of the past has been widespread and genuine. There had been much discussion in nearly all the large cities of measures to secure "a safe and sane Fourth," but public sentiment is always more satisfactorily tested by deeds than by words, and the result has been awaited with mingled doubt and hope. But the latter has been fully justified. It was the most rational Independence Day, all things considered, in the history of the Republic. In our own city and the cluster that surrounds it, the remark was general that such a quiet Fourth was never remembered. But if it was a day of comparative quiet, it was not lacking in interest. People seemed at no loss to get from it a large measure of enjoyment. It was almost, if not quite, a record breaker for the transportation lines. People came and went by tens of thousands. The presence of the National Education Association, and the participation of the president of the United States in the exercises, made it a day long to be remembered by the people of Boston and vicinity, though even without these special magnets there were ample attractions pro- vided, exercises that had not only beauty but a real meaning. 140 NEW BOSTON We have a significant measure of the advance made by the largely reduced amount of hospital work called for by the untoward events of the day. Less than a third as many received treatment and almost all who did paid the penalty of disre- garding the spirit and in some instances the letter of the regulations and restrictions made for the day's observance We may felicitate ourselves upon having made a great gain in the manner of observing ths special day. More remains to be accomplishedi, but a year ago it would hardly have been dreamed that such progress could be made. Having risen to a higher plane in this respect, it is hardly to be supposed that we shall ever return to the former senseless saturnalia. There was more patriotism taught yesterday than by all the experiences of the last hundred years. A gratifying feature was the larger participation and more general interest shown by the grown-up population. They recog- nized their responsibility to their children as they have rarely done before. Best of all, there is less property destroyed, there are fewer lives lost and homes darkened, while the serious injuries are but a comparatively small percentage of what they were in former years, though still enough to show room for further improvement.^ — The Transcript. The Justification of an Idea Boston demonstrated to herself the advantages of the "safe and sane" idea. The only ones to lose were the doctors and the undertakers, and they are as glad as anybody. The nurses, the ambu- lance drivers and the firemen had less work — and when they are idle things are usually well with the rest of us. In some other American cities which recently have had sane Fourths, the power of the fireworks manufacturers and dealers has been sufficient to secure a repeal of the laws, and they returned this year to the riot and disaster of old. It is probable that such interests will endeavor, during the year to come, to secure the repeal of the wise regulations just passed in Massachusetts. It would be a sad day if they were successful, but we do not believe they will be. Boston is likely to have sane Independence Days for many years to come. The agitation for a "safe and sane" Fourth in Boston was started many months ago, by the Boston-1915 organization. This society was most active in securing passage of legislation and bore the brunt of planning and carrying out yesterdays celebration. To this organization is due the credit for the lessened deaths and accidents of yesterday. If Boston-1915 did nothing else for Boston during the next five years, it would in this have fulfilled its promise of usefulness to the community and won the right to high regard from all Boston's citizens. — The Traveler. Boston's Sane " Fourth" While yesterday did not pass without a few ac- cidents, in Boston, they were not serious ones, as compared with the usual roster, in the past, after each celebration of Independence day. Yesterday was an experiment, and like most experiments It showed some faults due to inexperience; but on the whole the festival was fairly quiet and rather safe and reasonably sane. The really serious casualties that were formerly expected as a matter of course at the hospitals, with the advent of Independence Day, were not to be found yesterday; and the few bad wounds reported were due to violations of the law — as, for example, a case of a boy with a bullet wound in his leg, in spite of the fact that revolvers were forbidden. It may de- velop that a large proportion of the other accidents reported were the result of attempts to evade the laws against dangerous explosives. What President Taft said, with his usual good humor and good sense yesterday, in his allusions to Boston's safe and sane fourth pretty well expressed the popular verdict. We are all pleased to be able to think of the real meaning of the day without any necessity for shutting ears and eyes, in order to think at all. It is something indeed to celebrate Independence Day without the danger of becoming deaf. — The Advertiser. Safe and Sane The experiment of a safe manner of Independence day celebration here in Boston may be regarded without qualification as an immediate and notable popular success. The same may be said of other communities in which similar methods were adopted. It has been demonstrated that mere noise and license are not conducive of public entertainment; that the multiplication of accidents and the peril of destructive fires are not unavoidable; that the people, young and old, can have a good time in a rational way, and that hubbub is not absolutely necessary to the expression of enthusiasm. There was noise enough yesterday, properly distributed. There were crowds everywhere, and the crowds surely seemed to be enjoying them- selves. There were spectacular features, from the morning parades to the evening fireworks. It was all there, happily arranged, sensibly carried out. It was in the best sense a glorious Fourth. — The Post. THE FOURTH IN BOSTON PRESIDENT TAFT TO THE CHILDREN " I am delighted to be here on the Fourth of July and to congratulate you on beginning this movement in favor of a safe and sane Fourth. I always prefer a live boy or girl to a dead or v^ounded one, and I sincerely hope that this movement now^ begun and evidenced by a statute of your state, begins for Massachusetts a great many good things; that this may continue throughout the Union; and that the lives of these little ones so dear to us may not be sacrificed in the foolish desire to make a noise." FROM THE REVIEWING STAND READING THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE GENERAL OAKES AND STAFF WHEN THE PRESIDENT ARRIVED THE BROAD JUMP rHK FIMSII OF TIIK MILE RUN .&.HSNO.vr 73 fiAPCvU^S^' AFTER THE MEET ON THE COMMON GATHERING FOR THE CHORAL SINGING THE LEXINGTON MINUTE MEN THE ANTI CIGARETTE LEAGUE COMPANY OF HIGH SCHOOL CADETS THE CONCORD BRIDGE THE BATTLESHIP MAINE BUNKER HILL Girls and the Recreation Problem BELLE LINDNER ISRAELS Chairman New York Committee on Amusements and Vacation Resources of Working Girls Where to go and what to do are prob- lems not reserved exclusively for the householder and well-to-do vacationist. Thousands of young girls, thrown out of employment during the summer months, or idling through unen joyed vacations; thousands of others, forming the army that nightly pervades the streets and amusement resorts, have this problem thrust upon them for solu- tion with less power of choice and an absolute need for expression. Any thought, leading out of the chaos of where these people go and what they find to do, is necessarily stopped at the door of constructive possibility. We have been wont to think of the associa- tion of w^orking girls with young men as a task too difficult to be imdertaken under legitimate auspices. W^e have preferred that it should be left to the casual undertaking of such commercial- ized projects as the cheap theater, the picture-show, and, most attractive of all, the dance hall, and the amusement park at the cheap resort. Casual pro- vision has been made for this class of our population in placing park benches at their disposal, and so far as the girls are concerned, giving them liberal op- portunity for forming more or less casual and undesirable acquaintanceships. The playground and the park have been thought of in terms of the younger children. The outdoor gymnasium, which is sometimes a part of their facilities, appeals to the boy. It is only the occasional girl to whom physical prowess and the cultivation of her strength makes sufficiently strong appeal to cover the disadvantage of such ex- penditure of energy. Companionship of the other sex is the natural desire of young people at the adolescent stage of their careers. What they do in the workshop, and in the factory, and in the store has not been planned out with reference to the upbuilding of character; on the contrary, in most instances its monotony leads to a nervous reaction, that brings with it a weakening of moral resistance when the question of amusement is brought into play. With all of these forces, natural desire, need for recreation pro- duced by the overstrain of monotony and physical fatigue, the overplus of idle time, and the utter lack of home 150 NEW BOSTON restraint, it is worth while to examine where girls go and what they do when they are confronted with certain periods, or even hours, of idle time. Being attracted to the resources offered such girls, and to what they made out of them, a committee was formed in New York, two years ago, for the j)ur- pose of making an examination of the question and suggesting its constructive possibilities. The Committee on Amuse- ments and Vacation Resources of Work- ing Girls has grown from a membership of five mildly and curiously interested persons, to an organization, with co- operating branches, that is finding res- ponses to the chord it has struck in nearly every large and small city in the country. The investigator employed by the committee to inquire first into the actual amusements of the vacation season started out with certain peculiar quali- fications for her work. Her special instructions were to follow out the kind of places sought by the girls, to estimate as far as possible what it cost a girl to spend her idle time in amusement places, to see what percentage of such time was so spent, to form an estimate of the effect on the girl's character, of the type of amusement offered, and also to indicate lines of progress. To accomplish this purpose a report blank was used for each place visited, and covered points that were suggested in the inquiry. For each place the following questions were answered : Name Location Whether Licensed Character of Amusements Hotel Attachment Location of Bar Sanitation Lighting Dancing — (a) Free (b) Charge Other places Where Liquor is Sold Sale of Refreshments Average Attendance, Total Week Days Saturdays Sundays Girls Alone Average Age Moral Tone of Resort GIRLS Vacation, With or Without Pay How Long W'here Spent Cost Sum Spent per W^eek for Amusements Favorite Recreation It was apparent at the start that the AMl>]iMli\l I'ARKS ARE[ ROUGHLY DIVIDED INTO "BAD," "GOOD" AND "BKST' GIRLS AND THE RECREATION PROBLEM 151 public resources afforded by New York city were so inadequate as not to require consideration from a tabulative stand- point, beyond the work of the recreation centers in the public schools. The parks and playgrounds and recreation piers afforded nothing. It was in private enterprise that the solution had to be found. Broadly speaking, the summer amuse- ment problem centered around the ex- cursion boats, the cheap resorts and the amusement parks generally to be found at the end of long trolley rides. The winter problem centered around the dance hall. Specifically the summer problem has the dance hall coupled with it all the way through, because no man who manages an amusement enterprise of any kind, however small his accom- modations, would commit the folly of having no dance platform. So that on every hand it has been recognized by those who are commercially interested in finding amusement for girls, that the dance hall is an indispensable part of a successful enterprise. It is the young man who spends money in these places, and he comes if the girls are there. Energies are bent to find the thing which will attract the girl, and thus she is en- couraged to come there, at little or no financial outlay, to indulge in her favorite pastime of dancing, and to extend her acquaintanceship with those of the other sex. The presence of the girl is a stock in trade of the dance hall proprietor. If she is there the place succeeds. The excursion boats, of course, make no such direct appeal for trade. Their chief interest is to make the trip pay as much as possible, not only in the regular price of the excursion, but to add to this the sale of staterooms. Certain boats, leaving New York for day excur- sions, have every stateroom sold long before they leave the docks. These rooms are frequently in the hands of speculators, who sell them for short periods throughout the day, at the rate of twenty-five cents or fifty cents an hour. This brings before the eyes of young girls, travelling on these boats, the constant spectacle of the entering and leaving these staterooms by young couples throughout the entire day. A vigorous campaign against this problem has brought out promise of improvement on at least one line of these boats, but the control of boats, beyond the safety of the passengers, is subject to no legal authority, and therefore the exercise of moral reform is altogether a matter of arousing public opinion. The amusement parks, cheap resorts and picnic places are roughly divided into "bad," "good," and "best." There are only a very few in the class of "best." The established parks at Coney Island, such as Luna Park, Dreamland, and Steeplechase Park, have excellent stand- ards of decency, as had Palisade Park, a resort on the Hudson River. In these places the dance platforms were con- ducted in accordance with the strictest rules, and the proprietors rely upon the superior attractiveness of their places to give assurance that their rules will be carried out. Outside of the very limited class of places like these, there is a sliding scale of resorts coming up to varying standards, from those where the latest vulgarities of the burlesque stage are not only tolerated but encouraged on the dance floor, up to the place which would like to be decent but is afraid it would lose its patronage if it were too strict with its customers. The dance hall of the winter months is characterized in New York by its division into the places where dancing is taught, and which are called "dancing academies" and "dance halls." There are in Manhattan and the Bronx over five hundred dance halls and dancing academies. This does not take in the very large borough of Brooklyn, nor the smaller boroughs of Qvieens or Richmond. It has been estimated that one hundred thousand girls and boys attend the dancing academies of Man- hattan, alone, in the course of a week. It is admitted by the dancing masters that ninety per cent of the clientele is under twenty-one years of age, and forty- five per cent under sixteen. In the forty-five per cent are included some Saturday afternoon classes for children. The dancing academ5% as it is developed in New York, is probably peculiar only to the very largest cities. It is entirely a commercial proposition. Its teaching, where that is genuine, is in the hands of a very small group of trained men and women, whose business from a legitimate standpoint has greatlj^ decreased during 152 NEW BOSTON THE LURE OF THE LIGHTS MAKES THE DANCE HALL WHAT IT IS" the past ten years, and who have been forced to make a special feature of the receptions to which the general public is admitted, four times a week. Its example has been imitated by all the other classes of managers of dancing enterprises, who see in the teaching an additional inducement to young people to come to them. The manager of the average East Side dance hall is only in very rare instances a dancing-master. For teaching purposes he associates with himself certain young men of the neighborhood, whose only evident means of livelihood is the occasional benefit ball which is given for them by the manager. Beyond attracting girls to the dancing academy and providing that they shall enjoy themselves while there, these fellows have certain special knowl- edge of the moral worth of each girl that extends to the finest shades of de- termination. Many of these dancing academies have also coupled with themselves the sale of intoxicants; sometimes with a liquor license, sometimes without. Where this is common practice the attraction of the dance hall provides another danger- ous, insidious element. On the other hand the dance hall as such flourishes in all forms in every city in the country. Sometimes it is the back room of a saloon, and other times it is the big casino; frequently it is the gathering place for people of certain nationalities; at other times it is exploited by gangs of men who band themselves together for the purpose of making money under some attractive title, such as "The Barnstormers," "The Three Snow- Balls" or, taking the name of some man, call themselves an association. These organizations have no existence beyond the advertising and running of what is known as a "racket." Admission to these dances is cheap, ranging all the ^vay from twenty -five cents to two dollars. The girls attend dance places in couples. They depend for the evening's amuse- ment on their attractiveness to the casual observer. When the music for a dance begins the girls go out on the floor and dance together. The young rhen line up around the room and make a selection of partners from the grace displayed in this preliminary dance. The girls who are not invited to sit at the tables and have something to drink go into the dressing-rooms to repair damages and GIRLS AND THE RECREATION PROBLEM 153 compare experiences. Standards of be- havior for the majority of these places are hmited to non-interference on the part of the police. There are a number of dance halls where no admission is charged, and where there is a nightly dance. The price of remaining here is drinking, and inducing others to drink. These halls, and in fact all dance places where acquaintanceships are so easily made, are favorite places for finding young girls who can be led on into the devious ways of the under-world. Both the national and state immigration com- missions have stated that the dance hall is the recruiting place for the traffic in women, and it is also responsible for the thousands of girls who are leading lives that would not bear scrutiny, while not directly entering the ranks of prosti- tutes. Many girls are living loosely with two or three or half a dozen fellows they know, for the good time that it affords them, in the way of going out frequently, occasional presents, and the appearance of popularity. It is a terrible price to pay and is never recompensed throughout their womanhood. It is the responsibility of the com- munity, it is the delinquency of the com- munity, and not of its girl members. The community has offended against them and not they against it. Driven from its natural avenues, the stream of youth must seek out by-ways. There are snares provided for them all along these by-ways, by people who know how to turn the healthful desire for amuse- ment into terms of financial gain, and who have no scruples in the method of so doing. Urged on by the desire to go forward on the social ladder and to es- tablish herself in a home, and with rest from daily toil, the girl seeks out the only avenues that have been open to her for finding her mate. Her home condi- tions are familiar. If she is living at home she lacks- privacy, there is no ac- commodation made for her, and she is driven to seek her amusement outside. The streets and the parks are bare of opportunity, and private enterprises have few scruples. It is peculiar that social dancing should have been neglected so long as a means of appeal to young people. It offers physical exercise, emotional experience, healthful conditions and the opportunity for the sane exercise of the desire to meet and know the other sex. Constructive possibilities for the com- munity loom large. First the New York committee made an examination of existing laws and ordinances to see if any of these could be applied to the dance hall as a place of public assembly. Only certain requirements of the building code could be made to fit. These could not be enforced with enough certainty to make them advisable as an only means. But a bill was sent to the Legislature, passed through one year and defeated as to its constitutionality, because it q^pplied only to "dancing academies." The judges held that if it was a moral regulation it should apply to all places where dancing was carried on. A new bill has passed the Legislature, received the signature of the mayor and now awaits the signature of the governor, which covers all places where dancing goes on. It provides that the place must conform to the construc- tive regulations of the building, fire and health departments. The wisdom of this was evidenced by two dangerous fires in dancing academies during the past year. The bill also provides that "DANCE HALLS FLOURISH EVERY- WHERE " 154 NEW BOSTON no liquor shall he sold in the room in which instruction in dancing is given or in any room connected with it on the same floor. Girls under sixteen may not attend unaccompanied by adults, and if there is habitual disorderly conduct on the premises the license will be revoked. The terms of its enforcement will show the wisdom or unwisdom of the act. It is a constructive jiossibility, hotels with over a hundred rooms being the only places excepted. In order to make some effort directed against the idle vacation period, as an investigation had disclosed the inad- equacy of the existing resources for vacations under reasonable and good auspices, the Vacation Bureau has been established. This has the co-operation of the vacation agencies. This offers all girls boarding places properly in- vestigated in the country, with rates of board ranging from three and one-half to five dollars a week. It will also corre- late endeavor in this direction and per- haps be able to influence employers to- ward the extension of paid vacations. It subjects the girl who uses its facilities to no restrictions and assumes no re- sponsibility other than that of bringing together the right hostess and the right guest. Among the constructive possibilities of the dance problem public provision might be made to meet this need. Prop- erly supervised dance platforms in the public parks'that can be made into dance halls for the winter months are the first step in this direction. The field houses in Chicago are already reaching out in this direction and permitting general dancing several nights of the week, supervised and controlled by committees of the young people themselves, under the direction of the recreation expert in charge. The utilization of existing facilities of recreation piers and play- grounds is a simple step without expense. The music is generally provided anyway. In the public schools the evening recrea- tion centers have already established several dancing classes, more especially among foreigners. The boys and girls have been allowed to come together frequently on these evenings, and the results in dress and deportment and en- joyment have been remarkable. As an intermediary step between the existing dance hall and that controlled by the municipality, the model dance hall comes into play. The committee has been operating one model hall for the past year, and a new hall, constructed by an offshoot of the New York com- mittee as a public enterprise, is just being opened at Rockaway Beach. A number of model classes and dance evenings were also started by churches and settlements. The essential point of these model dance halls is that they shall conceal their identity. It must be no more than a public enterprise in direct and most keen competition with its neighbors. It must rely upon the excellence of the facilities that it affords in order to attract the young people. "THE SUMMER PROBLEM HAS THE DANCE HALL COUPLED WITH IT" BEETHOVEN'S PROMETHEUS 155 Beyond this the dance hall has the possibility of being a great social medium. The existing hall is in the nature of an academy. The new model dance hall, as planned, will have a corps of introducers, who will present the young men and women to one another, who will be ad- mitted to the floor only after a registration of a correct name and address. Novel fea- tures of the cheap dance hall will be made into special attractions of the new place, and excellent standards as to floor, lighting and music should combine toward commercial success. Wherever any attempt is made to reach this problem of the dance hall and the older girl problem, it is only made, first by an establishment of facts, an examination of resources, followed up by a careful study of the constructive possibilities of the existing facilities, and extensions that can be brought about. A saner attitude toward the problem of the meeting of the sexes is essential. If the right opportunities are not provided the wrong ones will certainly be sought. These are always provided. It is the lure of the lights and the music and the atmosphere of having a good time that makes the dance hall what it is. The New York committee has set out to provide these things to an even greater extent, in a manner that will protect and not harm the girls who will receive them. BEETHOVEN'S PROMETHEUS Pageants on the stage, out-of-door per- formances on large estates or college grounds, folk dance festivals on public playgrounds — though seldom seen in Boston — and benefit performances, are not new. There is novelty, however, in the free presentation, in a small neighborhood park of an immigrant district, of a classic dramatic performance set to music different from definitely timed dance music. Such a departure in free public entertainment on a play- ground commends itself to further con- sideration, and it is to be hoped that the recent presentation of a pantomime- pageant by Elizabeth Peabody House will open up a new series of similar op- portunities. In the days of chivalry pageants seem to have been for the nobles and given by the nobles. Recent pageants have been so elaborate that they have be- come merely events for a grand occasion. As a contrast, the performance of Pro- metheus given on the Charlesbank Play- ground was extremely simple and in- expensively prepared, yet it presented the changing groups, color effects, oddity of costumes, artistry and massing that we expect in the true pageant. The possibility of training both the mind and the visual sense for what stands for refined dramatic art, as against the cheap and often too sugges- tive productions of many theatres, ren- ders strong the appeal for multiplying such entertainments where entire families may congregate to enjoy something worth while. The far-reaching success of this tenta- tive eft'ort w^as best exemplified by the perfect order and evident appreciation of the vast audience. Every nationality was represented, and to many the Eng- lish language was unknown. Panto- mime, however, is an universal language capable of expressing its meaning di- rectly and forcibly to persons speaking various tongues and of uniting them all in common enjoyment. That those as- sembled did understand was [proved by the expression of keen 'pleasure andijthe spontaneous applause at telling moments as the plot unfolded. Acting and dancing came early enough into the settlement, but pantomime has only just reached us, yet it is the oldest art of all and especially adapted to the needs of cos- mopolitan sections. Too much credit cannot be given Miss Eleanora M. Curtis, a volunteer worker at Elizabeth Peabody House, for her originality and cleverness in adapt- ing the Greek myth to the themes of 156 NEW BOSTON THE shephp:rd and his sheep Beethoven's score. Wisely enough she avoided any use of theatrical ballet such as is seen in royal opera houses and for which purpose Beethoven is said to have written the music. Instead, Miss Curtis trained the caste to tell the mythological story of Prometheus silently by fitting gestures and effective, simple dances. Prometheus is one of the more moral of the mythological tales and was made by Miss Curtis into a strong, clear cut pantomime. The thread of the story as it was arranged was kept unbroken through the maze of the various dances which added and attracted and kept action in the plot. Throughout the per- formance the interesting music could be heard, now soft, now weird, now fast, now merry. The Story ^ — Act I. The Storm. Prometheus, a friend to mortals, comes bringing his gift of fire from the far away heavens. Mercury is sent by Jove to punish Prometheus for giving such power to mortals as this fire be- stows. The flowers, a group of children dressed to represent garden flowers dan- cing fancifully, are blown about and Prometheus is led away to be chained on Mount Caucasus. Act II. The Lovers. Venus and Minerva bring Pandora to earth accompanied by Mercury and "the seasons and graces." This gives the opportunity for more dancing. Venus gives Pandora the gift of "beauty" and Minerva the "distaff and the veil," emblems of household arts and modesty. As ages have passed, Prometheus is free again, and now he and his young brother, Epimetheus, are walking to- gether talking of the farming. Epi- metheus sees Pandora! But Prometheus, older and wiser, knows there is a curse on her (Mercury's gift of curiosity.) In vain he tries to distract Epimetheus' attention. Epimetheus is enamoured of the maiden. He resents his brother's interference. They wrestle, and the younger man wins. Epimetheus offers himself to Pandora. He is accepted after a flirtation dance by Pandora. To celebrate their betrothal — Mercury BEETHOVEN'S PROMETHEUS \5t and the Flowers dance; Minerva and Venus dance; the Nymphs dance, and Cupid is everywhere. Act III. The Box. The shy Oceanides come up to see and to hear what is going on, and to dance on the green earth. Tlie Fauns come and are followed by Little Pan, who beckons and calls them away with him, because the wedding of Epimetheus and Pandora is about to be celebrated. (Full wed- ding procession.) After the nuptials are over and the guests gone, Prometheus takes his brother aside and warns him not to allow his young wife to open the box. Then he leaves the bridal pair alone. Epimetheus follows his brother's direction and Pan- dora, who has supposed the chest to contain wedding gifts for herself, is surprised and hurt. Epimetheus tries to comfort her. But the curse of the Gods must fall! Mercury is again sent to earth, this time to call Epimetheus away from his bride that she may be tempted by her curiosity to open the box and let out the demons of Pain, Spite and Passion among humans. All this comes to pass and one thing more, on which the angry Gods did not count — Hope, the blessing of humanity, helps Pandora to put the evil spirits back into the box. Epi- metheus has returned ere this, and he and Pandora are reunited. Pomona and Terpsichore and other friendly di- vinities come to dance on the earth in celebration of the reunion. The principals in the caste were as- sisted by volunteers and workers at the Elizabeth Peabody House. Minor roles were taken by the younger members of the settlement clubs and classes. Pandora, the heroine, was assumed by Miss Vir- ginia Tanner, M. A., whose exquisite interpretation and- grace could not but fire the imagination. When the idea of giving the panto- mime was presented only a lukewarm interest was observed in both children and mothers. This was but natural as the Greek pageant was quite outside their experience. One class began re- hearsing, however, caught the enthusi- asm, then a boys' club joined the lists and soon the interest was general. The excitement of dancing and making cos- tumes held the children tensely. The boys wavered several times, and those who could not stand being called "sissy" dropped out. The others, however, stuck manfully to their parts and are now re- warded by being quite the heroes of the neighborhood. The matter of costume, including head-dress, was amusing to the last degree. The fauns, flowers, graces and seasons w^ere considerably concerned in the beginning about ap- pearing in the Greek designs. The cos- tumes were doffed suspiciously with considerable giggling. Soon, the romance of wearing the "queer" style of apparel TERPSICHORE, MISS ELEANOR CURTIS, AND CUPID 158 NEW BOSTON began to assert itself, and the children wanted "full-dress rehearsals" every day. The vari-eolored cheesecloths put new life into the dancers and the de- butante performers were ready to dance morning, noon and night. The pantomime occupied the minds of the children for about three months. In many instances real talent was found on the playground was given to the neighborhood children under sixteen. Such ])ageants have their educational value. Every boy and girl of the neigh- borhood now knows at least one Greek myth and all were told of the Greece of that time. All those who took part caught something of the fancy which lies in Greek mythology. Not only EPIMETHEUS CALLS PANDORA'S ATTENTION TO THE FATAL BOX and the power of interpretation seemed to grow as the parts were better under- stood and the imagination awakened. Long, tiresome rehearsals were avoided. The children were trained in groups and only one lesson a week was given until the last week when four full rehearsals were held. On the night before the pub- lic performance — the only dress rehearsal those who participated but the parents and friends felt the magic spell which surrounded the personified gods and goddesses, nymphs, and fauns, and whenever in the years to come any one of the children in the pantomime sees a Greek picture or catches words Pan- dora, Prometheus or Mercury a definite meaning will be flashed into their minds. BEETHOVEN'S PROMETHEUS 159 The girls' part of the Charlesbank Playground is particularly adapted for this sort of production. There is a well- kept lawn surrounded by full grown bushes which gives the illusion of se- clusion. Had it not been for the splen- did co-operation of Mr. Pettigrew, sup- erintendent of public ])arks, Mr. Shay and his workers the performance would have been an impossibility. Such a performance is quite different from plays and operettas which require expensive scenery. In this instance two trees which were needed were planted to one side of the center; Greek stand- ards, which were lighted to represent the "fire from heaven," were placed on either side of the space allotted as the stage. Sheep were brought from Franklin Park to give the real pastoral touch and were tended by a settlement boy, who was proud indeed of the sheep- skin which as a shepherd he was allowed to wear. The rest of the setting was the natural surroundings of the place — the shimmer of the Charles River, the sun and the shadows. If the audience at the outset came from mere curiosity to see what was meant by giving a play out-of-doors and with such queer personages and costumes, after the first dance of the children the entire attitude changed to one of ap- preciative attention. Since the event, request after request has come for its reproduction. Those of the West End residents who saw it have no doubt lived many times over the effect of the scene as presented at the close of the afternoon — an effect which sent the imag- ination distances away. It is well that the playground should be looked upon as a center for whole- some, neighborhood, open-air recreation for adult and juvenile. Too often is the adult made to feel outside of those pleasures that keep the heart young. The summer months should be made the most of for those who must remain at home in the congested districts. Given the free use of the public playgrounds and parks, organized amusements which are varied and elevated could be brought within the reach of vast numbers of persons. EPIMETIIEUS PLEADING WITH PANDORA. Epimotlu'us, William Paul; Pandora, Miss Virginia Tanner Boston-1915 Boys' Games Tlie first of the 1J)1U track meets conducted by the Boston-1915 Boys' Games Committee, was held on Saturchiy, July 23, as we w^ere going to press. Next month we shall be able to i)resent a summary of the games to date. The schedule follows: TRACK MEETS Playground Charlo.sl);ink First Street Roslimliilc Miircclhi Street N. liriKhtou Wood Island Charlestown Franklin Field North F^nd Park Columbns Avenue Beaches North F:nd Park Dewey L Street Wood Island Date Jnly !^.'5 July ;50 July 23 July 30 July 30 August C) August () August 6 August 13 August 13 Final Meet M. M. Tin 3 P. 3 P. 3 p. M. 3 P. M. 3 P. M. 3 P. M. 3 P. M. 3 P. M. 3 P. 3 P. M. M. In Charge John D. O'Reilly F. J. O'Brien M. J. Redding F. L. O'Brien W. C. Matthews J. J. O'Donnell J. H. Crowley F. L. O'Brien M. J. Redding W. C. Matthews at Wood Island, August 27, at 2.30 Open to Residents of West End South Boston Beyond Forest Hills Roxbury and Jamaica Plain Brighton and Allston East Boston Charlestown Dorchester North End City and South End P. M. SWIMMING MEETS Date Time Julv 30 3 P. M. July 30 3 P. M. August 13 3 P. M. August 13 3 P. M. In Charge J. McNamara Henry Higgins John Driscoll ■^ Open to ( boys and girls C who are residents Matthew Leary / of Boston No one who has won first or second place in any event, may enter the same event in a second meet. TRACK AND FIELD EVENTS Intermediate Boys from 5 feet 1 inch to 5 feet 5 inches in height, or from 14 to 16 years of age inclusive 75-yard dash 220-yard run 440-yard run Running Broad Running High Shot-Put, 8 lbs. Junior Boys under 5 feet 1 inch in height, or under 14 years of age 50-yard dash 110-yard run Running Broad Running High Shot-Put, 5 lbs. Senior Boys 5 feet 5 inches and over in height, or from 17 to 19 years of age inclusive 100-yard dash 220-yard run 440-yard run 880-yard run Mile run Running Broad Running High Shot-Put, 12 lbs. RELAY— FINAL MEET ONLY Senior, intermediate, and junior teams from each district. Four men on a team, each man to run 220 yards on senior team and 110 yards on intermediate and junior teams. WATER SPORTS Girls' — Seniors Girls' — Juniors Boys' — Senior 50-yard dash 50-yard dash 50-yard dash Diving for form Diving for form Diving for form 440 yards Under water swim for distance Tub race Senior: Any boy or girl between the ages of 16 and 19 inclusive. Junior: Any boy or girl between the ages of 12 and 15 inclusive. Boys' — Junior 50-yard dash Diving for form In the preliminary meet, prizes will be solid silver medals for first; solid bronze medals for second. In the final meet, cui)s will be awarded. F'irst, second, third, and fourth in preliminaries qualify for the final meet. No boy will be allowed to compete in the final meet who did not compete in the preliminary. No one will be allowed to compete outside of his or her class. Events are ojjcn to amateurs only. Ojjcn only to the district in which the meet is held, with the exception of the swimming races. No boy shall enter in more than one running event besides the dash and two field events, relay excepted. .\11 contestants nuist a])pear in proper athletic costume, and must conform to the amateur regulation governing track and field events. All entries must be ai>proved by the athletic instructor of the district in which the entry is made. All entries close at 9 P. M. on the day before the meet. New York's Public School Athletics GEORGE W. WINGATE I sincerely hope that Boston does not present the tre- mendous civic prob- lem which exists in the congested tene- ment districts o f New York. Never- theless, yours is such a great city and has such a diversified popula- tion that the differ- ence can only be one of degree. Although col- umns and even pages of the daily newspapers have been filled, day after day, with long discussions of the work of the New York league, yet it is curious to note how comparatively few there are even in New York who know what has been accomplished. The news in respect to the league is usually pub- lished in the sporting columns of the newspapers which the most influential classes of the community never read. In consequence few are aware that although but six years old, the league has become probably one of the largest athletic organizations of the world. The vast size of the New York public school system is seldom appreciated. The children enrolled number over 625,000, about equally divided as to sex, of whom some 150,000 are boys old enough to engage in athletics. This total is more than the aggregate population of St. Louis, the fourth city of the union, which has but 575,000. the National Guard of New York is the largest military or- ganization in the country next to the regular army. Yet it is only 1 4,000 strong, and there are nearly that number of teachers in our public schools. These HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL TROPHY schools are 630 in number, and are scattered over an area of 230 square miles. It was there- fore no light task to establish a system which would in- volve the handling of an e n o r m o u s army, greater than any which was ever brought together in our Civil War. On December 4, 1903, the Public Schools Athletic League was incor- porated. A great deal of its success must be ascribed to the wise selection of the gentlemen who have since been identified with it, whose experience and services have been invaluable. It was made up of men who were prominent in educational circles, including City Superintendent Maxwell, Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick, then superintendent of physical training, Dr. John H. Finlay, president of the College of the City of New York and a number of other superintendents and teachers; of men who were interested in athletics, like James E. Sullivan, president of the A. A. U., Gustavus T. Kirby, a leader in college athletics; and of prominent business men such as S. R. Guggenheim, who accepted the office of treasurer, John S. Huyler and others who furnished the sinews of war, without which nothing could be accomplished. I had the honor to be elected president because, as I l)resume, I was not only a member of the Board of Education but also had been interested in athletics and luid a good deal of experience — through my long service in the National Rifle Association — * Portions of an address delivered before'the Youths Conference of'Boston-1915 162 NEW BOSTON in the organization and management of a movement of this character. Immediately after the organization of the league, and although there had been no opportunity of actually doing any work among the schoolboys, an athletic meeting was held at Madison Square Garden, for the purpose of bring- ing the matter before the public. We had grave doubts whether the enter- prise could possibly be made worth while in the brief time that was available for preparation, and with our want of adequate organization. The meeting was a magnificent success, however, largely owing to the numbers of crack athletes from the various athletic clubs and organizations, who volunteered their services, so that there was no want of most competent su])erintendence. There were over 1,500 entries, an unpre- cedented number for such a meeting, and Madison Square Garden was packed with a howling but otherwise orderly mob of 5,000, whose enthusiasm made the ordinary college contest sound like a Sunday-school picnic. This meeting settled the question so far as the boys were concerned. There was no doubt that the movement would receive their enthusiastic support. A campaign for funds and prizes was successfully prose- cuted by the officers of the league. Prob- ably the greatest assistance received was from President Roosevelt, who not only accepted the office of honorary vice-presi- dent, which he now holds, but wrote a public letter strongly commending the work of the league, which was an en- dorsement of the highest value. A large number of gentlemen, including J. Pierpont Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Harry Payne Whitney, and many others, have sub- scribed the funds required. They have also presented many valuable prizes for competition in the different athletic events. We now have 136 of these prizes, many of which are extremely beautiful and valuable. A number of them are "championship trophies," which are held for a year l)y the school which wins them. While the individual and team contests are very valuable in s'imulating interest in athletics, the league is more desirous of raising the standard of the mass of the boys than it is of having the dif- ferent schools turn out a small aggre- gation of star athletes. For this purpose it has established a "button" similar to the "marksman's badge," used in the army and in the National Guard. The league offers these badges to each boy who annually passes a certain simple standard of "chinning" on a bar (or pull up), running and jumping. We found when we commenced our work that the children coming from many of the congested districts were physically much below what normal boys should be. They could run a little, probably because they were accustomed to dodge policemen; but they could not jump, and they had almost no strength in their chests or arms. This button soon effected a wonderful change, proving as valu- able in the schools as the marksman's badge has been among our soldiers. Our records show that when we com- menced to test the boys, not more than three or four in schools having from 200 to 500 competitors, had sufficient strength to pass the test, while the ordinary husky country boy would not have the slightest difficulty in doing so twice over. The school that won the "chinning" contest recently completed. Public School 72, Brooklyn, averaged for the sixth year class 12.9 pull ups, for the seventh year class 15.5 pull ups and for the eighth year class 19.7 pull ups. Moreover the buttons won have increased from 1,162 in 1904-5 to 7,049 last year, and will be 10,000 this year. With every year the standard of ath- letic ability in the schools becomes higher, and records which were con- sidered wonderful when made are sur- passed. Accompanying this is a marked improvement in carriage of the person, alertness of mind and body, and the general air of strength and health re- sulting from the athletic exercises which the children have pursued. Gratifying as this is from the physical side, the improvement in ethics, school discipline and esprit de corps is even greater, a fact which has made the supervising and teaching force of the schools firm sup- porters of our work. Under no circum- stances is any pupil allowed to compete in any of the league games unless he is certified by his principal with "B" (the passing mark) in efifort, proficiency NEW YORK'S PUBLIC SCHOOL ATHLETICS 163 THE A. G. SPALDING TROPHY and deportment during the month pre- vious and has attended his school for twenty weeks (except when regularly transferred) . No teacher in any school is permitted to offer any inducement to cause the pupil of any other school to sever his athletic connection with another school. In addition to the muscular develop- ment coming from its athletic exercises, the league endeavors in every way to inculcate good habits, and in particular "square dealing," not only among the boys in the schools, but among the principals and all connected with the games. Its teaching in this direction is best illustrated by the following extracts from a letter, which its president sent to the schools : Now, boys, the league wishes you all to keep on. It wishes every school to take an active interest in athletics. It wishes every boy to win its button, and to wear it, to show that he is an athlete. You cannot expect success in life, however well you may be educated, imless you have a sound body. You also need those mental cjualities of cjuickncss, de- termination and nerve which athletics develop. You can only get these by practice in your youth. You must also remember that to be an athlete you must take care of your body besides exercising it. You must keep your skin clean (which means fre- quent bathing), you must take lots of sleep, and you nuist keejj out of the bad influences of the streets, if you want to be strong, .\bove all, you must not smoke cigaretti's. It stunts your develop- ment, injures your heart and spoils yom- "wind." A grown man may smoke a pipe or cigar, without injury, although men in training stop smoking. But smoking of any sort is bad for growing athletes, and cigarettes with them are fatal to all prospects of success. In conclusion, I would urge you to always bear in mind that in all your contests you must "play fair"; despise everything that is tricky or mean; always abide strictly by the rules; strive to win by your own superior athletic prowess; do not be hunt- ing for technicalities upon which to base protests against your opponents and accept the decisions of the officials of the games without complaint and in a sportsmanlike spirit. Do not unduly boast when you are fortunate enough to win; be a cheerful, manly loser when you do lose, and the first to congratulate your successful opponents. Remember, that to be a good athlete means to be a square, honorable gentleman. There is nothing particularly new in such advice. It is what would occur to any sensible man, who knows the children of the schools. Coming from a clergyman or educational authority, it would make no impression whatever upon the average boy; but from an official of the league, recognized as an athletic authority, and given not as moral teaching but as advice on becoming a winning athlete, it is accepted by the boys as gospel. And it is followed, as is too often not the case with the gospel. The organization of the league was largely based upon the methods which were used in the establishment of the National Rifle Association. It is thorough and far-extending. The parent organization is managed by an executive committee, consisting of the president, the treasurer, the secretary (who is also the teacher of physical training of the Board of Education), James E. Sul- livan and Gustavus T. Kirby. New York city is divided into forty- six educational districts, to each of which is assigned a member of the Board of Education and in which there is a local board, composed generally of two men and three women, who have the super- vision of the detail work of the schools. A district superintendent is assigned to each two adjoining districts, making twenty-three sub-districts under their charge. We have organized district leagues in each of these twenty-three districts, composed of the district super- intendent, members of the local boards, l)rincipals and teachers, and also a number of other residents of the district who are interested in the work. There are two other leagues covering single districts 164 NEW BOSTON in the suburbs, making twenty-five in all, having one hundred and forty-four officers. These leagues take charge of the school athletics in their respective districts, provide funds for maintenance and thus relieve the central body of a great deal of work. There is also an elementary school games committee and a high school games committee, made up of delegates from these district leagues, which pass upon all questions in regard to the holding of meetings, qualifica- tions of competitors and similar matters, their action being under the general supervision of the executive committee of the league. Each school holds competitions, through which it selects those who stand the highest. These represent the school in the games which are held under the auspices of its district league. The suc- cessful competitors in the district com- petitions compete for the champion- ships in the spring and fall indoor and outdoor meetings which are held directly under the auspices of the league. In the three years that have elapsed since the league commenced work, it has built up an immense organization. The large colleges think they are doing very well if they can hold an athletic meet once a year, at which there will be some 100 to 150 competitors. The Public Schools Athletic League has held in one year 630 athletic meetings, at many of which there were over a thou- sand competitors, and a single school will hold a meeting, at which there will be 700 entries. It is needless to say that baseball constitutes a most popular feature. Dur- ing the last year, there were 106 baseball teams competing against one another. The final match for the championship was held in the Polo Grounds. The skill which is shown compares favorably with any of the professional teams, and the enthusiasm is even greater than at a league contest. Running in all its forms (exce})t for long distance), baseball, basketball, lawn tennis, jumping, putting the shot, f)ole vaulting, swinnning and soccer ootball for boys (not Rugby), folk dancing, approjjriate athletic games and various other exercises for girls, are P9.rrie4 op under the auspices of the ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS BASKETBALL TROPHY league. In doing this it seeks to en- courage those exercises which will reach the mass of the school children, rather than those which will be practiced by a few experts. In particular, the league is developing with success a system of competition between classes where eighty per cent of each class must participate, and the average of all constitutes the record. This is proving to be effective in inducing exercise by many who would not otherwise compete and who are the very ones who are most in need of it. Although new% the system is becoming popular. Its greatest advantage perhaps is that as the work of every boy counts, class pride exerts a pressure which com- pels many laggards to fit themselves for the competitions. In 1909 there were 736 classes, aggregating 18,910 boys that competed in these events. It is probable that none of the many activities which the league is carrying on is likely to have as important an in- fluence upon the country at large as the system of instruction in military rifle shooting, which it has installed in the high schools. Until the invention of the sub-target gun machine, this would have been impossible, as not only were there no places where the boys could be safely taught to shoot, but the ex- pense of ammunition would have been prohibitory. The machine has, however, removed these difficulties. It consists of a standard on the top of Avhich is a mechanism, to which js attached au NEW YORK'S PUBLIC SCHOOL ATHLETICS 165 ordinary Krag military rifle. This is so adjusted that when aim is taken with the rifle at a target across the room, and the trigger is })ulled, the machine will register upon a miniature target the exact relative place where the target would have been hit if the gun had been loaded. As there is no danger, practice is rapid and costs nothing. The sub- target device has also the great advantage that the instructor who stands alongside of the boy who is shooting, is able to follow on the miniature target the manner in which he is aiming, and to correct his defects in holding, an impossibility with a loaded gun. Through the generosity of its friends, the league has installed one of these guns in each of twelve high schools of the city. The young men attending these high schools are from fourteen to eighteen years of age, and the "pick" of the elementary schools, as the great majority attending the latter are forced to go to work as soon as they graduate, usually at the age of fourteen. During 1909 over a thousand boys were regularly practicing and on May 24, 1909, 434 were reported as qualifying as marksmen, by making offhand scores of forty-five points out of fifty, as com- pared with 273 in 1908. The boys that win their marksmanship badges are permitted to practice with cartridges in the rifle galleries of the different regiments, and with the experience which they have had with the machine, soon develop into remarkable shots. In the tournament which took place under the auspices of the National Rifle Association at the Sportsmen's Show in March, 1910, over 1,500 boys participated, more, in fact, than the eleven target ranges and the sub-target gun machines that were provided would permit. 25,000cartridges were fired. The shooting was at sixty feet, bull's eye, one inch counting five; center, 3j inches, counting four; inner, of inches, counting three. The marksmanship was fully equal to anything which has ever been seen in any of the National Guard com- petitions. If this system of the high schools in New York should be extended to the other high schools of the country, as it is likely, there should be at least 20,000 young men out of those who graduate every year who would be effective shots with a military rifle, a skill they will never lose. The league had only been established a short time when its attention was called to the necessity of extending its work so as to cover the needs of the girls of the schools. Bad as is the con- dition of boys in the congested districts, it is infinitely worse in respect to the girls. While a boy can get some little exercise in the street, a girl cannot; the influence of the streets is such that every mother that can keeps her child indoors. The result is that the little girls have no exercise at all or have what little they can obtain under circumstances which are most demoralizing. While many of the managers of the league were familiar with athletics, they soon appreciated that athletics for girls could only be properly handled by women. The Girls' Branch of the Public Schools Athletic League was there- fore organized, the officers and directors of which now include many of the most prominent ladies in New York who have organized a thorough system of physical instruction. Various games have been adopted which are deemed best for the physical development of girls, ]\Irs. Henry Siegel having offered fifty dollars as a prize for the stimulation of original work. In order to extend the organization among the schools the girls' branch has established a series of classes in athletic instruction, which teachers attend for pleasure as well as profit, those teachers who agree to instruct their classes having the benefit of these classes themselves, without charge. A large number have availed themselves of this privilege, and in this way the work has spread through- out most of the different schools attended by girls. The exercises which are generally practiced by the girls are folk dancing. These quaint, peasant dances, which are not only interesting as dances, but also involve a good deal of gymnastic work, develop strength and agility, as well as grace. They also enable a large number to take part at one time. Relay races of different kinds, in which the different classes compete against each 166 NEW BOSTON other as teams, are also a favorite feature. One of the greatest difficulties that has been experienced by the league has been to obtain space where the children could have an opportunity to practice, and where the games could be held. They have utilized the gymnasiums of such schools as have gymnasiums; the yards of the schools, their roofs, when they could be fitted up for that purpose, and in many cases, where the travel would permit, the streets. They have also hired various athletic fields on many occasions. Their main reliance for their indoor games is upon the armories of the National Guard regiments which have been most generously placed at their disposal by the regimental commanders. The success which has })een attained by the league called public attention so strongly to the necessities and value of the athletic development of the chil- dren, that the city has made an appro- priation of $500,000, with which four athletic fields have been purchased and fitted up. These fields are equipped in a first-class manner, with running tracks, jumping facilities; grandstands contain- ing lavatories, dressing rooms, and every- thing necessary for the accommodation of the children. The fields are used for the outdoor events and are constantly occupied. Last year each school was allowed an athletic day, when the whole school, except the children too young to exercise, went in a body to one of the fields and held its school exercises. A great deal of the success of the league must be ascribed to the fact that it is not an official body. The schools of New York are good. They have in them a first class corps of physical instructors, and the children are trained in the regula- tion calisthenic exercises. But calisthenic exercises are not play and are not com- petitive. The, ordinary child does not begin to take the interest in them that he does in the games of the league. That this is the case is demonstrated by the great improvement that has followed the work of the league. The point, however, is that it is practically impos- sible, with the red tape of the organiza- tion of an ordinary city, to do the things that are necessary to organize and carry out such work as the league is doing. Moreover the enthusiasm of men who are interested in work of this description results in efforts and an efficiency which seldom, if ever, can be obtained from salaried officials. When the eleven cities I have men- tioned have taken up this matter, surely Boston should not be left behind. If you will undertake it, it is certain that the movement will soon become as ex- tensive and valuable and prominent as it has in New York. That it will be en- thusiastically received by the boys, is self-evident. It will be also equally appreciated by parents who desire that their sons shall grow up to be manly, strong boys, and their daughters healthy and active. That in doing this, a benefit will be conferred not only upon the chil- dren but upon the municipality, the state and the country, is too clear for argument. What are you going to do about it, not in 1915, but now ? HIGH SCHOOL LNDOOli CliAMi'iONSHIP TROPHY Individual Responsibility for Clean Streets GUY C. EMERSON To the municipal official in charge of a department of street maintenance and cleaning, and the two problems are necessarily intimately connected, the street-cleaning question is a particularly discouraging one, as the need for such work should not be and is not, in a large measure, necessary. Of the three principal causes of street litter, the acts of irresponsible, thought- less, or malicious citizens, the defilement of animals and the natural wear of the materials of which the street is con- structed, the first is by far the principal cause and one that could be obviated, if proper measures were taken and proper responsibilities assumed. Under any circumstances perfection in street cleaning is not possible of attain- ment and can only be a comparative matter depending upon such conditions as the character of pavements, the avail- able appropriation and the efficiency of the working force ; but even given reason- able conditions in such matters, the acts of citizens themselves often prevent the best possible result. The problem, moreover, is one in which citizens have a direct financial interest, as the expenditure of appropri- ations for necessary work decreases, by such an amount, the sum that should be available for the removal of unavoid- able litter. In preventing avoidable litter and in attempting to enforce the various stat- utes, ordinances and regulations that are in existence in every city of im- portance, the official is handicapped be- cause of the impossibility of expressing in dollars and cents the damage done by dirty streets or the value of his work. The importance of human life or of human efficiency in general are not mat- ters capable of such definite expresNion; and beyond the statistics of govern- mental work in the cities of our troj)ical possessions, and the comparison of the statistics of local health boards, which usually are indefinite and sometimes misleading, the official in the great majority of cases has no convincing argument to offer in support of his con- tentions and arguments. As a result, the statutes and ordinances in the mat- ter, such as those relating to the littering of streets, the distribution of handbills, the disposal of rubbish, the character of garbage receptacles and similar en- actments are largely, if not entirely disregarded. Moreover, the enforcement of any violation of law must of necessity rest with a local police force that is usually independent of the street-cleaning force, and very little in sympathy with its ob- jects or appreciative of its importance. Infractions of sanitary regulations are usually placed in the category of minor misdemeanors which do not by law permit of immediate arrest or prosecu- tion upon circumstantial evidence, but which require actual witnesses to secure conviction, if indeed the judicial officer, before whom the offender is summoned, does not regard the case beneath his dignity in importance. Under such cir- cumstances the street-cleaning official may well be pardoned if he accepts conditions as they are found and at- tempts very little in the way of inno- vations or initiative, or in plans to enforce regulations. A protest often met by the street cleaner is that the litter caused by the public is largely in the nature of light rubbish such as paper, sticks, leaves, etc., which may be objectionable from an aesthetic standpoint, but cannot be so considered from a sanitary view. While at first thought such arguments may seem to have an element of reason and in some cases an element of truth, as a nuitter of fact under certain con- ditions such litter may become most objectionable and dangerous. Light 'Portion of an address delivered before the New England Conference on Street Cleaning held In Providence, R. I. 168 NEW BOSTON waste, from its very character, is readily blown about and carried long distances by the wind. When saturated with street filth in addition to auy defilement at its place of origin, it may become a most dangerous form of litter, not even excepting the street dust; and unlike the dust it is not in the same measure capable of confinement to the street surface. Nor is the aesthetic element to be en- tirely neglected. The pleasure and satis- faction resulting to residents and abutting property owners from clean yards and streets in the suburban districts and to the inhabitants of the business sec- tions, should be an immense incentive to voluntary effort in the preservation of municipal cleanliness. A source of pollution of the public streets which is of extreme importance in the city of Boston, and I presume in other cities also, a source over wdiich the street-cleaning force has no control and for which the citizens themselves are directly responsible, is the private streets and alleys. The nuisance from litter on thorough- fares is increased in these private ways from which every strong wind brings ad- ditional litter to the adjoining public street. The sanitary condition of the private streets is under the control of the local health board, but nevertheless many escape the attention that should be given them on account of the fact that oftentimes the residents are not the actual owners and because of the trouble and delay involved in legal proceedings. The persistent use by householders of improper receptacles for household waste, the nuisance of flying paper torn from billboards, the litter from overloaded teams, the sweeping of stores and offices directly into streets, the distribution of handbills, etc., are directly the result of lack of apprecia- tion of responsibilities by citizens; and yet they are easy of correction if proper measures are taken. I do not wish to be understood as con- tending that street cleaning is a matter entirely for the i)rivate citizen or that under present circumstances, (lecided im- provements are not ])ossible in the ma- jority of cases, but I desire to emphasize the conditions that might be reached if citizens in general were imbued with sufficient public spirit to fulfill their legitimate obligations in keeping their streets in a safe and sanitary shape. The burden of the work and responsi- bility, of course, rests with the street- cleaning official, but in their technical duties great assistance and support can be rendered by the public, although useful help is rarely obtained. The first requirement of the official for obtaining clean streets is to find a pavement of such a character that can be kept in a good condition with the least expenditure of time and money. In this effort he immediately encounters the opposition of the particular interests that require, for business reasons or individual preference, a particular form of pavement. The pavement that is to be kept perfectly clean must have a smooth surface like asphalt or wood block and the difficulties of cleaning increase in proportion to the roughness of the material vnitil the limit of difficulty is reached in the cobble stone; and while rough pavements are impossible to keep clean of injurious filth, the question of expense and the wishes of teaming or other commercial interests are frequently given precedence over the health and welfare of the public. An educational course, regarding the dangers of street filth, is greatly needed by such special interests and especially by our friends of the society with the long name, who have been largely in- strumental in preventing the laying of smooth pavements in our city of Boston and in other cities also. Their zeal for the comfort of our dumb friends was well illustrated recently at a recent hearing before our local Board of Street Commissioners by a prominent lawyer who with impatience parodied the w^ords of Chief Justice Taney, as follows: "Even men have some rights that horses are bound to respect." Here again we encounter a special in- terest engaged in humane and benev- olent work whose willingness to sacrifice the health of at least a portion of the community can only be attributed to lack of definite knowledge as to actual dangers. The adoption of modern methods of dust prevention by the use of oily com- ^ "U' .^ "C ■BtHtttfBaBMBiS "•*«»» li MiMiljilili iiiiiinr ^^ SOME OK BOSTON'S OILED STREETS i 170 NEW BOSTON pounds has made marked advances during tlie past three years and to my mind has contributed more to the preser- vation and maintaining of the public health than any recent innovation; here again lack of sanitary data has caused great opposition among those to whom the temporary inconvenience caused by the occasional application of the oil more than overbalanced the good results. In general it will be found of the aver- age citizen, that the only time that his interest is aroused in municipal af- fairs is when some action is taken that he thinks in some way conflicts with his immediate private interests. Many innovations in municipal work are aban- doned because of protests of individuals or unimportant groups, and because the general public has not sufficient public interest to inquire into their merits and oppose remonstrants. In my own experience the extensive application of oil to Boston streets dur- ing the year 1909 resulted in a deluge of protest and sometimes personal abuse through the daily press and by letter; although at present we have nearly 400 miles of oiled streets and up to the beginning of the present month prac- tically no complaints had been received. Here again is a case where the actual beneficial results cannot be measured in money, and in fact it seems that the appreciation of the lack of dust was principally on account of personal com- fort and cleaner clothing and house- hold fittings. I, however, am firmly of the opinion that a far greater benefit accrued to the general health of the community. In this contention I am supported by the fact that the per- centage of death rate for the year was the smallest in the history of Boston, and I find a general agreement among those in charge of our institutions, that the percentage of throat and eye diseases was materially decreased by the marked absence of street dust during the summer season. The comparative absence of flies was frequently commented upon by citizens, and the action of oil was without doubt a great benefit in ]>reventing the breed- ing of these pests in street refuse and in furnishing a film of oil over the top of the sewer inlets and catch basins, thereby preventing the breeding of mosquitoes. It is only fair to state, however, that our local Health Board does not agree entirely with my contentions and is inclined to attribute the improved con- ditions to increased efficiency on their part. The actual executive work of the average street-cleaning department, as I have already stated, is not extremely complex or difficult, and the force of nearly any city, under competent di- rection, is capable of efficient work. With sufficient appropriation, very little assistance in the actual working of the department can be rendered by outside parties, and attempted interference usu- ally results in disorganization, discon- tent and impairment of the quality of the work performed. Various forms of improved machinery together with the adoption of advanced methods are being put in operation whenever circumstances allow, and each year improvements in service are being accomplished. The gradual elimination of political interference with the working force and the protection of civil service rules has, in general, greatly increased the efficiency of the service, and at the present time the greatest need of im- provement and the greatest chance for accomplishment lies with the individual citizen. The actual executive system of any street-cleaning department will usually be found to be the result of evolution best suited to the peculiar needs of a particular city. A live superintendent is usually far in advance of the private citizen or association in the examination of new methods and apparatus suited to the needs of his city, and in order that citizens' organizations may be of actual benefit they should, in my opinion, de- vote their energies to the instruction of the citizen as to his own duties and to the awakening of his civic responsi- bility. Do not attempt to interfere with work or methods without the fullest investigation of conditions, make your criticisms temperate and constructive, and if you have no better method to offer, let things alone. Encourage the preparation and dif- fusion of statistics regarding the results of dirtv streets. MODERN METHODS OF STREET CLEANING 171 Show the housekeeper where the mat- ter is of direct personal importance, in a pecuniary way if possible, because that is the only way to reach the majority. Endeavor to convince the person with special selfish interests that his specialty should be subordinated to the needs of the entire community. Attempt by instruction in the family to instill the importance of the larger matter of municipal cleanliness in ad- dition to personal cleanliness. Devote attention to the investigation of improved methods and results in other cities. Secure assisting and supporting legis- lation to insure the enforcement of sani- tary regulations. Secure through the local city govern- ment such appropriations as may be necessary for the efficient completion of the work to be done. Here also there is usually a fertile field for education. Advance methods designed to secure efficient labor forces and secure a per- manent tenure of office for the competent official. Constitute yourselves at all times a body for friendly and reasonable in- spection and criticism. Modern Methods of Street Cleaning' GEORGE A. SOPER Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers The work of cleaning city streets is at once the oldest and least developed l^ranch of ])ublic health work. In the business of municipal sanitation, there is no undertaking concerning whose results there is such universal dissatis- faction, or concerning whose correct principles so little is generally known. Many persons consider scavenging to be a disreputable kind of undertaking, and there are some who instinctively shrink from even discussing it. It is not to be wondered at under these circum- stances that progress in the art of street cleaning should be slow. The New England Conference on Street Cleaning, by placing the subject prominently be- fore the public on the plane of dignified debate, promises to do much to remove the prejudices which have hitherto at- tached to it and facilitate a better under- standing of how New England cities can be kept clean. Turning our attention to the ad- ministrative side of the question, one of the first considerations should be the cost of the work. To properly clean streets and dispose of garbage costs something. Judged by the money ex- pended, scavenging work is expensive. Judged by the results, it is a good in- vestment when well conducted. These remarks would be superflous, were it not necessary to insist upon liberal appropriations for scavenging. By liberal, I do not mean extravagant. The same care should be used in devising and operating a system of street cleaning as is commonly employed in dealing with sewerage, in laying street pave- ments and in obtaining water supplies. Efficiency in operation is less in scaveng- ing than in most other sanitary under- takings, but with time it may be in- creased. A constant effort should be made to improve upon the methods em- ployed, to keep accurate accoimt of the ways in which the money is spent and to accomplish the results which the citizens expect. A system of scien- tific scavenging carried on according to this principle deserves adequate financial support and with proper man- agement, sufficient money can usually be obtained for it. In seeking appropriations, mistake is often made in asking help of politi- cians. Political influence is nowhere more pernicious than in the operations of a street-cleaning department. For ♦Address delivered before the first New England Conference of Street Cleaning, Providence, R. I. J 72 NEW BOSTON every favor conferred, a political boss requires a suitable return, the result being that many street-cleaning depart- ments are today overburdened with men who cannot get a living except by pension. Occupants of prisons and poor houses should not be put to work to clean streets. The work is demoralizing to them and, what is more im])ortant, they are demoralizing to the work. The man should be young, strong and capable not only of doing a fair day's work, but of taking a personal interest and pride in it. There is no reason why a sweeper should not take as much pride in the cleanness of the pavement assigned him as a good sailor takes in the order of his ship. There is nothing disgrace- ful about scavenging except the inef- ficient manner in which it is sometimes done. It is natural and proper that the scavenging authority should seek strong indorsement for his work. The most useful and reliable indorsement is the approval of the commercial interests expressed through the business men's associations which exist in most cities and towns. The scavenging authority who holds himself responsible to the conservative, yet progressive, business men of the place and seeks to produce results which will meet their approval will have a strong and wholesome ally in any effort which may be necessary to obtain sufficient appropriations for the work of collecting and disposing of the municipal wastes. Passing now to the technical side of street cleaning, we may consider very l)riefly a few of the central objects to be kept in mind. The chief business of a street-cleaning authority should be to keep clean places clean, not to clean dirty places. This maxim, originated by Colonel Waring, holds true for city streets and is a good policy to adopt in many other directions. Some dirty places will have to be cleaned, but neither the public scavengers nor the householders should permit refuse to litter streets or yards. The custom of allowing the back yards of houses to become veritable junk piles and ash heaps, while the fronts are maintained in a condition of immaculate order, is as unnecessary as it is unsanitary. To keep a city clean it Is essential that the scavenger should receive ade- quate co-operation from the public. No man nor body of men can maintain clean streets if the public does not wish them to be clean and is not willing to help keep them so. Some little trouble and expense may be conceived to attach to the duties which should be attended to by the public to help the scavengers, but this will be performed if the scavenger does his part. The householder can best co-operate by complying with the rules and regu- lations established by the scavenging authority for the placing of refuse in proper receptacles, and the location of these receptacles in suitable and con- venient places for removal. People must not throw papers and other refuse into the streets. The scavenger should keep faith with the public by collecting the refuse according to an announced schedule. The receptacles should be handled with due regard to their de- structibility and with proper respect to the convenience of the householder. Whenever possible, the same authority should collect the wastes which is re- quired to dispose of them. Proper dis- position can only be made of wastes which are of the composition for which provision has been made at the dis- posal place. The persons who do the collecting are alone able to see that the proper composition is maintained. Proper composition here refers to the three classes of ingredients into which household refuse is often divided. First, kitchen refuse; second, ashes, glass and metals, and third readily inflammable matters such as paper, wood and cloth. Sometimes the three are collected and disposed of in mixed condition, sometimes separately. Whatever system is adopted, it is important that that system should be adhered to by every householder. Choice of a system depends chiefly upon the method of final disposal best suited to the city or town. Books have been written on methods of disposing of wastes. Some methods are better than others, and none is best for all places. The one most suitable to a given situation must be judiciously selected in view of local circumstances and must be carefully adjusted to local Modern methods of street cleaning 173 needs. The number of collections per week should be determined early, and public notice should be fi;iven to house- holders to this effect. The regulations of the scavenging authority should be scrupulously adhered to by him if he expects equal compliance on the part of the householders. As to the apparatus to be employed for collection, many details need to be considered when devising a system of scavenging which do not recj[uire to be discussed here, such as the proper size, form and material for the collecting carts, brooms, shovels and other ap- paratus. The familiar rotary sweeper, known as the horse broom, is a standard apparatus, and is widely used in Europe and America, especially where there is much surface to be cleaned and the sur- face of the pavement is irregular. It should always be preceded by sprinkling carts and followed by men with hand brooms to sweep the throw of the rotary brooms into piles. These piles must be shoveled into carts and carried away as soon as possible, or the material which has been collected will soon become scattered again. The so-called patrol system, by which men with an equipment of shovel and broom, mounted on some form of hand cart, patrol the streets to collect small masses of coarse refuse before it is broken up and scattered about is another pro- cedure which may be termed standard. Street flushing with water, with and without the aid of foot laborers provided with brooms, or rubber squeegees, is a method of cleaning pavements which has claimed a large amount of attention in recent years. There is much to be said in favor of the cleanness possible with flushing, but good results without an extravagant waste of water, not to mention possible injury to pavements and sewers, are not so readily obtained as a casual observer might suppose. This kind of work calls for careful and in- telligent labor, especially where the pavements are not good and smooth. In America, as in Europe, inventors have devised machines to take the place of hand labor in cleaning streets and it would seem tliat there was a good field for the exercise of ingenuity in this direction. Machines successfully sweep and water and squeegee pavements, and there are flushing machines and dust- collecting machines which are receiving strong endorsement. We should seek to employ all truly economical apparatus whenever the amount of work is suf- ficiently great to warrant the cost of it, but the merits of mechanical appli- ances should not blind us to the limi- tations which all machines possess. No machine can wholly take the place of intelligent hand labor. So far as my observation goes, the efficiency of any mechanical street-cleaning apparatus depends largely upon the care and skill with which it is used. The subject of machinery suggests the use of motors, and here, too, there is a promising field for inventors. Several European cities use motors for propelling the carts necessary to remove household and street refuse, and street-washing machines have been propelled in this way. According to my best informa- tion, the economy of motors over horses lies chiefly in running them long hours, as day and night, for example. It is regrettable to say that a standard cart for street cleaning has not yet been agreed upon. Nothing more certainly shows the incompleteness with which the apparatus used in scavenging has been developed than this. Most carts are too high, too small and too heavy. The ideal cart is of metal, low-bodied, water-tight, covered, easy-running and light. The best European designs are far ahead of American practice in respect to carts. There are a number of ways to dispose of garbage and other household refuse after it is collected, all of which may be followed in a sanitary and satisfactory manner with proper attention to details. Dumping of mixed refuse upon low- lying land is usually considered an un- sanitary proceeding, but if the dumps are well chosen, the material leveled as rapidly as it is dumped and promptly covered with soil, there is little sanitary objection to it. To minimize the chance that foul odors will be produced, the amount of kitchen refuse should be small. The kitchen refuse may be dug into the ground. In this case it is de- sirable for reasons of economy that the putrescible elements should be put in 1'5'4 NEW BOSTON a separate receptacle at the household and collected inde])en(lently from the rest. The }nitrescil)le material may then be dumped upon a field and ])l()\ved under. This method takes a large amount of land, but is sanitary and not unduly expensive where suitable ground can be obtained. Kitchen waste, variously termed swill or garbage can be utilized by feeding it to hogs. This method is very com- monly eni])loyed by jirofessional scav- engers. It can be carried on in a sanitary manner and, although ol)jections may be raised against it, these can be largely overcome. Kitchen refuse can be turned into com- post. Composting is conunonly prac- ticed in European cities. Every farmer composts stable refuse when he makes manure. It is essentially a rotting pro- cess. The garbage to be composted is piled in heaps aliout three feet high, from six to ten feet wide and about thirty feet long. It is thoroughly wetted and allowed time to rot. Eventually the piles are opened up and the material employed as fertilizer. Garbage com- posts should be located as far as prac- ticable from houses and highroads. Household refuse can be burned in garbage destructors, sometimes called incinerators. Several types of apparatus of this kind are on the market. In- cineration is especially suitable for small towns and villages. When not too wet from rain, household refuse possesses calorific power enough to consume itself in properly constructed furnaces. In some cases the power can be utilized through the use of steam boilers and the generation of electric current. A procedure peculiarly American and suitable chiefly for large cities is that process of cooking and pressing called reduction. The garbage, kept separate from other ingredients of household waste, is put into large cylinders with water and heated, after which the grease is extracted. The grease is utilized, and the residue, called tankage, is employed as a basis for fertilizer. In none of the foregoing methods of finally disposing of household refuse is there any prospect of profit. Methods of disposal which promise a return are generally misleading and foredoomed. The object to be kept constantly in mind in this connection is to have the material disposed of promptly, thor- oughly, finally and with as little offense as possible. The question of economy or return from the utilization of municipal wastes should be a secondary considera- tion. At the present stage of sanitary science, it is generally imjiracticable to secure a substantial return from the disposal of municipal wastes. Question often arises as to whether refuse can best be collected and disposed of by contract or by municipal effort. There are many advantages in each plan and each has certain disadvantages. Where the municipal work can be con- ducted on a plane of economy and ef- ficiency, it is likely to be done in a more satisfactory manner, especially if the city is large and marked improvement over previously existing conditions is desired. On the other hand, when the work is in the hands of contractors, the city knows just what the undertaking will cost and can lay down the condi- tions which the contractor must follow. WASHINGTON'S CELEBRATION Washington claims the credit of l)eing the first nnniicii)ality to at once enforce the absolute prohibition of the private sale and use of fireworks and provide an adequate public substitute in the celebration of the Fourth of July. Other cities cared for the restriction of the private sale and use of fireworks, and a larger number provided municipal cele- brations, but the combination of pro- hibition and program, making the real "safe and sane" Fourth of July, was first carried out, Washington claims, at the national capital in 1909. WASHINGTON'S CELEBRATION 175 Henry B. F. Macfarland, tlien and for ten years, from 1900 to 11)10, president of the Commissioners of the District of Cohimbia, its executive government, took the leadership in the matter. He began by obtaining from the com- missioners before the Fourth of July, 1908, provision for the restriction of private fireworks to the safer kinds and also for "zones of quiet" around the hospitals; and from the civic organiza- tions, a public celebration which at once marked the opening of the new District Government Building and the anni- versary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The disasters were reduced, but at the close of that day's celebration there were one hundred and four victims of Fourth of July accidents in the hospitals of the city, besides those who were treated in their homes, and the many nervous and sick people who were injured by the noise of the preced- ing night and of the day. Besides these cases there was the usual number of fires and consequent loss of property and the regular number of Fourth of July arrests. Mr. Macfarland therefore proposed to his associate commissioners that the "safe and sane" idea should be applied fully to the celebration of the next Independence Day, and his formal motion to that effect was adopted by the commission in November, 1908, in order to give notice to the fireworks manu- facturers and dealers whose opposition was expected. Not only did that opposition come, but there was much criticism and opposition from those who did not understand the new idea and who wanted to perpetuate the "good old-fashioned" method of celebrating the Fourth of July, regard- less of the accidents that might follow. But the commissioners stood by their order. Mr. Macfarland stated that it was necessary to provide an adequate substitute celebration of a public char- acter for the former private celebra- tion of the day, and asked the Board of Trade and the Chamber of Commerce to appoint committees to organize such a celebration vmder the auspices of the commissioners. A joint committee was formed with ISIr. Macfarland as chair- man. This committee appealed to the public for contributions, asking for small amounts, especially for the equivalent of what would otherwise have been spent in private celebrations, and named $2,500 as the amount required for the simple program proposed. In all, twenty-eight hundred dollars was sub- scribed for this general fund and half as much more was expended l)y suburban committees in different sections of the District of Columbia outside of Washing- ton. The commissioners and the Central committee encouraged in every way possible these suburban celebrations by way of distributing the interest. The Fourth of July, 1909, fortunately was a very perfect day in point of weather, cool, clear, breezy and dry. The citizens absolutely obeyed the law as to the sale and use of fireworks. There was no noise of fireworks the night before and none during the day, excepting from the public displays. There were no arrests due to the celebration, excepting that of an Italian who could not understand English and fired off a pistol in ignorance. There were no Fourth of July fires, ex- cepting one in the suburbs where a fire balloon used in the celebration fell on a shingled roof and caused a little damage. There was not one case in any of the hospitals or reported by any of the physicians as due to any Fourth of July accident. The newspapers agreed that the day had never before been so generally observed and thoroughly enjoyed, and remarked upon the fact that it was a family day. The commissioners at once announced that the success of the celebration which had practically silenced criticism, con- firmed them in their determination and that there would be no return to the old- fashioned barbarous method. This year the weather on the Fourth of July was not so favorable, being much warmer and a thunder storm in mid-after- noon interfering with the athletic sports which had been added to the program; while at night race friction due to the news from Reno, Nevada, produced fights compelling arrests chargeable, however, to the desecration of the nation's birthday by the prize fight. But otherwise the celebration was as successful as that of the year before. 176 NEW BOSTON The day opened at nine o'clock with the ceremonies of unveiHng the tablet on the house of Commodore Decatur, in Lafayette Square, followed by a fine concert and display of fireworks at 7th and Pennsylvania avenue. Then came the pul)lic meeting in front of the district government building, when Hannis Taylor of Alabama, minister to Spain under Cleveland, and author of the History of the English Constitu- tion, speaking as a southern man, paid a remarkable tribute to Abraham Lincoln as the last of the five master builders of the nation; the "liberator of the slave- holders as well as the slave," who gave new life to the South and the North. Band concerts and athletic sports were the program for the afternoon until five-thirty, when another tablet was unveiled on the old Capitol building, occupied by Congress after the British burned the Capitol in 1814 until that structure was rebuilt. The unveiling of these bronze tablets aroused much interest because they are the first of a series which Congress has authorized, that will ultimately mark all the im- portant historic sites in Washington. At night the display of fireworks was made in the park south of the White House, and afterwards Pennsylvania avenue and the district government building were illuminated. The general display of flags was made as on former independence days, and the suburban celebrations were equal to those of last year. Outside of the results of the Reno prize fight there were no unusual arrests and there were no casualties from fire- works. The success of the second cele- bration placed the new custom beyond the possibility of change. To Set You Thinking Charles H.Perry ADVERTISING SYSTEM 4a Irvington Street h""*'-**"" C3 Avenue Telephone 1504 Back Bay Boston, Mass. Two years ago, the first large-scale dairy cattle publicity campaign in ad- vertising history was launched. Its purpose was, first, to get cattle-breeders and dairymen to recognize the all-around superiority of a certain breed of cattle and to stock up accordingly, and, second- ly, to stimulate a public desire for the products of this breed. This unique publicity campaign was remarkably suc- cessful from the start. Again, in "Printers' Ink" for April 27th can be found three articles most pertinent to this discussion. Article One describes a plan for booming Dallas, Texas. Ten thousand dollars spent there, the article states, brought in one year over 300,000 inquiries, directly attracted several good-sized manufacturing plants into Dallas, and resulted in the sale of over $2,000,000 worth of farm lands within twenty-five miles of Dallas. Article Two shows how the right kind of advertising secured many settlers for large areas of unoccupied lands in Minnesota, while the last article out- lines the advertising scheme of the Cunard Line for inducing Americans to make London their port of entry rather than the port of departure. The above examples of novel, latter- day advertising point to facts. Wide- awake, progressive men, who have ab- solute faith in the tremendous drawing power of publicity, can perform and are performing daily advertising miracles. Such men will undertake a difficult, intangible, even dreamer's proposition like the booming of Dallas, or better still the booming of a country, like Canada, and make a decided go of it. Then, how about you men, who are producing practical, every-day articles like shoes, or calico, or soap or clothespins? Why should you hesitate to advertise? There is no doubt of a market wide open to quality goods, provided they are properly labelled and trade-marked, and pro- videtl the name of the manufacturer and his products are kept in the public eye. Think it over. A. W. Ellis Agency, 10 High Street, Boston, Mass. Ll/^IV Y /^IVXV UVyO A Vyi>J r-\.LL,L\.Ky L\11L'ht and Return by way of Soldiers Field. $50,000 in Cash Prizes. Valuable trophies for amateurs. All contests open to all (pudified and licensed aviators and balloon pilots in the world. Admission $1.00; Grand Stand Seats 50c.; Automobile Stand $5.00 per day. HEADQUARTERS, 3d Floor, 164 Washington St. In answeriiii; advorliseniciUs please iiientidii XJ'.\\' 1'.<*SI'().\ NEW BOSTON A Chronicle of Progress in Developing a Greater and Finer City — Under the Auspices of the Boston-1915 Movement VOL. I SEPTEMBER, 1910 No. 5 CONTENTS NOTE AND COMMENT 177 THE MILK SITUATION 177 PREVENTING BLINDNESS AMONG BABIES 178 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TRACK MEETS 178 BIRD-MEN AT PLAY 179 NEW BOSTON FOR OCTOBER 179 ROBERT TREAT PAINE William P. Fowler 180 THE INTERNATIONAL PRISON CONGRESS O. F. Lewis 181 THE CIVIC ADVANCE CAMPAIGN 183 THE BOSTON-1915 BOYS' GAMES 185 THE HARVARD-BOSTON AVIATION MEET 190 SAVING EYESIGHT Henry C. Greene 193 CONGESTION AND MORTALITY RATES L. M. Bristol 201 MILWAUKEE'S AUDITORIUM BUILDING Joseph Grieb 210 THIRTY-SEVEN YEARS' PROGRESS IN SOCIAL REFORM Alexander Johnson 216 SUGGESTIONS REGARDING BOSTON'S HEALTH NEEDS 218 PLANNING UNDEVELOPED CITY AREAS Nelson P. Lewis 220 A TITLE AND AN OPPORTUNITY 221 Published Monthly by Boston-1915, Inc. 6 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass., U. S. A. Subscription rates: $1.00 per annum; club rate for twenty or more subscriptions from any organ- ization devoted to civic or social improvement, sent in one list, fifty cents per copy per annum. Single copies, 10 cents each. Entered as second-class mailer al the Boslon Posl Office JAMES P. MUNROE, Editor-in-Chief JOHN L. SEWALL, Associate Editor LEWIS E. PALMER, Managing Editor RAYMOND P. EMMONS. Circulation and Advertising Manager {Copyright, 1910, by Boslon— 1915, Inc.) NEW BOSTON 40iy HOTEL PURITAN 390 Commonwealth Avenue 100 Yards West of Massachusetts Avenue Car Lines A DISTINCTIVE BOSTON HOUSE Opened last November with every modern resource for Transient and Permanent Guests D. P. COSTELLO, Manager Write for " The Slory of New England and the Puritans" TO THE PUBLIC: The Bijou aims to provide a varied, artistic and wholesome entertainment designed to appeal to people of intelligence, presented amid well-ordered sur- roundings and offered to the puhlic for a small admission. That the Bijou is a pioneer in demonstrating the artistic possibilities of the picture theatre is the opinion of many discriminating critics. All who disapprove of The Moving Picture Theatre and do not believe in its existence, are invited to visit the Bijou, at 545 Washington Street. Although we show motion pictures, we do not run a " Moving Picture Show." PROGRAMME Motion Pictures at their Best The subjects carefully selected, and includ- ing the work of the leading American and lOuropcan producers. Camera Chats l{y a trained reader, on interesting i)hases of life at home and abroad. Stereopticon Views Events of local and world-wide interest pic- tured in specially made slides. One-Act Plays Revivals and New Plays — the best example of the short drama, carefully produced. Music Vocal and Instrumental Solos; high-grade but not too classical; pleasing but not too commonplace. A special effort is made to have music ac- companying the pictures well rendered and inter- pretive. 545 Washington Street IJoston, Mass. B. F. KEITH'S JOSEPHINE CLEMENT BIJOU THEATRE ^'"™«" In answering advertisements please mention Nn.V BOSTON New Boston Vol. I SEPTEMBER, 1910 No. 5 NOTE AND COMMENT Back to Work Along with every one else in Boston, most of the 1915 committees and con- ferences have been vacationing. The summer's activities have centered first on the Saner Fourth and then on the Boys' Games. The two committees having this work in charge are the only ones that were active during the hot months. With the passing of Labor Day, however, the plans for the fall will be taken up in earnest. On September 12 there will be a meeting of the Executive Committee of Boston-1915, and on the 19th the direc- tors will meet. The Milk Situation The recent hearings before the Inter- state Commerce Commission with the at- tendant publicity in the daily press, prove that the problem of the city's milk supply is still far from settled and, moreover, serve to emphasize the futility of expecting legislation to solve an eco- nomic question. The Saunders Bill, which became an act in the last session of the Legislature, provides for a flat transportation charge and places the shipper of one can of milk on the same footing as the contractor who is receiving a carload. Buttressed by the shippers' right of appeal to the Railroad Commission in cases of apparent discrimi- nation, this bill was expected to solve the situation for both the independent pro- ducers and those selling to the contractor, but in practice it has not been so fortu- nate. For it has all resulted in a freight tariff that producers and contractors alike claim has increased the cost of shipment two cents a can. The fact that the trans- portation companies promise a lower rate as soon as the traffic will bear it, furnishes no immediate tangible relief. The retail- ers are a unit in refusing to bear this extra burden and apparently the load has again been thrown on the shoulders of the producers. Naturally the public sympathizes with the producer. From the well groomed horses of the delivery wagons to the pri- vate offices of the transportation com- panies there is no evidence of a serious lack of ready money. When a prosperous State Street farmer thoughtfully rubs his chin and admits that his farm superin- tendent is selling milk for four cents a quart that costs him eight cents to pro- duce, the margin of profit for the real producers can he ap})reciated. Board of Health regulations and standards have practically eliminated the heavy milking breeds from the situation. Barn feeding has become almost a necessity to meet the tests imposed. There can be no question of the neces- sity of safeguarding the city's milk sup- ply. Yet the regidations and the rising price of grain have, accordiHg to testimony before the Cost of Living Commission, advanced the cost to the producer almost 46 per cent in the last ten years. During the same period the price has advanced 31 per cent. There is considerable effi- ciency both in production and distribu- tion and the margin of profit is not greater than in most common commodities. All this points to but one answer. Legislation like the Saunders Bill serves a pur])ose, but ultimately the consumer nnist pay tlie price of an improved ])roduct the economy of which is found in the safeguarding of the health of the coninnmity. 178 NEW BOSTON Preventing Blindness Among Babies In these days of "prevention rather than cure" no social work has more appealing interest than the campaign against infantile blindness. As an index of the almost criminal lack of simple pre- caution, take the results of an investiga- tion nuide by the Research Department of the Boston School for Social Workers, referred to by Mr. Greene in an article on another page of this magazine. After interviewing ninety-five physicians in five cities of ^Massachusetts it was found that in their combined practice involving 5,9-19 births, seventeen per cent were protected from blindness by the regular use of proper prophylactic. Forty-one per cent of the babies were in charge of doctors who used preventive measures according to their own judgment and forty-two per cent were entirely unprotected from pos- sible blindness. The reporting law was also found to be poorly carried out, for 108 cases of ophthalmia neonatorum were discovered by the investigators where only thirty-three cases were reported to local boards of health. This situation is pretty sure to be remedied since the act of the 1910 legislature went into eflFect last month providing that the State Board of Health shall furnish prophylactic free of cost to every registered physician in Massachusetts; but the work of educat- ing doctors and nurses to a proper regard for saving the eyesight of the new born can be carried on by every reader of this magazine. The remedy is absolutely sim- ple and the treatment is sure. The New York State Charities Aid Association has adopted this motto in its tuberculosis campaign, "No uncared for cases of tuber- culosis in 1915." A good slogan for Mas- sachusetts would be, "No babies need- lessly blind for life in 1915." The Significance of the Track Meets Boston has the distinction of being the only city in the country where or- ganized track athletics for boys are maintained during the sununer months. This year there were over l/iOO individual entries in the fifteen track and swinnning meets. As we go to jiress over five hun- dred boys are working to win prizes for themselves and honor for their play- grounds in the final Wood Island meet. According to reports from athletic in- structors -40,000 spectators witnessed the preliminary games and 10,000 more are expected for the finals. Stop for a minute to think of the worth of these games that have drawn over a thousand boys of Boston into wholesome well-directed sport. At a meeting in the interest of the boy scout movement held last month Bishop i\Ial- lalieu warned American boyhood against the danger of becoming too interested in sport as mere spectators. He depre- cated the fact (a bold statement in Boston) that 30,000 baseball enthusi- asts spent an afternoon of that week on the bleachers when they might have been "swinging across the hills in a country walk." There is danger in always being a looker-on and that danger has been at least partially met by this summer's games in which have entered l,'-200 boys and girls, young and old — seniors, jun- iors and intermediates, well known and and those without athletic name. Per- haps that spirit of "getting into the game" is one of the most important de- velopments of the 1915 meet. The expenses for medals, cups and inci- dentals will reach to about $700.00. Some $500.00 have been subscribed to meet this amount. Mitchell Freiman, 10'-2'-2 Tremont Building, Boston, is Treas- urer of the Boys' Games Committee. Here is an opportunity to make an in- vestment in sound boyhood and girl- hood. Auditoriums as Civic Investments Three western cities — Milwaukee, St. Paul and Denver — have proved in truly western fashion that big auditorium build- ings pay, not only in dollars and cents but also as good civic investments. Mil- waukee secured its building through pri- vate subscription and city appropriation. St. Paul decided that an auditorium was needed and nine months after the initial meeting of those interested in the project, the necessary funds were raised by popu- lar subscription and the building was dedicated. Four hundred thousand dol- lars in auditorium bonds were voted at a special election held in Denver and a building with a seating capacity of 1^2,500 was erected. Auditoriums of the charac- NOTE AND COMMENT 179 ter of those in Milwaukee, St. Paul or Denver so readily lend themselves to every requirement that dairy shows, grand operas, skat tournaments, flower shows, religious meetings and society balls can be comfortably housed. A manager of one of the largest buildings says that "it is such a prime necessity to our com- munity that I do not see how we man- aged to get along without it. It attracts new business to the city and assists mater- ially in developing our own resources and industries." Plans for an exhibit to be held in Boston this fall had to be abandoned because no suitable building could be secured. These other cities have found little difficulty in arousing interest and building commo- dious auditoriums that are regarded as paying investments from every stand- point. Why not Boston? Bird-Men at Play The Harvard-Boston Aero Meet will give residents of Boston and vicinity their first opportunity to see what man has accomplished toward conquering the air. It will be a long time before aero- planes become "common," and for a good many years there will be consider- able craning of necks when man-birds fly across the sky as they will at the Atlantic meet. A picture like that on our cover design is still more or less idealistic, but the wonderful progress made in the science of aviation gives daily reminders of what is ahead in air navigation. Last month at Atlantic City Brookins flew to an altitude of some 6,000 feet and soared to earth like an eagle. A few weeks later a Frenchman reached a height of 5,400 feet at Black Pool, England. On August 12, J. Armstrong Drexel rose to an altitude of a mile and a quarter. And yet it was only a couple of years ago that the world applauded Wilbur Wright when he guided his aeroplane in a record-breaking ascent of 1,500 feet. The Harvard-Boston Meet will mark one more step forward, and this city has a rare chance to see "air history" made at Atlantic. New Boston for October On another page of this number of New Boston appear some tentative suggestions on The Health Needs of the City prepared by the Health Con- ference of Boston-1915. In the October issue there will be published the first of a series of articles amplifying some of the suggestions made in the syllabus. The first article w411 be entitled Prompt Birth Returns, the Prime Need and Foundation for Public Health Work. The importance of the subject may be seen from Mr. Bristol's article on the Relation Between Mortality and Con- gestion in this number. Mrs. William Lowell Putnam of the Massachusetts Milk Consumers Association will con- tribute an illustrated article on the dangers of unclean milk and the necessity for proper inspection in Massachusetts, that will go beyond the local inspector and prevent the bringing of dirty milk into the state for sale and the produc- tion of such milk for sale within the state. Accompanying Mrs. Putnam's article we hope to have one or two ac- counts of how effective inspection is carried on in other localities. Developments in children's work both in Massachusetts and other states will be outlined by C. C. Carstens, secretary of the Massachusetts Society for the'Pre- vention of Cruelty to Children. The Civic Advance Campaign and the pageant "The Making of a Perfect City" to be conducted in November by Boston-1915 will be described in detail. There w^ill be an article on the Peterborough Pageant held last month as a memorial to the late Edward A. Macdowell, which will give an idea of the possibilities that lie in the pageant idea. Other articles promised are on the St. Paul Auditorium and the outdoor play given last month by members of the Hawthorne Club at Nahant. The growing popularity of out- door plays is shown in the communica- tions we have received regarding the pro- duction of Beethoven's Prometheus at the Charlesbank Playground. There was an article|in last month's NEW BOSTON describing that production. 180 NEW BOSTON ROBERT TREAT PAINE WILLIAM P. FOWXER Robert Treat Paine, i>hilanthropi.st and peace advocate, died on August 11, at his home in Waltham. He was born in Boston in 1835 and was graduated from Harvard in 1855 in the class with Philhps Brooks and Alexander Agassiz. In 185!) he was admitted to the bar. After practicing for eleven years he retired and devoted himself entirely to philanthropic work. His connections with various forms of worthy charit- able endeavor in Boston were too numerous to dis- cuss here in detail. He was the founder of the Robert Treat Paine Association and was the chief factor in the organ- ization of the Wells Memorial Institute. He built and en- dowed the Peoples Institute in Rox- bury and was prom- inently connected with the W o r k - mens' Co-operative Bank, the Working- men's Building So- ciety, the Working- men's Loan Associ- ation, the Better Dwellings Society, the Boston Child- ren's Aid Society and the Indus- trial Aid Society. He served as presi- dent of the National Conference of Charities and Correction in 1895 and in 1904 he was elected president of the Massachusetts State Conference of Charities and Correction. For many years Mr. Paine was presi- dent of the American Peace Society, and in 1893 he presided over the World's Fair Peace Congress in Chicago. In 1904 at the meeting of the Thirteenth International Peace Congress in Boston he was again j)residing officer. It seems impossible to name the Asso- ROBERT TREAT PAINE "Tlie ideal citizen of a free state" ciated Charities of Boston without think- ing of Mr. Paine as its presiding genius inspiration and personal conductor dur- ing nearly thirty years. He may well be called its founder, for to him more than to any one man was its establishment due. He was most active in all the meet- ings preliminary to its organization, helped frame its constitution and by- laws and enlisted many of his friends as original members. It is a wonderful story, how he was chosen to preside at the very birth of the society in those distant days of 1879, and how under his fostering care and largely by rea- son of his untiring efforts the infant society has grown through a s o m e - w hat precocious childhood to a vig- orous manhood. During all these years from 1879 to 1907 there has been one strong hand at the helm, one voice directing every movement of the society, one mind always considering and solving its pro- blems. To him, as to no other, has the society always looked for advice and guidance, and to no one person of the many who have so nobly worked that the society might pros- per is its present measure of success due, as to Mr. Paine. An outsider can have but little idea of the enormous amount of time and painstaking work he devoted to this particular field of his charitable activity. Those who have been associated with him can testify to the self-sacrifice and earnest, helpful labor on his part that almost surpasses belief. The by-laws of the society make the president an nA ijn^] direction of com- meets, four swim- \ * ^J<^/'', \ rp V^ ;^,{ >^ ^^'frr^rl Patent athletic in- ming meets and the V^f X^ ^ V^'^ ' J? i'f!^ structors. It means final meet at Wood \ V^^ If^ V^^^i^*' *"" '^^^^f^^^'^^L-/ *^^^^ many times Island, which is V^^iCT: •Np* ^"•'■'^^ /^'^^"c/ ^^^ ^^^^^ actually being run off as we \ ^i^^' V c> y M^^-Tl^X competed in the teii go to press. The "^<* ^- ^^v^j< ^| ^p 1^^^^ preliminary meets, total individual \^ ^P ^^ /^ ^^^ only first, entry list at the ^"^--^^^ZiL- -^ second, third and 1910 games will fourth qualified for exceed 1,200, and PRELIMINARY MEETS MEDAL the final games. It the complete list in means that not all events will go over 3,500. These only the better known high school figures tell the best story of the success athletes have entered, but also that of the meets. Old time athletes, boys without athletic reputation have anxious to see local track men win as competed. It means, as one of in other days, have welcomed the 1915 the sporting editors of the Boston games as feeders for young fellows who papers said, that "the manliness and will some day become prominent in the sportsmanship of the young athletes big games both in this and other cities, who are competing in the 1915 junior But the fact that 500 boys will enter in the games has been a topic of comment 186 NEW BOSTON START OF THE HUNDRED AT WOOD ISLAND among some of the followers of outdoor sports. " 'Some of their characteristics might well be adopted by some of their older brethren,' remarked a gentleman the other day. 'I have attended a number of these meets this year and have failed yet to see a boy raise a howl over the referee's decision, no matter how raw it appeared. They have taken their portion like lambs and tried the next time to do better in their events, so as to keep out of close decisions.' " ALL EXPERT SWIMMERS THAIMNG FOR THE PHELIMIXARIES "THE C.ALLERY" AT DENVER HI:A( II THE FIFTY-YARD DASH FOR JUNIORS GOOD FORM IN THE HIGH JUMP THE BOSTON -1915 BOYS' GAMES 180 It means that half a thousand boys have kept in trim for two hot summer months and have learned the principles of fair play and the penalties for fouling. Perhaps the swimming meets attracted the greatest amount of attention. The directors of these meets say that never before have such numbers of boys and girls, young and old, turned out for recreation and instruction. Of course the hot weather always brings out the bathers, but the incentive given by medals for those who excel, goes a long ways towards stimulating additional in- terest. There were 545 entries at the swimming meets at Dewey Beach, North End Park, L Street and Wood Island, and 15,000 spectators watched the sport from the beaches. It is estimated that there was a total attendance of 25,000 at the ten preliminary track meets which were held as follows under expert di- rection : Charlesbank, July 23, John D. O'Reilly; Roslindale Playground, July 23, M, J. Redding; First Street Playground, July 30, F. J. O'Brien; Marcella Street Play- ground, July 30, F. L. O'Brien; N. Brighton Playground, July 30, W. C. Matthews; Wood Island, August C, J. J. O'Donnell; Charlestown Playground, August 6, J. H. Crowley; Franklin Field, August 6, F. L. O'Brien; North End Park, August 13, M. J. Redding; Colum- bus Avenue, August 13, W. C. Matthews. Swimming meets : Dewey Beach, July 30, Henry Higgins in charge; North End Park, July 30, J. McNamara; L Street, August 13, John Driscoll; Wood Island, August 13, Matthew Leary. The Boston-1915 Boys' Games Com- mittee furnished the initiative for these meets, but most credit is due to Nathanial J. Young, assistant director of gymnastics and athletics of the city of Boston. His experience in track athletics and his executive ability proved invaluable from the beginning. The instructors also de- serve a big share of credit for the efficient way in which they handled the games. For two summers the track meets have proved successful. In other years per- haps this idea of interesting boys and girls in outdoor games during the hot months may be developed to include an organized baseball league which would probably draw even more attention than have the track meets of 1909 and 1910. THE JUNIOR BROAD JUMP THE HARVARD-BOSTON AVIATION MEET No event in Boston for many years has attracted the \vi(k\spread interest and so thoron^hly aronsed anticipations as the Harvard-lioston Aero Meet to be hekl from September 8 to 13. The very fact that it is held under the aus- pices of the Harvard Aeronautical Society with tlie hearty endorsement of Presi- dential Lowell of Harvard College, and of Mayor Fitzgerald in ])ehalf of the city lends it an importance not attached to any previous aviation meets held in this country. It has rapidly assumed the aspect of an international affair by reason of the large amount offered in cash prizes, these aggregating over $50,000 with one single prize of $10,000— that offered by the Boston GJohe — for the best time in the continuous flight from the aviation field to Soldiers Field, Cambridge, then down to Boston Light and back to the aviation field. Such generous list of prizes has, of course, attracted the star aviators from all parts of the world. It was first intended to have the meet on Soldiers Field but the entries were so numerous and the event bid fair to draw such big crowds, that it was very soon found imperative to transfer the scene of the meet to more spacious grounds. Arrangements were accordingly made for a large level field, ideal for aviation ex- hibitions, at Atlantic, bordering on Dorchester Bay and situated between Neponset Bridge and Squantum. Some- thing like 500 acres are at the disposal of the meet, giving better opportunities for air craft evolution in the immediate vicinity of the spectators than any aviation field that has hitherto been used in this country. The ai)proaches to the field by trolley, steam train and auto- mobile are all that could be desired. The New York, New Haven and Hartford trains from the South Station will make special trips to Atlantic and the spec- tators will have a walk of only about five minutes to the field. The Boston Elevated cars run to Neponset Bridge where passengers may either walk to the field or transfer to cars of the Old Colony Street Railway, which will carry them right to the entrance of the grounds. Automobilists will find splendid approach along the Quincy Shore boulevard to the edge of the field. An attendance of at least half a million is anticipated during the nine days of the meet. Contract for 460,000 tickets has been signed by Adams D. Claflin, the manager, and arrangements have been made for the construction of a grand stand that will seat 20,000 spec- tators, and two rain proof sheds for flying machines, each 600 feet long. The management has already com- mitted to an expenditure of $80,000, $50,000 of which is for prizes and $30,000 for general expenses. All the officers of the meet are giving their services free with the understanding that what is made from the event shall go to Harvard Aeronautical Society for university use to promote the science of aviation. In case the profits are sufficient to endow a professorship it is likely that Harvard will follow the example of the University of Gottingen in Germany and establish a chair of aeronautics. It is purely a Harvard enterprise. iVdams D. Claflin, who projected Noruni- bega Park and developed the street railway system of the Newtons, is a Harvard graduate. Among the alumni associated with him are Colonel William A. Gaston, president of the National Shawmut Bank; General William A. Bancroft, president of the Boston Ele- vated Road; Robert Winsor, head of THE HARVARD-BOSTON AVIATION MEET 191 Kidder, Peabody and Co.; ex-Governor Curtis Guild, Jr.; Lieutenant-Governor Louis A. Frothingham; President A. Lawrence Lowell of Harvard University, Professor A. Lawrence Rotch of the Harvard Aeronautical Society, President J. L. Richards of the Boston Consoli- dated Gas (Company, and John E. Thayer of Lancaster. Others aiding the project are Mayor John F. Fitzgerald, President Louis R. Speare of the Ameri- can Automobile Association, President B. J. Rothwell of the Boston Chamber of Commerce and Charles J. Glidden, president of the Aero Club of New Eng- land. The Los Angeles meet attracted an average attendance of 40,000 daily, and on one day the meet at Atlantic City had an attendance of 70,000. On Labor Day, when the Harvard Meet will start its races, it is expected the attendance will reach 150,000. At present the list of prizes to be com- peted for by professionals is : First Second Third Speed $,'5,000 $2,000 $1,000 Altitude 3,000 2,000 1,000 Duration 2,000 1,000 Distance 2,000 1,000 Slowest lap 1,000 500 Getaway 100 50 Accuracy 500 250 Fastest time between Harvard Aviation Field, Soldiers Field and Boston Light and return, $10,000. P'or best record dropping bombs on battleships, $5,000 and the Harvard cup. In case of world's records broken in any one of these events, $1,000 will be added to the first prizes as above. Additional prizes will be announced later for novice competitors. One of Boston's own aviators is ex- pected to figure very conspicuously in the Meet. This is Charles F. Willard of Melrose who is only twenty-six years old but has made some spectacular flights and some very creditable records at other important meets in this country. Practically all of the aviators in the United States — the men who can and have flown — will be present at the Harvard-Boston meet, and among the foreigners who are expected are Grahame- White and Count de Lesseps. Every effort is being made to secure Bleriot and there is good reason to hope that he will be here. Didier Masson, the French aviator, has entered. He will use a Bleriot monoplane as he did at Los Angeles, where he flew with Paul- han. He is one of the best of the French aviators, ranking with Bleriot, Paulhan and De Lesseps. A. V. Roe, the eminent English aviator, has entered. He will use a triplane, probably the only aeroplane of this type that will be seen at the meet. In fact, Roe is the only man who has successfully flown a triplane and his machine may cut a very important figure in the speed contests. It is not certain whether or not he will try for the Globe $10,000 cash prize for a flight from Soldiers Field to Boston Light and return. He has made some remarkably fast short flights with his triplane. It is confidently expected that besides Curtiss himself, Hamilton, who made the great flight from New York to Philadel- phia and return, will enter the Harvard- Boston contests wnth a biplane built by Augustus M. Hering. This biplane is an unknown quantity, but it is felt that an expert aviator like Hamilton would not use it unless he was confident of success RALPH JOHNSTONE 192 NEW BOSTON in it. He used a Curtiss biplane in liis New York-Philadelphia flight and he has heretofore been among the most daring and successful of the aviators that have been trainetl under Curtiss at Ham- mondsport. Hut after all the man who does the most amazing fetes with a biplane is brothers' aviator, who is entered for the meet here, and who equals Johnstone in nonchalant daring. One of the most graceful things imaginable is seeing Brookins ascend in a spiral to a height of more than a mile as he did at Atlantic City. Chanez, the French champion, who won the altitude prize in the con- CHARLES F. VVILLARD, OF MELROSE, MASS. Johnstone, who will handle a Wright biplane at the Harvard-Boston meet. When the band was i)laying at the Mon- treal meet he daringly kept time to the music by dipping and rising as if he were dancing on a waxed floor. Johnstone has a running mate, how- ever, in Brookins, the other Wright test at Black Pool, England, recently, in a Bleriot monoplane, rose to a height of 5,400 feet, but Brookins went nearly 1,000 feet higher at Atlantic City. Wilbur Wright's performance in Germany a few years ago was considered a mar- velous performance, but he only rose 1,500 feet. SAVING EYESIGHT 193 It is expectefi that A. Zeppelin, cousin of the famous Count ZeppeHn, the Ger- man dirigible balloon king, will fly the Harvard biplane that was recently built under the direction of Mr. Martin of the Harvard Aeronautical Society. GROUP OF WRIGHT AVIATORS Orville Wright, third from left SAVING EYESIGHT A Venture in Conservation HENRY COPLEY GREENE Agent for Prevention under the direction of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind How many of us have one blind friend? How many have even acquaintances among the blind? Yet there are some six hundred blind in Boston; some four thou- sand in the state. And their needs count more than their numbers. Go to the Nursery for Blind Babies at Jamaica Plain'; and you will see their pathetic need of care in its most poignant, its one helpless phase. Go to the Kinder- garten for the Blind next door, and you will see sights no less pathetic, but trans- formed with gayety. You will see blind children exercising in their airy gym- nasium; blind children tilting, swinging, romping under the trees; or in winter learning glad hardihood on the frozen snow. For their need to play is like other children's with a difference; they must have expert special encouragement to what seems an impossible freedom and self dependence. At the kindergarten again, you will see fulfilled their need for education in thinking, as it were with those marvellous fingers of theirs that slip over metal points, or from combination to combination of raised dots on paper, while corresponding numbers and corre- sponding words frame themselves in the brain. In the Perkins Institute you will find their blind bodies and illumined minds straining with new needs to learn and to act. At last, in the workshops of the Commission for the Blind vou will find 194 NEW BOSTON them as apprentices, expert workmen and foremen sharing with the rest of us our homely need to earn. To fit the bhnd into such industrial life costs heavily. The legislature appro- priated $'20,000 to carry on the process in 1909 and $15,000 in 1910. And to lead each blind boy from infancy to the age where the state's agents can help him to useful work, means an outlay of perhaps $3,000 more than if the boy could see. Commercially speaking, this $3,000 is lost, unless our blind charges' life-product ex- ceeds, by just so much, the output of their seeing competitors. Often this loss is real ; the blind man may prove a lifelong partial load on society. But by repairing chairs or making mattresses, by weaving rugs, by tuning pianos, by stenography, by practicing law, these men may make good. By an invention, for example the Wundermop, they may overbalance their account with the world, and create a means of livelihood for fellow blind men. As for the women, whoever has seen even a few of their hand-woven fabrics must know that, for one thing, they can create real and exquisite works of art. And where genius scales the ramparts of dark- ness, as in certain writings of Helen Kel- ler's, lost sight makes the humbler senses resonant; compacts them into words, for the spirit's imagination, salt as the sea winds' taste, warm with unseen sunlight, and strong with the felt strength of the upholding earth. Here and there the soul in a blind body may thus give light to clear-eyed bodies dulled by a dim soul. Here and there the mind and hand of the sightless may lift material burdens from the nation's back. But the blind, Avith heroic exceptions, can just lift their own load. The blind in Massachusetts cost the commonwealth $80,000 annually in ajjpropriations alone; and the cost to private charity is tens of thousands more. The total cost exceeds computation; for every blind man is bereft of our unconscious heritage, that miracle of joy in the sun's light on trees and grass and the faces of men. Must these things be.^ The legislature has evidently thought not; for it has authorized the commission to maintain a register of the blind, describing in each instance the cause of blindness. Why learn the cause, if not to seek a remedy.^ And as there is too often no remedy when once a man is blind, why seek out causes unless to prevent their recurrance.f* Such questions have doubtless been in the com- mission's mind when interpreting the law; for they have taken it as a mandate of prevention. First, setting on foot re- searches more thorough than our law makers foresaw, they have followed them BLIND CHILDUKX AT PERKINS INSTITUTION "Learning glad hardihood on the frozen snow" SAVING EYESIGHT 195 TOBOGGANING AT HARTFORD "Their play is like other children's with a difference" up with action. They have secured, through the Research Department of the Boston School for Social Workers and the Russell Sage Foundation, first an investi- gation of all degrees of eye-disablement, then a special study of blindness in babies. Through the co-operation of the Massa- chusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary they have secured close studies of the social conditions affecting preventable blind- ness. And to follow up the clues which these investigations have revealed, they have set at work an agent for the preser- vation of eyesight. Many are the needless ways in which eyesight is dimmed, dulled or totally lost. The "insane fourth," used once to destroy children's and grown men's eyes, in pairs, or singly. In the latter case the remain- ing eye would serve well, perhaps for years; then a splinter of stone, removed with a septic tool, would cause an ulcer; and neglect, repented too late, would leave the man with, say, a tenth of nor- mal vision. Men, one-eyed from disease at birth or later, still often lose what sight they have, from trivial accidents neglect- ed. And serious dangers — unguarded pressure-guages, exploding bottles, fly- ing emery, chips of steel, things as various as industry itself, still threaten workmen's sight, not only because of their own care- lessness, but because of their employers' laxity. School children's eye-sight may suffer from the strain of a curriculum ill adapted to their physique in critical years. The young, ill housed and ill nourished by ignorant or underpaid parents, suffer from a common disease of the eyes whicii, recurring again and again, results in ulcers; and these dull the clear surface of the eye till, sometimes, sight is most seri- ously dimmed. Finally two scourges, sharper far than the "white plague," scourges to which a prudish society is blind, but which deal out suffering more lavishly than any other ills of civilized flesh, — finally gonorrhoea and syphilis threaten eyesight. Accidents, eye-strain, ill health akin to tuberculosis, syphilis and gonorrhoea, these are the main factors of damages to 196 NEW BOSTON sight which, just now, seem most preven- table. The future may conceivably reveal means to prevent cataracts or glaucoma. Who knows? But at present these few causes are the enemy which w^e must cut off. But how shall we reach them? Partly by climbing aboard existing wag- ons; partly by hitching on fresh horses, and driving two, even three, where one jogged slowly before; and partly by start- ing oft' fresh teams. Take two questions affecting the young, cases of so-called "phlyctenular" disease which dims the eyesight of the under- nourished and the too closely housed. These are results of the same conditions which the anti-tuberculosis societies have learned so efficiently to combat. What more natural than to join forces with them? Or take eye-strain. If, as seems possible, this is largely a school problem, what more desirable than to unite with school teachers, physicians, nurses, boards, to waylay and entrap the com- mon enemy? Turning, now, to a problem of indus- trial life, the crucial problem of accidents. Here again we find co-operation the clue. Here again the same conditions are met by diverse groups, — employers, insurance companies, labor unions, societies for pro- gressive legislation. With varying energy and efficiency all are at work. The steel trust has taken action; and no further off than in Worcester, a safety department may be seen at work in one of the trust's subsidiaries. Almost the first of a new profession, the department's safety in- spector investigates all accidents in the plant, and works out changes to prevent their repetition. A committee of employes co-operates with him, and all designs for new machinery pass through his hands. The factor of long hours, so con- ducive to accidents is, of course, beyond the safety department's control; yet here is a good beginning. Insurance com- panies, moreover, are i)romoting such work by the illustrated reports in which they ])ut before employers and engineers great varieties of ingenious safety devices. Permanent safety exhibits should soon follow wherever employers, machine work- men and engineers are centered. And meantime, a state commission on work- men's compensation is preparing to hear the views of labor unions, of employers, of lawyers, and of such observers as the American Association for Labor Legisla- tion. With this evidence, and the experi- ence of almost every civilized nation at their disposal, it is to be hoped that the Commission on Workmen's Compensa- tion may draft, and the next legislature pass, a law which shall result in sharpen- ing the wits and steeling the will of em- ployers to prevent all avoidable accidents. In New York a workmen's compensation act, applicable to extra-dangerous em- ployments, goes into effect next month. Will Massachusetts delay? In the clear field for preservation of eyesight our allied antagonists, syphilis and gonorrhoea, still loom hugely menac- ing. Not that their menace to eyesight is as fierce as to sanity or to woman's life and health. Yet persistently, unabat- ingly, syphilis dims and sometimes oblit- erates the sight of children, women and men, quite guiltlessly infected. Children, congenitally infected, escape blindness only in many instances, to lose all bril- liancy of sight. And their elders occa- sionally go quite blind. As for that twin evil to syphilis, gonorrhoea, it deals out darkness still more ruthlessly, and with a cold injustice. The few adults whose eyes become involved almost invariably infect only one eye. The percentage of cures is low, but the uninfected eye still serves. Not so with babies. Infected innocently at birth, their eyes are almost always both involved; and without expert treat- ment they often lapse into complete and lifelong blindness. Some day the public will stand erect, shake itself, look its enemies in the face. Then syphilis and gonorrhoea, judged clearly as destructive diseases, not con- fusedly as by-products of sin, will be con- trolled, restricted, largely stamped out. Norwegians, taking the question up pure- ly as one of public health, appear to have solved it, in part at least, and by the use of unsentimental intelligence. Cannot Americans attack the same task? Just now a fusillade of leaflets doubtless does something, for this individual and for that. Leaflets, however, leave syphilis and gon- orrhoea as safe as Gulliver in Lilliput, a target for tiniest arrows. These first causes of blindness are as yet, impene- trable to attack. Only results are vul- nerable. But these results are diseases of SAVING EYESIGHT 197 GIRL WEAVING "They can create exquisite works of art" the eye which themselves may be cut off. The childhood eye-disease caused by con- genital syphilis can probably almost al- ways be prevented by long and patient expert care ; and the gonorrhoeal infection of babies' eyes at birth can be neutralized by an act as easy as rolling off a log. Here is a tactical rallying ground in the fight for the conservation of eyesight. The appeal of blinded innocents cannot be gainsaid. Their sight, once lost, is lost for life. Their eyes, moreover, show the same superficial symptoms when infected by germs other than those of gonorrhoea. The question of sex-disease can accord- ingly be shunted. Ophthalmia neona- torum, or inflammation of the eyes of the new-born, is a highly contagious germ disease. Inflammation of the eyes of the new-born may occur from various infec- tions though that which most commonly re- sults in blindness is a gonorrheal infection. The infection may occur during the pro- cess of birth or later through careless use of towels. This virulent disease has been for many years, along with other inflam- mations, called "babies' sore eyes" and thought to be due to "catching cold." Safety requires that "babies' sore eyes," whatever the infection, be promptly treated. Not gonorrhoea, but "sore eyes" is the enemy. What obstacle remains? Is this fight even a contest? Strangely enough, it is 1J)8 NEW BOSTON NEEDLESSLY BLIND FOR LIFE "Ophthalmia neonatorum" hard and long, and requires the aid of all possible allies. Though a couple of drops of harmless one per cent solution of nitrate of silver, dropped into every baby's eyes at birth, would prevent the vast majority of cases of "babies' sore eyes," {ophthal- mia neonatorum) it still causes about a third of all cases of blindness in Ameri- can schools for the blind. From a quar- ter to almost half of all children in these schools are l)lind from this one cause, and needlessly blind. Who is responsible for this disgrace? In other states, it has been usual to hold the niidwives guilty. In Massachusetts, midwives, by a legal fiction, have long ceased to exist; and though a study of official records in five Massachusetts cities shows that niidwives publicly reported from five to twenty-seven per cent of the births registered in 1909, hardly a case of ophthalmia neonatorum can be traced to these niidwives' neglect. This is due more to their good fortune than to their care; for they usually })erfer tea-leaves or breast-milk to any recognized preventive THE PREVENTIVE A couple of drops of harmless solution SAVING EYESlCxHT Idd .1/ — — — — J ^^^^^^^H -/ 1 9 7 f C r ¥ t >- f ■ 1 1 1 L Xos. per 1000 Fall River Worcester Gloucester Lawrence MINIMUM RATES PER 1,000 BIRTHS Lowell Numbers of cases of ophthalmia neonatorum per thousand registered births in the practice of ninety-five physicians reporting 14,795 births during 1909 for ophthalmia neonatorum. The babies whom they usher into the world, seem usually to resist the more serious birth infections. Whether this resistance is a question of race cannot now authorita- tively be said. But however, this may be, the line between midwives and physi- cians in the matter of ophthalmia neona- torum is curiously marked. While mid- wives rarely have cases, physicians fare badly. The reason is not far to seek. Among some 5,949 babies whose births were reported by ninety-five physicians in five Massachusetts cities during 1909, forty- two per cent were attended by physicians who never use a recognized preventive for ophthalmia neonatorum. This astonishing fact is of course partly a bye-product of the second class medical education scored by Abraham Flexner in his recent report. The graduates of one medical school, for instance, are in the habit of squeezing lemon juice into the babies' eyes. But even graduates of our best schools are sometimes lamentably lax; and some of them condemn an occa- sional baby to blindness by a misplaced confidence in their own ability to deter- mine when preventive precautions are needless. It would be far safer if physi- cians would invariably use a preventive. Fortunately the legislature of 1910 passed a bill, substituted by the State Board of Health for a bill introduced by Dr. Edward R. Gookin of Dorchester, and empowering the State Board of Health to distribute the necessarj" preventive free of cost to all registered physicians in the commonwealth. This distribution is now under way. And Dr. Richardson, secretary to the board, is sending to every physician, not only a large and convenient bottle-like dropper, containing a one per cent solution of nitrate of silver, but a letter urging its routine use at the birth of every child. One step more remains to be taken; that is to enforce promj:)t expert care for all cases of ophthalmia neonatorum which still occur. The legislature of 1905 pro- vided for such action by making the symp- toms of "babies' sore eyes" immediately reportable to all local boards of health, and by directing them to take action "in order that blindness mav not ensue." 200 NEW BOSTON This law remained a dead letter in most cities till last year, when the State Board of Health first required the reporting of ophthalmia neonatorum by local boards to the State House. This gave the law some life; and reports began to come in from most of our cities. But the law is still insufficiently enforced. In seven cities where thirty-three cases were reported during 1909, a partial canvass revealed the existence, among others, of 108, all probably gonorrhoeal. The proportion of such cases to births, indeed, was shown to be greater than has been supposed; and instead of two or three cases per thousand births, minimum rates of about nine per thousand was found, for in- stance in Lawrence and Lowell. With so many cases occurring unre- ported, the wonder is that more babies do not go blind. And the wonder in- creases when one observes the absence of standard action by local boards of health in the comparatively few cases of which they officially hear. In some cities they do nothing. In Boston, however, the board at its discretion, sends these chil- dren to the Eye and Ear Infirmary; and in Springfield the local board sends a physician to attend cases that can safely be treated at home. If standards of action can be clearly defined and adopted throughout the state, they may save the eyesight of many a child from destruction. In the fight against ophthalmia neona- torum, as in the fight against other men- aces to eyesight, success can come only through allied action. In this case, boards of health and physicians must be our immediate allies, as oculists, school teach- ers, anti-tuberculosis societies and men interested in labor legislation must be our allies and our leaders in the fight against "low vitality" eye diseases, and against accidents to the eye. But in all these fights, ultimately and indispen- sably, our ally of allies must be the pub- lic. Let the public once wake to the need of industrial safety, good hygiene, a clear headed fight against syphilis and gonor- rhoea; let the public demand of all physi- cians routine preventive work against babies' blindness, and our venture in con- servation will go on in splendid confidence. MOP SHOP "By an invention tlioy may create a means of livelihood for their fellow l)lin(l men." The Relation of Congestion of Population to Mortality in Boston L. M. BRISTOL Instructor in Sociology, Tufts College Throughout the world the Nineteenth Century was an era of marvellous in- dustrial progress accompanied by con- centration of population, resulting in a variety of economic and social evils. The bad effects of congestion of popu- lation in tenement districts has received merited attention in certain quarters, but many investigations have been one- sided and the published statistics mis- leading. Valuable data has been se- cured but this data has often been poorly analyzed and misinterpreted. There has been a tendency to fail to discriminate between the direct and indirect results of congestion of population on mortality and the coincidence of congestion and high mortality has often been interpreted as proving that in the two we have a complete expression of the law of cause and effect. The same is true of the statistics dealing with congestion and infant mortality and especially of late with those setting forth the relation between congestion and tuberculosis. The purpose of this article will be to consider the relation between congestion and mortality in Boston analyzing our results with the special purpose of dis- covering the various factors that enter into the question; in other words, to find out whether mere congestion with resultant bad air, poor light and danger of infection from contagious diseases sufficiently explains the high death rate of certain tenement districts in Boston, or whether there are racial, social and economic factors that are equally im- portant. If the people now dwelling in the crowded tenements could be transjjlanted to most favorable housing conditions, retaining their present high birth rate and low standards and practices of living, would their mortality rate decrease in any marked degree.'* On the other hand, if the well-to-do should migrate to a congested section but retain their present standards of living in all other respects, with plenty of good nourishing food, exercise, wholesome recreation and com- parative freedom from worry as to the future, and take such health precautions as their education would dictate in order that they might adapt themselves to their new conditions, would their mor- tality rate rise appreciably? Considering the question first his- torically, if we compare old Boston with Boston and its annexed territory, we find that whereas the congestion of old Boston increased steadily from 16.6 per acre in 1800 to 95.8 per acre in 1905, there was a decrease in death rate for the city as a whole from an average of 26.4 per 1,000 in the decade 1845-55 to 19.6 per 1,000 in the decade 1895-1905, while the average for 1905-8 was 19 per 1,000. We have thus a decrease of mortality with increase of density. But this proves nothing as to the relation of the two, for there has been marked in- crease in medical skill during these years, and a closer examination of the returns shows that the decrease in death rate has been wholly among children, with a positive increase in the rate of those over five years of age.* If we compare the wards comprising old Boston, where in general we find the greatest congestion, with those com- prising the annexed territory, we obtain the following result: Old Boston, wards 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, contains 2,306 acres and had a mean aggregate popu- lation, 1901-5, of 167,134 or 72 persons per acre.''" The mean number of dwell- ings was 14,008 or an average of twelve persons per dwelling. The average death rate for the period was 17.1 per thousand.! ♦Report of Registry Department, 1905 Appendix B >nd 1908, p. 246. tFound by adding the populatlon'of the two census years and dividing by two. J Only residents of the city and those of iinl05«5a0C0 0(0»l-O^Ol- O 00Ot-iXX!«'f<(« t^ « S5?0<0 00<"«i S5»^05eo«50eoo Deaths from phthisis per 1,000 popu- lation * ■005X«> * * eo »< COCC>10COCCX'.OS500 0'^X35»:SX ^_rtrt^^,H^ '-ir^^'5<'X'^'3<®«'5«'5< Ot '5»O<'5<0Oi-H.- c « >-o c s is^ ■*S«00 1-1 "O "O o X »o » •* * .-^otco^oeoxox 05'3<0'5<0050C5'*X'5< * * X s <3* C5 X00Oi>35l>^'COl> '>«XCO-f"0'5* rft^nOt-lOt-XOCl i>iOU5IOC0^50X-f35 1> X Births per 1,000 popu- lation * O>iOO5XC0C0XtO?OO5 * 35 0<».0'<*<0®»0»C505S5i-l o&«eoiocoo-*'Xi>x * t- so o IS* ^ eo »o s* X i> Q<®»0«i-HO<®«i-IS< ^ ^ (S* cn «o <-o » o »-'5 r-* >0'5 35 OC<:«I>05S««305 CO XXXXX050505 35 OiCX'^^XCOCOi-i 00.-H»S5 — fflC5®» so > a <3 >oi-x«oj>»'^si iO0<«5C«S i> ^ X o^ C5 .» C5 0» ^ l^ i-O «^ '^ «- 35 35 35 t- -H -f. 05 :o :o CO ">» X c eo X Mean popu- lation X«OCOCO«5005 i> t-^ c; o^ o_ »c «o_ (« O CT "C -^' GO 1-^ lO -* <5< •C0050S»Of-l'Ji® t~ rH-f<«r-(Xl>0 10 » ^ "5 »f x' -m' co' -* i-o' so" cT -r o0C»i-i?0OX C^iCi— 'GOOi-H^X i> "St^ co^ 50 ao t-__ «5 ^^ «5-*xoe«oJo»o (35 00 '-OO-'f'f'O'fCOOSO C0OC35O35XCS35 sosososoi-ii-i^ so e* o* s* i-H ©» s< 8niiia-«a J3d SU0SJ3J i-s I dnojrj d :::::::: 03 Ol ^ ©J ^ rt ^ ^ rt 3nina.«a Jad snoBjaj 6-8 II dnojQ d S3 j «3 ©»05500S»t-OSXO Sunia-ttaJS'lsnosjad+Jl III tinoaxj CO CHART 11 WARD DISTRIBUTIOIV- FOREIGN POPULATION -BOSTOR, 1105 1 a 3 H 5 t T & fl ic M n 13 « 18 It i7 a w ic 2./ ^ a3 ay ^y ji* «? »t »* llre ■- ■W////A\\\\!^ — ' I V//A\\\\M \ ^^^^B 1 1 1 K1///J 1 IlKS^^T'T^ 1 < ^ -yMwW IIIIKM\\^\H^.|..MI 1 1 1 1 ^^^^^■^\^*^-^ 1 T" m^'' ■-H>i-^ f.B ~ ! 1 < ^hTT^'^^ xrW E^- ^If-B ^^^^H~~^HH 1 1 m^' TTT TIT ^^^^^^^^^1^ ^^^ H ^[f.b tmM^ M 1 1 1 1 M tit" ^^^^K— ^111 WL ,j|^^ ; 1 ™f.fi m — 9 pH^ill llfe^^x^^^:^ V \\s v^s>s\^ ^^'- ^^\\\ v^ ^^: ^M »-, vm^ o^cs ^^^ \v XV x-^s>c^ N^^ ^c^^ NM *^ ™RB ]m 1 ; ^^^^:^^^^^^^m tr± 4^ '^^^^m -^^llb^^^xP- 1^ ^It^- ^Ime-e i ^^^^-]--^^^>:>^^ 3 =: pE^lE3 ^^^^B 1 II Hi -^^ll»H T^' ^B^^^M ^^m. . R^HH^I^ri ■iV texJHI — -\ B^^^^^Pf-4^ki-hHI 1 4 p^ ^/M^.M"^ \ 8^ Wf ^^^■■IH- ^'///A \^^^ Mf FPim^^= — ^^i H~-j FrP-^ ml ■■n — v//Mmr--\ ^^■F-'2^i^^ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Yy''yy:^v;lc^--^ "■Wl^*^ 1 llllllllk\\\VST^^^ 'y/v/i FP-FoRrisi» pflREM7A> ti a 3 o a =s 00 "S V o « ■g 1- £ % tu o io o tf h -G ^ -^t o es ^ QJ 03 o 0) 0, ^ .o a Qj Q ^ t^cc O <=> Q 0/ a o5 '"' cd ""* II "C 0) o & ^.^ ;-, ^ b fl M O CS c tH Si o 6 li 1 15.40 1.053 16.20 96.6 2 16.49 1.071 17.66 105.2 3 18.65 1.039 19.37 115.4 4 18.99 1.005 18.99 113.7 5 19.39 1.059 20.53 122.4 6 20.35 .951 19.39 115.5 7 24,10 1.139 27 . 44 163.5 8 14.46 1.099 15.89 94,7 9 19.62 1.102 21 . 62 128.9 10 12.62 1.158 14.61 87.09 11 15.00 1.071 16.05 95 . 66 12 16.93 1.109 18.77 111.9 i;{ 24 . 90 1.063 26.53 158.0 14 17.98 1.064 19.13 114.0 1.) 16.79 1.125 18.89 112.5 l(i 15.58 1 . 072 16.70 99.5 17 19.62 1.046 20 . 52 122.3 18 19.23 1.113 21.42 127.6 1!) 16.69 1.113 17.97 107.1 20 14.00 1.063 14.91 1 88 . 5 21 15.08 .987 14.88 [88.7 22 13.83 1.070 14.79 88.1 2:$ 13.49 1.067 14.39 85.87 24 12.98 1.042 13.52 80.5 25 13.65 1.074 14.66 87.3 CONGESTION AND MORTALITY 207 averaging the crude rates for each year as given in the Reports of the Registry Department, in Table III the total deaths for the i^eriod was divided by five and that number divided by the mean popula- tion of the ward, which seems the more accurate method for the purpose in hand. In Group I, Ward 4 is a striking ex- ception with a comparative mortality figure of 113.7 with all the rest below the standard 100. In Group II, the exceptions are Wards 22 and 16, both below the standard, and in Group III, Wards 10 and 8 seem out of place. Ward 22, in Group 2, is just on the border line as to congestion of popula- tion and really belongs in group I. Plac- ing it there and averaging the groups, leaving out Wards 4, 8 and 10 for further consideration, we have an average death rate for Group I of 14.93 per 1,000, for Group II of 19.51 per 1,000 and for Group III of 21.34 per 1,000. Ward 4, although in Group I accord- ing to average persons per dwelling, by virtue of other conditions belongs with its neighbors Wards 3 and 5 in Charles- town, which are in Group II. This dis- trict contains a large porportion of un- skilled and casual laborers among whom the death rate is usually high. Much of the housing is old. The population is decreasing owing to the migration of the better class. Ward 10 is a lodging house section. In it may be found a large proportion of unmarried people frequently on the move, and many young married people recent comers from the rural sections of Massachusetts and other parts^ of our country, with the physical vigor incident to their former conditions of life. So although the average number of persons per dwelling is comparatively high, the conditions are favorable for a low death rate. Ward 8 is composed largely of Russian Jews and this race always and every where has a low death rate. A ward thus constituted is always an exception. A more minute division of the wards CHART III COMPARATIVE MORTALITY RATE 1901 1905 Standardization for age and sex composition 208 NEW BOSTON TABLE IV WARDS ARRANGED ACCORDING TO AVERAGE PERSONS PER DWELLING (JROUP I 5-7 persons per dwelling GROUP II 8-9 persons per dwelling GROUP III 10+ persons per dwelling Ward Corrected death rate Compara- tive mortal- ity figure Ward Corrected death rate Compara- tive mor- tality figure Corrected W^ard 1 death rate Compara- tive mor- tality figure 25 24 23 11 4 20 21 1 14.66 13.52 14.39 16.05 18.99 14.91 14.88 16.20 87.30 80.50 85.80 95.60 113.70 88.50 88.70 96.60 22 15 14 16 3 17 18 5 14.79 18.89 19.13 16.70 19.37 20.52 21.42 20.53 88.10 112.50 114.00 99.50 115.40 122.30 127.60 122.40 12 19 13 10 2 7 9 8 6 18.77 17.97 26.53 14.61 17.66 27.44 21.62 15.89 19.39 111.90 107.10 158.00 87.09 105.20 163.50 128.90 94.70 115.50 is desirable tor comparative purposes and the following table gives them ar- ranged in classes varying ten points each in comj)aralive mortality, with the aver- age death rate of this state, 1901 to 100a as 100. By this classification we have the most striking confirmation thus far ai)parent in our study, of the close con- nection between congestion and mor- tality. Class I, even including Ward 10, has the least congestion of any, and not in- cluding this ward the least density per acre also. Class II, omitting Ward 8, comes next both as to congestion and density of population. Class III advances in every ])articular as does also class IV. This class is abnormally high in congestion and density because of the presence of Ward G, which exceeds any other ward in congestion and is second only in density but has a rclativ(>ly low death rate owing in a great degree to the large numlier of sick Italians who return to Italy, to the general practice among Italian mothers of nurs- ing their bal)ies, and to the work of several nurseries, milk stations and the Floating Hospital. Cla.ss \' is slightly behind class l\ in congestion owing to the inclusion of Ward (i in the latter, but exceeds it in density, taking the lead in this regard. Classes ^T and \TI have no re])re- .sentatives but in class \TII we find Ward J 3 with a low density figure but with moderately high congestion and a very high death rate, — a death rate out of all proportion either to its congestion or density per acre showing that there are present other factors of great influence. The same is true of class IX comprising Ward 7. Wards 7 and 13 are the black spots on the map of Boston. These are the danger spots which demand serious con- sideration. And right here is the chief value of this paper. The crude rates of these wards were among the highest in the city but these were not conclusive, as such a statement is always open to the criticism that the wards might con- tain an unusual number of infants or of aged people and hence the high rate. But two different methods of standardiz- ing increase the crude rate, and the one used in this article puts them so far above all the other wards that with every possible allowance for inaccuracy in the census returns and in our esti- mate of the one year of age population, they are still l>lack, — deadly. The conviction is therefore forced upon us that there are other causes for high mortality as potent as congestion, and that congestion has effects indirect as well as direct. We find that the most congested sec- tions are the habitats of the poor, wiiile the least congested contain the abodes of the well-to-do and the rich. At the one extreme we have the results of ignorance, worry, casual labor, drink, abnormal excitement and vice as well CONGESTION AND MORTALITY 209 TABLE V Class I. Comparative Mortality Figure 80-89.9 Persons per Density per Corrected Wards dwelling Acre death rate 24 6.42 11.27 13.52 23 6.42 32.38 14.39 10 10.46 59.08 14.61 25 .... 5.55 7.55 14.66 22 8.0G 35.52 14.79 20 7.40 21.86 14.91 21 ;;;■'.'.;.'.;; ^ ;;;.'. ^ 7 . 67 39 . 82 14 . 88 Average fi.99 24.73 14.53 (With 10) 7.42 29.64 14.54 Class II. 90-99.9 8 15.93 181.76 15.89 11 6.98 21.64 16.05 1 7 78 20.49 16.20 16 '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'..'.'.'.'. 8.74 37.55 16.70 Average 7.83 26.56 16.32 Class III. 100-109.9 2 8 96 44.80 17.66 19 ';;■;■;;;■.;■.; ;/.'. ■. lo . 05 35 . 99 17 . 97 Average 9.50 40.39 17.82 Class IV. 110-119.9 12 10.00 97.72 18.77 \t 8.39 83.25 18.89 I 6 99 43.27 18.99 o 8 96 44.80 19.37 14 8.62 57.20 19.13 6 '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'■'.'.'.'.'.'■ 20 21 104.59 19.39 Average 11.23 77.51 19.11 (WUK):: 10.53 71.81 19.09 Class V. 120-129.9 17 9.23 58.99 20.52 5 9.96 65.92 20.53 IQ 9 64 102.36 21.42 9 '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'■'. 12.66 127.10 21.62 Average 10-38 88.59 21.02 Cf. Mortality 80.50 85.80 87.09 87.30 88.10 88.50 88.70 86.48 86.55 94.72 95.66 96.60 99.50 97 . 25 105.20 107.10 106.20 111.90 112.50 113.70 115.40 114.00 115.50 113.90 113.80 122.30 122.40 127.60 128.90 125.30 Class VI. 130-139.9 Class VII. 140-149.9 13 Class VIII. 150-159.9 10.18 37.26 26.53 158.00 Class IX. 160-169 7 12.18 39.00 Chart 3 is a graphic representation of this table. 27.44 163.50 210 NEW BOSTON as poor air and little sunlight. At the other extreme we have comfortable living with plenty of nourishing food, more or less steady employment at a good salary or weekly wage, with a fair proportion living in luxury. Here we find plenty of air and sunlight, time for recreation and relief, to a great extent, from that anxiety which more than toil, wears the human frame. Be- tween these two extremes we find these various elements in varying proportion. Surely the problem is not so simple as to some it might appear. What effect has congestion of popula- tion on mortality.f* That depends. Crude statistics do not tell. The Jews seem to thrive where the Italians and Irish fall easy prey to tuberculosis and other diseases. Congestion, within certain limits, is not necessarily destructive, but it tends to degeneration, physical and moral and registers its effect most noticeably on the second and third gen- erations. It is easy to be healthy under certain conditions while exceedingly dif- ficult under others. With congestion are found a multitude of other elements making it very hard to live a wholesome life, but just here drift and are cast the people least able to resist and rise. It may be possible for a race to be evolved through the law of natural selection and survival which will be immune to slum life, but to what advantage unless it can be shown that slum life is essential to social progress and that the race, thus evolved, will be the one compelled to live in such conditions.'* But if con- gestion beyond the point of wholesome living is not essential then it behooves society to find a remedy for existing con- ditions and to make it possible for the mass of mankind to live reasonably de- cent, human lives. In the light of this conclusion, what of the answer to the question with which we began: "What would be the result were we to transpose the housing con- ditions of the tenement dwellers and those of the suburban sections .f*" and we are forced to believe that the ignorant and degenerate would continue to have a high death rate and soon degrade their new conditions, whereas the cultured and well-to-do would in large measure adapt themselves to their crowded quarters and soon transform them to conform to their standard of life in other respects. The ignorant, then, must be taught; the unfortunate must be helped, and the diseased, physically and morally, must be put on the high road to recovery or prevented from propagating their kind. Milwaukee's Auditorium Building JOSEPH C. GRIEB The movement to provide Milwaukee with a commodious auditorium received its inception in 190'>, when the Mer- chants and Manufacturers' Association appointed a committee of business men to consider the subject and advise upon a suitable course of action. While the desirability of a good convention hall was generally recognized, the actual necessity for such a structure became more apparent with the burning of the old exposition building. This awakened the public mind to the fact that the city was without any building for gatherings of an unusual size. The question of erecting a suitable convention hall, or series of convention halls, that would accommodate large and small gatherings, involving an ex- pense of nearly half a million dollars presented difficulties. It was not likely that such a sum could readily be raised by private subscription, nor was it deemed probable that the numicipality would furnish the needed money. The solution, it was believed, could MILWAUKEE'S AUDITORIUM BUILDING 211 AUDITORIUM ANNEX be found in some arrangement by which the city and the pubhc could join hands in providing the necessary means. A measure was framed under the direction of the committee and enacted into law by the legislature in June, 1905, which authorized "cities of the first class to provide for the erection and mainte- nance of auditoriums and music halls by co-operating with private associations or corporations." It was decided to raise $250,000 by private subscriptions and ask the muni- cipality to vote an equal sum, thus pro- viding a total building fund of $500,000. A campaign committee consisting of twenty-five active citizens was chosen to secure the subscription fund which was completed by the fall of 1906. The bond issue, providing for the city's portion of the fund, was voted and the Common Council perfected the jointure with the so-called Auditorium Company, which had been organized in the mean- time and which represented the citizens who had subscribed to the private fund. The law under which the jointure was made providetl that the construction, maintenance and management of the auditorium should be entrusted to five directors representing the private cor- poration and six city officials represent- ing the municipality, the entire body comprising a governing board of eleven members. The task of securing $250,000 by private subscription, was by no means easy. Never in the history of the city had the attempt been made to raise so large a sum of money in this manner and it was deemed problematical whether it could be accomplished. The en- thusiasts were willing to try. The plan of operations w^as in the main confined to the leading merchants and manufacturers and those generally known as public-spirited citizens. Here it developed that the scheme was too limited in scope in that it confined it- self largely to a class of men who are usually called upon for financial aid of a public character. The response from this source was as generous as could be expected, but it was far from reaching the required amount. In making up the personnel of the committee it was the idea to represent as far as possible the several commercial, industrial and civic bodies of the city. Every man was either at the head of one of these associations or else identified in some manner with movements of a jniblic character. The Federated Trades Council was requested to name a rep- resentative to be placed upon the au- ditorium committee, as it was deemed 212 NEW BOSTON most fitting that all interests should be represented, but that organization de- clined to participate. The plan that gained favor with the committee was to make the sul)scription effort popular. Every section of the city was to be invaded by solicitors, every interest was to be drawn into active service. A camj^aign embracing this plan was outlined and subsequently worked out in detail. It provided for sub-committees in every ward and a complete list of the citizens and tax- payers who were able to give financial assistance. The several sub-committees organized themselves into squads of solicitors which invaded the residence districts as well as the commercial and industrial centers. Meetings were held in the several wards, addresses were made and every effort was put forth to stimulate interest and enthusiasm all along the line. In order to arouse a pojjular sentiment on the part of the public, the active interest of the press was enlisted. Shriek- ing whistles, clanging bells from the towers of the city, displays of fireworks, and boom of cannon were employed, when the so-called "auditorium cam- paign" was opened. The arduous task which followed was simply the persistent effort to raise money. The committee and its solicitors went boldly to the front. No rebuke daunted them, no "miserly turn down" discouraged them. Every day they appeared upon the scene fresh, strong and confident. Every day added to the total, which crept from $72,250 to $210,000, to $220,000, until the coveted sum of $250,000 was reached. The committee rejected all catch penny schemes for raising money. These were urged upon all sides and included the sale of buttons, bean-guessing con- tests and basel)all games in ballet cos- tumes, in fact, every imaginable form of amusement through which money might be raised. The auditorium committee adopted the fixed j)olicy that every dollar should be raised through a legiti- mate subscrii)tion method. It adhered strictly to this j)olicy until the subscrip- tion list was not only fully subscribed, but also liberally over-subscribed — at least sufficiently over-subscribed to fully make up all lapses liable to occur. In securing plans for the auditorium the board determined to open the con- test to the architects of the country at large. A program, embodying the essen- tial features of the proposed structure, was prepared. One thousand architects, covering practically all parts of the country, were invited to compete. The cost of the building was not to exceed $450,000, thus providing a reserve of $50,000, to be used for equipment and furnishings and to cover possible emer- gencies in increased expenditures of an unavoidable character. The program was submitted to several impartial experts for examination. It was also determined as an incentive to all enterprising ar- chitects, to offer prizes for the four best plans submitted in their order of merit, as follows: First prize, $1,000; second prize, $750; third prize, $500; fourth prize, $250. Twelve sets of jjlans were received. In order to exert absolute impartiality all plans were to be submitted without names or marks of any kind to indicate their authors. Sealed envelopes bearing the names of the architect were to accompany the plans. Every plan and envelope so received was numbered. The plans that were accorded the first prize embodied in the largest measure the utilitarian features sought in an auditorium building. While the ex- terior was deemed a factor in determin- ing the choice, a greater weight was given to interior serviceability. The award of the first prize did not neces- sarily im})ly the use of the firm's plans, but the committee adopted them for the building. It is not claiming too much to hold that Milwaukee possesses one of the model convention halls of the world. It has all the requirements necessary for a large and commodious auditorium — ample seating capacity and perfect ap- pointments, accessibility and adapt- ability, absolute safety, requisite stage and stage facilities, complete accessories in the way of w^ardrobes, toilets, tele- graph and telephone, storage accom- modations with ample provision for exhibition space, banquet and assembly halls, a market hall, committee and re- tiring rooms. The underlying thought in planning this auditorium was to provide a build- MILWAUKEE'S AUDITORIUM BUILDING 213 MAIN HALL ARRANGED FOR BAND CONCERTS ing which would serve satisfactorily the most diversified uses; one that would readily adapt itself to meet all the possible requirements for large and small conventions, industrial exhibitions, mass concerts, public meetings, religious ser- vices, grand balls, horse shows, etc. The auditorium possesses the distinct and unique feature of being readily usable either as one monster hall, furnishing all accommodations that may be required for any purpose, or of being divided into smaller halls, each one of which is complete in itself and has all desirable conveniences. It is so arranged that as many as seven separate meetings may be held at- one time without any inconvenience or interference. The auditorium occupies the entire square between Fifth and Sixth, Cedar and State streets and forms the nucleus for the projected civic center of the city. The building consists of two wings. The west wing contains the main auditorium with entrance seventy-eight feet wide on Cedar street, and with an additional entrance on Fifth street. The Annex or East Wing contains five smaller halls which are named Juneau, Kilbourn, Engelmann, Plankin- ton and Rehearsal halls. The element of safety was pre-eminent in the minds of the planners. The build- ing is constructed entirely of re-inforced concrete and steel with brick exterior. Special study was made to secure ac- cessibility, convenience in arrangement, good acoustic qualities and first-class lighting and heating. The safety, conveni- ence and comfort of audiences is assured. The main auditorium is constructed without a single pillar or post to obstruct the view. Its ceiling is dome shaped; the girders supporting it are entirely hidden by the plastered ceiling. The hall is sixty-five feet high from floor to ceiling. The main entrance is seventy- eight feet wide leading through nine double doors from which a grand promenade twelve feet wide diverges, encircling the entire hall. The largest gatherings can be readily admitted and discharged safely and expeditiously by the many means of 214 NEW BOSTON ingress and egress from all sides. In- clines at an easy grade are provided throughout in place of staircases. Sep- arate entrances are provided for the balcony and the basement. The main auditorium is located on the ground floor and is constructed in am- phitheater style. It covers a ground area of 330 by 180 feet. Its main floor, oval in shape, contains a concrete floored arena 225 feet long and 100 feet wide. When this hall is used for large public gatherings, seating is provided in the arena by means of portable chairs. A temporary wooden floor is laid when the hall is used for dancing. Surrounding the arena are sixty-two boxes. Immediately back of these are the inclined parquet seats, above which is the balcony. All parts of the hall may be reached from the street without ascending stairs, through the use of the wide inclined planes. A twelve-foot arcade surrounds the oval contour of the building. Flanking the arcade and directly under the parquet seats are twenty-one booths, each twenty- two feet wide, fourteen feet deep and seven feet six inches high. These booths are especially valuable for exhibition and sale purposes and readily lend them- selves to subdivision and to effective display. Check stands necessary on the occasion of important balls and similar events are installed here. The wardrobe of the largest audience is cared for with ease and safety. Each booth is provided with independent telephone connection. Two lounging rooms, twenty-eight by thirty-two feet, with sliding door openings to the arcade in the main au- ditorium and main corridor in annex, are provided on both sides of the grand stair hall. The capacity for seating is made flexible so that it can be arranged to meet the varying demands on the hall and may be adapted to suit every re- quirement. From 5,000 to 10,000 persons can be comfortably cared for. A permanent stage is provided, sixty- STAGE END OF MAIN HALL MILWAUKEE'S AUDITORIUM BUILDING 215 eight feet wide, fifty-five feet deep and thirty feet high at the proscenium opening. The main entrance to the annex is through a vestibule forty-five feet wide, opening into a rotunda fifty-five feet deep. This rotunda is carried through two stories and has a spacious balcony on east and west sides. It leads into the grand stair hall, 105 feet wide and forty-five feet deep. Double stairways are provided at each side to the second floor. There is also a spacious passenger elevator. On each floor are installed two large halls suitable for banquets, exhibitions and musical entertainments. Plankinton hall is equipped with an orchestral organ. Public gatherings and assemblages are as essential to the educational, social and political development of a modern people as they were to the civilization of old. A progressive community not only recognizes this, but provides ade- quate facilities for the proper housing of such gatherings. During the past year Milwaukee has experienced a mar- velous development in its commercial and industrial interests. Its needs in certain directions, like every modern and progressive city, have grown with every successful stage of development. What might have served its purpose twenty-five years ago may be deemed wholly inadequate for present exigencies. The cities of the country have awakened to the value of conventions, not only because they enhance the commercial interests of the locality in which they meet, but also because they have a tendency to radiate a wholesome in- fluence on the intellectual growth of the people. MAIN HALL ARRANGED FOR MASS CONCERTS Thirty-seven Years' Progress in Social Reform ALEXANDER JOHNSON Secretary National Conference of Charities and Correction There must certainly be something useful as well as vigorous in a body which finds itself, after an existence of more than a third of a century, rai)idly growing in size and growing still more rapidly in influence and ])ublic estima- tion. The National Conference of Chari- ties and Correction is such a body. On May the 26th it closed its thirty-seventh annual session in St. Louis, Mo., to meet next June in Boston, Mass. Its attendance this year was the largest of any conference held in the West and the largest held anywhere except the record- breaking one in Philadelphia in 1906. The spirit of the thirty-seventh session was of the best. Fraternity, sympathy and mutual helpfulness seemed to be in the air and to permeate every meet- ing. The interest in the proceedings, not only of the members, but of a large body of St. Louisans, was unabated from the opening address of the presi- dent, Jane Addams, of Chicago, on Charity and Social Justice, to the last session, which was given to law-breakers. The history of the conference since it began, as a committee of the Social Science Association in 1874, has been parallel with the history of the ])rogress of social thought and effort. It l)egan to study problems of charity and ])un- ishment cliiefly as they are affairs of government. Its first members were nearly all officers or members of public boards of some kind. For more than twenty years no one was elected presi- dent unless he was a member or a secre- tary of a state board of charities. The first break of this tradition was when Robert Treat Paine of Boston was elected president of the conference which met in New Haven in 189.5. In 1874 the wonderful spread of l)hilanthr()i)ic endeavor, with which we are familiar today, was only in the be- ginning. The charity organization movement had not crossed the ocean. The education of the feeble-minded was begun in a few states, but its possibilities, by the colony plan, were not thought of. We had heard of the great epileptic vil- lage of Bielefeld, but no American state was giving the epileptics special care. The social settlement was unknown to American cities. The care of dependent children was almost wholly institu- tional, although the New York Chil- dren's Aid Society had begun sending street waifs, in carload lots, to the western prairies, where a wonderfully large proportion of them turned out well. We talked in the early conference of preventive work for children and by that we meant the work in reform schools or houses of refuge, which began to treat them after they had been injured, often irretrievably, by bad environment or other evil influences. Prison reform was just beginning, but the indeterminate sentence, reforma- tories for adults, parole, etc., were popularly misunderstood and considered to be the fads of weak sentimentalists. Juvenile courts and probation were a quarter century away. Consumers' leagues, playground asso- ciations, civic associations, juvenile pro- tective associations were all unknown. Some little attention had lieen paid to the need of housing reform, but the first prize in a competition for a model tene- ment plan for New York city had re- cently been awarded to the creator of the now infamous "dumb-bell" plan. The germ theory of disease was ignored by the majority of physicians and was the subject of cheap wit in the news- papers, and the campaign against tu- berculosis had not been thought of. Almost every almshouse in the land had its group of child inmates, growing up to continue the pauper tradition, among a heterogeneous mass of social derelicts, insane, idiotic, epileptic, dis- eased, worn-out veterans of labor and THIRTY-SEVEN YEARS' PROGRESS IN SOCIAL REFORM 217 exhausted veterans of vice. Most of the county jails were then, as alas too many of them are today, fittingly de- scribed as connnon schools of vice and recruiting stations for the army of pro- fessional criminals. The theory of the supervision of all public institutions of charity or correction by some non- partisan board of people, selected be- cause of public spirit, intelligence and high personal character, was just be- ginning to spread, some six or seven such boards existing in as many states. Civil service reform had been begun in the federal service but was treated with scorn and contempt by all practical politicians, and no city or state govern- ment had adopted the plan. Guards in prisons, physicians, nurses, attendants, teachers in almost all public institu- tions, were appointed chiefly, if not solely for political reasons. An atten- dant on the insane, whose wages were $30 per month, estimated that half this amount w^as for the work he was doing in the hospital ward and half for what he had done before election, in the city ward where he lived, and governed himself accordingly. Child labor and excessive woman labor, were almost, or quite unchecked. Good people helped the widow with her family of orphans, by giving her work to do and sending her children to an or- phans' home. Or they let her sleep with them, going out to work by the day, and finding work for each child as soon as he was old enough to make his way alone to the factory or sweat-shop. Many of the terms we now use so familiarly would have needed a glossary in 1874. "Friendly visitor," "child placing," "fresh air work," "city plan- ning," "child study," "child saving," "standard of living," "industrial acci- dents," "occupational disease," "em- ployer's liability," "constructive philan- thropy," even, "social worker" itself, would have required explanation. Five years later, in 1879, a leading news- paper in Philadelphia, said editorially that no one should be paid for doing charity work, unless he would otherwise be an object of charity himself, and the editor merely voiced the public opinion. The social consciousness was just waken- ing, but no one then seemed to foresee how it would shortly develop into that social conscience which is the great compelling force of the present day. Looking backward thirty-seven years, and comparing with the present, we see that the change has been wonderful, that the progress has been real and great. It is true that many of the things we have mentioned as objectionable, still exist in many places, that no reform has been complete or if it has, has failed to leave something undesirable behind it. But it is also true that not one of the social or governmental evils we have mentioned but has been eliminated or vastly diminished in some places, and some of them are now rarely found anywhere. x\nd yet "we count not ourselves to have attained." The best thing of the progress we have made is the assurance that it gives us promise of greater prog- ress in the future. Much has been done and more remains to do. When we count our success we thank God and take courage and go on. Now not even the blindest and most prejudicial admirer of the National Con- ference of Charities and Correction would claim for it all, or a large part, of the credit for the progress we can see on every hand in charities and correction, nor that a very similar development would not have occurred if the conference had never existed. But it is fair to claim that few social reforms have failed to receive both stimulus and help from the conference, that some social efforts have found their initiative at its meetings, that all who have accepted its generous invitation have found a hospitable wel- come and an appreciative and influential audience. It is fair to claim that no other agency has had equal results in the spread of knowledge concerning charities and cor- rection, and the cultivation of right sentiment among the j)eople as this national conference. Nowhere else has the spirit of mutual helpfulness, the sympathy with one another's work that often helps more than material aid, been so prevalent. This latter is indeed the distinguishing feature of the con- ference. There are wide differences of opinion among its members. Every shade of every opinion is welcome, is indeed 218 NEW BOSTON most urgently desired. The conference ference is in town, is really more worth does not decide any question for you, while than any verbal conclusions of it gives you the facts and the arguments opinion. Inspiration, enlightenment, and tells you to decide for yourself, brotherhood — these are what the Con- or, perhaps, to suspend judgment until ference stands for. Because it stands more facts are known. for them and because it never counts But the fine sentiment of brotherly heads nor decides questions by a majority charity which prevails when the con- vote, it is strong, enduring, useful. Suggestions Regarding Boston's Health Needs The following suggestions were pre- factory employes of Worcester county to pared for the use of the Boston-1915 be responsible for the sickness-expenses Health Conference. As they relate wholly of any of their employes who may be to Boston and her needs, they are not to found to be tuberculous, be regarded as an attempt to construct a A typhoid "carrier" is a person w^ho public health program for any other place constantly or intermittently excretes the or time. The Worcester plan for the germs of typhoid fever and is therefore a restriction of tuberculosis referred to source of infection and a danger to the under two, is an agreement by the larger public. 1. Statistics: (a) Birth — returns not prompt enough. (h) Morbidity — very unsatisfactory. (r) Mortality — satisfactory. 2. Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases: (a) Scarlet Fever — Hospital accommodation and home isolation insufficient. (b) Diphtheria — Hospital accommodation and home isolation insufficient. (f) Measles — Hospital accommodation and home isolation insufficient. (d) W'hooping Cough — Hospital accommodation and home isolation insuffi- cient. (e) Syphilis — No hospital accommodations without the stigma of pauperism. (f) Gonorrhoea — No hospital accommodations without the stigma of pauperism. ig) Gonorrhoeal Ojjhthalmia — To decrease preventable blindness further legis- lation is called for. Hospitals, through their staffs, should make sure that none of their patients give or acquire venereal disease merely because of ignorance. {h) Typhoid — "Carriers" should not be allowed to engage in any occupation in\olving the handling or preparation of food. All who deal with cases of typhoid should be vaccinated against it. Typhoid should be isolated. {i) Leprosy — Present expense incurred by state is not justified as the disease is very feebly contagious. (j) Tuberculosis — Isolation of advanced cases is the chief need. 1 The Worcester City plan should be adopted in Boston. 2 Central registration of all known cases is an obvious need. 3 Intensive study of a few small areas should be made in search of infected houses. 3. School Hygiene: (a) Medical iiisi)ection of schools not satisfactory; in some schools a farce. (b) Schools should l)e built on edges of {)arks. (c) The "out-door room" plan initiated by the present School Committee at SUGGESTIONS REGARDING BOSTON'S HEALTH NEEDS 219 the advice of its director of hygiene should be fully carried out and gradually applied to all school children. (d) Yearly physical examination of all school children before promotion should be introduced as soon as practicable. 4. Industrial Hygiene: (o) Some plan of automatic insurance or compensation for accidents should be worked out. (b) Shop clinics and factory clinics should be multiplied. (c) Child labor laws can be strengthened. (d) Relief should be given to working women before and after child birth. (e) Education of employes in dangers of certain trades and in methods of avoidance is advisable. 5. Food Supply: The Board of Health needs larger appropriations for inspection of markets, bakeries, slaughter houses, fish wharves, and milk supplies. 6. Infant Mortality: (a) Preventive clinics and nurses for care of pregnant women and healthy babies. Encouragement of breast feeding. (&) Regulation of midwives. V. Control of Vermin and Insects : (a) Public education regarding the spread of disease by rats, flies, mosquitoes, bed bugs, ticks and fleas. (6) Garbage disposal— a factor in the prevention of vermin and insects. 8. Alcoholism and Its Decrease Through: (o) Education — in and out of school. (6) Industrial regulations. (c) Better provisions for public recreation. {d) More rational treatment of alcoholics in courts, prisons and hospitals, 9. Home Hygiene and the Housing Problem: (a) The Board of Health needs larger appropriations for inspections. (6) Congestion of Wards 6 and 8 should if possible be relieved. 10. The More Adequate Use of Playgrounds: Necessity of closer connection between schools and playgrounds. 11. Fourth of July Accidents: The restrictive legislation recently passed by the General Court should be made more stringent if it does not prove effective. 12. Quacks, patent medicines, advertisements and other agencies designed to produce disease should be discouraged: (a) By strict enforcement of existing laws. {h) By increasing the requirements for a license to practice medicine, — practi- cal as w^ell as written examinations by the state. 13. Marriage of epileptics, of two deaf persons and of feeble minded persons should be forbidden in Massachusetts. 14. Bacteriological Laboratory: (a) As a laboratory aid in diagnoses for physicians it is now very satisfactory. lb) Research work: admirable, but the laboratory has not sufficient force and time to expand into greater usefulness. NEW BOSTON The research laboratory of the Board of Health of the city of New York has saved that city many millions of dollars, and has greatly increased the efBciency and economic administration of the IJoard of Health through research work upon the problems with which the city health officers must deal. 15. Epidemiology: The progress of disease should be studied by a trained epidemiologist. The city Board of Health is best situated for making such studies of all the com- municable diseases prevailing here. 10. Education: It has become the duty of the Board of Health to help educate the community in public health matters, and to guide the jiublic press in this direction. This may be accomplished through pamphlets, lectures, exhibits, as is done in Chicago and St. Louis. [Beginning with the October number of NEW BOSTON will appear a S2ries of articles amplifying certain points of the above syllabus. The first article by Dr. Richard C. Cabot will be on Prompt Birth Returns — the Prime Need and Foundation for Public Health Works. Ed.) Planning Undeveloped City Areas NELSON P. LEWIS, Chief Engineer, Board of Estimate and Apportionment, New York City. In all cities the older portions have grown from small beginnings, and the street plan has been the result of chance. Occasionally a city is created upon a site deliberately chosen, as for instance, Wash- ington. In such cases an opj^ortunity is offered to create a plan peculiarly adapted to the special development in mind. There are a few other instances in this country where the future possibilities ap- pear to have been realized. Indianapolis and Detroit might be mentioned. In New York city, the commission created in 1807 to prepare a street plan failed entirely to anticipate the future growth. This commission appeared to believe that the chief traffic would be across the island from the North River to the East River, and therefore, east and west streets were laid out with only two hundred feet inter- vening, while the north and .south avenues were jjlaced from seven hundred to nine hundred feet apart. The values of real estate having become enormous, it is now impracticable to correct mistakes in this original j)lan within reasonable limits of expenditure. A characteristic feature of most Ameri- can cities is the lack of important diagonal streets leading to some definite point of interest. These diagonals need not be long, or straight for their entire distance, but different sections of them should be free from deflections. This is the charm of Washington and of Paris. One may follow the numerous diagonal streets in either of these capitals and be quite sure of reaching some point of interest. While it is often impossible to correct mistakes of planning within practicable limits of expense, there are few cities where con- ditions cannot be improved. In many American cities additions have been made by extension of the city limits or by consolidation with other cities. Erequently these additions have been ex- ploited by the suburban developer. They are often so limited in area that it is difficult to do anything but extend the city plan over them. It occasionally hap- pens that an extension of the city limits will include a number of centers of ])0])ti- lation, and that these are disconnected and could be absorbed in a larger city l)lan without serious detriment. Areas of this kind are almost invariably trav- ersed by highways which follow natural lines of traffic. They should be made the Furnished by The Survey Press Bureau. PLANNING UNDEVELOPED CITY AREAS 2^1 controlling features of the city plan. They are generally of the ordinary coun- try road width. This will be totally inadequate but they are usually allowed to remain until they have been so built up as to make a widening expensive. What then, is the logical method of procedure? The first thing is to deter- mine the relative position of the different parts of the new territory. It will then be possible to proceed with mapping in widely separated sections with a positive knowledge of the relation of the street lines in one section to those in another. The next thing which will demand atten- tion is the system of existing roads. There was, and is, a good reason for these. These roads shoukl form the skeleton of our future street system. Often it will be necessary to straighten them, and in all cases to widen them. In the writer's judgment they should be not less than one hundred feet in width, and in some instances even wider. In the case of these latter if the old road has good shade trees, the original highway can probably be preserved for pleasure driving, while an- other section can be reserved for railroad tracks, and, perhaps, still another for automobiles. These old roads may have been nearly paralled or approximately radial, while the cross connections may have been infrequent or unimproved. They must therefore be carefully considered. They should be straight between the parallel or radial highways wherever possible. When these controlling streets have been definitely determined, we need not worry about filling in the spaces between. Whether it would be advantageous to have the intervening spaces treated in a uniform manner, is questionable. Here, where the topography suggests it, a ser- pentine system of streets may be laid out ; there, a generous depth of lots, with space for gardens may be provided; here, again, we may find a group of narrower streets compactly built u|) with secluded courts and small houses fronting upon a little })lot of grass. No reference has yet been made to a system of parks and playgrounds. The policy of most of our cities has been to defer the selection of park sites until the necessity for parks has l)ecome apparent. Meanwhile, the adoption of a street plan has converted acreage property into city lots with a great increase in value. If there is a particular bit of woodland, an elevation with a commanding outlook, or even a piece of low-lying land traversed by a stream, which have not yet been cut up into building lots, they can be most advantageously set aside as future parks. These reservations should be scattered so that there will be some open space within walking distance of every resident. These parks should be connected by adecjuate roadways, not necessarily straight or even of uniform width, but contracted where the topography would involve expensive construction and again expanded. In a territory such as we have been considering it may be useless to speak of the grouping of public buildings, for the important municipal centers have already been established. There are, however, minor public buildings, such as schools, libraries, public baths and comfort stations, police stations and fire houses, and it would be most desirable to set aside here and there what might be termed "municipal blocks," upon which these buildings could be grouped in a very effective manner. The writer knows of no instance of the formu- lation and execution of a policy such as has been outlined, but it appears to be so reasonable and logical that it is a matter of surprise that the problem of making a city plan has never been undertaken in this manner. "I never beg. I open opportunities for generosity," said President Harper. The Milk and Baby Hygiene Association of Boston has issued "appeals" and perhaps it has come near to begging for the sup- port it needs and should have. Now it faces the citizens and opens to them a frank and present opportunity for gener- NEW BOSTON osity. If they do not take it the work must stop and the stations, with two exceptions, be closed. The Denison and the South Boston Stations have s])ecial funds ])ehind them sufficient for a few months. The research is separately fin- anced. Unless Boston now wakes up to this situation and provides the minimum budget of $13,000 still unmet, it will soon have to speak in the past tense of the civic source concerning which Dr. Charles W. Townsend recently wrote : "The Milk and Baby Hygiene Association, with its milk distributing stations and especially its corps of nurses and physicians, is, in my opinion, doing the best and most economical work in the saving of infants' lives in Boston. The influence of the Milk Stations is an ever widening one, and through the education given, reaches far beyond the mere distribution of the milk. The public may feel assured that any con- tributions to this charity will be well spent." Readers of NEW BOSTON may have wondered at the combination title of the Milk and Baby Hygiene Association. Titles should be descriptive and the titled should try to live up to the description. Many social workers, including the doc- tors and dispensary nurses, who fre- quently call upon the Association for help for some baby who is crying to them, speak of it as the "Babies Milk" society. They know that at its ten stations good milk can be had and that if people live out of reach of the stations the "human- ized" cows' milk for babies will be deli^ - ered at a slight additional cost. They know that the nurses from the stations will go to the baby's home day by day and teach and drill the mother in the lessons of care and hygiene which will insure the baby's life and health. Prin- cipals of high schools know that the Asso- ciation conducts classes for senior girls on the care and feeding of children and even- ing classes for fathers. The work of the eighteen weekly classes or conferences for mothers and well babies, which are taught by as many generous young physicians, is more widely known. But why have milk in this title? ^Yell, milk hygiene is the association's work for all the people big and little and it is its service to all of the babies who do not go to its ten sta- tions. The aggressive campaign against "loose" milk has been treated at length in New Boston. The demand made in the association's first report that there be a state standard of milk and dairy inspec- tion and of qualifications of inspectors was answered by the appointment of a state commission of five for the purpose of drawing up such standard regulations. Mr. Ellis, the association's president and Dr. Rosenau its vice-president are mem- bers of this commission. Milk hygiene is the subject of a scien- tific research which the association has established at the Laboratory of Preven- tive Medicine and Hygiene at Harvard Medical School. This research is to be carried on for the next three years by Dr. E. H. Schorer, formerly of Johns Hop- kins University and the Rockefeller Insti- tute. It is financed by special gifts from milk and dairy improvement interests in Boston, New York and Washington. But unless Boston now wakes up to the situation of the parent association the important connection between the field work of the stations and the laboratory is sure to be lost by the necessity of abandoning the field. Contributions should be sent to Arthur H. Brooks, treas- urer, 53 State Street, Boston. Cost of Government in Des Moines The first report of the city officials of Des Moines, la., since the adoption of the commission form of government, shows the per capita cost of administra- tion, based on a population of 100,000: Main- Improve- tenance ment Total General government .. . $ .61 $ .01 $ .62 Protection of life and property 2.. 35 .12 2.47 Health and Sanitation. . .30 .23 .53 Highways 1 .48 1 .08 2.56 Libraries .14 .18 .32 Recreation .18 .40 .58 Miscellaneous .13 ... .13 Cemeteries .16 .05 .21 Public Debt: Interest .33 ... .33 Principal ... .05 .05 Outstanding debt obli- gations 1 . 76 ... 1 . 76 $7.44 $2.12 $9.56 NEW BOSTON To Set You Thinking When a manufacturer finally decides to plunge into an experimental one-year publicity campaign under the guidance of a reputable agency, he is due for an entirely different point of view, which, no matter how well posted he may be in his particular line, will open his mind to actual conditions which he never dreamed existed. For example, the advertising agent approaches his new customer with sug- gestions as to certain changes in the selling organization. But here is an old established concern which feels that its selling organization is a carefully crystallized product of perhaps decades of experience and careful study. Con- sequently the advertising expert is po- litely but firmly told to return to his copy and his analyses of advertising mediums and leave the selling end to those better qualified by experience to handle the same. However, the wind is always changing, and before that first experimental year is over, the manufactiu'er not only realizes that his publicity has given him some brand new problems with regard to the keeping of his production abreast of the demand, but that the irresistible tide of this demand has thrown his much vaunted selling organization all at sea. Let us say, while all this is happening, that the advertising agent has been enterprising enough to investigate the selling conditions for himself. He goes to the retailers, he goes to the jobbers; everywhere he finds heavy demand for the goods, but in many places no goods, only a lot of dealers looking for the salesman of the particular product in question. Consequently the next time the advertising expert brings up selling suggestions to his customer, he gets a respectful hearing. AH of which serves to show that right advertising not only creates a demand for goods, but makes a manufacturer bigger, broader and more elastic in his methods of handling those goods, in other words, he finds himself lifted out of ruts. Think it over. A. W. Ellis Agency, 10 High Street, Boston, Mass. POSSE GYMNASIUM 206 Mass. Ave., Boston 1^ raining School Department Two years' course for teachers or physical training and athletics. Massage Department Courses of two years, one year, ana special private course with hospital work. Gymnasium Department Classes for men, women and children in all forms of gymnastics and athletics. ADDRESS REGISTRAR, Posse Gymnasium Charles H.Perry ADVERTISING SYSTEM . r> Near 4a Irvington Street »,"enur°" Telephone 1504 Back Bay Boston, Mass. In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON 224 NEW BOSTON The Health of the City Important as are the various new move- ments for the betterment of social con- ditions in rural communities, the city still remains the <;reat laboratory where nuist be worked out the most vexed prob- lems of society. Prescriptions for a city's ills are numerous these days. From the regulation of transportation to the better- ment of housing conditions and from proper methods of accounting to efficiency of municipal officials — on these and in- numerable other topics intimate to cities large and small are wholesale remedies given. In the mass of literature that has been produced on these subjects of the city's welfare a recent book by Hollis Godfrey entitled, The Health of the City is particularly welcome and valuable because of the apjjeal that it has for the ordinary readers interested in a non-tech- nical discussion of what can be done and what is being done to conserve life in the big centers of population. It is the first popular publication of the kind that has appeared. Mr. Godfrey treats his subject under these chapter headings: City Air, Water, Milk, Food, City Ice, Noise, Waste, Plumbing and City Housing. The book may be summarized in these words of Mr. Godfrey himself: "My effort has been to record in non- teclmical English what is known of the actual harm or harmlessness to the people of the city of such every-day affairs as air, water, wastes, food, housing, and noise, to give some account of certain civic conditions which are working evil, and to tell of some of the organized movements which are striving for the welfare of the peoi)le of the crowded streets. After a perusal of the volume the city dweller is apt to harbor a fear that his chances against the thousand and one enemies that lurk in air and food and drink are pretty poor. In every cloud of dust he can ])icture a host of bacteria. Ice, milk and water are filled with danger to life and the very air of home and office is infected. And ])erhaps it is just as well if a little wholesome fear is injected into the minds of those who live in cities. Such fear will make a stronger basis for reform that such books as Mr. Godfrey's are bringing about. Physicians say Felt's Foot Soap is healing, soothing and antiseptic, and does for the feet what no other soap can do. Sold at all drug and department stores. FELT CHEMICAL COMPANY Boston, Mass. * "The Health of the City." By Hollis Godfrey. Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston, 1910. Pp. 372. Price §1.25. NOBSCOT MT. SPRING WATER From the Spring Direct to You The purest spring water you can obtain is none too good. Quality (not price) is an absolute neces- sity and should be considered. Analysis on application. Prompt delivery. Nobscot Mt. Spring Co. 14 Sears Street From 64 India Street to 199 Milk Street BOSTON, MASS. Telephone, Fort Hill 860-861 NEW BOSTON Corrugated Fibre Board Boxes to carry safely most all commodities. Taken by transportation companies at same rate as wood packages, and weigh much less. Corrugated paper in its many forms. Send for new catalogue, "How to Pack It" The Hinde & Dauch Paper Co. BOSTON OFFICE 43 TREMONT STREET Phone Haymarket 1389 NEW YORK OFFICE 165 DUANE ST. EXECUTIVE OFFICES SANDUSKY, OHIO MEDALS AND OTHER HONORS AWARDED FOR EXCELLENCE IN AMERICAN AND FOREIGN PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITIONS MAKER. COLLECTOR AND CUSTODIAN OF PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHS FOR PUBLICITY BUREAU OF BOSTON-1915 CHARLES WESLEY HEARN PORTRAITS BY PHOTOGRAPHY AT STUDIO OR AT RESIDENCE ONLY OFFICIAL BOSTON-1915 PHOTOGRAPHER 561 BOYLSTON STREET TELEPHONE 2598-2 B.B. BOSTON. MASS. In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON 226 NEW BOSTON ?%1^^«^^.-^• V^.n-nn-r. n^r. n^r. n^r. .i^r. .-i;;r. .i-r. r.nvi^^; MuB EnqiRAvincj Co. p!! HALF-TONE ENGRAVERS ^M 173 SUMMER ST. BOSTON MM mm TEU. OXFORD £.oa liJKy" «; . L. -I .( . . ■.. ,f -,1 ,'j-i>e'f Umk m 'Ay. 'il'.^" 'tl'.V,' '^l'"'. *y -^r- li^itw il^^-^^-^^-^^^r ''><'' ^>r ''>r ^>r ""x^ ^<^ ■'>i^:^:IC See'sannples of our work in this magazine Some Suggestions To the Editor: I want to congratulate you on the excellence of your August number of New Boston. The number breathes of out-doors and health all through and I do not see how anyone reading it could help endorsing the sound principles for which 1915 is working. With a few exceptions even the advertise- ments from the Milk and Baby Hygiene Association to the Posse Gymnasimn are advocates of better living. If 1915 can, in the next few years, establish in the minds of our people the safe and sane Fourth idea and bring to pass even a part of what New Boston stands for in the way of games and recrea- tions for our boys and girls, outdoor plays and cleaner streets, it will have proved itself indeed a benefactor to the city. But keep your eye on "Boston's Future Sky Line," as represented on page 131 and .see that the light and sun are not too perilously shut off from the lower stories of buildings, whether stores or homes, or from the streets. If we are to have a vigorous city in 1915 we should begin by .seeing to it that our citizens live in light, well-ventilated dwellings and sanitary workshops. Then associations for the Relief and Control of Tuberculosis will vanish and hospitals will no longer be soliciting fresh endowments. SP:YM()UR H. STONE, Secretary, Boston Association for the Relief and Control of Tuberculosis. To the Editor: New Boston is to me a bright, fresh, high-class monthly reminder of the unity which marks all of our efforts for the improvement of the local social situation. I believe that it will make all the social forces more conscious of their opportunities and responsibilities. I would like to see a monthly summary of important events affecting Boston. I would like to see an occasional re-survey of the progress made on the improvement of our local geography. There is to me a very definite Boston- 1915 geography and it is a very different geography from the Boston-1910, and I hope that on the anniversary of the exhibition you will be able to show definite progress on the imi)rovement of the old map. Personallj', I know that there has been such progress in the great triangle between Provi- dence and Dartmauth streets and Columbus avenue. I wish that the Arlington street exten- sion was really nearer than it was a year ago. Could you not run a monthly budget exhibit.' There are some fifty-six departments of our city government. Perhaps you could treat about five of their budgets per month anfl show what they have been spending their money on, and show how well they have been spending it, how badly they have been spending it, how much value they get for each dollar well or badly spent. I believe that 1915 should recognize that the organized political jiarties play an enormous part in the social life of the community. I would like to have you invite them to make a formal and official statement of their programs for the better- NEW BOSTON ®^Mt4i40cm^GMa4i4i|aeiiiWi^ S/O^ BOSTON NEW YOKK PHILADELPHIA CHICAGO ST. LOUIS rr ALL KINDS OF TAGS GUMMED LABELS, SEALS. GUMMED PAPER, GLUE, PASTE, MUCILAGE, WAX, JEWELERS' BOXES, CASES, TRAYS, CREPE PAPEK, PAPER NAPKINS. TISSUE Unique devices for business and home life fill every Dennison Store. The best and most original of paper decorations are found in the Dennison Art Departments The combination is interesting and satisfying PROVE IT FOK YOURSELF ESTABLISHED 1846 Cream and all Dairy Products INIilk for Nursery, Table and Kitchen Certified, Hood Farm, Modified for Babies Buttermilk Put up iu Sealed Glass Jars Daily deliveries on regular Hood teams in Greater Boston, North Shore Resorts, Lawrence, Manchester, N. H. Delivered by express to any address. 494 Rutherford Avenue, Boston, Mass. The Largest Independent Dairy Company in New England. " I always use Sawyer's Crystal Ammonia and Borax for washing dolly's lace dress, as it does away with the rubbing. I then rinse and use Sawyer's Crystal Blue." SAWYER CRYSTAL BLUE CO.. 88 Broad Street, Boston, Mass. In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON 228 NEW BOSTON MEETING COMPETITION How many of your customers are buying as many classes of goods from you as they might? Suppose you could know in each customer's case just what goods he is buying from j'our competitor. Suppose you could know just why that competitor is getting the business instead of yourself. Can you conceive of any more powerful weapon in meeting competition t That is one class of facts in the selling end of a business which our service provides for collect- ing regularly and completely. A preliminary interview with us creates no obhgation. Special Service Department of Library Bureau Organization and prodvction engineers 43 Federal St., Boston, Mass. ment of our community. If the Prohibition Party has anything more than prohibition for a program to meet the terrific problems of Boston as a social organism, let us know it. Let us find out from the Socialists themselves just how practical and im- mediate their program is. If the Democrats and Republicans have any plan except to get their own men in and trust to the average human nature to blunder ahead, let us know it from them. WALTER E. KRUESI, Director }filh and Baby Hygiene Association. The Common Drinking Cup On October 1 a new law goes into effect which authorizes the State Board of Health "to prohibit in such public places, vehicles and buildings as it may designate the ]:)roviding of a common drinking cup, and the board may establish rules and regulations for this pin-pose." Of- fenders shall be deemed guilty of a mis- demeanor and be liable to a fine not exceeding twenty-five dollars for each offence. This is a step in the direction of pre- venting the spread of contagious diseases and citizens knowing of drinking places that appear to be a menace to the pulilic health should report the same to the State Board of Health, State House, Boston. In this connection, the order issued by Mayor Fitzgerald, September 15, 190G, to all city employes, is of interest. The mayor orders that city employes afflicted with pulmonary tuberculosis must provide their own drinking glasses, soap and towels and shall not use those provided for general use. He further recommends that all city employes use individual drinking glasses. The fight against the common drinking cup began with the crusade against tuber- culosis, and within a decade notal)le advances have been made. The Ladies' Home Journal has been a leader in the movement and a series of illustrated ar- ticles portrayed the dangers from infec- tion that lurk in the tin cups of park fountains and railroad water coolers. Most effective in these Journal articles were the pictures depicting children drink- ing from the same cups used by drunken, diseased men. The results of general publicity is seen not only in legislation like the new act going into effect in Massachusetts on Oct. 1. Some railroad companies have made improvements in their service and sanitary fountains have appeared in pub- lic parks and schools. The days of the rusty dipper seem numbered. If 6 Ii*^ -.'-^ \W ^ THE MIDGETS ON THE LINE clean, fair competition will prove a benefit to these young athletes in after life. For a time I had grave fears that New York would outclass us in track sports on account of the many sets of games of the Public School League, but those in charge of the 1915 movement have come to the fore and have done a lot to develop athletics. When 1915 does arrive Boston should boast of some star athletes." The Herald commented thus: "The championship promises to be a grand contest, witii Columbus Avenue and Marcella Street the favorites. Every one of the district stars who were prominent in the preliminary sectional meets will be on hand, and as several of the boys have been prominent in the big meets about Greater Boston this summer, the indications point to some exceptionally high-class competitions." ^^^I^^^^^^Hks^ .^Sfa^K'^v i 't 'i ** wi ""^ , i ^m THE MILK SITUATION MRS. WILLIAM LOWELL PUTNAM A great deal of attention has been di- rected to the milk supply of Boston lately — contractors, producers, and rail- roads have all clamored that their earn- ings were too small, or if this excuse could hardly do duty, that they would be too small if such and such things happened, and the consumer, the patient consumer, has paid more each time, to get less, as the years have gone by. The interest in the situation, however, has not been confined to those who have wrangled and threatened; there has been one other body of people, who have not made much noise, but who have listened and observed, and who are biding their time to act, the largest and most im- portant body of all, without whom all the other elements in this struggle (for a struggle the others have made it) are nothing;— without a market for their milk, of what good is it to the producers, contractors, and railroads to adjust their prices? This is the age of organization, com- binations of capital, and labor unions have made themselves strong, and by their united action great things have been accomplished. The Standard Oil Company, for instance, through the Corn Refining Products Company, has raised the price of certain cattle feeds fifty per cent, which heavily increases the price of milk production and a few years ago the contractors in the milk business openly combined in fixing the price of milk. Since the Sherman anti-trust law was passed, all combinations have had to be very carefully managed, but it is not difficult to arrange these in such a way that much astuteness is required to prove their existence. Two men can speak to one another in the street, why not? And if either of them later happens to meet a third — again, why not? Attorney General O'Malley unearthed such a combination in New York last year, in November, 1909, aroused to his incjuiries by the sudden increase in the price of milk from eight to nine cents a quart. The contractors said this was necessary, intimating that their profits were too small to permit their selling milk at eight cents; that so suicidal a policy would result in sudden dissolution to these public benefactors, etc., etc. But the hard-hearted prosecuting at- torney continued his investigations with the result here given in his own words: At the time that the raise was made in the price of bottled milk, many of the dealers announced that the raise was made necessary by the additional cost of milk paid to the producers by the dealers and on account of the additional cost in handling. This state of facts, it is clearly shown, did not exist. For the average price paid by the dealers to the producers in the year 1909 for milk was slightly less than that paid to producers in the year 1908. Furthermore, the examination of the books of some of the largest dealers revealed the following state of facts: One company showed net profits, after all charges and expenses of every kind and nature had been deducted, on fluid milk alone, New York and Chicago, for the nine months ending September 30, 1909, of $779,407.92, and for the corresponding nine months during the year 1908, $439,054.80, showing that during the same period in 1909, the net profits of fluid milk alone. New York and Chicago, increased $340,353.12 over the preceding year. This company's total net profits for the year ending September ^30, 1909, were $2,617,029.40. The total capital stock of this company, issued and outstanding during that year, was $25,000,000, of which $15,428,408.46 was issued for trademarks, patents and good will, it being merely a balancing entry on their books. This company, during its ten years of existence, paid nearly every year a dividend of 6 per cent on its preferred stock and a dividend of 10 per cent on its common stock, and during that time has succeeded in rolling up a surplus of $8,824,230.59 in addition Another company, which was incorporated about eight years ago, .... showed that the net earnings for the eight months ending October 31, 1909, after deducting all charges and expenses of every kind and nature, were $257,923.47, which is over 120 per cent made in eight months on the amount originally invested in this company eight years ago These are only two of the instances which show that the raise in price from eight to nine cents a quart for bottled milk to the consumers about November 1, 1909, was not justified, either by the increase in price paid to the producer for milk or by the increased cost in handling, the figures show- ing that the enormous profits realized in the year 1908 were greatly exceeded by those realized in the year 1909, up to November 1st, when the price to the consumer was raised. Philadelphia has been just going through the throes of a milk rate war. 238 NEW BOSTON In August last the large contractors raised the price of a quart of milk to nine cents, but the small dealers declared that they were making a fair profit by selling it at eight cents, and they should maintain that price until they were obliged to pay more to the farmers. The frugal Pennsylvania housewives as- serted themselves in no uncertain terms. They gave up dealing with the large contractors and flocked to the small men in such numbers that there was nothing for the large dealers to do but to reduce their price again and try to win back the trade which they had lost in the few days during which they had kept the price at nine cents. Now one of them is casting aspersions on the quality of the milk of the little dealers and pointing out the bad condition of the general milk supply of Philadelphia. In this he is undoubtedly right, as is stated by both the health authorities and the Bureau of Municipal Research. It would be interesting to know, how- ever, how much effect the quality of his milk really had on the price he asked. The better product should command a higher price than an inferior article, unques- tionably, but it is exceedingly improbable that all the small dealers sold bad milk, and nobody has ever suggested that the milk of all of the large ones was what it' ought to have been. How is it in Boston? Are the con- tractors here charging more than a fair profit, and is their product all it ought to be? The former question is hard to answer, but some light has been thrown on it during the controversy here and the resulting investigations, and the second will be answered in trying to answer the first. On the first of last May a strike was called l)y the producers because, as they stated, they could not afford to produce milk for the pay they were receiving and the contractors refused them an increase. A special committee was appointed by the Legislature to investigate the whole situation. This committee consisted of seven members, four of whom had already publicly pledged themselves to support the farmers before they accepted positions on this committee. The proceed- ings lasted for over three weeks and during that time some valuable testi- mony was brought out. It was first shown that the farmers of Massachusetts and the adjoining states were receiving a sum for their milk too small to live on, or to permit the milk to be produced, in general, in a way to ensure health to the consumer. Of course this question of a living price to the farmers is immensely affected by the daily yield of a cow compared with the amount of her feed. Most farmers do not yet under- stand this, and, therefore, although the average annual yield of butter per cow in the United States has increased during the last five years from sixty-one pounds to 155 pounds, yet, nevertheless, it is estimated by good judges that one- fourth of all the cows in the country are kept at a loss, and that another fourth barely pay for themselves. This is a very serious condition and affects the whole problem of milk production from a financial standpoint more than any- thing else. The strike was finally settled by the contractors paying the farmers seven cents more a can for their milk than they had been receiving, and resulted in raising the price to the consumer one cent a quart. As a can contains eight and one-half quarts it is evident that the contractors came out from the strike with a gain of one and one-half cents for every can of milk sold at retail, the producers also received seven cents more per can, and the consumers paid eight and one-half cents more than they had paid before ; the producers and the middle- men w^ere well satisfied — but how was it with the consumers? Perhaps this can be best answered by the fact that they have since formed an organization of their own — a combination not in "re- straint of trade" surely, but to promote fair trade, that producers and middlemen may each receive the pay which is re- quired for the proper production and care of milk but no more, and that the milk shall be of such a quality that people may use it with a sense of security which they cannot now enjoy. Another fact brought out at the hear- ing was that the bacteria in milk during the strike had in some instances exceeded 19,000,000 to the cubic centimeter (a cubic centimeter is equal to about a thimbleful), and that this number quad- ruples the number of bacteria in the THE MILK SITUATION 239 crude sewage discharged into Boston harbor. This milk which was so heavily freighted with undesirable occupants came from considerable distances, and yet the contractors testified that it was cheaper for them to bring this milk to Boston than milk which was produced nearer home. This testimony has two bearings, first on the railroad rates, the second also on the price of milk for by restricting the quantity supplied to Boston the supply is diminished. Railroad rates are always less pro- portionately for long distances than for short ones. To a certain extent this is inevitable. It is just as much a trouble to load and unload cars for short hauls as it is for long ones, and yet it is so manifestly opposed to the inter- ests of the consumer that milk should come from long distances, that the rail- roads, as public-service corporations, should do all that is reasonable to favor short hauls for the sake of the public whom they serve and the latest indica- tions are that they will do so. iVs to the second point, speaking in answer to a question why he did not ordinarily bring in milk from New York if it was cheaper, as he stated, one of Boston's largest contractors said: Contractor: The price ■would be lowered neces- sarily by the excessive quantity of milk that was brought in. Senator Meaney: You don't need to use this local milk if you don't want to, do you? You could use the New York milk exclusively, there wouldn't be any need of any surplus on your hands, unless you chose to have it? Contractor: No, but a market that is flooded isn't in as healthy a condition, that would be our reason for not inviting a foreign market here. Senator Meaney: You mean somebody else would get this local milk in competition with you? Contractor: Very likely they would. Senator Meaney: And would be able, although they paid a higher price than you, to sell it at a lower price? Contractor: No, they couldn't do that. Senator Meaney: Well then, what would be the evil? Contractor: There would be so much milk on the market that there would be at times a tempta- tion to sell it very cheap. Senator Meaney: Sell it cheaper to the consumer? Contractor: Yes, everybody would get it cheaper that handled it. Senator Meaney: Well, if you could buy it cheaper, there wouldn't be much objection in .sell- ing it cheaper, would there? Contractor: No, but I think that we all admit that there is a more healthy condition if there isn't a flooded market, whether it be milk, potatoes or anything else. Senator Meaney: Well, the flooded mirket would be occasioned by your bringing in the New York milk, and the local milk would be turned over to some other contractors, is that the idea? Contractor: Yes. The action referred to previously as brought by the attorney general of New York state was brought on the ground of a "combination to limit and lessen the supply of milk in the state of New York and to fix and control the price thereof." It appears to have distinct bearing on the testimony quoted. Further testimony before' this special Legislative Committee showed that the amount of money appropriated by the city of Boston for its Health Department permitted the employment of only three assistants for the milk inspector whose duties are to inspect the premises and milk of seven large contractors, 170 small dealers and between 3,700 and 3,800 shops where milk is sold. This shows the utter impossibility of an adequate inspection of the milk after it reaches Boston and no provision for inspection of the farms that supply Boston with milk was ever made until this summer when Dr. Durgin, chairman of the Board of Health, asked for an appropriation for the purpose. Considerable credit for this is due one member of the legislative committee, but this movement would have been made long ago had the board had the support of public opinion. No health officer can go too far in advance of the public demand else his regulations do more harm than good by rousing antagonism in those who should sup])ort him. The milk inspector of this city is a man of deserved reputation throughout the coimtry, and in so far as has been pos- sible he and the Board of Health, whose chairman is one of the two or three leading sanitarians in the LTnited States, have done all they could to make the milk supplied to Boston as good as it ought to be, but it has been impossible for lack of funds, and* more important still, as stated above, for lack of the support of public opinion, because, grant- ing a sufficient quantity of the latter, the requisite amount of the former would be assured. The lack of inspection makes it pos- sible for the usual conditions to be not so far in advance of those pertaining during the strike as one coiUd wish as 240 NEW BOSTON will be seen from the testimony of another contractor whose milk comes in greatest measure to Boston, although he also sui)i)lies some neighboring cities. This man admitted that he collects some of his milk only every other day in dis- tricts where he gathers but little of this perishable fluid, so that by the time this milk starts for Boston some of it is already thirty-six hours old. It may be said that there is but little of this old milk, hence the harm done must be slight . This is not so, however, for all milk is mixed together on its arrival in Boston and the impuri- ties which have developed in any of it are thus communicated to the whole supply, where they find a generous and rich soil in which to multiply a thousand- fold. This same contractor when asked by the commissioner at the hearing before the Interstate Commerce Commission if he had himself rather drink fresh milk twenty-four hours old, or milk pas- teurized when twelve hours old, and kept for forty-eight hours after pasteuriz- ation, promptly disclaimed any desire for either, saying that he knew too much about the places where the milk came from not to be very particular about the milk he himself consumed. Another of our contractors gets a large quantity of his milk from New Hamp- shire and Vermont. This milk he pasteurizes in Vermont. Some of it is fresh and some of it is not so fresh when it is put through the process of pasteuri- zation, but after it reaches Boston none of it is fresh any more, for it is a well- known fact that milk when pasteurized deteriorates more quickly than raw milk and is more liable to contamination, and hence should be sealed immediately after it is pasteurized and even with this ])recaution it shoidd be consumed within thirty-six hours at the latest. How is it with this milk! We learned of this contractor at the hearing before the Interstate Commerce Commission here, that this milk is brought down from Vermout in large tanks, from which it is put into cans and delivered to peddlers, who in turn bottle it and de- liver it to their customers; first, tanks which can hardly be sealed, then two transfers before delivery, and last but not least some of this milk, by his own admission,* is kept for forty -eight hours after pasteurization before it is sold to those who consume it. Would anyone knowingly drink this sort of milk him- self, much less feed it to babies? And yet this is being done all the time, for these last two men are supplying an enormous amount of the milk of the city. There is one good thing which has come in a measure out of all this agita- tion, and that is the arousing of the public. The Bureau of Municipal Re- search of Philadelphia in its recent re- port says that "the level of milk quality cannot rise higher than its supply, and dairy farmers will not ordinarily pro- duce better milk than is demanded." The Massachusetts public is not the only one roused; from Maine to Florida, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the papers are full day after day of the regulations and prosecutions of the vari- ous health boards of the different cities. But city inspection is not what is really needed, it is only a temporary expedient for inspection which should be done not only at the farms, but by the states. The great importance of state inspec- tion of the farms has been forcibly brought out in the present typhoid fever epidemic in Worcester which has been traced to the milk of a certain dealer who has been forbidden for the present to sell his milk in that city. One newspaper making this statement per- tinently remarks, however, that it will now be sold in some other town near by, thus spreading the contagion to other places. This thought is causing a clamor for a milk inspector in Leicester and other neighboring towns and shows the urgent need of uniform legislation to cover the whole state. Even if Leicester and the other towns near Worcester succeed in keeping this infected milk from being sold to their citizens, there is nothing to prevent its being made into ice cream or butter and so returning to any or all of these places which have condemned it. It has been found by careful investigation that freezing germs does not destroy their vitality, but only hinders their increase. The germs of tuberculosis have been found to live in butter in cold storage for over five months and at the end of that time to possess sufficient vitality still to give the disease to guinea pigs. It may be THE MILK SITUATION 241 argued that state-wide laws even are not enough to protect us from bad butter; truly, nor are federal ones, but they are the important step to be taken now, and an enlightened public opinion will in time bring broader ones still. A striking instance of the need of proper legislation for the protection of the public is shown by a decision ren- dered in Concord lately. A milkman was brought into court by the com- monwealth charged with selling milk containing a foreign substance, in that the milk was contaminated with ma- nure. The defendant was acquitted, the judge deciding that the law which prohibited the sale of milk containing any added foreign substance did not apply in this case. He stated that as the statute read "milk to which water or any foreign substance has been added," the foreign substance should be of such a nature that it must have been added with intent, such as coloring matter or preservatives. He said further that in his opinion the law was intended to aim at adulteration which would increase the value of the milk by extending it, or giving it a better appearance, and did not apply to any accidental adulteration. The manure in this case was in such quantity that the milk was called "very dirty" by the prosecutor, and yet from these conditions there is no protection for the consumer. There is no longer room for doubt that tuberculosis is transmitted from the cow to the human being, particularly to children, and the vehicle for this trans- mission is milk. Fully twenty per cent of the cases of tuberculosis of the intes- tines in children are of bovine origin, and probably many cases hitherto sup- posed to have come from other human beings in reality started with the cow. It is in comparatively rare instances that a cow gives milk infected with tubercle bacilli; she does so usually only when the udder is itself diseased or in cases of generalized tuberculosis, and these cases can, as a rule, be detected by a mere physical examination of the cow, as she is then apt to show the disease in her appearance. It is not at all rare, how- ever, for a cow, who to all outward seeming is in perfect health, fat and well liking, to have tuberculosis either in the lungs or somewhere in the diges- tive tract, in a sufficiently advanced stage to be a source of grave danger, when even from a careful physical ex- amination she would have been pro- nounced perfectly sound. Tuberculosis of the lungs produces in a cow much the same danger as does the same disease when its seat is the mesenteric glands of the intestine. As a cow never spits out what she coughs up from her lungs it follows that she must swallow it, hence, when the disease is in either of these places, and they are the parts most frequently attacked, the cow passes tubercle bacilli in her feces, often in great numbers. This constitutes the greatest danger of tuberculosis in cattle, for though the numbers of germs passed out from the body are not so great as when the cow has the disease in the udder, the chance of discovering it is less, as it may often be far advanced and yet only discoverable by the tuberculin test. Even if the tuberculin test were not needed for the protection of human life, it is urgently called for for the financial protection of the farmers themselves. Dr. Melvin, chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry, estimates that this country loses in hve stock annually $23,000,000. What has been stated above shows two things; first and most important, the urgent need of cleanliness, and second, the benefit to be got from the tuberculin test. It has been estimated that the city of Berlin consumes 300 pounds of cow dung daily in its milk supply, and Berlin is not peculiar in this. Cows are not so particular about their persons but that they will lie down wherever it chances to be convenient, and if the barnyard is in the condition which is only too common in all countries, our own in- cluded, their flanks and udders quickly become caked with the droppings of any or all of the herd. With milking carried on in the "good old-fashioned way," ungroomed cows and wide-mouthed pails, the milker in rubbing his arm and shoulder against the cow knocks an indefinite amount of this crumbling dirt into the milk pail and in this way one tubercular cow may contaminate the milk of the whole herd. The decision of the Concord court referred to above shows clearly why 242 NEW BOSTON this is allowed to go on — there is no law to 'prevent it. A short time ago a curious thing hap- pened in a small shop. The shopkeeper had placed on his dip-tank a saucer full of arsenic and water to kill the flies that infested his shop, and on the arrival of the milk inspector to test the milk, rather than take the trouble to lift the saucer, the man pushed it to one side to leave room for the inspector to make his examination. In pushing it aside, however, it was upset and saucer and all slid into the can, full of milk, which had but just arrived from the milkman. The inspector, filled with sympathy, ex- claimed: "Oh! what a pity to have to throw away all that fresh milk." "Throw it away! Well, I guess not!" cried the owner of the shop, and only by the help of a policeman was the inspector, no longer sympathetic, enabled to accom- plish the necessary destruction. This man did not intentionally put arsenic into his milk, but if people had died in consequence of drinking it, would he not have been responsible for its being there? The law ought to be so framed that a man shall be held responsible not only when he deliberately puts poison into his milk, but when, through his neglect or carelessness, it gets in even without his intention, and it matters not whether the poison is an inorganic one like arsenic, or an organic one like the germs of dis- ease. He is held responsible in the case of other foods, and yet these other foods are not to be compared in danger with milk which from its very nature consti- tutes an almost ideal breeding place, so perfect that one germ is capable of pro- ducing 1,000,000 others within a few hours without more help than the tem- perature of a warm summer day. Last year a number of hideous mur- ders were perpetrated, intended to be sweeping in their action, the victims being a whole family, and the distant members were attacked by having sent to them ty{)hoid fever germs in a way calculated to give them the disease. A part of the object was fortunately frus- trated, but if the nuu'derer had lived a little nearer and been able to use this perfect medium of milk in which to introduce the germs to his victims he might have been even more successful. This is what is being unintentionally done all the time as the innumerable epidemics caused by milk show with pain- ful certainty. There is no law to prevent this, and nobody responsible for the protection of the public health in this most vital matter. In Massachusetts alone, within the short space of four years, there were fourteen epidemics of typhoid fever di- rectly traced to milk, six of scarlet fever and a great number of cases of diph- theria. Typhoid fever is a rural disease and hence peculiarly liable to get into milk, and the difficulty of preventing this is much increased by typhoid car- riers who may bear the germs about with them, although the disease itself may have left them a score of years before. In spite of the enormous quantity of illness and the many deaths caused by these outbreaks of contagious disease, and the great number of cases of tuberculosis in children directly traced to a bovine source, all these are as nothing in com- parison with the deaths of infants from cholera infantum and kindred troubles. All these belong at the door of the milk supply, for they are all caused by food. In Massachusetts, at a conservative esti- mate, between 2,500 and 3,000 babies die every year of these diseases, all of them preventable, all of them a disgrace to a civilized nation. We talk of con- servation of our natural resources — what resources are so important to a nation as its people, and yet we throw away lives with reckless extravagance? In the Spanish war we lost fourteen men of preventable diseases to every one who died of wounds. Out of every thousand children born in this state we lose about 170 during their first year of life. The object to be aimed at in purifying our milk supply is the complete preven- tion of the transmission of disease in milk, and although this can never be absolutely accomplished, nothing short of it must ever satisfy us. It is more than time that this state, which has always prided itself on its thrift and foresight, should show that it has not forgotten its traditions. If love of humanity cannot do it, at least prudence should counsel the prevention of this waste of human life. » BACK TO THE FARM Some Reasons for Bad and Good Milk TIE-UP WITH UIHTY, DEFECTn E ELOOR, CEILING AND BACK A CLEAN, WELL LIGHTED, WELL VENTILATED BASEMENT TIE-UP 244 NEW BOSTON MILK ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF A TENEMENT HOUSE COW SHED SHOWING DEFECTIVE FLOORING AND DRAIN BACK TO THE FARM 245 cow BARN WITH LITTLE PROVISION FOR LIGHT Tons of valuable manure losing much of its value through rain DAIRY OWNER AND EMACIATED COW [€46 NEW BOSTON FOUL MILK ROOM WITH FOUL UTENSILS AN INEXPENSIVE »UT CLEAN DAIRY HOUSE The Milk-Protective Work of the Board of Health of Montclair, N. J. M. N. BAKER President Montclair Board of Health and Editor Engineering News, New York Sixteen years ago, when the popula- tion of Montclair was about ten thousand, the town was visited by a serious typhoid epidemic. Within the space of a few weeks some eighty cases and a dozen or more deaths resulted. A careful in- vestigation showed that all those who suffered and died from the disease were supplied from a single milk dealer whose dairy was located just outside the town limits. Further investigation disclosed the familiar cycle: A light case of ty- phoid fever on the part of a son of the milkman; a surface privy near and at a higher elevation than the shallow well on the milkman's premises; the use of water from this well to wash the dairy utensils; and the spread of typhoid fever along the route of the milkman, with the tragic results already stated. In those days Montclair, like most communities of ten thousand at that time, had no properly-constituted board of health. In common with other town- ships of the state, various local officials were rather loosely joined together and charged with looking after the health of the town. The princely sum of $200 a year, or two-fifths of a cent per capita, was divided equally between the salary of a "health officer" and "incidental" expenses of the Board of Health. About all the town got for the money was the inspection and sometimes the abate- ment of the grossest offenses to nose and eye caused by neglected privies and overflowing cesspools, together with some placarding of houses and burning of sulphur for cases of scarlet fever and diphtheria. About the time the typhoid outbreak occurred, the local government was in process of change from towmship to town. With the change came a Board of Health of five members, chosen by the town council, and dependent upon it for ap- propriations, but vested with absolute legislative and administrative powers, up to the limitations set or authority granted by the rather liberal state health act. The first and most important act of the new board was the selection of a health officer. Instead of choosing a physician whose first thought would be his private practice, his second his per- sonal ease and pleasure, and his third the work of the board, application was made to Prof. William T. Sedgwick, of the Massachusetts Institute of Tech- nology, for a graduate of that school who had been trained in sanitary engi- neering, chemistry and bacteriology. The young engineer sent by Professor Sedg- wick was made the executive officer of the Board, with no other duties than to look after the health of the town. Whatever success the Montclair Board of Health has had, whether in dealing with the milk supply or other problems, has been largely due to the two condi- tions just mentioned: (1) Possession by it of full legislative and administra- tive power, limited only by the laws of the state; and (2) the employment of full-time technically trained health offi- cers, graduates of schools of sanitary engineering, chemistry and bacteriology, rather than of schools of medicine. A third and scarcely less important ele- ment in the success of the Board has been absolute freedom from politics. With the lessons of the milk epidemic of typhoid fever fresh in the minds of the members of the Board of Health and of the public alike, it is not surpris- ing that a large part of the work of the Board has been directed to the milk supply, nor that the public has stood back of the Board in its eft'orts to secure clean milk, free from the germs of disease. The need and value of close sanitary supervision of the milk supply has been emphasized again and again by out- breaks of diphtheria and scarlet fever, NEW BOSTON which have hecii shown by ai)j)arently good evidence to have been due to milk infection. At first thought, these out- breaks might seem to disprove rather than prove the value of milk supervision, since we have seemed to have more milk outbreaks of communicable disease in Moiilclair than have other communi- ties of like size in which no attention is given to the sanitary character of the milk supply. The facts are that our system of investigating every case of communicable disease and of inspecting every dairy at frequent intervals dis- closes relationships between the two which are never dreamed of in many other communities. Coupled with this, is our practice of giving the widest pub- licity to all the factors in the origin and spread of epidemics and even minor outbreaks of communicable disease, as opposed to the practice of concealment which until quite recently was almost universal, lest "business" should be injured. Let it be understood before I go fur- ther, that the Montclair system of safeguarding the public milk supply did not spring up in a day. The great typhoid epidemic showed the need of careful supervision and led to safe- guards which w^ere radical at the time of their introduction. The lesser out- breaks of other diseases disclosed weak- nesses in our defensive system and led to more stringent protective measures. In the early days of the Board, be- ginning in 1894, dairy inspection was the chief reliance against infected milk. Gradually, rules were evolved and placed before the milk pi-oducers for their ob- servance. About 1898 a thorough-going milk ordinance was drawn, submitted to Professor Sedgwick for expert criti- cism, and then made the subject of a conference between the Board and the milk dealers. Valuable suggestions from Professor Sedgwick and the milkmen were nuide the basis of changes in the draft of the ordinance before its final enact- ment. For many years our milk reguhitions of 1898 served our purpose well, but on coming to a general revision of our Sanitary Code in 1907 it was found de- sirable to strengthen the milk section in some particulars, in accordance with lessons drawn from our own experience and also from that of the many boards of health and sanitary investigators who had taken up the subject within the past few years. It would be more tiresome than help- ful to attempt to trace in more detail the evolution of our milk regulations and our system of dairy inspection. I will therefore confine the remainder of this article to a general outline of our milk-protective work. To place the milk supply of the town within the control of the Board, we require, first of all, that every milk dealer file with the board a complete statement of the localities and persons whence the milk he sells is derived. The same information must be given re- garding the ice used to cool the milk. To trace without loss of time the possible relationships between the milk supply and cases of communicable disease, every dealer must file with the board on June 15 and December 15 of each year, and at any other time on three days' notice, a list of all the pefi'sons to whom he is selling milk. Strict rules are laid down regarding the cleanliness, ventilation and lighting of stables, the exclusion of diseased cows from the dairy herds, the food and water supply of the cows, the cleanliness of cows and of the milkers, and the exclusion from among those engaged in milking or in handling the milk or milk utensils of any and all persons suffering from diphtheria, typhoid or scarlet fever and other specified diseases. Cooling the milk to 50° F. within forty-five minutes after it is drawn from the cows and keeping it at or below that temperature until it is delivered to the consumers is compulsory. Milk supplies having bac- terial contents in excess of 100,000 per cubic centimeter on two or more different days are liable to exclusion from town. Separate mention deserves to be made of a long-standing requirement to the effect that no milk shall be delivered in town except from cows which are certi- fied by a reputable veterinarian as having been examined by him and found to be free from disease. In the revision of 1907 there was added to this recpiire- ment a provision that the examination should include the tuberculin test, and THE MILK-PROTECTIVE WORK 249 that all cows reacting to the test should be removed from the herd. All dealers but one complied with this requirement. This one has secured the temporary setting aside of the requirement, pending a suit in the courts. Meanwhile most of the other dealers are continuing to make the tuberculin test voluntarily. Health codes and ordinances are of little value unless efficient means are taken for their enforcement. For many years past the dairies supplying Mont- clair have been inspected at regular intervals. Most of the separate sup- plies are inspected two or three times a year, and some oftener, if occasion de- mands. One large supply, from a num- ber of separate herds 150 miles distant, is generally inspected but once a year. On the inspections a score card is used to determine the standing of the dairies as a whole, when compared with ideal conditions. Bacterial counts and examinations of the milk for fats, solids and evidences of watering are made at least once a month, as a rule. Particular attention is given to the bacterial counts and to the temperature of the milk, as these are taken as the best possible evidences of cleanliness and carefulness, or the reverse, on the part of the dairymen. Publicity is given to the results of both dairy inspections and milk analyses through the annual reports of the board. Here are published the detailed findings for each dairy, a general summary for each dairy, and the relative standing of the several dairies as regards bacterial counts, fats and solids and dairy score cards. Every householder in town is supplied with either a copy of the annual report or reprint pages therefrom giving the milk data just described. The net results of the milk-protective work of the Montclair Board of Health is in part reflected by the average of the bacterial counts for the first six months of the present year. Three of the eleven dealers supplying the town showed less than 7,000 bacteria per cubic centimeter for that period; seven showed less than and an eighth just over 50,000; all but one were below 84,000. One dealer alone exceeded 100,000. His average was 288,000 for the six months. Since the half year closed it has been discovered that this high-count dealer had been making up shortages from his regular supply by purchases from small, unin- spected dairies, which he had failed to report to the board. He has been brought into court and fined for this violation of the ordinance. Although the bacterial showing was unusually good the first half of this year, due to special efforts by both the board and the dealers, most of the milk sellers have kept well below 100,000 for a number of years past and a few have almost invariably kept their average far below that figure. As a rule, there has been an explanation for every high count — generally temporary carelessness or neglect of some essential feature of cleanliness or failure to get and keep the temperature of the milk down to 50° F. I make no attempt to show the effect of our milk-protective work on the health of the community, since that work is only a part of what is being done to reduce the sickness and death rates, and to cut down communicable diseases and infant mortalit3\ Those who wish to study the yearly records of commun- icable diseases, infantile mortality, and the general death rate in conjunction with the details of our milk-protective work can secure the latest annual report of the board by addressing C. H. Wells, Health Officer, Montclair, N. J., to whom the credit of our milk-protective work since he assumed office some five years ago is almost wholly due. Prompt Birth Returns — The Prime Need and Foundation of PubHc Health Work RICHARD C. CABOT, M.D. Are birth statistics of practical, tan- gible value? Most assuredly. Do they really help us to save lives and to lessen suffering? That is just what they do. Somehow people are down on statistics today, as if they were the province of some spectacled, dry-as-dust professor. But in fact we need them in public-health work as the navigator needs a map, as the traveller needs an up-to-date time table. Statistics settle what we ought to do next, which direction to work in, what is worth pushing for. We have no more practical guide to action. Yet the United States is utterly bar- baric in her carelessness about vital statistics. We are classed with Turkey and Central Africa when it comes to any knowledge of the prevailing causes of death and the actual rates of birth. We are outside the pale of civilized na- tions, because less than forty per cent of our people think it worth while to keep any proper records of births and deaths. Only seventeen states have any accurate death statistics and not a single state has even a fairly complete registra- tion of births. I will not dwell on the importance of accurate and complete registration of births, on the dreadful possibilities of doubt and error about parentage and descent, rnarriage-age, voting-age, child labor, and the many other vital matters in which we need the most positive and definite knowledge. To settle exactly when you were born may become at any moment a life or death need. But since Boston is to be congratu- lated on her remarkably complete regis- tration of births, I am not concerned to lecture the rest of Massachusetts on its culpable carelessness about them. Bos- ton's Registry Department under E. W. McGlennen has succeeded in securing registration of nearly all the babies and deserves great credit for its work. My concern is not tvith completeness but ivith 'promptness. If we are to stop gonorrhoeal eye disease and the blindness that so often results in new born babies we must catch them while they are new born. A birth record four to six weeks behind the facts is of no use to us. That baby's eyes will be long past praying for if we are to wait weeks or months before getting after them with silver nitrate solution. The records of the Massachu- setts Charitable Eye and Ear Infirmary prove that we cannot always trust the doctor or the midwife to protect the baby's eyes. After days and weeks of needless, cruel suffering — needless because preventable — these poor babies drift into the Eye and Ear Infirmary with the pus oozing from their inflamed eyes — often too late to save their eyesight. Now if the Board of Health knew of every birth in the city of Boston within forty-eight hours of its occurrence it would be within the board's power to stop thirty per cent of all the blindness that is brought about every year — or in other words, to check gonorrhoeal ophthalmia by the prompt, early, persistent application of one per cent silver nitrate solution. Provided the board had money sufficient to supply the requisite number of visitors it would be in their power to right this great wrong, to correct this shameful blunder which has been allowed to exist so long. Very possibly the board might not consider it best directly or immediately to exercise this power. It might be better to allow private agencies, medical societies or individual initiative to take advantage of the knowl- edge which prompt birth returns would furnish. But whether by public or by private effort, gonorrhoeal ophthalmia ought to be abolished at once. Infant mortality — the huge record of still births and deaths under one year — can never be attacked successfully until we have every birth reported as promptly as every case of smallpox is. Every PROMPT BIRTH RETURNS 251 birth, like every case of smallpox, means a new risk to the community — and a new opportunity. Most mothers are quite innocent of any understanding of their business as mothers. The new life is launched without a rudder or a pilot, and its course is far more dangerous than that of any craft afloat. If the city wants to check the waste of infant life it must see that every child gets a fair start with some decent care around it. Some mothers can be taught, some can be supervised, some are competent and need no help. Most of the ignorant ones love their babies and welcome any tactful offer of expert advice. But if in the hot summer time, when babies die so terribly fast, we have nowhere any official record of a child's birth until weeks or months after it occurs, — "too late" will be the verdict of doctor or nurse in many many cases next summer and every summer as in the past. I am not pretending to say what the Board of Health will do with these prompt birth records when it gets them. No wholesale interference with the bringing up of healthy babies is desired by anyone. But I believe that no one will deny my thesis that the Board of Health has the right and the duty to know of every birth in the city of Boston within forty- eight hours of its occurrence. Other American cities have recently awakened to this need. In New York state all but the four large cities are now living under a law which compels the reporting of all births within thirty- six hours. I have reports from the health officers of Rochester, Syracuse and Utica, stating that there is no considerable difficulty in enforcing the law. Why should we not have the same success in Boston provided a law requiring prompt birth returns were enacted.'* Thereby hangs a long and ludicrous tale. Massachusetts has enacted legis- lation which theoretically abolishes the midwife. Midwives (legally) do not exist in Massachusetts. Yet these (legally) non-existent midwives are legally required to report births! And what is more they do report in Lawrence twenty-seven per cent of all the births. In Boston a midwife can be jailed for plying her trade, yet she is paid by the city when (as not very infrequently happens) she reports a birth. As a rule she shields herself behind a doctor who comes in after the child is born, receives a "rake off" and reports the birth in his own name. Until this humiliating state of things is changed, it is not likely that we shall have prompt birth returns. The mid- wives are here to stay. They are desired by a large element of our population. If properly examined and licensed by the state, they can fill a definite and useful function here, as they do in other iVmeri- can states and in Europe. As it is at present, we put a premium on the ser- vice of the lowest and most ignorant class of women. If refused a license in New York or elsewhere, they have only to settle in this state where (since they are legally a fiction) , no examination or registration is required. Here they can practice unmolested and be paid for reporting births! Nothing could be more absurd and corrupt than our present system, whereby the venial doctor and the ignorant mid- wife work together to defraud the state and endanger the public health. To Summarize: 1. Births may now be reported in Massachusetts as late as six weeks after their occurrence. In some cities they are not reported for months. A physi- cian has been known to report 200 births in one bunch in December. 2. The precious days — for public health work — are the first two to three after the child's birth. It is by getting in touch with the family at that time that health officers and private agencies can accomplish results in preventing infant mortality and loss of sight. 3. We need legislation requiring (in large cities at any rate) the reporting of births within thirty-six hours. In country districts three days is probably a proper allowance. 4. Until midwives are examined, li- censed and freed from the shameful necessity of paying doctors a commis- sion for falsely reporting births, it is not probable that we shall get prompt birth reports. THE ELF CHILD LILIAN V. ROBINSON Dramatics for children have so many possible evils to offset their educational value, that the Hawthorne Club, a South End neighborhood house, has done little in the past to encourage its members in their frequently expressed desire "to give a show." Surrounded as the Haw- thorne Club is with cheap theaters, nickelodeons and moving picture shows, and having had among its members stage children of tender years whose little bodies, minds and voices showed the evil results of the strain they had undergone, the club was somewhat lack- ing in enthusiasm for the possibilities which might accompany dramatic train- ing. It was not till a few months ago that a group of Italian, Jewish and Irish club children — fourteen in all — varying in age from five to eleven years — were allowed to give a musical play, "The Elf Child." No child was permitted to re- hearse for over half an hour at a time — the rehearsals covering altogether about ten hours. The children used such DEiEUiKD ELF CHILD "Nay, they arc gone, and nought is left but the echo" PROLOGUE "Think that you see, from left to right. A woodland, sun-kissed, dappled, bright." gestures as they wished (with a few sug- gestions), and were never allowed to strain their voices, or to rehearse or give the play except in the morning or after- noon in a clean, well-aired room. The scene of The Elf Child is in a forest. The plot is simple. An elf has strayed from her companions to the edge of the wood, seen the village children at play, and followed them to the doors of their homes. Invisible to human eyes except those of that wise w^oman, the herb gatherer, the elf seeks to gain a soul and a human home and mother. Through her sympathy and care for a lost child whom she finds in grief, she gains the soul which she had not been able to buy with fairy gold or obtain through the lore of elfdom. The little play, written by Miss Mackay, was cut of its more difficult passages and set to music by a Haw- thorne Club worker. It was first given in a room of one of the Hawthorne Club houses with the adjoining room for the audience of a dozen people. The walls of the room which served as a stage were completely hidden by young pine trees from the Hemenway estate, reaching from ceiling to floor and making the air delicious with their pungent odor — com- THE ELF CHILD 253 CHORUS OF CHILDREN WITH PLEADING ELF CHILD "Sleep, dolh', sleep" "Bird of the wild wood Hidden from me" 'Ciood herh-fiatherer, T seek thy counsel. I h;i\c no heart for my elfin ilanees. I want the look of human eyes, so deep, so tender" 354 NEW BOSTON pleting the illusion of a miniature forest. One of the older Hawthorne Club mem- bers, a girl of seventeen, made every- thing in the way of costumes for the play except the wings of the elf — buying material, cutting and sewing after her working day was over, and without aid from anyone. The Elf Child was repeated a few weeks ago on the grounds of the Nahant Club (formerly the old Tudor estate). Here the beautiful trees on the smooth lawn formed a natural background for the play — other trees on the sides form- ing the wings of the nature-made theater. One Hawthorne Club member of six- teen played the musical accompaniments upon a piano on the piazza of the Nahant Clubhouse; a somewhat difficult per- formance since an audience of a hundred and fifty sat on the lawn between the piazza and the "stage." The sweet voices of the children were not strong enough to carry any great distance and "Now I shall have me a soul, for see, I bring fairy gold, all glittering and shining" THE ELF FINDS THE LOST t lllLD, AND GAINS A SOUL "She is safe, she is safe, O good herb gatherer" THE ELF CHILD 255 they were warned not to strain them, but they gave the play, songs and words, without a mistake and with all the grace and lack of self-consciousness of child- hood. The Hawthorne Club directors still feel that dramatics must be used, not abused, that one is educational, the other the exploitation of children, and that the latter is frequent though not always deliberate. Rehearsals must be short, in the day for non-working chil- dren, and if for older girls and boys, limited to early hours that they may not be unfitted (as sometimes happens) for their next day's work. The plays them- selves must be educational with a sound moral. Cheap and vulgar operettas and plays have no place in a settlement house. Publicitv too must be avoided — the audience invited preferably rather than admitted by sale of tickets. A good deal is gained by letting the children make suggestions, use their own gestures (instead of imitating) make costumes and scenery. Better still, let them act out, — using their own words — a story which they have read or has been read to them. * Even very little children do this surprisingly well and gain in originality, power of expression and good English — not to mention the moral and ethical training which the good play gives. The Greek myths, Ulysses, Arachne, Pandora, Midas, or Pegasus all appeal to children, opening a very wonderland of charm and mystery and creating that good taste which later will help to form a more enlightened public opinion. - i i ^■i ^^■^ /^^^Nh ■pill fS ^jk 1 J J_ 1 ^H ^1 ^^^^^^r^- 1 ^H THE RETURN OF THE CHILDREN "Hush thee sweet and have no fear. See the village lights are near" THE PETERBOROUGH PAGEANT As the Producer Saw It GEORGE P. BAKER Professor of Dramatic Literature, Harvard University Pageantry, even in the United States, is becoming an annual summer amuse- ment. The special significance of the recent pageant at Peterborough, N. H., is not that it was given by a small com- munity, though this is rare in modern pageantry. It was unique in that as a tribute to the late Edward MacDowell, whose summer home was in the town, it depended musically almost completely on his compositions and aimed to be as much a memorial of him as of the history of Peterborough. It was a pageant as much musical as historical. It grew from a suggestion to me in midwinter by Mrs. ]\IacDowell that she would like to have in late July or August, on the grounds of the Memorial Associa- tion, a Pageant of Peterborough. No plan was suggested by her. In a second talk, after I had told her a little of what it seemed to me possible to do with the town history, Mrs. MacDowell queried whether, since much of her husband's music was written in a log cabin on his place in Peterborough, it might not be fitting to use, with the aid of the local choral club, a few selections from some of his compositions. In illustration she plaved me parts of the "Indian Lodge," "Indian Idyl," and "1620." At once the unifying idea for which I had been searching came to me, and for the first time I was completely won to the scheme. The mere historical pageant for a place not especially rich in history had not been altogether alluring, but the unifying idea, to compose a pageant which by ex- pressing the town's history through the MacDowell music should be a tribute to him, offered an unique opportunity. As, day by day, my associate to whom the pageant owes so much for his skil- ful, individual, yet reverent orchestra- tion, Mr. Clifton, j)layed to me this, that and the other of MacDowell's com- positions, I saw more and more clearly how well MacDowell had expressed the life and the poetic significance of this New England region. Gradually the details of the pageant took shape in my mind, and I set aside one composition after another for orchestration. It was soon clear that, except in one or two instances, it would be far better not to make selections of parts of the composi- tions but to use them in their entirety, and that not some three or four but at least fifteen should be used. Growing thus as I worked, the suggestion that I might use two or three selections be- came a Pageant of Peterborough History as expressed, or as it might be expressed, in MacDowell's music. Throughout, the spirit of MacDowell dominated the work. Poetic, dreamy, suggestive, it forbade pure realism in most of the pageant; suggestion, as in the music, must replace that. This fact and the stage, a space about 150 feet square levelled on a hillside among great pines, forbade as obtrusive any stage- settings. The Elizabethan appeal to the imagination was tried, and success- fully. Moreover, under this influence, my search in Peterborough history be- came not merely to find the dramatic and pictorial, but that which could be fused with the moods of the MacDowell music and expressed by it. The brief musical scenes, in most cases unusually brief for dramatic action because limited by the length of the MacDowell composi- tions, called for some scheme to bind them together more than could the fact that they were all expressed in MacDowell music. Moreover, the length of these musical scenes made it inartistic that the intercalated purely dramatic scenes should be of much greater length. It became necessary to say one's dramatic say in the most condensed way. These complicated demands made my writing of the i)ageant — the selection of the music, of the episodes to be presented, the com- positions of the prose portions — perhaps 258 NEW BOSTON the most delightful dramatic task I have ever faced. To balance fact and fancy, the serious and even the tragic with the amusing, to determine the proportions to be given, because of the nearness of our stage to the audience, to the spoken word, singing, dancing, pantomime, all this was absorbing because at every turn so dif- ferent from the conditions of the regular stage. I should like here to acknowl- edge the perfect comprehension and accord with which my colleagues de- veloped my plans for the pageant: Mr. Hagedorn in writing the lyrics, which have deservedly won great praise, under constant harassment because most of the music was not intended for words, and because I often spoiled his first choice in expression by the special work I wished the particular lyric to accom- plish in the total effect; Mr. Clifton in his remarkable orchestration and much of the final training of the chorus; and Miss Valentine in the charming dances. Nor could the pageant have been forced through in the brief time permitted, some ten weeks for the composing and for the training of the actors, had it not been the unswerving confidence in us, the seconding resourcefulness and indomitable courage of Mrs. MacDowell herself. The pageant was based on the thought that, born from the dreams of men, inter- preted in them, history begins and is represented. In the log-cabin that was his "House of Dreams," MacDowell dwelt on this New England scenery and history till its mystery and its beauty became his. My aim was to find its expression in his music, supplementing here and there with an episode purely dramatic for purposes of exposition or contrast. As a whole, I wanted the pageant to convey clearly the message of Peter- borough history, that labor is born of man's dreams and in labor the dreams come true; in brief, the truth of Lucy Larcom's lines : East and West Life beckons. Nothing satisfies the soul But opportunity for nobler work And glimpses of illimitable fields. To the music of some bars of 'Tn Deep Woods," and as the chorus sang the lyric Mr. Hagedorn had written for "From a Log Cabin," Clio opened the pageant, summoning her sister muses to preside over it. From the direction of the log cabin, Euterpe came, attended by figures in gleaming gray draperies which swirled as they danced. In turn entered Melpomene, Thalia and Terpsichore, wdth the dreams each muse inspires. Under their auspices the pageant de- veloped. To quote Mr. E. R. Brown's admirable brief summary of the pageant in the Boston Common, "These dreams were sent to the composer that he might see the legends of the past take life and glide before his eyes. He witnesses first an Indian bridal as it was before the white man came. Then the dreams change the scene to the North of Ireland, where he sees the poverty and oppression which force the people there to embark for the new world, and their sorrowful departure. In the twinkling of an ej^elash, the dreams bring him back again and show him the landing of these pilgrims at Portland, Maine, their exploration of the surround- ing country and their final settlement at Peterborough. And as in dreams we suffer and enjoy, with the keenness of actuality, so the composer feels the toil and hard- ship of the pilgrims, joins in their thanks- givings and laughs when they make merry. Time passes, and the dreams waft him on. In Colonial times he sees a wedding dance, smiles at the legend someone tells of old black Baker who met the devil in the woods, and then watches the farmers muster at the Revo- lutionary calls to arms. When the war is over he sees the youth of New England happily industrious in the cotton mills, working to lay aside money for an educa- tion, for a marriage portion, or for some other brighter end than mere daily bread. Yet he cannot linger. The dreams waft him on again, till he sees the farms abandoned in the gold fever of 1855, and later entirely deserted because of the Civil War, and finally the joyous welcome of Peterborough to her soldiers re- turning from the South. Then the dreams bring him to the present. They show him cosmopolitan New England as it is now, the refuge of many nations; his fancy pictures Peterborough welcoming the people of other lands. The muses return, beckoning to the dreams. The composer awakes, and the spirit of his genius speaks ; THE PETERBOROUGH PAGEANT 259 'Laugh, my dreams, and sigh. Sing, and vigil keep. Call to them that sleep! Call! Call!' But all I have written concerns the dramatic and literary rather than the sociological side of the pageant, perhaps the most interesting. I have long be- lieved that pageantry ought to stimulate pride in local history, strengthen com- munity spirit, and reveal unexpected artistic resources, and Peterborough pro- vided an admirable chance to test the theories. Except in one respect, condi- tions in the town were not especially favorable. That exception is the exis- tence of the MacDowell Choral Club of some eighty voices. This club of towns- people and a few summer visitors, founded two years ago by Mrs. Mac- Dowell has been trained with much enthusiasm by H. Brooks Day, a summer resident who is choir master of St. Luke's Church, Brooklyn. On the other hand, the townspeople are very busy on their farms or in the shops they manage in the village. The summer colony is small, and from the outset I made it a rule to choose a Peterborough citizen for a part rather than a summer visitor, for what the town could do artistically for itself and by itself was the question, not what others could do for it. x'Vt first some 150 persons pledged themselves to help, though rather blindly, as I found when I first met them as a group and explained the work. This number swelled to over 200 before the performances. As a result of the fact that far the greater number of these 200 were busy in shops, mills, and on the farms, rehearsals were very diflScidt to arrange. Evenings from 6.30 to 9.30, — early hours for ending because all had to go and come some distance and the days were laborious, — these were the only hours when I could count on a large attendance. Except for a very small number, rehearsals on Saturday were impossible, and till the last week of the three given to training the actors, I coidd not get more than three general rehearsals a week. I had to rehearse small groups or parts of them, as I could arrange from day to day. I did not see my whole cast together till four days before the first performance. Even from the start, however, there was a group within the larger group whose enthusiasm and devotion lightened the rehearsing and eventually infected the whole 200 with their mood. Some drove eight miles and back for rehearsals; others walked miles to each meeting; very many walked into the village from the outlying regions, to be conveyed thence to the stage by carriages specially provided. One member of the company more than once — doubtless there were others — came for an afternoon rehearsal, drove home four miles, milked and re- turned for an evening rehearsal. There was once or twice some irritation on the part of the shopkeepers or mill managers at the absorption of their men or clerks in the pageant, but an inter- view explaining its purpose always brought prompt support, and adjust- ments to permit the men or women to attend. By common agreement the townspeople closed the stores on the three days when the pageant was given. So steadily did the enthusiasm increase that, on the afternoon of the first per- formance, the group of 200 was working unitedly, whole-heartedly, for one end — as perfect a carrying out as was possible for them of the pageant as planned.^ Be- hind the scenes I have rarely, if ever, seen so much individual helpfulness, readiness to do anything if only Peter- borough could show its public that it could adequately accomplish the task set it. Community spirit was thoroughly aroused. To a remarkable extent cliques and even individual preferences dis- appeared in the common effort. Moreover, the participants enjoyed the work. Of course they found the re- hearsals hard after the day's labor; of course they sighed a little at moments over their absence from the fields and shops, but as the pageant shaped itself and they caught something of the spirit of artistic creation, curiosity and interest changed to pleasure and excited grati- fication. Fidly three-quarters of the group came after the last performance to express personally to me their pleasure in the work and what they felt the pageant meant to the town. In some cases all the members of a family, father, mother and children, took part, and in many cases a family had more than one representative in the cast. The interest was summed up in a dramatic picture as I left the grounds after the final perform- 260 NEW BOSTON ance; one of the little girls who had taken part was sobbing in the arms of another small girl-actor, and I heard: "Oh, dear; oh, dear; it's all over. If only it could all begin again!" The pageant certainly stimulated the interest of the community in its history, and its historical possessions. At first I found it difficult to get at any informa- tion outside the local histories, certainly in themselves not rich in dramatic bits. However, as I kept calling, in casting the parts, for descendants of histori- cal figures, slowly great-grandsons and great-granddaughters appeared. Soon there was eagerness to have a child or a member of a family figure in the scene which concerned an ancestor. From a distance people wrote to say that be- cause some forebear would figure in the pageant, they should attend a perform- ance. Finally, people began to talk to me of family history or legend, some of which, had it not been too late, ought to have gone into the pageant. For the first time it became of real significance to them outside the family group. I was told, too, at first, that probably there were not many historical posses- sions in the town except in a few families. Yet, as the weeks passed, word came in of this one and that one who had old furniture, old costumes, something of historical value, all of it in every case at the disposal of those in charge of the pageant. Unexpected stores of his- torical possessions were revealed. Per- haps the most amusing revelation was that a store in the town, passed on from father and mother to daughter, contained dress goods and trimmings of forty and fifty years since. Reluctantly the owner parted with these. They became the extremely effective and absolutely accur- ate costumes of the milling scene and the Civil War episode. Up to the last day, as interest heightened, dresses, hats, furnishings of all sorts came in from all sides. The pageant revealed, too, unexpected powers or degrees of power. All except a few women's costumes were made by a local dressmaker with great skill and taste, from plates provided her. And the difference between her work and the costumes one hires from the ])rofessio!uil costumer! It was stinuilating to watch people who had not been leaders take prominence as they demonstrated that they could do something as well as, or better than those already prominent. Like any old community, the town had its accustomed leaders and at the outset rather looked to them to lead in the pageant, but pageantry set its own values or readjusted. It created, I am sure, a new respect in a conservative New England community for the things of art, for at bottom all of us New Eng- landers think of the fine arts as matters for women and not wholly virile. No community which has had a properly managed pageant will ever think just that again. It was amusing to see the men joining the Choral Club as the interest in the pageant grew. It was delightful to watch men forget all shy- ness, all self-consciousness, in part after part. Above all, the keen, active par- ticipation of the older men and the dra- matic ability they developed were note- worthy. It was even a little touching to see the absorbed pleasure, the im- mediate response of certain fundament- ally artistic natures, men as well as women, to the chances for expression which the pageant offered. More per- fect bits of acting than were given by some of these people I do not ask to see, perfect because absolutely simple and sincere. They lived their parts, touching lightly where the trained actor of the regular stage would have underscored. This was particularly true in the episode. The Deserted Farm. To touch such instinctive artistry would be to break a butterfly. That the audiences recog- nized the instances of this simple, con- vincing acting, repeated comment showed. I should like to dwell on what this experience seems to me to prove as to the essentials of popular pageantry in this country and even of modern pa- geantry in general, but this is not the place for such a discussion. I must point out in passing, however, that, though pageantry comes to us as the gift of centuries ago, our pageantry of the countryside must take on its own character because it rests on two modern inventions. Without the telephone, and the telephone in the farmhouse, the hundreds of calls per day to the com- pany would have been impossible. Without the automobile, the cost of the performance could not be met, THE PETERBOROUGH PAGEANT 261 for that brings in the pubhc from a wide radius, and a public that will pay well for seats. The Peterborough Pageant has con- vinced me that we have in our hands the best possible means of turning our festival days into times of stimulation of local pride and even national, strength- ening community spirit, "and developing the artistic instincts of a community. Best of all, I see no reason why finan- cially or in any other way any of our smaller, but intelligently enterprising towns should not have their pageants. I should like to believe the repeated assertion of participants and others in those days of the Peterborough Pageant, that the town must for a long time be more united, more alive, because of its accomplishment, because of its acquired sense of new and significant power. Not only has it won the right to asso- ciation with artistic endeavor elsewhere, it has also the glory of being the first place in the United States, and I think anywhere, to i)roduce a pageant pri- marily^ musical. Because of the nature of MacDowell's music, expressing as it does the very spirit of the region, Peter- borough is not likely to lose its prestige in nmsical pageantry. And, after all, granted all the work of writing the book, of composing the lyrics, of the orchestra- ting, of managing the complicated busi- ness involved, where would all this have ended, if this quiet New England com- munity had not risen to its opportunities and demonstrated that it could so pre- sent the result of all this initiation and labor as to win warm praise from crowded audiences? The artistic is not dead in the country people of New England; it is merely smothered. In many cases it is even crying for expression. Pageantry, if wisely managed, is the right outlet for all this pent-up craving. THE PETERBOROUGH PAGEANT As a Spectator Saw It FRANK CHOUTEAU BROWN As, in the process of human events, history has again and again repeated itself in reproducing in this country, after an intervening space of time has elapsed, those European manifestations that have proved themselves to be of enduring merit, it is to be expected that the cities of America will soon become as addicted to the "pageant habit" as has come to be the case in England. The first big pageant in America on anything approaching the scale of those undertaken in England was given a little more than a year ago at Quebec, and to those few fortunate visitors who made that pilgrimage the very word recalls an exaltation of mood such as is in itself alone an inspiration. The great danger is that, in this country, the pageant may become commercialized, and so lose all those possibilities of devolopment for the community and for those indi- viduals more immediately concerned, that should be most carefully preserved as producing the greatest educational value and most lasting results of the entire project. In protest against the eventual misuse that is sure to be made of this title, it is more than a necessity to make an enduring record of the first American pageant undertaken with any sort of the devotion and breadth of view which is inseparable from the English historic festival that is known under this name. It is a laudable and desirable idea for each community, no matter how small, where sufficient local interest exists, to strengthen and develop that local pa- triotism by any means whatsoever that lie within its power. It is probable that most of this local enthusiasm will be misdirected, when it might as well be diverted into those channels that would produce lasting and inspiring benefits, and the "pageant" offers the most ideal opportunity for best obtain- 262 NEW BOSTON ing these results. No matter how un- pretentious the attempt may be, any such venture should be encouraged and, most of all, should it be encouraged along those lines that will produce the greatest opportunities for progress to those participating. It is for this pur- pose, too, that the experiences of the Peterborough pageant should be given the widest publicity, in order that in future all those having in mind an under- taking of this sort should be acquainted with some of the basic principles from which alone the best results are to be expected. ^f IVterborough is only one among a Hundred small New Hampshire hill towns. Its local history differs hardly an atom from the local history of any other small village in the New England states. Its population is also small; the greater proportion of its inhabitants being employed in the local mills or factories, and in the summer the village and its immediate environs offers hos- pitality to a more limited number of "summer visitors" and residents than many other communities with similar conveniences of transportation to the larger centers of civilization. Peterborough was exceptional, how- ever, in having been the home for the last years of his life of a distinctive American composer, Edward MacDowell; and Peterborough was more than fortunate — when the idea of a musical pageant dedicated to the memory of this composer first crystallized — that those having it in charge were inspired to place the con- duct of the affair into the hands of the best individuals obtainable. It was the intelligent and illuminating direction given to local enthusiasm that made this undertaking of more than merely local distinction, and notable among a host of experiments elsewhere attempted. Since MacDowell's death, the property at Peterborough has been maintained by the MacDowell Memorial Associa- tion, in the attempt to provide a nucleus around which many of the younger men and women interested in the develop- ment or practice of the various arts might gather, during the summer months. THE PETERBOROUGH PAGEANT 263 for profitable discussion and study com- bined with recreation. MacDowell him- self had always cherished this scheme as a possibility worthy of being attempted, and Mrs. MacDowell, aided by a group of local admirers and friends, has been singularly successful so far in the experi- mental launching of this idealistic scheme of her husband's. Once the conduct of the pageant was placed in capable hands, the MacDowell Memorial Association contented itself by contributing the loving labor of its in- dividual members toward making the fruition of their project as nearly and ideally perfect as was possible, in arous- ing interest among the inhabitants of the village, and in every way furthering and assisting the directors who had in charge the various elements, the complete welding of which into a perfect whole was to produce the pageant itself. Credit should first be given to these individual workers. George P. Baker, pro- fessor of dramatic literature at Harvard University, as master of the pageant, is responsible for the arrangement and staging of the entire presentation. He was assisted by Hermann Hagedorn, who wrote the lyrics; .^by Chalmers Clifton, who ^^arranged MacDowell's music for chorus and orchestra; by H. Brooks Day, who trained the Peter- borough MacDowell Club, and Miss Gwendolyn Valentine, who arranged the dances and did most of the solo work. Either intentionally or otherwise, no individual credit was rendered the com- pilers or authors of the book of the pageant, inspired by MacDowell's "House of Dreams," other than has above been given; but, in addition to this, the labor and intelligent assistance of hundreds of dwellers in the neighborhood, both na- tives and visitors, must be mentioned; as it was only by their united labor and effort that so notable an American pageant achieved performance. In the production itself there w^ere concerned some 200 or more individual performers. Professor Baker was as- sisted by numerous others in the ar- rangement of costumes, conduct of re- hearsals, selection of properties and in many other minor, but important and necessary ways. The spot selected for the pageant presentation was in many ways singularly fortunate. A sloping hillside had been built over with a tier of seats that slowly grew from day to day between the presentations until, at the final performance, it could accommo- date almost 1,500 people. At the foot of this tier of seats was an orchestra pit partially screened by temporary rows of foliage. The stage was represented by a large square of packed earth that on either side ran off into the tall forest pines, and was finished at the back by a screen of spruces set about eight or ten feet high. Beyond this screen and back of the stage a cleft had been cut through the foliage in order to provide a vista extending across several inter- vening valleys and range of hills to a view of Mt. Monadnock in the distance. Newly cut and built roads led to the enclosure, which was protected from the outer world by a screen of pines that had been carefully preserved between the seats and stage, and the adjacent field; which had been turned into a tremendous parking space that was hardly sufficient to contain the horses, carriages and au- tomobiles of visitors from nearby and adjacent towns. This natural amphitheatre had been adapted at considerable labor and ex- pense to the immediate purposes of this pageant. As it is the hope of the Mac- Dowell Association to make these pa- geants regular features of each summer's season, it will undoubtedly be arranged so that in later years the scene will be- come even more effective, inasmuch as the raw newness of the tiers of seats, and the ochre color of the packed earth stage, somewhat jarred with the beauti- ful tones of nature that surrounded and set them off. A few years weathering of the timber, a few years' exposure of the earth, will doubtless so tone both into harmony with their environment that the whole picture will then exist without those single jarring notes that were this year to be deprecated. For the audience, one of the great lessons of this pageant lay in the impres- sive use made of the lyrics and the music. At no one point had greater perfection been attained than in the scoring, instrumentation and perform- ance of the musical portion of the enter- tainment. Pictures themselves of in- dividual beauty were made doubly ef- fective by the mere added suggestion 264 NEW BOSTON and inspiration of a dignified musical accompaniment. To fully enter into the spirit of the occasion, it was not necessary to attempt to follow the book. The spectator might much better give himself up to the undivided enjoyment of the episodes and their setting, and preserve his pageant book to later re- call to his memory the pictures there contained, at which time he would also have the added pleasure of a new appre- ciation of the adaptability with which the poet had fitted Mr. MacDowell's melodies with appropriate words. A number of the sixteen episodes comprised within the pageant were given without the aid of spoken words, and these were certainly not among the least eft'ective. Certain others had mo- ments of added interest from the use of realistic snatches of dialogue — but, most of all, within the mere sweep and movement of the spectacle resided its originality and individual charm for the observer. The classicism of the invo- cation, with Clio, Euterpe, Melpomene, Thalia, and Terpsichore summoning the gray-clad dreams from the forest and the romantic suggestion of the episode of aboriginal life with its Indian wedding, were sharply contrasted by one of the most poignant of the events pictured showing the conditions that, in North Ireland, compelled the emigration of the first Peterborough settlers. In natural sequence came short episodes portray- ing their departure and landing upon the shores of the new world, when again the audience were led back to a native picture of extreme and romantic sim- plicity in the att'ecting burial of the Indian chieftain that ended the first section of the pageant. The second portion was more strictly related to their local history, opening with a Colonial wedding and spinning scene, on which there followed closely the "Call to Arms," of April 18 and 19, 1775, and the abandonment of the farms, which began at about the time of the discovery of gold and continued until after the close of the Civil War. By contrast, two of the most interesting divertisements of the performance here took place in the dance between old Black Baker and the devil, and the autumn dance of ]\Iiss Valentine that ended this middle section. One of the few musical episodes using compositions other than MacDowell's also occurred in this second part, where a picture of the working of the early hand-looms was given to the accompaniment of Raff's La Fileuse. The third section developed the return from the Civil War and those scenes distinctive to pageantry in which the community symbolically welcomed the people of other nations, the classic muses, and representatives of the Peter- boroughs of other countries and climes; and finally, the march past, ending with the gathering of all the historic groups upon the stage and their joining in the final hymn of the pageant. It was an inspiration to the audience to find out how interesting were the inci- dents of their own town and locality. The mere reviewing of this series of events alone would make for a better patriot- ism and the inculcation of local spirit. Unexpected beauties are discovered in the quaint design and coloring of little regarded early costumes. Attics and trunks are rummaged; old gowns, furni- ture and utensils brought forth. Even the very children make an acquaintance with old costumes and events that may have previously meant to them merely the cut-and-dried lessons of their school education, and they are equally surprised and delighted by the glamor of interest and romance discovered by this pictorial presentation of local legend and history. More than all this, such a venture means to all those concerned in its prep- aration, both actors, teachers and those assisting in the making of costumes or the collection of properties, a stimula- tion of local pride in the past achieve- ments of their predecessors and forebears that must inevitably strengthen and develop a desirable community spirit, while it is also accompanied by a revelation of the artistic talents latent in the neigh- borhood that cannot help but make the entire undertaking one of the most vitally educational elements that can possibly be added to the life experience of any lo- cality. Many of those having in hand this undertaking went into the venture with the hope that they would practi- cally develop these results from the ex- periment, and the outcome has more than satisfied their highest expectations. THE PETERBOROUGH PAGEANT 265 Not only are the originators of the scheme of the pageant thoroughly con- vinced that it has demonstrated the truth of these assumptions, but every individual in the community itself is alike satisfied in regard to the result — although they may not have as clearly analyzed the causes that have produced these effects as those more abstractly interested in the venture from its very start. The mill owners — contrary to the general impression — appeared only too glad to aid the experiment in every way they could. Not only were the em- ployes allowed necessary time for re- hearsal from working hours, but the entire manufacturing portion of the vil- lage was closed down on those days when the pageant was given. So much in- terest was aroused that special trains were run to bring in outsiders from as far north as Contoocook and Concord and south and east as Boston; and all the houses in the vicinity were thrown open to entertain and take care of those visitors who preferred to stay over for one or two days and so get the more thorough enjoyment out of this excep- tional and unusual opportunity. For those interested in the future of American pageants, still other results were experimentally assured by this presentation. First and most important among these was the unexpected im- portance and dignity given to the whole affair from the musical standards that were maintained in that section of the entertainment; secondly, it was more than proven that the progress, move- ment and color of the individual episodes made more for vraisemblance than any use of spoken dialogue; that the very scale upon which such an entertainment was possible at once dwarfed into utter insignificance artificial scenery or other similar aids of any kind; and an appeal to the imagination of the audience was tremendously more effective than any mere painstaking realism in the pictorial presentation of the individual scenes. All this was more or less expected by those most intelligently concerned in the experiment, but there followed some further surprises that were not dis- counted by previous anticipation. From the point of view of the spectator, for instance, the grandeur of the natural background, beautiful as it was, came singularly little into the effect of the individual episodes. When the spec- tator's interest was concentrated on the moving evolutions of the pictures grouped below he lost sight altogether of the distant beauties of the natural setting. In only one or two of the events, such as the gathering of the dreams from the forests, and the autumn dance by Miss Valentine, was there intimately drawn into the picture any strong suggestion of those elements of natural background, distance and surroundings that enclosed the scene throughout. Restful as was the relief offered in the intervals that intervened between the scenes, by the distant glimpses of Monadanock, with its shifting weather conditions of a single afternoon, when sunshine was gradually superseded by drifting clouds, and clouds by the shadow of a coming storm and autumn evening, the spectator largely forgot his surroundings the more abso- lutely as the episodes themselves the more interestingly dealt with historic incidents and local personages and events. It also became doubtful whether, after all, the most effective results to be ob- tained from the pageant in America are possible only when undertaken in a comparatively small community. It has been a matter of open question whether the large American cities can undertake a pageant with the same pos- sibility of success as has been proved to exist in European communities. The very democracy of America — surprising as it may seem — those republican prin- ciples upon which the United States of America is founded, must in some part militate against this possibility of success. In the large community, the greatest co-operation will probably be derived more from the careful selection of the various elements composing the civic life and their segregation into dift'erent groups of individuals of common interests of patriotism, of art, or of inspiration. In such groups can be more thoroughly inculcated the individual enthusiasm and patriotic connnunity interest in the delineation of the historic life of the neighborhood that is singularly and almost completely lacking from most congregations of city-dwelling, work- harried Americans. On the other hand, there exist few individuals in America totally lacking 266 NEW BOSTON in those receptive channels that enable them to respond to suggestions of the most imaginative character much more readily and quickly than is to be expected of an old England audience. No country in the world, outside possibly of France, could provide audiences so ready to respond and give the needed psycho- logical support to imaginative scenes as large in scope, as elemental in their human appeal, and as vital in the life of the community as the proper develop- ment of the pageant makes possible. The dramatist, instead of working with a small j^alette of canvas, paint, and human nature, embellished with ele- ments of artificial lighting, grasps bravely at pictures requiring the handling of great crowds, of individual moving pig- ments capable of developing pictured mosaics of a million varying interrela- tions and symbolic representations. He paints boldly with a large brush, under the searching lighting of nature, against her most intimate backgrounds or her grandest distances, until he reproduces something of the elemental mystery and force of the surging rush and sweep of the ocean beating upon a rock-torn coast. Human nature becomes elemental and universal and, aided by the poignant appeal of musical symbolism and color, the pageant is admirably suited to fit, the closest of any yet developed process of educational entertainment, a vacant niche not yet occupied by any form of inspirational or educational amusement and recreation for the benefit of the people, taken in their broadest possible aspect. A CHILDREN'S EXHIBIT LILIAN V. ROBINSON In January of this year an appropria- tion of $1,000 was given by the state of Massachusetts for a children's exhibit on tuberculosis, the State Commission for Consumptives' Hospitals to be res- sponsible for its planning and preparation. Dr. John B. Hawes, 2d, secretary of the commission, felt that the children of the state could best be reached through the public schools. But since to reach all the schools was not possible with the appropriation given, it seemed best to plan to have about twenty exhibits — duplicates of the original — leaving it to the anti-tuberculosis organizations of the state to buy some of these outright. This has already been done, leaving money free for the replacing of these exhibits with others, and sending them to cities and towns throughout the state, to be shipped again to other cities after six months or so have elapsed. Since $1,000 did not justify expendi- ture for the making of models and their transportation, photographs and mottoes are used to tell the story and teach the lesson it is desired to impress on the children. Since "prevention is better than cure," and to cultivate virtues rather than to root out vices is a good rule for children as well as grownups, the positive rather than the negative is dwelt on in the exhibit, and statistics, which appeal so little to children, are left out altogether. Contrasting pictures and mottoes bring out the points which seemed most vital to those who prepared the exhibit. A folding case of wood, not unlike a great book with covers four feet by five feet, holds the pictures and mottoes which are eight by ten inches in size. The wood is of the lightest quality compatible with strength, so that the case and its contents can be lifted onto a desk or table where it may be seen by the children. When it has served its purpose in one school room it can readily be carried on to another. These details are most im- portant, for an unwieldy exhibit, however admirable it may be, is generally stalled at the end of a short time. Accompanying each exhibit is a small pamphlet prepared by Dr. Hawes for the teachers, suggesting striking features to be pointed out to the children, the A CHILDREN'S EXHIBIT 267 CLEAN AND DIRTY BAKERIES 268 NEW BOSTON best way of denionstrating the subject, and getting the children to apply it to their own homes and lives. Since it is the plan of the exhiliit to say as little about tuberculpsis as possible, but rather to dwell on the things that make for health, to impress on the children that tuberculosis cannot attack well people, and therefore it is our business to keep well, the every day sources of disease and health are pictured as graphically as possible under half a dozen different heads. 1. The Home: Showing pictures of dirty, dark, unventilated tenement rooms, and over against them pictures of clean, sunny, well-ventilated rooms and little out of town houses. An accompanying motto reads "Health is the poor man's stock in trade. A tenement with sun- shine and good air at four dollars a week is cheaper than one without at three dollars a week." 2. Occupation: Showing badly lighted, badly ventilated factory and workshop and contrasting model shops and fac- tories, clean, light and well aired. The motto here is "When you can, choose work where conditions make for health. Even though your pay is higher, dusty and ill ventilated workrooms will cost you dear." 3. Milk] and Food: [Showing the sources of supply, unclean shops and receptacles and contamination by hand- ling, contrasting with model conditions. The motto here is "Eat simple, nourish- ing food. Learn all you can of marketing and cooking. The health and comfort of your family may depend on your knowledge of these things." 4. Outdoor Schools : Showing children in the incipient stage of tuberculosis in the Refectory School, under the Con- sumptives' Hospital Department of the City of Boston and a series of pic- tures of the Franklin Park School for delicate children under the Women's Municipal League. Here the children are shown on the beautiful shaded lawns surrounding the Overlook build- ing, weaving baskets, sewing, danc- ing, listening to stories, or eating the nourishing and carefully prepared meals which had so large a part in restoring the anaemic little ones to health. The accompanying motto reads, "The best way to treat tuberculosis is to avoid getting it. The children shown in the pictures have not got tuberculosis. They A TENEMENT HOME TRAINING FOR EFFECTIVE CITIZENSHIP 269 are learning how to live so to avoid getting it." 5. Home Treatment of tuberculosis is shown, sanatoriums and health colonies. Photographs of playgrounds, baths, and gymnasiums appear in profusion so that the prevention, not the cure, the things that make for health, not the remedying of ill, be impressed on the minds of the children. Other mottoes are "Keep well and so resist tuberculosis. The following make for good health: 1. Model tenements with fresh air and sunshine in the rooms. 2. Clean food and milk supply; clean and well-ventilated factories and shops. 3. Well-ventilated schools with plenty of fresh air and sunshine for every child and open air rooms for the weak and run down children. 4. Personal hygiene by means of daily baths, proper care of teeth, proper clothing, etc." "Keep the body clean and a cheerful mind. Worrying doesn't mend matters." "Take time for regular rest, exercise and recreation. You will do better work." It is hoped that the price of duplicates of the original exhibit will not be over $35. Any information regarding them will be furnished by Dr. John B. Hawes, 2d, on application at 3 Joy street, where samples of the exhibit can be seen. TRAINING FOR EFFECTIVE CITIZENSHIP DANIEL BLOOMFIELD Director, School for Citizenship Fully two hundred wage-earners as- sembled on the roof garden of the Civic Service House in the North End to take part in the closing exercises of the School for Citizenship, when it completed its most successful summer session. The public schools may well take the sug- gestion to open their roofs during the summer for the instruction of the immi- grant. The School for Citizenship takes the immigrant and by means of systematic lessons lays the foundations for intel- ligent citizenship. Each of the summer and winter classes works on constructive lines. The rudiments of the English language are gone over thoroughly and, as the pupil advances, the study of American history is taken up; and finally the machinery of government is studied in the light of present conditions. Each class is organized into a club which enables the school's students to meet in an informal way. This is not only desirable per se, but offers fine training in the principles of self-govern- ment. The value of thus combining club features with class work has proven inestimable. In the summer the various classes have outings to Middlesex Fells, the Blue Hills or similar recreation spots. Here again the students are brought together in a way which was entirely new to them in their native countries. These outings are object lessons in comradeship. The principles of democ- racy find expression in everything the school does. Russians meet Italians on even ground and together set their shoulders to the wheel. Age or na- tionality makes no difl^erence here. We have pupils whose ages range from seventeen to forty-six. Our registra- tion for the summer was 124, with a waiting list of about ninety. All have the same impulse, the same desire — to become good citizens. As evidence of their good faith, we require each male applicant to show us his first papers of naturalization; if he has none, Ave fill his application out for him. Special attention is given to those who have made application for their second papers. xA.no ther feature of the school is the special class which prepares its members for the Evening High School or college. One of our 270 NEW BOSTON former students is now at Harvard; four are at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; one is at Amherst; three are at the Y. M. C. A. Law School and one is at the Harvard Medical School. Combined with the work of the classes are the personal interviews with the students to determine their vocational ambitions. The Vocation Bureau, an outgrowth of the Civic Service House, is always ready to lend a hand in the con- sideration of a student's life-work. Lec- turers are invited to speak on subjects of immediate practical value. During the last season, among others, Prof. Lewis J. Johnson of Harvard Uni- versity spoke on Direct Legislation: Alderman Cotton, on the New Govern- ment of Boston; Frederick J. Allen, director of the City History Club, on The Story of Boston. Many of our teachers were pupils here themselves. Great care is exercised in the selection' of teachers. The type of instructor needed in a social settlement of this kind must be one of sound schol- arship, pleasing personality and un- flagging energy. Our students work hard all day in shops, factories, or on the street and come tired out to the class. Many who live outside the city come direct from work without waiting to get their suppers. In order that they may learn, the teacher must stimulate their fatigued minds; he must make the lesson attrac- tive and full of vital force; at no time must' he ever allow instruction to be- come routine. We have realized the importance of these principles and have followed them out in organizing our teaching staff. The teachers are not merely teachers; they are sympathetic workers and take a personal interest in their charges. It is not a rare thing for a pupil to lay the whole history of his life before the teacher and ask his ad- vice regarding the future; nor is it rare for a teacher to spend time and energy in helping a student get a job or the proper aid in case of legal or medical trouble. The School for Citizenship builds not only citizens but men and women. Its function is to stretch out a hand to the immigrant and leadj him along the path of civic righteousness and respon- sibility, and to teach him the real signifi- cance of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." A l{()OF GARDEN CLASS School for Citizenship, Civic'^ServicejHouse NOV S> 1910 NEW BOSTON p\GEANT Program JMumber^ A MONTHLY RECORD OF PROGRESS IN DEVELOPING A GREATER AND FINER CITY PUBLISHED BY BOSTON • 1915 • INC • 6 BEACON ST • BOSTON • MASSACHUSETTS • US- A- 'OLi NOVEMBER. 1910 no.? EN CENTS A COPY ONE DOLLAR A YEAR THE CALL OF WINTER LIGHT ^^^^* ^^^ Heat— SOFT, NATURAL, STRONG, AKiQ LIGHT, and QUICK, POWERFUL HEAT— these i| p. « -|. are the requirements of the crisp, short days of Fall '■ ^^ * and Winter. THE MANTLE LAMP The MANTLE GAS LAMP, with its POWER- FUL, YET SOFT AND WHITE LIGHT meets the first need most satisfactorily. Varying in size from the 25 c. p. lamp costing l-12c per hour, to the gas arc lamp of 500 c. p. costing 1 3- 10c per hour, the gas lamp fills every demand of artistic home or exacting office and factory. THE GAS STEAM RADIATOR The GAS STEAM RADIATOR, giving a STRONG STEADY FLOW OF HEAT, is AUTO- MATICALLY REGULATED by its own steam pres- sure to the lowest possible gas consumption. ECO- NOMICAL AND EFFICIENT, it is particularly well fitted for long-hour service in business and house alike. THE GAS LOG The GAS LOG, with its cheery blaze, gives an INSTANT, POWERFUL HEAT, quickly dispelling the chill of early morning. Just the thing for bear com, dining room, library and office. Gas heaters are supplied in a great variety forms, for every use. Send for a representative. , BOSTON CONSOLIDATED GAS COMPANY Telephone Commercial Department, Oxford 1690 24 West Street In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON A Chronicle of Progress in Developing a Greater and Finer City — Under the Auspices of the Boston-1915 Movement VOL. I NOVEMBER, 1910 No. 7 CONTENTS NOTE AND COMMENT THE CIVIC ADVANCE CAMPAIGN THE PAGEANT THE PROMOTION OF INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION SUBWAY PROBLEM BOSTON ELEVATED IMPROVEMENTS THE MONTH IN BOSTON-1915 PROGRAM OF THE PAGEANT PROLOGUE "CAVE LIFE TO CITY LIFE" ' ACKNOWLEDGMENTS LIST OF PAGEANT PATRONESSES PAGEANTRY George P. Baker WHAT IS A PAGEANT? Louis N. Parker THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BOSTON-191S HOW BOSTON-191S WORKS C. Bertrand Thompson. . . RAPID TRANSIT AND CIVIC BEAUTY Frederick W. Coburn BOSTON'S AMUSEMENT RESOURCES Esther G. Barrows SOUTH END AMUSEMENTS Jane R. McCrady WEST END AMUSEMENTS Mrs. Eva Whiting White. BOYLSTON STREET SUBWAY PLAN Daniel A. Griffin NEEDS OF THE SOUTH DEPARTMENT Dr. Richard C. Cabot 27! 271 273 274 275 275 276 2/7 279 280 292 293 295 296 293 301 307 315 318 320 324 327 Published Monthly by Boston-1915, Inc. 6 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass., U. S. A. Subscription rates: $1.00 per annum; club rate for twenty or more subscriptions from any organ- ization devoted to civic or social improvement, sent in one list, fifty cents per copy per annum. Single copies, 10 cents each. Entered as second-class matter at the Boston Post Office JAMES P. MUNROE, Editor-in-Chief JOHN L. SEWALL, Associate Editor LEWIS E. PALMER, Managing Editor RAYMOND P. EMMONS. Circulation and Advertising Manager {Copyright, 1910, by Boston— 1915, Inc.) NEW BOSTON F7S HOTEL PURITAN 390 Commonwealth Avenue 100 Yards West of Massachusetts Avenue Car Lines A DISTINCTIVE BOSTON HOUSE opened last November with every modern resource for Transient and Permanent Guests D. P. COSTELLO, Manager Write for " The Story of New England and the Puritans " 545 Washington Street Boston, Mass. B. F. KEITH'S BIJOU THEATRE Open daily from 9.30 A. M. to 10.30 P. M. Sunday 6.30 to 10.30 P. M. TO THE PUBLIC: The Bijou aims to provide a varied, artistic and wholesome entertainment designed to appeal to people of intelligence, presented amid well-ordered sur- roundings and offered to the public for a small admission. That the Bijou is a pioneer in demonstrating the artistic possibilities of the picture theatre is the opinion of many discriminating critics. All who disapprove of The Moving Picture Theatre and do not believe in its existence, are invited to visit the Bijou, at 545 Washington Street. Although we show motion pictures, we do not run a " Moving Picture Show." PROGRAMME Motion Pictures at their Best The subjects carefully selected, and includ- ing the work of the leading American and European producers. Camera Chats By a trained reader, on interesting phases of life at home and abroad. Stereoptlcon Views Events of local and world-wide interest pic- tured in specially made slides. One-Act Plays Revivals and New Plays — the best example of the short drama, carefully produced. Music Vocal and Instrumental Solos; high-grade but not too classical; pleasing but not too commonplace. A special effort is made to have music ac- companying the pictures well rendered and inter- pretive. JOSEPHINE CLEMENT. Manager In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON New Boston Vol. I NOVEMBER, 1910 No. 7 NOTE AND COMMENT THE CIVIC ADVANCE CAMPAIGN Since mid-summer Massachusetts and Boston, in common with all parts of our country, have been passing through the biennial experiences of a campaign of partisan struggles to elect state officials and congressional representatives. Such a campaign presents issues which are essentially divisive, both as concern- ing principles and persons. The ultimate value of such a campaign rests upon the thoughtfulness and sincerity with which men differ, until at the ballot box there comes the final arbitrament of conflict- ing views. Since mid-summer Boston-1915 has been at work planning for a campaign of a radically different character, which is to follow closely the completion of the political contests in which our readers will be interested when these pages come from the press. Its issues will prove divisive only when citizens classify themselves as public-spirited or its op- posite, concerned for the common good or absorbed utterly in narrow-visioned selfishness. The themes which it will press upon the attention of the metro- politan district are well fitted to unite all citizens who wish to secure the best living conditions for their local com- munities, and thus promote the general welfare of the whole district. This campaign will - also seek to secure the attention of the largest number of listeners to those best qualified to present the needs of the congested portions of Boston, and to win enthusiastic recruits for the tasks there foimd. All progress in civic conditions re- quires intelligent and effective co-opera- tion between the duly chosen municipal administrators and voluntary associa- tions of citizens. In recognition of this fact this approaching campaign will begin with a conference of mayors and city oflBcials, to which all such officers from all cities in New England have been invited. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10. 11.00 A.M. (Boston City Club.) Meeting for addresses of welcome, mutual acquaintance and organization. Buffet lunch tendered to the Conference by Boston-1915. 2.00 P.M. {Aldermanic Chamber, City Hall.) Discussions. 1 — The City's Inspection of its Milk Supply — Dr. Thomas E. Maloney, Fall River and Prof. W. T. Sedgwick, Institute of Tech- nology, Boston. 2 — Old Age Pensions — Prof. F. Spencer Bald- win, H. LaRue Brown, Esq. 8.00 P.M. All members of the Conference in- vited to be guests of Boston-1915 at the Dra- matic Pageant, Boston Arena, "Cave Life to City Life," a "Mayor's Night." FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11. 10.00 A.M. Ford Building. 1 — Transmissible Diseases: Common Colds and Preventable Illness — Dr. Richard C. Cabot. Tuberculosis — Mr. Edward F. McSweeney. The Worcester Manufacturers' Movement — Dr. M. G. Overlock. Sex Diseases — Dr. Charles W. Eliot. 2 — The Influence of City Planning upon the City Budget. Stereopticon lecture — Mr. George B. Ford. 2.00 P.M. Tour of City Departments. 5.30 P.M. Dinner tendered to the members of the Conference by Mayor Fitzgerald. 8.00 P.M. Public Session, Ford Hall. Addresses — "The Public Service Corporation and the City" — Hon. James Logan, Mayor of Worcester. "Giving the Tax Payer his Money's Worth " — Hon. George McAneny, President of Borough of Manhattan, 272 NEW BOSTON Following the Mayors' Conference a series of "Civic Rallies" will be held throughout the Metropolitan District. The following experts will be present from other cities: Clinton Rogers Wood- ruff, secretary of the National Municipal League; Henry B. F. Macfarland, ex- comniissioner of the District of Columbia; Owen R. Lovejoy, secretary of the Na- tional Child Labor Committee; Lawrence Vciller, secretary of the National Housing Association; Paul U. Kellogg, managing editor of The Survey; George E. Johnson, superintendent of the Playground Asso- ciation, Pittsburg; Mrs. Florence Kelley, New York; Prof. Henry C. Suzzallo of Columbia University, and Hon. H. A. Metz, ex-comptroller of New York. A number of additional local speakers have been secured? for meetings bothMn Boston and the suburban towns :| At a mass meeting in Tremont Temple November 20, at 3.30 p. m., under the auspices of the young people's religious or- ganizations of Greater Boston, the speak- ers will be Rev. Dr. O. P. Gifford, Rev. Dr. Samuel McC. Crothers, Guy A. Ham, Esq., and Dr. C. A. Vincent. The general subject will be "Opportunities for Young People's Work in Civic Righteousness." The oath of loyalty, taken by the young citizens of Athens, will be explained and administered by Judge Robert F. Raymond. A meeting under the auspices of the Central Labor Union has been arranged for the evening of the same day at Faneuil Hall, at which Paul U. Kellogg and Mrs. Florence Kelley of the National Con- sumers' League will address organized labor. The final meeting will be held in Tremont Temple November 21, and the speakers will be Pres. Charles F. Thwing of Western Reserve University, Dr. Stephen S. Wise of New York and others. Following is a list of local meetings so far as arranged at the time of going to press : Locality Hall Date Speaker Topic Cambridge Sanders Theatre Nov. 14 James H. Ropes Henry Suzzallo C. Bertrand Thompson Civic Progress by Co-operative Effort Cambridge Cypress Hall Nov. 15 Robert Luce and another speaker The Debt of the Citizen Charlestown Nov. 17 Albert J. Kennedy Improvement Asso- ciations and Con- gestion Chelsea Williams School Hall Nov. 16 March G. Bennett and another speaker Closer Relations Be- tween Municipalities in the Metropolitan District Dorchester High School Nov. 17 Henry B. F. Macfarland and another speaker Dorchester Navillus Hall Nov. 16 George E. Johnson and another speaker Playgrounds East Weymouth Clapp Memorial Inst. Nov. 17 George E. Johnson Playgrounds Everett Town Hall Nov. 15 William C. Free Dr. Melville F. Rogers Organization and Work of an Improve- ment Association Forest Hills Francis Parkman School Nov. 15 George E. Johnson Frank S. Mason Playgrounds Boston-1915 Hyde Park Nov. 14 Flavel Shurtleff John L. Sewall Town Planning Boston-1915 Jamaica Plain Bowditch School Hall Nov. 18 Henry Abrahams Edwin Mulready The Labor Union as a Social Force The Law Breaker. His Attitude and Ours Lexington Town Hall Nov. 22 James P. Munroe and another speaker Town Planning Maiden High School Nov. 16 Dr. Richard C. Cabot Prevention of Dis- ease NOTE AND COMMENT 273 Locality Hall Date • Speaker Topic Maiden High School Nov. 16 Mrs. Fannie Fern Andrews Larger Use of School houses as Neighbor- hood Centers Medford High School Nov. 17 Louis P. Nash Miss M. Josephine Blcakie Vocational Guidance Boston-1915 Quincy Alpha Hall Nov. 17 Henry Abrahams J. L. Sewall Rev. T. I. Gasson, S. J. (probable) Revere Town Hall Nov. 14 Dr. Melville F. Rogers James P. Munroe Value of a Local Im- provement Associa- tion Somerville Nov. 14 South Boston Andrews School Hall Nov. 16 Charles Logue Housing Waltham Nov. 15 Henry B. F. Macfarland The City Beautiful Watertown Walker Pratt Co. Shops (noon meeting) Nov. 17 H. W. Kimball Industrial Insurance Watertown Town Hall Nov. 19 Lawrence Veiller Housing Wellesley Maugus Club Nov. 16 James P. Munroe Boston-1915 West and North Ford Hall Nov. 18 Henry B. F. Macfarland Housing Ends Clinton Rogers Woodruff West Medford Nov. 18 Dr. Richard C. Cabot J. Mott Hallowell General Health Con- ditions Boston-1915 West Roxbury Highland Hall Nov. 15 Albert P. Walker Education from the Point of View of the Business Man and the Teacher Winthrop High School Nov. 16 Frank P. Speare Albert P. Walker Vocational Educa- tion for Boys Education from the Point of View of the Business Man and the Teacher Woburn Music Hall Nov. 15 Mary C. Wiggia The Pageant Two weeks before its production in the Arena we can say that tlie Boston- 1915 pageant, "Cave Life to City Life," was a success in its most important feature. That feature is the prehminary rehearsing which, to quote Louis W. Parker, the master of EngHsh pageantry, is of far greater importance than the actual pageant itself. Since early summer, under the most efficient direction of Miss Lotta A. Clark, the pageant has been taking shape and for a month past a thousand citizens of Greater Boston have been brought together in regular rehearsals. Com- munity life has been stirred, municipal pride has been awakened and a splendid spirit of civic co-operation has resulted w^hich means in truth a Greater Boston. Genuine interest in the pageant has developed since the rehearsals began. Miss Clark has been besieged with willing offers of volunteer help — not only from those whose time is largely their own, but invaluable assistance has also been secured from professional men and women who have sacrificed their own interests for the success of the pageant. Hundreds of school children from all parts of the Metropolitan District have given up their Saturday mornings to rehearsals — not mechanical repetitions of scenes and episodes, but as Mr. Parker, the master of the pageant, said, "These boys and girls have entered into the spirit of the pageant in a most remarkable manner." The pupils of the Girls 274 NEW BOSTON English High School who will participate in the spinning and quilting episodes have done the actual work over their quilting frames and spinning wheels as did their ancestors. Attics have been rummaged for old costumes, many of the performers, young and old, have designed and made their own costumes, and in short the whole community has willingly joined in this "whole com- munity" enterprise. So although it may he a little early to say that the pageant was a success — two weeks before it is produced — in its preliminary and most important aspects it has more than met the expec- tations of those who have borne the brunt of the work. This is every reason to believe that the Arena will be crowded on the three pageant evenings, November 10, 11 and 12, for the general interest aroused is by no means confined to the per- formers themselves. The Promotion of Industrial Education The fourth annual convention of the National Society for the Promotion of Industrial Education will be held in Boston, November 17, 18 and 19. The day sessions on Thursday will meet at Perkins Hall, 264 Boylston street. On Friday and Saturday the day confer- ences will be held in the Boston Public Library and on Friday evening the meet- ing will convene at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The opening session on Thursday, November 17, will be given up to the subject. Demands and Opportunities for Girls in Trades and Stores. Dr. David Snedden, Commissioner of Edu- cation, will be chairman of this section, and among the speakers will be Dr. Susan M. Kingsbury, director of Re- search Department, Women's Educa- tional and Industrial Union, on the Needle Trades, and D. S. Edwards, secretary of the Committee on Indus- trial Development of the Boston Chamber of Conunerce, on The Department Stores. What the Schools Can Do to Train for these Trades, will be dis- cussed by Mrs. Lucinda W. Prince, Director of the Union School of Sales- manship, Edith M. Howes, President Girls' Trade Education League, and Helen R. Hildreth, Acting Superin- tendent, Manhattan Trade School for Girls, New York city. At 2.30 P. M. the convention will discuss The training of Teachers for Girls' Trade Schools, under the chair- manship of Dr. Henry LeFavour, Presi- dent of Simmons College. Mary S. Woolman, Director of the Domestic Arts Department of Teachers College, New York City, will speak on New Requirements Made by the Trade Schools, followed by an address on The Inadequacy of the Present Source of Supply by Sarah Louise Arnold, Dean of Simmons College. What More Can Schools do to Meet the New Re- quirements will be the subject of an address by Florence M. Marshall, di- rector of the Girls' Trade Education League of the Women's Educational and Industrial Union. A public banquet will be given jointly with the Chamber of Commerce at the Hotel Somerset in the evening. On Friday, November 18, under the chairmanship of Magnus W. Alexander of the General Electric Company, Lynn, Mass., Apprenticeship and Corpora- tion Schools will be under discussion. Various phases of this subject will be dwelt upon by Tracy Lyon, Westing- house Electric and Manufacturing Co., Pittsburg, Pa.; F. W. Thomas, Super- visor of Apprentices, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway System, Topeka, Kan.; Samuel F. Hubbard, Superin- tendent North End Union, Boston, Mass.; George G. Cotton, Solvay Process Co., Syracuse, N. Y. On Friday, November 18, Part Time and Evening Schools will be the sub- ject for the afternoon session. Dr. Paul H. Hanus of Harvard University will act as chairman, and among the subjects discussed will be the following: The Fitchburg Plan, by W. B. Hunter, Director Industrial Department, Fitchburg High School, Fitchburg, Mass.; The Beverly Industrial School, by Adelbert L. Saft'ord, Superintendent of Schools, Chelsea, Mass.; The Public Schools and the Apprentices of Cin- cinnati, by Frank B. Dyer, Superin- tendent of Schools, Cincinnati, Ohio; The Evening Schools of Boston, by Stratton D. Brooks, Superintendent of NOTE AND COMMENT £75 Schools, Boston, Mass.; Evening In- dustrial Schools of Massachusetts, by C. A. Prosser, Deputy Commissioner of Education, state of Massachusetts. On the evening of Friday Dr. George Kerschen Steiner, superintendent of Schools of Munich, Bavaria, will deliver an address on Continuation Schools of Germany. Frederick P. Fish, chairman of the State Board of Education, Boston, will ])reside at this meeting. Saturday morning at 9.30, James P. Munroe will preside over the meeting to be devoted to The Social Meaning of Industrial Education. Among the subjects to be discussed will be The Economic Significance of Industrial Edu- cation, by T. M. Carver of Harvard University, and Labor's Demand on Industrial Education, by Charles H. Winslow of the Bureau of Labor, Wash- ington, D. C. The Subway Problem In view of the great interest in the subway problem NEW BOSTON is pre- senting to its readers the various plans being advocated to relieve the situation. That put forward by the Boylston Street Merchant's Association appears in this number and in subsequent issues there will be statements from those advocating the West End loop and other projects. Boston Elevated Improvements The account of what the Boston Elevated Railway Company has done for the aesthetic betterment of Greater Boston, given in this issue of NEW Boston, makes a notable record of accomplishments, greater than has per- haps been generally appreciated. Even 'though Mr. Coburn may have painted his picture in colors somewhat roseate, it must be conceded that the Boston Elevated ap- pears to have done more in this direction than any other local-transit company in this country. ' Well-designed stations, viaducts and other structural features are undoubtedly important additions to the good looks of Greater Boston. They should go far towards realizing the ideals of a better city. Meanwhile there is still room for improvement. The matter of advertising upon the premises of the company has been a subject of no little adverse criticism. Public sentiment is more keenly sensi- tive to the advertising nuisance than many people appreciate. It is claimed in behalf of the company that the in- come from its advertising privileges is an item altogether too great to be ne- glected; that otherwise the profits of the company would be materially lessened and it would not be able to give the public so good a service. This may be true, but it is nevertheless to be regretted. In Bournemouth, England, where the tramways are owned and operated by the nmnicipality, the city authorities forego a large revenue and rigidly ex- clude advertisements from the street cars. This is all the more notable, since in England advertising, both on tramways and on the steam railways, is habitually carried to a degree that would not be tolerated by public senti- ment in this country. It seems un- fortunate that our local-transit companies cannot follow the same policy in this regard that steam railroads here in New England do. The latter are entitled to high credit for resisting the temptation to add to their revenues by exploiting the advertising possibilities of their stations and their cars. It is said that one of our great railroad companies has refused offers for advertising privileges that would have yielded a revenue as high as one per cent on its capital stock; nevertheless the proposition was not entertained for an instant, for it was felt that it would be offensive to the public and a correspondingly poor and short-sighted policy. ^ Our steam railroads have also done a great deal towards making their stations and their grounds in and around Boston artistically attractive. The example of the Boston and Albany is justly cele- brated. But the public at large may not appreciate how far the other rail- roads have carried the principle in various particulars. For instance, the way in which the desolate aspect of a great railroad yard can be relieved is shown by the charming little oasis at the junction of the Fitchburg and Portland divisions of the Boston and Maine, just across the Charles River from the North Station. A particularly notable example of how an enlightened railroad policy may con- vert the commonplace and even the ugly into features of striking beauty is the 276 NEW BOSTON new signal-tower of concrete just built by the New York, New Haven and Hartford near Savin Hill station in Dorchester, daily admired by thousands of passengers. The Boston Elevated deserves popular recognition for what it has done and should thereby be encouraged to keep on with its good work. In the matter of noise, for instance, much remains to be desired. Further elevated con- struction should be designed particularly with this end in view as well as for presenting a more artistic appearance. An elevated structure of reinforced con- crete can be made almost noiseless as well as architecturally pleasing. It is to be hoped that this principle will be adopted in connection with such work as the Maiden extension, for instance. It would be poor policy to insist upon continual noise-making simply because the company has been obliged to pay damages for the noise nuisance for which it has been held responsible. The friendly regard of the public is one of a public service corporation's greatest assets. This can be secured in no better way than by showing a disposition to eliminate noise so far as possible, not only in new construction, but in im- proving the older parts of the line where noise has been paid for. Eventually the company would share handsomely in the enhanced public prosperity due to improved property values and more healthful and agreeable conditions ef- fected by the suppression of noise. It would also pay in these ways to abate the smoke-nuisance at the com- pany's power-houses. Let us hope that the experiments in that direction, said now to be actively in'[hand, will prove successful. The Month in Boston— 1915 The Directors and Executive Com- mittee of the Youth Conference met on September 20. It was voted to dissolve the Committee on Boys' Games appointed for the summer and to appoint a new committee to formulate ])lans for future work in athletics for youth. Dr. A. E. Garland and N. J. Young were appointed on this committee and were instructed to secure a third member from the Amateur Athletic Union of New England. Mrs. John F. Suckling, Miss Edith M. Howe and Mr. Mitchell Freiman were appointed a committee to ascertain what has been done in Boston in the matter of recreation for older boys and girls. The committee voted to investigate the desirability of the curfew law in Boston. At a subsequent meeting the tentative syllabus of needs was revised preparatory to submitting it to con- ference for approval at an early date. The Directors and Executive Com- mittee of the Neighborhood Conference met on September 20. Plans for the pageant were explained and discussed. Mrs. M. Josephine Bleakie, Rev, Christopher R. Eliot and Mr. Frank S. Mason were constituted a committee to nominate permanent officers for the conference. A preliminary syllabus on the "neighborhood needs" of Boston was submitted and revised. At a later meeting the syllabus was further revised and adopted as final. On September 23 and again on Sep- tember 28 meetings of the Educational Conference Committee were held. Care- ful and detailed consideration was given to a list of topics suggested for investiga- tion. The list was approved and ac- cepted as final. The committee will supervise an investigation of the educa- tional facilities of Boston. The Boston Art Commission Com- mittee met on September 7 and on Sep- tember 23. A sub-committee consisting of Mr. Henry G. Pickering, Frank Chouteau Brown and Cyrus E. Dallin are considering the desirability of ex- tending the powers of the Boston Art Commission. The City Planning Conference Com- mittee at a meeting on October 7 tooli steps towards submitting the final draft on a syllabus on the city-planning needs of Boston. On October 10 the Fine Arts Com- mittee discussed plans for the coming pageant. Mr. Arthur Burnham reported on the auditoriums of St. Paul, Mil- waukee and Denver. The committee is working on syllabus of musical and dramatic needs of Boston. The Civic Conference met on October 20 in the committee room of the Tremont Building. Plans for distributing the work among the six sub-committees were taken up and tentatively approved. ^rosram of tfje pageant BOSTON ARENA-Nov. 10, 11, 12 FREDERICK ALLISON TT PPER JAMES P. MUNROE JOHN W. DeBRUYN Author of the Prologue Executive Director Bostoa-1915 Business Manager the Pageant FRANK CHOUTEAU BROWN Dramatic Director FRANK T. MERRILL Designer of Special Costumes LOTTA A. CLARK Directorof^the Pageant JOHN A. O'SHEA JAMES GILBERT ALBERT M. KANRICH Director of Chorus and Orchestra Master of Dramatic Training In charge of orchestration and arrangement of music PAGEANT COMMITTEES ORGANIZATION Mr. Edwin D. Mead Dr. Colin A. Scolt Mr. Frank T. Merrill Miss Mabel Hill Mrs. Fannie Fern Andrews Dr. David D. Scannell Mr. Will C. Eddy Mr. Vesper L. George Mr. Frank Chouteau Brown PERFORMANCE Boston High School HistoryCouncil Boston Teachers' Club Curry School of Expression Emerson College of Oratory GENERAL ADVISORY Mr. William Orr Hon. James O. Lyford Rev. Thomas I. Gasson, S. J. Mrs. Barrett Wendell Prof. George P. Baker Mr. William Chauncy Laugdan Mrs. Mary F. Chapman Mr. Walter Gilman Page Mr. James B. Noyes Mr. Ralph Davol Mr. Solomon Lewenberg Mr. Arthur Burnham ADVISORY ON MUSIC Mr. Arthur Farwell Mr. William J. McCoy Mr. Henry F. Gilbert Mr. Arthur Shepherd Mr. Chalmers Clifton Mr. Albert M. Kanrich Mr. James M. McLaughlin COSTUMES Mr. Vesper L. George Mr. Frank T. Merrill Mrs. John C. Fairchild Mr. Walter Gilman Page Miss Catherine M. McGinley SUMMARY OF THE PAGEANT PROLOGUE Father Time invites Labor, Progress, Success, Prosperity, Peace and Happiness to assist man in his work. EPISODE I. The Cave-dweller in his solitary home. The first hearth-stone. Interlude. Vineland welcomes the Norsemen EPISODE II. Life in the Indian village. Interlude. The Dance of the Wave EPISODE III. The Colonists and their Settlement for freedom in the new land. Scene 1. The struggle for existence. Scene 2. Strength and Progress. An early Thanksgiving. The resistance to tyranny. Governor's Reception. Scene 3. Later wealth and prosperity. INTERMISSION — FIVE MINUTES Interlude. The Passirig of the Indian EPISODE IV. Present Success and Future Improvement. Father Time shows Boston and her neighbors: 1. Contrasts of the past and present in Communication, Travel, Education and Industry. 2. The Present City supplants the Indians, the early Colonists and the later ^ Colonial citizens. 3. The Future City will enjoy safety by Prevention from Fire, Dust, Disease and Germs; Slavery and Serfdom; Crime and Insanity; — from War, and Strife between Capital and Labor. 4. The Assimilation of the nations. America receives other nations. The Pageanters pass in review before Boston and her neighbors. PROLOGUE I show the progress of the human race; From darksome caves man's spirit led him up, By slow degrees, unto a high estate, Through storm and stress and struggle unto peace — Time works for good. Your fathers, fearless of the ocean storms. The rock-ribbed shores, starvation, savage foes. For you prepared the country of the free. Yourselves you honor, when you honor them — Time works for good. Life grows more strenuous with the rush of years, Man's victories over earth and sea and sky Have conquered space and threatened our domain, Have raised him high above the ancient Kings, — Time works for good. The astonished eagles scream in wild surprise To see strange human forms scale heaven's walls, And baffled flutterings of defeated wings In headlong flight announce man's victory, — Time works for good. Man rushes on in chariots of fire, Speaks to his friend a thousand miles away, O'er ocean sends his wireless messages. Or makes the throbbing wire convey his thought, — Time works for good. There still are conquests for mankind to win In realms above the plane of time and space. For grander cycles still are near at hand To bring a larger and a better life, — Time works for good. Thou three-hilled town by the Atlantic wave. Loved as no town was ever loved before. Assume thy place as radiant first and best Of all earth's cities, whether far or near, — Time works for good. Harmonious nations fostered by thy love. And consecrated to the public good. With grateful hearts salute the starry flag. And proudly sing: "My Country, 'tis of thee," — Time works for good. — Frederick Allison T upper. "CAVE LIFE TO CITY LIFE" The Pageant of the Perfect City DESCRIPTION OF THE PAGEANT Overture, "American Fantasia,'' Herbert. Chorus, "American Hymn," Keller. Prologue, Father Time as Chorus, summons forth Labor, Progress, Success, Peace, Prosperity, and Happiness. Tableau. EPISODE I. A cave man is seen crouching at the mouth of his cave. He stretches himself, shades his eyes and starts forth in search of game. After his departure his wife and children come out from the cave home, and while their mother goes to the spring for water, the children play around the mouth of the cavern. Two other cave men, who are hunting food, enter and pass below the cave man's home — and soon after they disappear two women are seen coming from the same direction carrying bags of seed and grain, which they prepare for their meal among the stones below the cave. As they work and as the children play with stones upon the ledge above them, a cry in the distance announces that the hunters have made a kill. Soon after the huntsmen are seen returning from the hunt, drag- ging their game after them. A discussion arises between the cave men, and a struggle over the fruit of their hunt follows. The women run to the aid of their men and the cave man Ab is left with one of the animals, while the other two with their wives drag off the other to their own caves. When the two cave men have gone Ab takes his game up beside his cave and returns to the fire, which has previously been kindled by his wife by the aid of flints and stone, bringing a piece of the fresh meat he has stripped from the carcass, and the father, mother and children gather around the fire cooking their meal over the first hearth-stone. Interlude — Vineland Welcomes the Norsemen EPISODE II. Music — "Dawn." Arthur Farwell The light discovers an Indian with his arms stretched out to greet the dawn. The Indian chants and calls to his people. Indians enter bringing wig- wams, baskets and other furnishings for their settlements. They pitch their wigwams, two near the young chief who has called them and one further away. The women sit in front of the wigwams. Some weave baskets, some pound corn, some bring water. The Indian men teach the boys to shoot at the reindeer skin held up- by two Indians. The Indian children are taught to dance. The young chief goes to one of the wigwams where an old squaw sits weaving. He tells her that he is going to choose a wife from the home of a neighbor and she urges him to bring no idle woman to her home, but to bring one who will help willingly. The young chief departs and is seen to re-enter with a deer on his shoulder near the further wigwam, and to approach the Indians sitting beside it. He lays the deer at the feet of the young maiden and asks for her hand. Her father tells him that he may have her if she will follow him, and she lays her hand in his showing her willingness to be his bride. He leads her away and comes later to his own dwelling. He calls his neighbors all about him, presents his bride and in honor of the wedding the boys and men play games and the old men sing songs. While this is going on, an Indian runner comes in and brings wondrous news of a pale-faced god whom he has seen, who teaches of another great spirit and of wondrous "CAVE LIFE TO CITY LIFE" 281 Copyright by F. B. Moore IROQUOIS INDIANS FROM F. E. MOORE'S " HIAWATHA " These Indians will appear in the Pageant happy hunting grounds of which Indians have never dreamed. The other Indians laugh and scoflf at him, but the young brave tells them that what the runner says is true, that he has seen it in a dream. While they are talking, a priest and several followers enter with a party of friendly Indians. The priest blesses the whole com- pany and brings them good tidings. All salute the priest as he passes out. The Indian squaws tell the braves that the game should be brought in. The Indians in council determine to go upon the warpath to clear the hunting grounds of the enemy. They bid the women prepare the tents for moving to safer ground. They dance the war dance and later follow the women. Interlude — Dance of the Waves. EPISODE III. Scene 1. The first scene of this episode opens with the appearance of a small exploring party of Indians accompanied by two colonists, one of them their captain. After an examination of the ground, a site for a fort and a temporary encampment is selected on the space immediately beneath the cavern, where a number of logs are available for the construction of the fortification that the colonists feel necessary for their protection in a strange and hostile land. As soon as the encampment site is determined upon, the captain despatches one of the Indians as a runner to guide the remainder of the party to the selected spot. The remainder of the Indians begin to gather logs and prepare the ground for the encampment, so that, immediately after the remainder of the party enter, they are set to work completing the building of the stockade. 282 NEW BOSTON The main party of the colonists is accompanied by a small group of friendly Indians, who assist them in preparing the stockade; while two of the Indians mount to the space in front of the cave, where they kindle a fire to send word to their tribe of the camp location and summon their friends to join them. As was the old custom, the signal was sent by the "smoke talk" made by drawing a wet blanket over the fire and removing it at the intervals that made the words of the message. While this has been going on, Ezra, accompanied by a few of the friendly Indians, goes off to help bring in the women and children of the colonists, and soon returns with them laden with bundles carried by the party. When the fort is well along, a small group of colonists who have been gathering logs near the north entrance, returns swiftly to the stockade uttering a shout of warning. There follows them a small group of Indians and squaws, who enter bearing presents of food and grain, and who prove to be the remainder of the friendly tribe of Indians, who have received the smoke message and come in answer to it to meet the white men. The fort is now partially completed. A party of three Indians and two col- ionsts halt near one of the entrances, and express surprise. An Indian runs up, drags them back out of the way, and motions hastily to his companions. All then return swiftly to the stockade giving the alarm. Colonists: "There are strange Indians spying about." Caftain: "Are they friends?" The two or three Indians grunt and shake heads in emphatic negative. Cap- tain turns to men and women, who have paused in alarm at the news. Captain (to men): "Get to your muskets. Take all bundles and add to the stockade." (To the women as he points to stockade): "Inside! All of you." Captain (to minister) : "Take the women to a place of safety." In order to complete the structure as far as possible, the remaining logs are rolled into a barricade at either end, the bundles and baggage of the colonists are hastily tumbled over at one side, and all gather behind the stockade. The women and minister go off through the trees to a place of safety. The friendly Indians conceal themselves in the trees around the cave. Three unfriendly Indians enter and hide themselves behind the shrubbery while they reconnoiter. A hasty con- sultation follows between them, and one disappears to come back immediately, followed by the entire war party of Episode II. The friendly Indians who remain concealed about the cavern fire shots from among the trees during the engagement which follows. As the war party gathers, a group of three Indians and two colonists enter carry- ing bundles. They are perceived by the war party as well as by their friends in the fort, who fire a shot in order to warn them. They discover their danger, drop their bundles and flee to the fort at the west, pursued by most of the war party, who fol- low them until a fusillade of shots from the fort halts them near the center of the floor, from which place they discharge a flight of arrows and gain a hastily taken cover. A concerted attack is now made by the Indians, now numbering about 100, and after a preliminary bombardment with arrows, and a number of shots in reply from the fort and trees, at a signal they make a rush which is beaten off by the colonists, whose fire becomes much heavier. The Indians retire, leaving three or four of their dead in front of the stockade. Their leaders confer in front of the southeast entrance and determine upon method of the next attack. Meanwhile four or five friendly Indians from above the fort rush down the decline and clambering over or around the ends of the stockade, they scalp the dead Indians and retire with a howl of triumph waving the scalp-locks of the dead warriors. This draws another shower of arrows from the war party and another impetuous attack upon the stockade, which is so far successful that the Indians are able to get to close quarters. They surge around the ends of the fort and in the center succeed in tearing down a number of the upright posts. After a close fight, however, the Indians are again driven off and retire carry- ing off their'dead. The principal part of the group gets off at once. The others finally march off chanting their dirge. The friendly Indians come down from their position CAVE LIFE TO CITY LIFE" 283 THE MOORE INDIANS 284 NEW BOSTON ill tlic tires arouiul llio cavo, with yells of Irimnpli to join Ihe settlers around the ruins of the stoekade. Captain: "Ezra, hriuf^lback the women." Messeiif^ers leave to hring back the women and children who are come together ill front of the stockade. The minister reads to them. Minister: "My children! Bow down before the manifold mercies of Almighty God. Let your hearts cease to be troubled, for this day it hath been shown unto you that he who believeth in the Lord shall be delivered from the hands of his enemies. Oh, T>,ord, Most High, guide and direct our steps that we may find favor in Thy sight forevermore. Amen." They all join in a verse of "O God, our help in ages past!" Ezra, who has gone after and returned with women, steps forward to captain: Ezra: "Let us leave this place. Further to the west is the river. Is not the water more protection than this forest?" Minister: "It may be safer. Brother Matthew." Captain: "Well, let us go." Ezra: "Captain, we had best fetch some of these logs. They are already cut and timber is scarce." The women and men go off carrying bundles singing. The remainder of the settlers follow with logs, axes, etc. Music — Navajo War Dance. Arthur Farwell EPISODE III. Scene 2. Enter town crier who passes around the hall calling people together. Toivn Crier: "0-Yes! 0-Yes! 0-Yes! To all ye of this colony I bring news O-Yes! A proclamation from your governor. His excellency bids ye listen, 0-Yes — this day — this hour — to the reading of the said proclamation by ye Reverend Jonathan Edwards. 0-Yes! Come all ye, gather to this place and listen." They gather to the number of about 200, some following him, others coming from the other entrances just before and after he passes by. The group includes women and children, all sorts of workmen, farmers, gentlemen, blacksmiths, carpenters, etc., who have come from their work to listen to the proclamation. a Enter Jonathan Edwards, the minister himself, followed by a small group of people; evidently those of more importance in the community, who all listen while he reads his proclamation of thanksgiving. Minister: "Whereas, it is the duty of all peoples to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits and humbly to im- plore his protection and favor, I do set apart and appoint the four and twentieth day of this instant, November, to be devoted by the people of this colony to the service of that Being, who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be." The workmen, talking together, leave in groups or singly, through the different entrances after the proclamation is ended. Some of them remain; some go out, to return later without their work implements to join in the festivities of the husking. The ox cart laden with corn enters and with a farmer on top to toss off bundles of ears to peoj)le below. The cart is j)receded and attended by more children and young folks, who are laughing, shouting and merry-making. They helj) in dragging oil the cart bundles of corn which they leave behind them as they move around the hall. A crowd remains scattered around arena. t^ Children: "Oh, here's the corn — the corn. Give us some corn. I want a red ear." Men distributing: "This for you — and this for you." Their noise is a signal for the crowd to turn to them. As the cart makes its progress from west to east — across the east end and back again to west, the boys and girls make its dri\er stop with shouts about at the north entrance. They all droj) onto the floor and start to husk. The cart is stopped again and unloads its last baskets. ()ld .John, the fiddler, hobbles along after the children. By the time the third group is settled, the first group is well into its husking "CAVE LIFE TO CITY LIFE" 285 and a loud cry comes from first group — "John, yours done yet?" "No." "Hurry up there." "Found the red ear yet.?" "A red ear! A red ear! A red ear!" (There is a scramble and a girl extricates herself from the group, is promptly chased and caught and kissed by one of the men.) Second group. "Where is John the fiddler.''" Others: "Yes, the fiddler! The fiddler and a dance." Children s Group: "Here he is. He is here." (The children drag him to center south with shouts of "Now we will dance.") First Group: "A reel! A reel!" Other groups of children and young folks continue with the corn-husking or play games of their own. The corn-husking is interrupted by the town crier, who enters bringing the news of the imposition of the Stamp Act. He is followed by several groups of the older and more serious men in active discussion. The town crier enters, bell in hand. He is coatless, excited and indignant. Shakes his bell in air. Instant silence. Town Crier: "Hear"'ye,'^hear ye. The Stamp Act has been passed." People: "What?" Town Crier: "The Stamp Act has been passed." "What say ye to that, men of this colony?" People: "Where was Franklin? — They take our money and give us naught. We won't pay for their soldiers. Show me the man who sells stamps here." Town Crier: "'Twas that dog Grenville." People: "Aye, Grenville! Grenville!" Crowd grows more noisy and unruly. Constable with two attendants enters hurriedly. Small Boys: "Here comes the constable, the constable!" Constable: "Way. Make way for his majesty's constable." All: "Way with Grenville! Down with the Prime Minister!" Violent tur- moil follows. The constable and his men are tossed hither and thither. The group dissolves and discloses the constable holding two men and one of his attendants holding another. Constable (to other attendant): "Go get me Thomas Crane." Attendant dives through crowd and bellows in town crier's ear. Crier (reluctantly relinquishing his leadership): "What's your want?" Attendant: "The constable requires ye!" Constable (shaking culprit) : "Announce me these men as offenders of the peace." He gives them over to the attendants and dives over into group to corral another he had marked. This one resists and his companions gather to his assistance. Crier (begins half-heartedly to cry): "Hear ye! Hear ye! A public notice! Two culprits, Thomas Lynde and James Carpenter, go to the stocks for a-breaking o' the peace." The group around constable are now working up quite a disturbance, the women looking on in dismay, when the nimister enters. The children and youngsters gather around and taunt and plague the prisoners. The women gather in separate groups to discuss the subject. Jonathan Edwards, the minister, enters hastily from west. His whole demeanor is forceful and calm, as he speaks to the great group about the town crier. Edwards: "Men of this colony." (At the sound of his voice they all turn with one accord and listen in silence). "Peace!" Townsman: "But the Stamp Act." Edwards (more forcefully and with great finality) : "Peace!" The men, abashed, leave the place mumbling. He watches them with compelling demeanor until they are gone. The constable takes his prisoner to stocks and places him in them. The women timidly look to Edwards for counsel and suggestion. Somewhat quieted the men exit with many expressions of discontent. Edwards: "Why stand ye idle here? Have ye no work to do?" The party now breaks up into four separate groups: 1. The Dame School. 2. A spinning school. 3. A quilting party. 4. The singing school. The school 286 NEW BOSTON THE] DAME [[SCHOOL children first give their games, their reading and other historic episodes. The bustle and gossip of the spinning contest given on Boston Common come next. Then the quilting with gossiping and bustle. Finally, the singing school with their songs, under direction of the minister or a deacon, and again the finish of spinning contest. After the Dame School, the Quilting Party and the Spinning and Singing Schools have broken up, the people are seen gathering for the Governor's reception. They come in carriages, on foot and a'horseback. Those who have come from a distance lay aside their things and mingle with those who have come from nearer at hand, and all join in gossiping about the events of the day and the anticipated pleasures of the evening. It appears from the gossip of the servants and some of the girls who have been at the Spinning School that afternoon, that especially elaborate preparations made for the reception seem to indicate that an unusual development of some sort was to be expected before the end of the evening. Just as the incident of the Spinning School was suggested by an actual happening on Boston Common, so the Governor's reception that is shown in this scene of the Pageant is an outgrowth of the well-known occurrence of the marriage between Governor Wentworth and his maidservant, who had convinced him by her faithful service and care, of her eminently suitability for the position of his wife. This inten- tion the governor announces as a surprise to his guests. While the girl Martha goes off to don the Jsatin gown appropriate to her new station, the governor's nephew, who with some friends has returned from a belated hunt, at the request of his uncle, sings a song, and as soon as the new Lady Wentworth returns, the governor's guests join in congratulating them and in the performance of an old-fashioned minuet. CAVE LIFE TO CITY LIFE" 287 Introductory Dance — The Passing of the Indian EPISODE IV. After a brief intermission, the Aboriginal Period in America is symbolized by "The Passing of the Indian," in which the Indians are summoned from their native forests; and group themselves around the central mound representing the site of the MISS VIRGINIA TANNER, PAGEANT SOLO DANCER city of Boston, where they remain until they are displaced by the appearance of Boston accompanied by her Neighbors. Father Time appears and intones the prelude to the last episode, near the end of which the group of Boston and Suburbs, accompanied by their Guard of Honor, "The Knights of Economy," advance across the floor to their allotted location. The Indians slowly retire before the advancing city, and withdraw to their distant forests in the west. '^ ' ^ ^ n >;r r r . Boston, in assuming her position, is surrounded by the women personating the Suburbs and the Towns of the Metropolitan District, who are arranged in the same relations to the central city as that they actually occui)y on the map, Boston's 288 NEW BOSTON AUTOMOBILE EQUIPPED WITH LATEST EDISON BATTERIES To appearjin Pageant train symbolizing the waters of Boston bay and harbor being disposed by the train bearers to the east of the city. Music "Pomp and Circumstance," by Elgar Contrasts between the Past and the Present are briefly epitomized by the pas- sage of the Colonial Town Crier carrying his candle lantern, followed by a group of Boston newsboys, during whose progress across the floor the stereopticon pictures the wireless telegraph of the immediate future, so symbolizing the history and de- velopment of communication. Contrasts of Travel are indicated by the group of guests returning from the Governor's reception on pillions, in sedan chairs, chaises and of a colonial coach with its merry party of guests. In comparison with these earlier methods is shown the latest model of an ^electric, automobile, and [the [stereopticon 'displays an aeroplane overhead. Some of the contrasts of education are shown by the return of the group of Dame School children at the same time that a group of present day scholars enter to go through the games which are a new part of the school system of today." So also the group of spinners show the contrast of Industry between the co- lonial times and the present, where the stereopticon again gives a picture of the con- ditions existing in a modern factory and suggests something of the improvement possible in these same conditions so far as they have been made up to the present year. Music, "Contrasts" 1700-1900, by Elgar "CAVE LIFE TO CITY LIFE" 289 The remainder of the groups of the Colonial Episodes follow in historical sequence and group themselves behind the city of Boston. Boston and her Suburbs are next shown defending themselves by modern methods of prevention from the evils of Disease, Dust and Germs, who have been slowly drawing in toward the city from all directions until they are discovered and driven Imck by the "Knights of Economy." Groups typifying Slavery and Serfdom advance toward the city and place themselves upon either hand of the central group, while the Boy Scouts search for and drive out from the heritage of the city's past the personifications of Crime and Insanity, both being banished from the future city. War enters, followed by a group of soldiers and sailors in war-stained garb, and they advance upon one side of the city at the same time as Strife between Labor and Capital appears upon the other. The first group is met and reconciled by Peace, who advances to give her banner to the personification of War. At the same time the second group is brought together by means of blind Justice, led by Progress. Music — Symphonic Poem, "The City," by Arthur Farwell The spirit of America now welcomes and invokes from the east, the north and the south the gathering of the nations, who enter and place»themselves around the three sides of the city and each in turn dance a few measures of their national or symbolic dances. At the end of this dance the nations are suddenly thrown into confusion by the quick outrush, at the clang of the alarm bell, of groups of fire and flames, who drive in the dancers upon the city and are only in their turn repulsed when the nations have taken their positions back of the Boston group and the "Knights of Economy," assisted by the upspringing dancers of the American dance, succeed in driving Fire and Flames back from the future city. Boston and her Neighbors then advance to the end of the hall at the east, crowded ahead by the assimilation of the new nations with her past, and take their position facing the west to review the grouping of the nations, and the living flag. The spirit of America depicts in brief symbolism the innate patriotism of city and country, while the pageanters form upon either side of the hall for the final in- cidents of the Pageant. All join in the patriotic song of the evening and the march off is headed by the Boston group, who pass down through the hall to take their places at the western end of the slope leading up to the caveman's home. The pageanters, led by the Spirit of America, march off before Boston singing. The lights die down leaving Boston and the Suburbs grouped in a final tableau at the west. They disappear before the lights of the hall are turned [on [again [to indicate the end of the pageant. PAGEANT DRAMATIS PERSONAE PROLOGUE Father Time Mr. Alfred H. Brown Labor Progress Success Peace Miss Florence E. Lutz Prosperity Miss Josephine Hammond Happiness Miss Florence Lincoln EPISODE I.— The Cave Dwellers Ab, a cave man Mr. Thomas Hardy Wanda, his wife Miss Belle Fay Their two children Lobo ) . .1 ( Mr. Earle Cairns Fang [ t^° ""^^^^ ^^^^ »^^" I Mr.^Walter Todd 290 NEW BOSTON C\\ir > f Miss Margaret Franklin AloV \ ^''''' ''^^^^'' ""^"^^ ^^"''''' ( Miss Grace Blackwood Interlude — VinelarnVs ivelcome to the Norsemen — Miss Virginia Tanner EPISODE II.— Life in the Indian Village The characters in this e[)isode are assumed by members of the Iroquois Indian Tribe, belonging to F. E. Moore's "Hiawatha Players." Interlude — Dance of the Waves — Miss Virginia Tanner EPISODE III. Scene l. — The Struggle for Existence Colonist Captain Mr. Ralph Naufftts j^2;ra Mr. John Crawford Minister Mr. Joseph H. Soliday The New England Conscience Mr. Winthrop Mather Early Colonists by St. John's Club, Charlestown, Old South Historical Society, and Lynn High School. Friendly Indians by Roxbury High School. Women Colonists by Old South Historical Society and Young Women's Christian Union. Indian enemies by Roxbury League. Scene 2. — Strength and Progress. An Early Thanksgiving Town Crier Mr. Thomas Crane Minister Mr. Joseph H. Soliday The New England Conscience Mr. Winthrop Mather Colonial Workmen by English High School and Mechanic Arts High School. Singing School by Field and Forest Club and AUston Women's Club. Older men by Dorchester Historical Society and Medford Historical Society. Women — Spinning School — by Girls' High School of Practical Arts. Quilting Party — By Roxbury High School. Dame School — by Charlestown High School and Mrs. J. B. Watson. Harvesters and other Colonial merrymakers by Brighton, East Boston, Watertown, Roxbury, English, Dorchester, Milton, Waltham, Woburn High Schools and Posse Gymnasium. The Resistance to Tyranny Constable, attendants and culprits. The Mob is composed of those who have appeared in the preceding incident. Governor's Reception Jotham Mr. Ralph R. Naufftts Sally Miss Jessie A. Luther Martha Miss Florence Preble Mistress Stavers Mrs. Miriam Frances Bagley Lady Parottee Mrs. Emma Prichard Hadley Rev. Arthur Brown Governor Wentworth Mr. Waldo P. Cutler Harry, his nephew Mr. G. Brown Lord Marrington Guests, Hunters and Minuet, by Norumbega Club, Posse Gymnasium, Young Men's Christian Union, and Charlestown, Chelsea, Revere, Everett, Melrose, Newton, Somerville, Cambridge, and West Roxbury High Schools. INTERMISSION — FIVE MINUTES "CAVE LIFE TO CITY LIFE" 291 Introductory Dance — The Passing of the Indian. — Miss Virginia Tanner EPISODE IV. — Present Success and Future Improvement Father Time Mr. Alfred H. Brown The Spirit of America Miss Virginia Tanner Boston and her Neighbors, attended by the ''Knights of Economy" as a Guard of Honor Boston Miss Harriet E. Hutchinson The Suburbs aufl the Metropohtan Districts by the Boston Teachers' Club. "Knights of Economy" by the Boy Scouts. Scene l. Contrasts of Fast and Present Communication : Town Crier Mr. Thomas Crane Newsboys, by Boston Newsboys' Club Wireless Telegraph (Stereopticon) Travel : Pillions, Sedan Chairs, Chaises and Coaches by different guests returning from the Governor's Reception. Edison's Electric Automobile and Aeroplane (Stereopticon) Education : Dame School by the Charlestown High School and Mrs. J. B. Watson. Present day school by Roxbury High School. Industry : Spinners by Girls' High School of Practical Arts. Modern factory (stereopticon). Scene 2.— The Present City Includes in its historic past the Indians, Settlers, Colonists, Farmers and Mechanics, and other Colonial men and women who have already appeared in the earlier episodes. Scene 3.— The Future City Dust Clouds bringing Disease Germs by Curry School of Expression. Flames by Hale House, Slavery and Serfdom by Central Labor Union. War (Soldiers and Sailors) by Sons of Veterans and State Nautical School. Strife (Capital and Labor) by Central Labor Union. Scene 4. — The Assimilation of Nations The Spirit of iVmerica invokes other nations. Scandinavian by Swedish Club, EliseJonnson, President. English Maypole by Miss Howes' and Miss Ames' Girls' Clubs. Scotch by Lincoln House. Irish by South End House, South End Industrial School and North Bennet Street Industrial School. Dutch by Denison House. Russian by Elizabeth Peabody House. Hungarian by Braintree, Stoneham and Dedham High Schools. Italian by Hull Street House. ^ ' Southern Europe by Girls' HigirSchool. The Greek Element in the Athens of America by Girls' Latin School. The American Dance by Posse Gymnasium, Boston Normal School, and Milton, Waltham, Woburn, Charlestown, South Boston and West Roxbury High Schools. Symbolic Dance — "Aspiration" — Miss Virginia Tanner Patriotic Hymn by audience, chorus and pageanters ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Pageant was planned and organized by Miss Lotta A. Clark, Head of the History Department, Charlestown High School. The dramatic arrangements of the Pageant have been made by Mr. Frank Chouteau Brown, Architect, Chairman of the Dramatic Committee of the Twentieth Century Club, Director of the Drama League of America. The performances of the Pageant are given under the personal direction of Mr. James Gilbert. Miss Tanner's suite of dances was arranged by Mrs. Lilla Viles Wyman specially for the Civic Pageant, The Pageant dances are arranged and assembled by Miss Miriam Harris. The costumes for the Pageant are designed by Mr. Frank T. Merrill, illustrator of books and lecturer on "Colonial Customs and Costumes." The incidental music for the Cave Man Episode was written by William J. McCoy for the last Bohemian Club play in the Redwoods, California, and is repeated here for the first time by special permission of the Bohemian Club directors. The chorus and orchestra are under the personal direction of Mr. John A. O'Shea. The orchestration and arrangement of the music was made by Mr. Albert M. Kanrich for the Pageant, and is played by the Kanrich Orchestra. The cover and poster of the Pageant was designed by Vesper L. George, mural artist. LIST OF PAGEANT PATRONESSES Mrs. Grafton Abbott Miss Caroline D. Aborn Mrs. Josef Adamowski Mrs. Charles H. Adams Mrs. Enoch C. Adams Mrs. Ralph Albertson Mrs. Julia R. Aldrich Mrs. Thomas Allen Mrs. Charles G. Ames Miss Mary S. Ames Miss Edith Andrew Mrs. Edwin G. Andrews Mrs. Julius A. Andrews Mrs. William C. Appleton Miss Sarah L. Arnold Mrs. Thomas Aspinwall Mrs. Edward Atherton Mrs. M. A. Atkins Mrs. A. R. Bailey Miss Emily G. Balch Mrs. G. W. Barrett Mis. John L. Batchelder, Jr. Mrs. Walter C. Baylies Mrs. W. A. L. Bazeley Mrs. A. F. Bemis Miss Marion L. Blake Mrs. Herbert K. Blanchard Mrs. Dwight Blaney Miss M. Josephine Bleakie Mrs. C. K. Bolton Mrs. Albert D. Bosson Mrs. IngersoU Bowditch Mrs. T. J. Bowlker Mrs. J. R. Brackett Mrs. E. H. Bradford Mrs. Richards M. Bradley Mrs. R. S. Bradley Mrs. Edward Brandegee Mrs. Louis D. Brandeis Mrs. L. Vernon Briggs Miss Alice A. Burditt Mrs. Henry B. Cabot Mrs. Richard C. Cabot Mrs. Walter C. Cabot Mrs. Edward L. Cadieu Miss Ida M. Cannon Mrs. Arthur Astor Carey Mrs. William R. Castle, Jr. Miss Eva Channing Mrs. Walter Channing Mrs. Robert Farley Clark Mrs. E. A. Codman Miss Katherine A. Codman Mrs. William C. Codman, Jr. Miss Katherine Coman Mrs. S. Perry Congdon Mrs. Harry E. Converse Miss Ellen W. Coolidge Mrs. W. T. Councilman Mrs. James M. Crafts Mrs. Caleb Loring Cunningham Miss Hester Cunningham Mrs. Frederick H. Curtiss Mrs. Herbert B. Cushing Mrs. Samuel R. Cutler Mrs. Francis N. Darling Mrs. F. F. Davidson Mrs. Frank A. Day Dr. Blanche A. Denig Mrs. Charles S. Dennison Mrs. R. L. DeNormandie Mrs. Hasket Derby Mrs. D. Despradelle Miss Mary W. Dewson Mrs. C. R. Eliot Mrs. Harold C. Ernst Mrs. Glendower Evans Mrs. Arthur G. Everett Mrs. Charles Fairchild Mrs. John C. Fairchild Miss Katherine Fay Mrs. A. Lincoln Filene Mrs. Frederick P. Fish Miss A. E. Fisher Miss Laura Fisher Mrs. Adeline Fitz Miss Mary P. Follett Mrs. J. Malcolm Forbes Mrs. Wm. P. Fowler Mrs. Pryor Fulton Mrs. Lyman W. Gale Mrs. Irvin McD. Garfield Mrs. Bryant B. Glenny Mrs. Greenleaf Goodale j Mrs. J. L. Goodale Mrs. Robert Grant Mrs. John Chipman Gray Mrs. Henry Copley Greene Miss Kate Griswold Mrs. Curtis Guild, Jr. Mrs. Charles B. Gulick Mrs. Matthew Hale Dr. Annie L. Hamilton Mrs. Charles S. Hanks Mrs. John M. Harlow Mrs. F. B. Harrington Mrs. John L. Harvey Miss M. E. Haskell Mrs. Martin E. Hawes Miss Frances Hayward Mrs. H. Josephine Hayward Mrs. Charles E. Hellier Mrs. Augustus Hemenway Mrs. A. Henry Higginson Mrs. F. L. Higginson Mrs. Edward B. Hill Mrs. Clement S. Houghton Mrs. E. G. Houghton Mrs. Charles Howard Mrs. Henry Howard Mrs. M. A. DeWolfe Howe Miss Edith M. Howes 294 NEW BOSTON Mrs. Eliot Hubbard Mrs. J. C. Hubbard Mrs. George E. Hunt Mrs. Asher J. Jacoby Mrs. James M. Jackson Mrs. Arthur S. Johnson Mrs. James B. Jones Miss AHce M. Jordan Miss R. R. Joslin Mrs. Reuben Kidner Miss Susan M. Kingsbury Miss Rose Lamb Miss Margaret R. Lang Mrs. J. Lawrence Miss Madeleine Lawrence Miss Sarah Lawrence Mrs. William Lawrence Miss Frances Lee Mrs. Joseph Lee Miss Lucy Lee Mrs. Emery D. Leighton Mrs. A. D. Little Mrs. John D. Long Mrs. J. M. Longyear Mrs. J. Prince Loud Miss Georgina Lowell Mrs. James Arnold Lowell Mrs. Arthur Lyman Miss A. Lillian McGregor Mrs. Thomas Mack Miss Mary C. Mellyn Mrs. Edwin C. Miller Miss Susan Minns Mrs. James P. Minot Mrs. William Minot Mrs. S. J. Mixter Miss Adelene Moffatt Miss Mary Morison Miss Frances R. Morso Mrs. John C. Munro Mrs. Herbert Nash Miss Marian C. Nichols Miss Rose Nichols Mrs. Francis J. Noon Miss Mary Boyle O'Reilly Mrs. Robert Treat Paine Mrs. S. B. Pearmain Mrs. Leila C. Pennock Mrs. Arthur Perrin Mrs. D. L. Pickman Mrs. J. H. Pillsbury Miss Elizabeth Piper Mrs. Wm. Taggart Piper Mrs. Benjamin F. Pitman Mrs. Alexander S. Porter Mrs. Alexander S. Porter, Jr. Miss Charlotte Porter Miss M. O. Porter Baroness Rose Posse Mrs. Charles P. Putnam Mrs. William L. Putnam Mrs. Mary Pamela Rice Dr. Anna G. Richardson Mrs. John Ritchie, Jr. Mrs. G. Frederick Itobinson Miss Lilian V. Robinson Miss Maud M. Rockwell Miss A. P. Rogers Mrs. Henry M. Rogers Mrs. William B. Rogers Mrs. R. M. Staltonstall Mrs. Winhrop Sargent Dr. Eloise A. Sears Mrs. George G. Sears Mrs. William T. Sedgwick Mrs. Robert Gould Shaw, 2nd Mrs. George Sheffield Mrs. George F. Shepley Mrs. F. Foster Sherburne Mrs. Thomas Sherwin Mrs. J. B. Shurtleff, Jr. Miss Martha Silsbee Mrs. Henry H. Sprague Mrs. Frank Spaulding Mrs. J. H. Stannard Mrs. James J. Storrow Mrs. John F. Suckling Mrs. T. Russell Sullivan Mrs. J. O. Sumnef Mrs. Charles W. Tainter Mrs. N. B. T. Tainter Miss Alice P. Tapley Mrs. B. E. Taylor Mrs. Bayard Thayer Mrs. Ezra Ripley Thayer Mrs. John E. Thayer Mrs. Paul Thorndike Mrs. C. W. Townsend Mrs. Harriet B. Voorhees Mrs. Richard G. Wadsworth Mrs. Arthur W. Walker Mrs. William G, Wai-d Miss Mary L. Ware Mrs. Robert A. Ware Mrs. Joseph Warren Mrs. Winslow Warren Mrs. Webster Wells Mrs. Barrett Wendell Miss Lucy Wheelock Mrs. George Whiting Mrs. William Whitman Miss Anne Whitney Mrs. Henry M. Whitney Miss Helen A. Whittier Mrs. George H. Wilkins Mrs. Arthur Williams, Jr. Mrs. F. H. Williams Mrs. Ralph B. Williams Dr. Sarah Windsor Mrs. G. Edward Winn Mrs. Arthur Winslow Mrs. Erving Winslow Mrs. Alfred Winsor Miss Mary P. Winsor Mrs. Charles Francis Withington Dr. Grace Wolcott Mrs. Robert A. Woods Mrs. Arthur Woodworth Mrs. Alfred Worcester Miss Lucy Wright PAGEANTRY GEORGE P. BAKER Master of the Peterborough Pageant The rapid development of public inter- est in pageantry in England and the United States during the last few years shows it supplies something the public lacks. It is the revival of an old popular amuse- ment that from the moment of its re- vival has been developing into some- thing different from its origins. When English pageantry appeared in the second quarter of the thirteenth century, it was the "riding" — that is, persons on horseback and with floats went through the towns in gratulation to royalty or some local dignitary, at first with mumming only, then with words. The masque, the riding, the mumming, are hard to differentiate in the broad field of pag- eantry, running into one another; but the centuries from the thirteenth to the seventeenth saw many elaborate greet- ings to royalty in which "floats," speeches, music, poetry, and even dancing had part. Perhaps the chief characteristic of the pageant was that it was episodic — a float, or a group, representing some event in the man's history or that of the town; but there seems to have been little effort, except occasionally in carry- ing out some general allegory, to bind the episodes together. Modern pag- eantry, as developed in England at Bath, St. Albans, York, and many other places, notably under Mr. Louis N. Parker and other eminent pageant mas- ters, has dealt in vast numbers, and has aimed to give literary quality to the parts of the pageant and to interest as many as possible of the populace in the affair. In expensiveness it has rivalled the masques of James I. and Charles I., which cost as high as £15,000 to £20,000. The pageant at York is said to have cost $75,000, and to have paid, at that. Here in America matters have been somewhat more simply conducted, though the movement is stead- ily toward greater elaboration. The Phil- adelphia Pageant, The Pageant of the Bronx, The Gloucester Pageant, these and others have dealt with a thousand or more people. Side by side with these have apj^eared the pageants planned for smaller places: the Charlestown, the Deerfield, the Peterborough Pageants. One and all of these, however, have been historical — that is, they have tried to re-create thrilling or momentous events of the past history of the place in ques- tion, setting the episodes in beauty of scene and expression. Thus far in the United States the pageant has not gone much beyond this historical and episodic representation of the past. Even yet it is dramatically indeterminate. It is not a procession of antiques and hor- ribles; it is not a trades procession; but it may be, so long as it deals with the past, present, or future history of the place in question, about what its author cares to make it in dramatic value, literary finish, and elaborateness. The performance of Joan of Arc in the Stadium at Cambridge was not a pageant, but a play given under spectacular con- ditions which were far better suited to pageantry than playing — that is, to pantomime, effects by masses rather than individuals, and music by large bodies. The Gloucester Pageant set a play already written for other purposes in a splendid frame of pageantry. The Peterborough Pageant tried for the first time to express a town's history in music written by a former citizen, and aimed to bind the different episodes in a closer unity than is common. The present Boston Pageant works by contrasts, aiming to suggest future possibilities by placing in juxtaposition that in the past which was inei)t and uncomfortable, and the commonplaces of life today un- dreamed of by our forefathers. Should not this illustrated evolution stimulate our citizens to demand for Boston conditions which might seem ideal only did not the pageant show that the commonplace of today was the dream of a half century ago? At present pageantry, so heartily has the American people 296 NEW BOSTON taken to it, seems likely to be for us a combination of the Chronicle Play and the Morality, a free dramatic form which teaches, though not abstractly, by stimulating local pride for that in the past which makes the best incentive to future civic endeavor and accomplish- ment. Already in the communities where it has been tried, it has quickened patriotism, strengthened civic pride, and stimulated or revealed latent artistic powers. WHAT IS A PAGEANT? LOUIS N. PARKER English Pageant Producer A pageant is a part of the great Festi- val of Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the past glory of a city and for its present prosperity. Such an interpre- tation removes the whole thing at once to a high plane and out of the atmos- phere of the mere spectacular enter- tainment. The actual pageant should be — in the case of my pageants it always has been — opened and closed by great commemorative services on the previous and concluding Sundays in all the places of worship. It is a great drama representing the history of a city from the earliest period down to a date not too near the present. It is a powerful, historical object lesson. It is acted entirely by the citizens of the town themselves without professional assistance. That is, entirely by amateurs (except of course in the orchestra). If actors appear, they appear as amateurs and without remuneration; but pageant acting is quite distinct from stage acting and more suited to amateurs than to dramatic artists. It is acted by all classes, irrespective of creed, politics, or social position. It is acted, whenever possible, on a historical site; on the site upon which many of the events represented actually took place. It is strictly confined to the pageant grounds. There are no parades or processions in the public streets. It is in every detail a product of the town itself. That is to say, all costumes, armor, banners, heavy properties, small properties, in short all the things seen or used, with the fewest possible excep- tions, are discovered, invented and de- signed, and made by the townsfolk them- selves. The greater part of this work is done voluntarily. By this means the pageant becomes a splendid school for the development of arts and crafts, and also a wonderful exhibition of the skill of the citizens. Further, it leads to the discovery of a great number of talented people who have hitherto enjoyed no opportunity of showing what they could do. A pageant discovers historians, poets, composers, craftsmen of all kinds, singers, dancers, etc., etc. To me the preliminary work is of far greater im- portance than the actual pageant week. In my pageants there were between two and three thousand performers. They are all anonymous. They give their services without remuneration. The only exceptions are the professional or- chestral performers who are remunerated at the ordinary rates. In some cases, when we have had to employ a large number of soldiers we have made it worth their while by a small gratification. Performers are at liberty to purchase their own costumes from the committee, or to have them made privately, but always according to designs furnished by the committee. The bulk of the costumes are made by the pageant workers. It is hoped that as many as possible will be pur- chased (at cost price), but they can also be hired, and in case of the performers who are not able to do either, the cos- WHAT IS A PAGEANT? 297 LOUIS N. PARKER tumes are lent. No one ought to be prevented from taking part in a pageant for want of means. The average price of an ordinary costume is $2.00. When the pageant is held in the open, the audience is massed in a grand stand capable of seating between five and six thousand. I think six thousand would be the limit for hearing. The stand is roofed in and turned away from the sun. There is a week of so-called preliminary performances (absolutely complete in every detail) at which the children of the schools and as many as possible of the less moneyed classes are accommo- dated either for nothing, or at nominal charges, just sufficient to cover the cur- rent expenses. The pageant lasts three hours without any break or interruption, and during that time no refreshments or books can be sold on the stand. The music of the pageant is composed by a local musician or by local musicians. The master of the music should be a local musician; and, indeed, all the officials without exception, should be local men or women. The orchestra is under cover, and, with the conductor, concealed. In the writing of the text the master of the pageant invites and welcomes the assistance of local historians, authors and poets, on the condition, however, that he be allowed if necessary, to revise and abridge their contributions in col- laboration with them in the light of past experience. The master of the pageant is abso- lutely autocratic in all matters affectmg the text, the cast, the rehearsals, the performances, and the discipline both of the performers and of the auditonum. During all rehearsals and performances ^9^ NEW BOSTON the Arena is shut off, and the master of the pageant has entire control. The auditorium and the arena are treated as though they were a great state theater; and it is impressed on every performer that he and she are taking part in a great and dignified National celebration. The master of the pageant has no voice whatever in the election or appoint- ment of any of the officials of the pageant or any of the heads of artistic depart- ments. The latter should not, however, be appointed until his views on the sub- ject of the pageant are clear to them and they can see their way to working with him loyally and cordially. He has no voice whatever in the finances of the pageant or in the letting of contracts, beyond stating his requirements. But he and his chief assistant are ex officio members of all committees. To come to the manner of starting a pageant, my mode of procedure has been as follows: Upon receipt of an invita- tion from the municipality of a city, or from some very prominent and influen- tial group of its citizens acting in com- bination with the municipality, I have first considered whether the city's history and its share in national history would offer an attractive and dignified canvas, and whether its present circumstances are favorable to a pageant. It would, for instance, be impossible to have a pageant in an ugly manufacturing town, or in a town which was indifferent or antagon- istic to matters of art and literature, or cared little for its own past. After having satisfied myself on this point I have visited the city and have carefully in- spected the proposed site and all possible sites. The site is of paramount impor- tance. It must, if possible, be historical. It must be beautiful, it must have ample space, and offer facilities for ingress and egress of the performers and cover be- hind which they can remain entirely out of sight when not performing; and this with only the slightest and almost imperceptible artificial aid. I tolerate no painted scenery. At the outside I have temporary buildings representing primeval huts — altars, etc. — which are removed when done with. Then if the preliminary committee have accepted my terms and conditions on principle, I address a great town's meeting under the aegis of the munici- pality and the most prominent men and women of the town and neighborhood. And then — well, then the thing goes. The financial system I invented for Sherborne has been adopted everywhere else and has worked very well. For the necessary current expenses a subscrip- tion is raised. This subscription is a first charge on possible profits and is returned out of them without reduction. The only privilege subscribers have, is that they may select their seats before they are thrown open to the public. A guarantee fund is raised, to be called upon only in case of financial loss, and then only pro rata. By this system, even if only the expenses are covered by the receipts, the pageant had not cost the town one cent, while whatever money has been spent on it, has been spent on the town itself. In this connection I will state that Sherborne realized a profit of $5,000, Warwick $15,000, a pageant I wrote for the Duchess of Albany $10,000 in only two performances, and Bury St. Edmunds, $7,000. Dover resulted in a loss. I will not go into the reasons, but only say that in many respects it was the finest spectacle of all. I deprecate very strongly giving the pageant for any definite charitable object, or at any rate, announcing that object be- forehand. It should not be given pri- marily with the view of making a profit. It is worth while doing for its own sake or not at all. There must be no money- grabbing of any sort. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BOSTON-1915 Outsiders used to jeer at Boston by calling her a "state of mind." Some hustling Westerners have even dared to call her a "state of talk." The joke, however, is now on them; for we Ameri- cans are finding out that every city is a "state of mind," and that to bring a municipality to the right "state of mind," there is required a vast amount of repeated and reiterated talk. If its state of mind is quarrelsome, a city will be an armed camp, like mediaeval Florence; if it is unprogressive, the city will be a huddle of cabins, like Canton; if it is sordid and selfish, the city will be filthy and unattractive, like many of those in Asia, Eastern Europe, or even the United States. On the other hand, St. Petersburg sprang from the single masterful brain of Peter the Great, while modern Paris and modern Washington are substantially the creations of a few far-seeing minds. If one man, or even ten men, of intellect, having also vision, resourcefulness and perseverance, can accomplish such seeming miracles in city building, what might not all the minds of a modern city do in these days of science, inventiveness and skill, were those minds instructed, united and de- termined to succeed. f* There is no reason, except bad habits to the contrary, why a municipality should not be planned, instead of being "just growed" like Topsy; there is no reason, except carelessness, why the municipal house should not be kept clean and made beautiful, like any private mansion; there is no reason, except indifference, why its affairs should not be conducted economically and on strict business principles, like those of any other enterprise. To secure a city which is properly planned, decently ordered and economically administered, its citizens have only to get into a "state of mind" where they not only want these things but also believe them to be pos- sible. One of the fundamentals of Boston-1915 is to help to create that state of mind. To set a million, or even ten thousand, persons thinking in terms of the future as well as of the present; to get a ma- jority of them to think alike; and then to persuade them to put their thoughts into action, requires, of course, organi- zation. And that organization will be good for nothing unless it gets at the whole body of the citizens. It is useless for a learned commission to spend months or years in perfecting a plan for city development unless there is some way of getting the people to under- stand and to stand behind that plan. It is a waste of effort to pass laws and ordinances unless the citizens who are to observe those regulations are made to see their justice and common sense. It is impossible to run a city economically and on strict business principles until at least a majority of the people realize that every bit of waste, extravagance and graft is paid for with their hard- earned money, their loss of comfort, or even their very lives. The significance of Boston-1915, there- fore, is in the fact that it is trying, in an organized way, to get at all the people and to make them understand that the city is themselves. It is attempt- ing to make clear that in so far as the city may be wasteful of money or of lives, in so far as it may be ugly, dirty and noisy, in so far as its facilities for transportation, education, health, recrea- tion, etc., may fall short of what other cities have, the fault is the people's and the remedy is in their hands. The citizens of Boston or of any other place can have everything, within reason, that makes for health, comfort, beauty and efficiency if they will only work for it. To be successful, however, they must work not as individuals, not through isolated clubs or societies, not as divided communities or sections^ — they must work as a single federated, co-ordinated or- ganization, giving to each project for city betterment the concerted strength of the whole citizen body. The purpose of Boston-1915 is to stimulate and organize this spirit of co-operation by studying through con- ferences of experts the city's immediate and future needs, by deciding through a representative directorate which of those needs should enlist immediate attention 300 NEW BOSTON and by bringing, through its effective organization, intelligent and widespread support to the projects thus endorsed. The aim of Boston-1915 is constructive work, carried out through democratic methods and in a spirit of unfaltering optimism. In furtherance of this general aim, Boston-1915, in the year and a half of its existence, has done, or is in process of doing, the following specific things: It has secured through organization the practical co-operation of 1,100 lead- ing organizations upon anything that is acknowledged to be for the general benefit of Greater Boston. It conducted on a business basis in 1909 an exposition that was attended by 200,000 persons, that not only helped the public to appreciate what the health, educational, transportation, philanthropic and other problems of a city are, but also made plain the need of a getting together of individuals, organizations and communities to work those problems out. It has made a careful study of the housing problem in Boston, has pub- lished an excellent report regarding it, and is employing an expert to follow up the work with a view to a better under- standing of existing regulations and, if necessary, to new legislation. It conducted in the summers of 1909 and 1910 a series of boys' games that not only kept thousands of boys out of mischief, but led to great improvement in the playgrounds, and will lead to their more effective use for the physical and moral development of boys and girls. It was directly instrumental in getting through a state law restricting the use of dangerous fireworks, and it success- fully carried out a better method of celebrating the Fourth of July, with the result that accidents were reduced by six-sevenths and there were no deaths. It has been and still is active in bring- ing about a proper disposal of city gar- bage, ashes and other wastes. It brought about the reservation of benches for women on the Common during the summer months. It gave essential assistance in estab- lishing vocational direction in the Boston schools, and in starting the various co-operative engineering, industrial and business schools that are now carried on under public or private auspices. It is co-operating with experts in es- tablishing a Bureau of Information and Research, which shall collect and dis- seminate information concerning munici- pal research and development. It is co-operating with the Chamber of Commerce in devising a definite plan for the physical development of Boston, which shall result in important gains in transportation and commercial facilities, as well as in health, beauty and general well-being. It has co-operated with other agencies in bringing about the extended use of school buildings, so that these expensive plants may be utilized for the education of the whole neighborhood. It is endeavoring to bring about a better training for immigrant children to fit them for useful citizenship. It is making plans for a central civic building to bring all the public and pri- vate charities and civic organizations into close co-operative relations. Also for a civic auditorium for great popular gatherings, similar to those in Denver and St. Paul. It has appointed a committee to take up the serious question of delays in court procedure, and to work for remedial legislation. It is making a study of co-operative distribution with a view to lessening the cost of living. It is making preparations for the Civic Advance Campaign described on another page, which shall rouse the people in all sections of Greater Boston to an appreciation of what they can do and ought to do through co-operative effort for the real city of Boston, the tenth largest in the world. It is arranging in connection with this a conference of New England mayors, to discuss questions of health, education, city planning, etc., in which the civic organizations can be of direct assistance to the municipal officials. It has planned, also in connection with the Civic Advance Campaign, for the pageant, "Cave Life to City Life," which will dramatize the idea of city building, and which will be the starting point for enlisting the youth of Greater Boston in active work for a better city.J It has made a list, through its Health HOW BOSTON-1915 WORKS 301 Conference of the health needs of Greater Boston, and is in various ways assisting those who are working to bring about better conditions as to the control of contagious and infectious diseases, school and industrial hygiene, the prevention of infant mortality, etc. Through most of its other constituent groups it is preparing similar lists con- cerning education, philanthropy, etc., and will take up one by one the prob- lems which those lists present. It has watched and will continue to follow all state and city legislation bear- ing upon municipal development, with the object of bringing its organization to the support of good measures and in opposition to bad ones. It is working with the Pilgrim Pub- licity Association and other agencies to "boom" Boston, and to inspire its own citizens and those in other parts of the country with faith in the splendid future of New England. It publishes a magazine, NEW BOSTON, through which it brings before the read- ing public the best modern ideas in civic development. This magazine, although only five months old, has a large and growing circulation. It is making plans for an exposition in the year 1915 which will not only show how much the city itself shall have accomplished in the next five years in developing its industrial, mercantile, civic, social and educational efficiency, but which will also present in graphic form the best that shall have been accom- plished in other cities of the United States and Europe. HOW BOSTON-1915 WORKS C. BERTRAND THOMPSON Organization Secretary The exposition of Boston-1915 in the old Art Museum last year brought to- gether a considerable number of the larger organizations of Boston and indi- cated roughly the ways in which they touch each other's work, and the possi- bilities of closer co-operation. It offered an opportunity to present to these or- ganizations the project of a large and inclusive federation which should em- brace them all in such a way as to make them available for mutual help. Some attempts to get representatives of the organizations together were made at that time, but without success. As soon as the Exposition closed, the preliminary labor of enumeration and classification of the Boston organizations was under- taken in earnest. This work was com- pleted toward the end of January, by which time all the sixteen hundred or- ganizations of Boston had been classified in accordance with a fairly logical and thoroughly practical scheme. The Boston organizations are grouped into the following thirteen classes: Busi- ness Organizations, Charities and Cor- rection Agencies, Educational Institu- tions, Health Organizations, Labor Or- ganizations, Neighborhood Organizations, Religious Organizations, Fine Arts So- cieties, City Planning Organizations, Civic Organizations, Co-operative Or- ganizations, Women's Clubs, and Organ- izations for Youth. All the organizations belonging to each group were invited to send delegates to a conference of that group. These con- ferences, called on a month's notice, met between February 21 and March 10. Each conference proceeded to elect Di- rectors of Boston-1915, to effect a per- manent organization, and to elect its own officers, usually a chairman, secre- tary, and executive committee. The labor group and religious conference were brought together somewhat differently. As organized labor is already represented in such bodies as the Central Labor Union, the Building Trades Council, and District Assembly No. 30 of the Knights of Labor, another conference 302 NEW BOSTON was deemed superfluous and these associa- tions directly elected their Directors of Boston-1915. It was not found practi- cable at this time to organize an inclu- sive Religious Conference, so on invita- tion Archbishop O'Coimell named two directors to represent the Roman Catho- lic Church. The Protestant churches were organized into a conference which is now known as the Federation of Churches of Greater Boston, and the Jewish Synagogues also held a confer- ence. The Protestants and the Hebrews each elected two directors. At about the same time the share- holders in Boston-1915 were organized into two groups, called the Urban and Suburban Conferences, each of which elected five directors. There is now a total of 1,208 organi- zations represented by delegates in the Conferences and on the Board of Direc- tors. An understanding of the work of these conferences is fundamentally necessary. As we have stated from the beginning, Boston-1915 did not enter the field to duplicate the work of any other organi- zation. Almost everything conceivable for the betterment of the city has been undertaken, more or less effectively, by one or more of our numerous institu- tions. If there is anything not yet un- dertaken our purpose is to call it to the attention of the proper body, or group of bodies, and leave it to them with their equipment and familiarity with the details of the work to attend to that particular thing. Boston-1915 is not an original but an auxiliary organiza- tion. Its work is not to initiate, except by way of suggestion, but it is to co- operate and to provide the machinery by which existing organizations may secure each other's co-operation. The latter purpose is accomplished through the conferences and the Board of Directors. A measure may be suggested by an or- ganization belonging to any conference. Ordinarily this is submitted to the Executive Committee of the conference, and then to the conference itself, and with their approval is referred to the central Board of Directors, who, if they approve it, either refer it back to all the conferences or to the particular ones interested, or in some cases, where there is no possibility of question, they may act at once on their own respon- sibility. This course secures first withir the conference the advice and co-opera- tion of all the societies working on similar subjects; overlapping and duplication are in this way brought to light and avoided. Reference to the central Board of Directors brings to bear the co-opera- tion of all the organizations affiliated with Boston-1915. In matters of wide general interest the force of such getting together is almost incalculable. It offers an opportunity for a concentration of public opinion and activity which should be well-nigh irresistible. To make this clear it is worth while to suggest a concrete case. A sub-com- mittee of our Art Conference is consider- ing the subject of a municipal assembly hall or auditorium. It is securing data about similar auditoriums in other places and the way in which they were financed and secured. When it has worked out a plan which it considers practicable for Boston, it will refer it to the Fine Arts Conference. In this conference all the musical societies, interested in giving concerts, the art societies, interested in a central place for exhibitions, and the dramatic societies, interested in a theater somewhat relieved from the baneful in- fluences of pure commercialism, will work the plan into shape to their satis- faction and will undoubtedly be vitally interested in bringing it to accomplish- ment. The plan as finally approved then goes to the Board of Directors where it will get the benefit of the varying points of view of men and women of demon- strated judgment in business and in civic and social affairs. As ultimately modified and adopted by the whole board it will be sent back to all the con- ferences for their recommendations, ap- proval and support. Such a building as supplying a much needed convention hall is of interest to every kind of worker in Boston; as a place for mass meetings it would appeal to civic organizations, improvement associations, women's clubs, etc. With the united and determined interest of 1,208 organizations concen- trated upon it there can be no question that such a building must be secured. I am enlarging on this subject some- what because in my woi'k with the con- HOW BOSTON-1915 WORKS 303 ferences I have often found that they do not themselves, as a rule, fully realize the opportunity that they have. It has been very gratifying to note that in the last two or three months some of the conferences have secured a live feeling of the way in which this organization can be of service. But it cannot be too often repeated that the effectiveness of the conferences of Boston-1915 depends upon the initiative of their constituent members and that Boston-1915 exists mainly to be of service to its constituent organizations, and through them to the city. Its aid can be unfailingly secured in the way I have indicated and it is to be hoped that these organizations will take advantage freely and largely of the chance they have. This is summed up in the following resolution adopted at the meeting of the Board of Directors, October 17, 1910, "Resolved that the fundamental work of the coming year shall be to increase the active co-operation of the twelve hun- dred organizations affiiliated with Boston- 1915 with the projects which the various conferences shall decide are of imme- diate importance, and which shall have been approved by the Directors." What is Boston-1915 Doing? The question that everyone is asking is, "What has Boston-1915 done?" Everyone has been reminded so often of the Exposition, and the Housing Com- mittee's report, and the Saner Fourth, and the Boys' games, that to most people they represent all our achieve- ments. But that this is a fundamentally erroneous view of the situation needs to be driven home. These things were of unquestionable value both intrinsically and for the publicity which they have brought to the movement. But the real achievement of Boston-1915 is the per- fecting of its organization, of a machine by which the civic force of all our in- stitutions is combined and converted into a product which can be most gen- erally described as a better city. This was effected only last spring; but since then the long summer months have intervened, and only now are the mem- bers of our conferences back at work in sufficient numbers to make meetings practicable. Consequently but few things have been brought to a sufficient stage of maturity to be made public, or to be pointed to as achievements. Neverthe- less in the short time in which we have been working, many things of consider- able importance to the city have been started and are well under way. These should mature during the coming work- ing year. Our record of the work of the conferences will therefore be a record of preparation and promise rather than accomplishment. But it is not on that account to be in the least disparaged or apologized for. We will take up the history of the conferences in alpha- betical order: Fine and Industrial Arts Conference This Conference was organized Feb- ruary 25 and held its first regular meet- ings March 3 and April 4, since which time its members have been so scattered that its work has been carried on by its Executive Committee. The conference appointed a committee to consider the advisability of enlarging the powers of the Boston Art Commission. This com- mittee is now actively at work. It appointed members on the joint Com- mittee on the Construction and Loca- tion of Schoolhouses w^ith reference to their more extended use. It appointed three sub-committees to prepare a sylla- bus of the needs of Boston in the realms of art, music and drama, respectively. These committees will be ready to report in about a month. It has a committee to take steps toward securing a great assembly hall for Boston. This com- mittee is also actively at work. Charities and Correction Conference This Conference met first on March 4, effected its permanent organization on March 18, and there have been many meetings of the Executive Committee and one meeting of the full conference, on May 5. At this conference meeting steps were taken to aid in securing the National Conference of Charities and Correction for Boston in 1911. The following resolution was adopted, "That the Executive Committee of this Con- ference be requested by this meeting to express to the Executive Committee of Boston-1915 the urgent need of a civic building, such a building housing 304 NEW BOSTON not merely the charities and correction agencies, but also the agencies aiming at civic improvement and the public welfare generally — the broader the inclusion the better for every department included." In response to this resolution the di- rectors have a committee now actively engaged in planning such a building. The conference has taken part in the formation of a Committee on Delays in Court Procedure in criminal and civil cases, and on the Workmen's Compen- sation Act. It also has a committee to consider and recommend action upon co-operation with the press, from which a solution of this difficult question is expected. The conference had an in- teresting and valuable preliminary sur- vey of the needs of Boston in this de- partment by Miss Frances G. Curtis, Mr. Charles W. Birtwell, and Mr. Robert A, Woods. City Planning and Housing Conference This Conference had its first meeting February 28, and effected its permanent organization March 7. The whole matter of a plan for the work of this conference was referred to its Executive Commit- tee, which is now working on that sub- ject. This committee considered and endorsed the report of the Housing Com- mittee; it assigned various phases of city planning to its members for the preparation of special reports; and at its last meeting appointed a committee to take up the matter of intelligent and useful numbering of street car routes. Civic Conference The Civic Conference met and or- ganized February 21. Regular meetings have been held on May 13, June 1 and October 20. This conference appointed the larger Saner Fourth Committee, whose work set a standard for future celebrations of Independence Day in Boston. It has contributed members to the Committee on Workmen's Com- pensation and Education of Immigrant Children, and upon Delays in Court Procedure. From this conference ema- nated a plan for a Bureau of Municipal Research which has been taken up by the directors and a committee of leading educators and which will soon be an accomplished fact. It has held lively meetings on the co-ordination of metro- politan districts, on the billboard nui- sance and on preferential voting. It aided in the defeat of the Treadway Bill, which was designed to hinder the abolition of illegal billboards. Education Conference The Education Conference met first on March 3, effected its permanent or- ganization on March 10, and held a mass meeting on April 29. The latter meeting was devoted to a general survey of the educational needs of the city and was addressed by Dr. Charles W. Eliot, Joseph Lee, Robert A. Woods, Frank P. Speare and G. W. Martin. It has con- tributed members to the Committees on Construction of Schoolhouses, the Education of Immigrant Children, and the Saner Fourth. It is co-operating with Miss Clark in the Civic Pageant, and sent representatives to the meeting of the School Board on Vocational Edu- cation, on October 7. Recently the Executive Committee has made an ar- rangement whereby Mr. MacCracken, one of Professor Hanus's graduate stu- dents, will work under the direction of the committee in the preparation of his doctoral thesis. The committee and Mr. MacCracken have agreed to make an investigation of the educational fa- cilities of Boston with special reference to industrial education. Health Conference This Conference was organized on March 8, and has held meetings on April 25, May 16, and June 24. At the meeting on April 25, Dr. Cabot pre- sented and discussed his syllabus on the needs of Boston in this department. This syllabus was made the basis for future meetings of the conference. At the meeting of May 16 there was a dis- cussion on birth, morbidity and mortality statistics by Mr. McGlennen, Dr. Rich- ardson and Dr. Davis. It was voted to appoint a committee to take action in relation to the improvement of birth statistics. This committee is now at work. The meeting of June 24 was devoted to the subject of infant mortality and it was voted "That the Boston- 1915 Health Conference recommend to the Boston Board of Health the est^b- HOW BOSTON-1915 WORKS 305 lishment of a Bureau of Child Hygiene." Dr. Rosenau has appeared for the con- ference at the hearings at the City Hall on the disposal of garbage and refuse. Neighborhood Work Conference The Neighborhood Work Conference held its first meeting on February 23, and has met since on April 8 and May 1 1 . It has contributed members to the Com- mittee on the Construction of School- houses. On April 8 the members of the Conference met at dinner to get ac- quainted and to discuss in general the nature of the work of the conference. Mr. Woods presided, and the discussion was generally participated in. On May 11a mass meeting was held to discuss the neighborhood needs of Boston. Mayor Fitzgerald presided and addresses were made by Miss Ellen W. Coolidge and Judge M. H. Sullivan, followed by general discussion. A sub-committee of the Executive Committee has been work- ing on a syllabus of needs and its report is now finished. Religious Conference The Protestant Conference met on June 13 and took steps to elect two directors of Boston-1915. This confer- ence met again September 26 and effected permanent organization under the name of the Federation of Churches in Greater Boston. The original intention was to limit it to the city of Boston, but after considerable discussion it was voted to make it inclusive of the whole metro- politan district, and of all creeds. The conference of the Jewish Synagogues met June 22 and elected two directors. The Catholic Directors are appointed by the Archbishop. Women's Club Conference This conference met first on February 26, organized on March 12, and had another meeting on April 23. It has contributed members to the Committee on the Construction of Schoolhouses, and the Saner Fourth. It has taken steps to interest the civic committees of all the clubs in the work of Boston-1915, has appointed a committee to attend hearings on the disposal of garbage and refuse, has authorized the appointment pf a legislative committee to attend to legislation affecting Greater Boston, and is now working on a list of suggestions of special work to be taken up by this Conference. Youth Conference This Conference had its first meeting February 24, and met again April 12, June 9 and June 29. At its meeting on April 12 it undertook the work of the 1915 Boys' Games Committee and ap- pointed the committee which carried out the games so successfully during the past summer. At a meeting in June it referred the matter of the City Guard, the Progressive Union and the Boy Scouts to a sub-committee which has been actively at work. The Progressive Union and the City Guard have com- bined. At the meeting on June 29, Mrs. Charles R. Israels, chairman of the Committee on Amusements and Vaca- tion Resources of Working Girls in New York, addressed the conference on the subject of Recreation for Older Boys and Girls. On May 5 General George W. Wingate, president of the Public School Athletic League of New York, was en- tertained by the conference at dinner at the City Club and gave an interesting account of the work of that organiza- tion. At this meeting a resolution was adopted looking toward the incorpora- tion in the public school system of Boston of some general scheme of ath- letics which would reach practically all pupils. The Executive Committee has taken steps toward the formation of an athletic committee to handle this sub- ject. On the request of a committee rep- resenting the Home and School Associa- tion, the Civic Service House, and the Juvenile Court, this conference is gath- ering data relative to the need for a curfew law applicable to the business section of Boston. This is an interesting illustration of the possibilities for use- fulness of our Conferences, in the co- operative gathering of information. Industrial Condition Conference When such a machine as the Boston- 1915 organization is set working it is to be expected that modifications will be found necessary. Thus far but one important change has taken place, in connection with the Business, Co-opera- NEW BOSTON tive and Labor Conferences. The Labor Conference by its very organization, as already explained, does not in fact exist. Directors are elected by the Central Labor Union, the Knights of Labor, and the Railroad Brotherhoods. The Co- operative Conference, made up as it is of such diverse organizations as fraternal insurance orders, mutual benefit socie- ties, co-operative banks, co-operative stores, the Savings Insurance League, and the Consumers' League, has not found a common ground upon which successful meetings may be based. The business Conference finds that its work is so nearly covered by the Chamber of Commerce that it has not been possible to arouse great interest. Nevertheless, there are many questions concerning in- dustrial conditions in which Boston-1915 and all its affiliated organizations are vitally interested and there should be some means by which these questions may be handled. I have, therefore, organized an Industrial Conditions Con- ference, which is made up of the direc- tors and executive committees, where the latter exist, or the business, co-opera- tive and labor groups These joint committees include the Committees on the Construction and Lo- cation of School houses, the Saner Fourth, the Education of Immigrant Children, the Powers of the Boston Art Commis- sion, the Delays in Court Procedure, and Workmen's Compensation Act. Construction of Schoolhouses This committee is organized with J. Randolph Coolidge, Jr., as chairman, and has had several meetings. It has formulated definitely the suggestions for possible uses of schoolhouses and has appointed a sub-committee to work on the subject of location and to investi- gate the uses to which schoolhouses have already been put. It is keeping track of proposals for new buildings, and pro- poses to keep in touch with the School- house Commission and make recommen- dations in regard to their construction with reference to their more extended use as social and civic centers. Powers of the Art Commission This committee, with Frank Chouteau Brown as chairman, is drafting a bill amending the present statute in such a way as to put public buildings under jurisdiction of the Boston Art Com- mission and in other respects enlarge its powers. Education of Immigrants The Committee on the Education of Immigrant Children has submitted a report of the present facts, which has been adopted by the Directors, has taken the matter up with the School Com- mittee and is soon to call a Conference of the teachers who deal with the immi- grant children. The Committees on Delays in Court Procedure, and on Workmen's Compen- sation are awaiting the action of State Commissions on those subjects. Saner Fourth The work of the Saner Fourth Com- mittee is so well known to you that I will not dwell upon it. It is soon to meet to discuss its experiences of this year and to make recommendations in regard to next year's celebration. Both the Saner Fourth and the Boys' Games Committees have been deeply indebted to the administration of the city of Boston for the most cordial and helpful co-operation in their work. The nature of our work is such that sooner or later it is bound to require the co-operation of all the organizations in Greater Boston. During the past few months I have been listing and classify- ing these organizations and getting de- tailed information in regard to their officers and purposes. What form of organization is necessary in order to make co-operation most effective is not yet entirely clear. There are several possibilities, and suggestions will be gratefully received. The supplying of volunteer workers to the organizations which can use them is recognized as one of the finest of our opportunities. A beginning has been made in this direction and there are now on our list about fifty volunteers, who have been placed at the disposal of thirty-three organizations. Many of them are now at work, and to all accounts satisfactorily. THE NEW CAMBRIDGE BRIDGE Constructed through the co-operative effort of Municipalities and the Elevated Railroad < RAPID TRANSIT AND CIVIC BEAUTY FREDERICK W. COBURN The improved appearance of recently built rapid transit terminals, subways, car carrying bridges and power houses in Boston is, fortunately, part of a general movement among progressive public-service corporations to avoid doing things offensive to good taste and to combine, where possible, the utili- tarian and the esthetic. Several great transportation companies are making notable efforts to remove the reproach that, while public-service enterprises abroad assist, those in this country too often oppose civic betterment. Some of the examples of the more intelligent attitude have already become classic. The pioneer system of beautified railroad stations adopted by the Boston and Albany Railroad a generation ago still stands as a model. Along the lines of the Pennsylvania and other railroads the work of competent architects and landscape architects makes the journey more agreeable. In general a disposi- tion to make of every engineering pro- ject an architectural proposition is ap- pearing among transportation managers. The principle is, of course commendable, even if the ulterior motives grow only out of enlightened selfishness. That public ugliness is a communal liability was shown when a well-to-do woman went down to a suburb the other day, practically selected a house for which she would have paid $25,000, and then, upon looking over the railroad station, rescinded her order. "I'll not ask my friends to get off at this station," was her explanation to the real estate agent. Without regard to any other relation- ships between the public and the public- service companies it very directly con- cerns the people of greater Boston — and those particularly who understand to what an extent repulsive surroundings help to produce repellent men and women — that not only is the present attitude of the management of the street railway company which controls nearly five hundred miles in the metropolitan district distinctly favorable to civic art, but that the company and the Boston Society of Architects are working har- moniously together to make Boston a better-looking place in 1915 and the years following. All which should be noted without excessive laudation or adulation. It is obvious that not everything seen in the Boston street car system would be pre- cisely useful to illustrate an article on the city beautiful. Inheritances from older conditions are not to be swept away all at once — not certainly at a 308 NEW BOSTON VIADUCT AND FOREST^ HILLS;:STATION Showing care taken not to injure an important parkway which could not appropriately be crossed with ordinary elevated construction. time when many of the thousands of stockholders are wondering how with its enormous obUgations the Elevated Company is going to continue to pay a reasonable dividend. Present-day con- struction, too, is liable to prove to have defects when subjected to critical ap- praisal. Even distinguished architects, called into consultation, may make mis- takes. Again the nature of the rapid transit services, the kind of materials thereby enforced, the ever present con- siderations of expense, particularly ap- parent in a period of advancing prices and nearly stationary receipts — these factors must prevent the constructive problem from working itself out to per- fection. From comparison, however, of the elevated stations in Boston with those built in New York city a genera- tion ago, or of^the'stations of the Wash- ington Street tunnel, separated from those of the Tremont Street subway by only a little more than ten years, some realization is reached of the advance that is making. For this progress in the direction of the standards set in Euro- pean municipalities credit belongs to many agencies among whom not the least prominent is the management of the traction company which has had the foresight and public spirit to enlist the services of skilled architects in works that have a monumental as well as practical character. Similar credit be- longs to the Transit Commission, which has been directly responsible for the building of subways and tunnels in the city of Boston. With car lines under ground, above ground, and radiating on the surface in every direction, it is evi- dent that the transit system can do much either to make or to mar the city. The record up to this time fortunately RAPID TRANSIT AND CIVIC BEAUTY 309 appears to have been one of consistent endeavor to repair old mistakes as rapidly as financial conditions would admit and to shun the preventable ugliness which is inexcusable sin. The kind of architecture which has been provided at the elevated and sub- way stations, the shelters, bridges, via- ducts and other structures necessitated by the task of carrying nearly 300,000,000 passengers a year, accords with the style of the greater city which is now over- growing the little old Boston of the middle nineteenth century. It is formal, symmetrical, solid, dependent for its effectiveness rather upon good propor- tions, good materials and impressive mass than on charm and variety of de- tail. It is in the manner that is coming to prevail in most of the large American cities — one that is consistent with that of such local structures as the Harvard Medical School, the new Museum of Fine Arts, many of the more recent office buildings, most of the residences which have lately been built along Com- monwealth avenue and Bay State road. It recognizes that the day of the Vic- torian^Gothic and the Richardson Roman- esque will not return. It accepts the media of expression which commercial enterprise imposes on the architects* of this generation, who found the town^of brick; who will leave it of re-enforced concrete, Indiana limestone, white terra cotta and Vermont marble. As regards rapid transit develop- ments, a definite policy of avoiding the errors which engineers without the co- operation of architects sometimes make, was adopted in the last years of the nine- teenth century when the newly organized Boston Elevated Railway Company was called upon to offer its plans for an ele- vated structure. Types of elevated sta- tions and inter-station construction had already been developed in New York and elsewhere. These conceivably might have been copied without much thought of anything but carrying the trains safely and loading and unloading expeditiously. It seems, however, to have been realized that Boston is a community in which a considerable number of persons stand ready to protest against work that is unnecessarily ugly. There was a lesson in the disillusionment that followed the opening of the Suffolk County Court- house. A prize competition, accordingly, was FOREST HILLS STATION 310 NEW BOSTON instituted by the Boston Elevated Rail- way Company for the best design of a typical elevated railway station, one which could be reproduced with varia- tions necessitated by the topography wherever it was desired to build a sta- tion. The prize was made large enough to attract leading architects. In order that the competition might be fair and free from charges of favoritism toward any one of the professional cliques in Boston, a jury of awards was chosen from the Architectural League of New York. This committee passed upon the de- signs submitted and selected for the prize one by A. W. Longfellow, which was subsequently embodied at City Square, Charlestown. It has definitely fixed the type, to which other stations conform according to circumstances. It is an effective type, whether viewed from near at hand or at the end of a vista. The limitations inherent in the material are evident, of course. Steel construc- tion lacks the charm of hand hewn masonry. A certain mechanical rigidity must mark it and must condition the superimposed materials. Good design, however, simplicity and good taste may be abundantly exemplified in it. These are respects in which the stations at City Square, Thompson Square, State Street, Northampton and elsewhere are certainly creditable. The elevated struc- ture between stations has likewise re- ceived consideration from architects as well as engineers. It is not, of course, susceptible of just such treatment as would be given to columns separating nave and aisle in a Gothic church. Structure and functions are such that it would be impossible to contract with members of the Society of Arts and Crafts for the iron work. Yet again, accepting the necessities of the situation, these steel uprights and horizontal girders show at least an attempt at agreeable spacing, a freedom from meretricious ornamentation. Co-operation between the Transit Com- mission and the Elevated Company has developed in Boston underground stations which should be educational in a com- munity where the gospel of good taste and right living in this world has been very often subordinated to the gospel of preparation for the next world. Par- ticularly of the stations of the new Washington Street tunnel is such a generalization true. Although the tunnel was built primarily to increase the carry- ing capacity of the north and south elevated services, the series of stations provided in this subterranean thorough- fare afforded an opportunity for well- considered decorative and even pic- turesque effect which was not lost. When finally the tunnel was thrown open in December, 1908, the crowd streaming into it found that each station was finished with tasteful tile work, mosaics and sheathed copper. The hole in the ground which might have seemed a dismal catacomb gave an impression of large and gaily illumined spaciousness. Of offensive decoration there was none. The lettering of the signs was excellent. The difficult problem of the billboards, concerning which many people feared a fiasco like that of the hideously papered London tubes, had been satisfactorily attached by using placards of a uniform size, well spaced and calculated, when filled with agreeable colored posters, to make pleasing spots on the wall. Such object lessons in the decencies of appearance, daily reaching hundreds of thousands of people, are worthy of comparison with the influence of art museums and art exhibitions. They are lessons, furthermore, which will be re- peated. One need only bring to mind the successive underground stations of the community, beginning with those of the Tremont Street subway, which natur- ally show some blunders, continuing with the stations of the East Boston tunnel, superior in many respects, and con- cluding with the stations of the Wash- ington Street tunnel to appreciate that a standard has been established from which recession is unlikely. The Cam- bridge subway, for instance, which will be opened in about a year, will have stations that are likely to surpass any- thing heretofore seen. While the underground stations in Boston have shown improvement, skill and experience are producing better and better examples of elevated construc- tion. Dudley Street station, as lately renovated, is not only a more convenient but a better-looking structure than in RAPID TRANSIT AND CIVIC BEAUTY 311 its original form. On half an acre in Roxbury one of the world's greatest stations in point of traffic handled has been created. While, on account of the crowded surroundings, its visual detach- ment is not so good as that of the other elevated stations of the system, it is distinguished by architectural orderli- ness and excellence of construction. The rebuilding of Sullivan Square termi- nal, soon to take place, will give an op- portunity to correct not only operating defects]^ which^have^been^apparent^^from spirited organization, the Metropolitan Improvement League, of which Sylvester Baxter is secretary, co-operated with the Elevated Company in securing the expert advice which was followed in the designing of this important structural work. When the extension of the ele- vated to Forest Hills was about to be undertaken General Bancroft, president of the company, who is also a member of the league, received detailed sugges- tions from a number of people interested in civic art, and thereafter appointed ATLANTIC AVENUE STATION the first but certain infelicities of appear- ance. ElThe Forest Hills terminal is, of course, the chef d'oeuvre of rapid transit develop- ment in Boston down to this time. It has been called "the most beautiful street railway station in the w^orld." Whether or not the superlative is abso- lutely justified, the excellences are due to intention and not to accident. Every appreciative visitor at Forest Hills is impressed by the effectiveness of great concrete piers and the spaciousness of the head house interiors. That public- committees of members of the Boston Society of Architects to whose counsel, as well as to the professional skill of Edmund M. Wheelwright, is due the handsomely designed viaduct that carries the elevated trains across the arborway. Another improvement which indicates how rapidly Boston is advancing es- thetically is in the subway entrances. When the Tremont Street subway was built a mausoleum type of entrance was adopted — one that was detached from a larger scheme of adornment of the Tremont Street mall and which is hence sn NEW BOSTON FOREST HILLS STATION clumsy in appearance. In its mutilated state it naturally gave rise to the familiar witticism ascribed to "Sandy" Brown about the Public Library's having littered on the Common. A similar mistake was made when two considerable structures, inharmonious with each other, the larger one looking like an enlarged soda fountain, and the other like a Greek Temple, were admitted to Scollay Square. It needed some time to show the com- munity that these pretentiously monu- mental openings are unnecessary and are in bad taste. The Boston Transit Commission has fortunately of late fol- lowed the examples of the subway builders in Paris and New York, where the entrances and exits of the stations are marked by inoffensive canopies or Kiosks. The openings leading to the Washington Street tunnel are distinctly superior to the older ones. An important innovation at the terminal of the Cam- bridge subway near Harvard Square will be the erection of a handsome apartment house, the largest in Greater Boston, over the space thus used. Of the struc- ture the openings will, architecturally, be an organic part. It has been pro- posed in some similar way to utilize the spaces over the Pleasant Street entrance to the Tremont Street subway and near the North Station. Unsightly bridges for several genera- tions have been a characteristic of Boston — long, straggling pile bridges, shabby in appearance and built without regard for any discoverable principle of design. There are several of them left, as between Charlestown and Chelsea and over the Charles at the Harvard Stadium. The building, under the initiative of the Boston Transit Commission, of the Charlestown bridge, which carries the elevated across the river, was a start in a right direction. This bridge in many respects invites criticism, but estheti- cally it at least is respectable, even as judged by European canons. About the time the Charlestown bridge was building came the project for a new bridge to supplant the ugly old West Boston bridge. Distinguished architects went to Europe where lessons are to be learned not only from old bridges but from admirable structures of the last few years. As a result there stands the RAPID TRANSIT AND CIVIC BEAUTY 3ia monumental Cambridge bridge with its four central towers and its imposing pylons. This bridge, which will presently become one of the greatest avenues of rapid transit, would not have been built on its present scale except for the con- tribution of the Boston Elevated Com- pany which agreed to pay the difference in cost between a bridge with provision for carrying its elevated trains over central trestle work and the cost of a bridge on which the ordinary car tracks would have been laid. Even more impressive evidence of the close connection between the expansion of rapid transit facilities and the artistic betterment of the city is seen in the long Charles River viaduct with eleven arches of reinforced concrete which is now erecting below the dam that holds back the waters of the basin. This structure, rising about thirty-seven feet above the surface of the river, will put the final touch upon the architectural adornment of the most picturesque body of water yet included within the park area of a large city. According to the plans it will be simple and dignified, finished with a rough surface and de- pending for charm upon its structural grace rather than on any special orna- mentation. Here, once more, the usual qualifications should be made as a counter check to excessive enthusiasm. This great viaduct will be formal, precise, geometrical; but when you compare it with the tame ineffectiveness of the Harvard bridge over the same basin you get an idea of what twenty years have brought forth in Boston. And with perhaps a little thankfulness it is realized that the street railway cor- poration has understood the desirability of calling architectural experts into con- sultation before projecting these big works which are installed in a year to last a century. For some time past the Boston Elevated Railway Company has had the services, as consulting architects, of Robert S. Peabody, sometime president of the American Institute of Architects, president of the Boston Society of Archi- tects, and now chairman of the Park Commission of the city of Boston. Much of the company's recent work has been designed or supervised in Mr. Peabody's ofiice. In order, furthermore, that each important design may be subject to further professional criticism, an advisory committee of the Boston Society of Architects expresses its opinion on the plans. CITY SQUARE STATION, CHARLESTOWN Constructed from prize winning design by A. W. Longfellow 314 NEW BOSTON This architectural supervision extends even to the minor constructions of the Elevated company, such as the shelters which have been built at some points where they were especially needed, and the new overhead construction which is everywhere simple and tasteful, but into which, at points where the sur- rounding architecture seems to demand it, a note of graceful ornamentation has been introduced. It also covers the de- signing of the company's power houses. A building of this purely utilitarian character could hardly be treated like a cathedral or a town hall, but it at least does not have to disfigure the landscape. A particularly interesting example of the harmonious treatment of the power house is seen in the one which the com- pany erected some time ago in Cam- bridge. This frankly tells what it is. There is not a lying passage in it. Yet as viewed from the Speedway across the river it composes remarkably well with the other Cambridge buildings. One whoTfeltTkeenly the truthfulness of the late Professor Norton's criticism of Har- vard architecture might even find a higher word of praise of the beautified power house. There is such a thing as a factory chimney which springs grace- fully and ends logically and not too abruptly. There are towers that ascend without impressing; spires that do not aspire. The power house on Atlantic avenue is likewise monumental in effect. It is helpful, now and then, to separate this esthetic contribution which rapid transit is making toward the municipal betterment from its other activities. Such confusion as is caused by con- structive work on new projects, the ir- ritations that are necessarily attendant on changes of travelling habits and on the inevitable crowding of the services at special times and places, are apt to interfere with a prevision of the Boston of the future which will not be the less attractive because its people have ade- quate convenience for getting about. CAMBRIDGE POWER HOUSE AND WELD BOAT CLUB BOSTON'S AMUSEMENT RESOURCES The South End ESTHER G. BARROWS Amusements in the South End, as elsewhere, are of a twofold character, active and passive. The passive amuse- ments participated in by every member of the family and by all nationalities are fairly adequately provided. The active and instructive forms of recrea- tion are much more limited, including among their devotees only the children and young men, with the exception of dancing, for which the young women are always ready. Of course the forms of amusement in any neighborhood are somewhat seasonal, and are varied by the day of the week on which they fall. Theaters in this part of the city are very largely patronized by the people of the locality, as one realizes when taking a car which passes through the South End to and from the other theaters. The crowd is little swelled or lessened until one reaches Hollis Street, when there is a marked difference and from that point in the theaters begin to affect the car-service. The inhabitants of the South End on the whole go very little outside of their own district for this form of amusement, with the exception of the young men w4io frequent the brightly lighted streets and theaters of the West End. Moving pictures draw great crow^ds, and the character of the audience de- pends somewhat upon the day and time of day. Early in the week there are fewer family groups, as the mothers are much fatigued by household labor. On the other hand money is more plentiful than it will be until Saturday and the children come in for their share of the family income, which is very frequently spent for this purpose. Thursdays and Fridays bring out the mothers and chil- dren with an occasional father, while Saturday finds the mother again occu- pied in the home and the audience is made up of children. Saturday evening sees quite another group, largely men. One theater alone where moving pictures are shown holds upward of 1,200 children and it is often full on a Saturday after- noon, the audience being practically all under eighteen years of age and the great majority less than fourteen. One theater combines vaudeville wdth moving pictures and has the objectionable ama- teur night. This not only attracts the small boy who is trying to be "smart," but the family and friends of those who at some unfortunate moment have suc- cessfully participated in what is going on behind the footlights. There is only one theater left in this district used for drama, and the lurid posters on the outside of the building often hold large groups of spectators too young or too impecunious to enter. There is little music in the South End save what is offered by the settlement houses. The regular Sunday concerts at Parker Memorial were most successful last winter, and a series of concerts given in the Franklin Institute under the auspices of the Women's Municipal League were well attended. The Sal- vation Army band on its nightly rounds collects quite a following of children, and the few municipal band concerts provided for this district during the summer are always well patronized. Practically the only form of active amusement which the winter affords is dancing, unless the gymnasium may be included. The public dance-halls in the South End are fewer and on the whole less objectionable than in former years, and perfectly self-respecting young men and women resort to them as the only common meeting ground for a pleasant evening. Many halls are rented by clubs and benefit organizations for an evening and it is not uncommon for two or three or even a larger group of young people to "run a dance." They urge all of their young friends to buy tickets and then divide the proceeds or indebtedness, whichever may be their lot. 316 NEW BOSTON A part of the Randolph Street play- ground is flooded during the winter for skating. This offers excellent exercise and would be quite ideal if the play- ground were properly lighted, but, since this is not the case, much goes on there which could be avoided. Randolph Street playground suffers from the fact that there is very little public opinion to keep it up to the mark. It is practically surrounded by factories and there is little or no passing after six o'clock when these close. The summer presents quite a different problem to those interested in the play- time of the South Enders. Some of the theaters are closed for periods of one or two months. The moving-picture shows, however, are practically all-year- round affairs. The young men are very much absorbed in baseball as soon as the season opens and the diamonds on the playgrounds of the city are seldom if ever unused in the day time. One summer one of the settlement houses paid a Harvard senior for two weeks to investigate the possibilities for ball games for the boys from twelve to sixteen in the neighborhood and he found that although it was possible often to begin a game, when the older boys and men came on the diamond the younger ones were driven off to get into mischief on the streets, where, for the want of something better to do, they stole from the delivery wagons, and the small shop-keeper of the neighborhood; and when all that failed, they broke windows as a last resort. This year there has been one diamond reserved at Randolph Street for the boys, and a number of teams were formed and some good games played. The professional ball games take a great many of the men and older boys during the season and all of the small boys con- sider it a great privilege to walk over to Huntington Avenue to get even a peep at the game. They soon learn to bet on the winning team and there is much demoralization among the boys at this season because of this form of gambling. A youth of sixteen who had never before been dishonest, became so excited on losing $10 one afternoon that he rushed home, took his father's watch from his coat pocket where it was hanging in the closet, pawned it, and in half an hour had joined the group of boys and was trying his luck once more. For the older girls and young women of the neighborhood there is very little entertainment in the summer. The beaches prove a great attraction in the evening, where, of course, they naturally gravitate to the dance-halls. These vary decidedly in their respectability, and they are run somewhat less formally than those in town. The girls are very fond of "doing the side-shows" and often spend in one night what it has taken them a whole week to earn, but in their minds this is a perfectly simple equation. For the girls of grammar school age there is little or no provision in the neighborhood, save one afternoon of folk-dancing at Randolph Street each week. A real need as well as a safeguard for our young women would be a municipal dance-hall, preferably run in a pavilion in connection with the playgrounds, where the young people might dance out-of-doors under careful supervision and not have the perilous journey back to town after eleven o'clock, which is inevitable when they go to the beaches. The playgrounds afford them some exercise and the public baths are the delight of all the children, both boys and girls, who are fortunate enough to live near Dover Street, or have sturdy enough legs to carry them to City Point. The playgrounds have proved absolutely in- adequate, as they are now run, for the boys and girls about twelve years of age. The question of what the girls would like to do is still somewhat unsolved: the boys want baseball and plenty of it. Summer outings are provided by tho churches and settlements, newspapers, and private individuals, and an often forgotten asset is the country relative; though indeed the latter is sometimes a very cpiestionable luxury, as one little boy testified. He returned from a week with his aunt, saying that as she did not have enough for all of them to eat she thought he had better "go back home." When being asked if he did not like having all-out-doors to play in, he re- plied, "I liked it out there, but my stomach didn't." The in-town play- grounds perhaps do not induce such vigorous appetites but they are much nearer a more reliable source of supply. BOSTON'S AMUSEMENT RESOURCES 317 Three of the settlements in the South End provide summer schools where it depends upon the child's point of view whether he is amused or not. The Wait School draws children from a wide area and fills a real need. The work shown there this summer was interesting and of a high standard. The settlement houses make a specialty of organized picnics. Many of them have car tickets which they can distribute for family use and the Wells Memorial this year ar- ranged with its members for harbor trips at reduced rates. Two settlements in the district have at different times offered a prize to the child who could plan the best picnic for herself and family at a minimum cost, the prize taking the form of the money needed to carry out the plan. A number of vacation houses are run by the settlements and others inter- ested, to which the people go in large numbers. An investigation this summer of one section of the South End showed that the people very generally have the idea of the summer change in mind, not only for the children but often for every member of the family. Their ideas of what constitutes a holiday are most varied, but there seems to be a real underlying feeling for the necessity of some break between spring and fall work. This past summer a car going directly through the South End to Franklin Park brought that resource much nearer, and a car runs every ten minutes direct to City Point. Immediately on entering the district one sees the need of shade trees. From Canton street south they are fairly ade- quately provided, but from that north there are practically none, and Harrison avenue, crowded and used as a play- ground by the children, longs to ex- change its hot and dusty street for the shady, deserted walk on Commonwealth Avenue. About four years ago some of the people interested in the district, south of Union Park Street, succeeded in getting permission from the city to open a playground on the northern triangle of Franklin Square, This was equipped with swings and sand-boxes, and supervised by a person provided by private subscription. It was con- tinued in this way for two seasons when the School Board took it over to run as a school playground, in place of one which would have naturally been in Joshua Bates Schoolyard had that not been filled with portable buildings. For the past two years the abutters in the houses on James Street have complained of having a playground there and this summer it was moved to the Washing- ton Street side of the square. Although it had but half as much space as in previous years, the attendance was greater, averaging 110 children daily. Both Franklin Square and Blackstone Square have seats which are somewhat patronized by mothers with small babies, but many of the women find it impos- sible to use these shady, pleasant parks for the purpose for which they were intended as they are crowded out by the men who may be seen there winter and summer in large numbers. On some of the squares the parks are fenced in and locked so that they may not be of general use. This is unfortunate, for it is a district ill provided with play- grounds, although there are many avail- able lots which might be opened with very little expense to the city. There is also a wonderful opportunity for the South Enders in the jjossibility of re- claiming the land along the South Bay and making a boulevard as was done along the South Boston shore be- tween Edward Everett Square and City Point. SOUTH END AMUSEMENTS Bounded by Boylston and Essex, Berkeley, Dover and the Bay JANE R. McCRADY In the district of Boston known as the South Cove, and the northern part of the South End which adjoins it, are eighteen theaters and moving picture shows, one city gymnasium and four belonging to private agencies, four neigh- borhood houses, two children's clubs, several missions with clubs and classes, one public library station, one public bath, and numerous dance halls and pool rooms, A casual observer, going through this list, and realizing that the district named is hardly a mile square (if it were square at all), might feel that here at least is a section of the city adequately supplied with opportunities for amusement close at hand, and yet the parents, clergy, teachers and social workers in this region regard the problem of providing "healthful" amusement for the young people as one of the most serious which they have to face. The residents of this district are, for the most part, working people with moderate or small incomes; rents and provisions are high, and the amount of money available for amusement is not enough, in most families, to admit of their taking the matter in hand and pro- viding the young people with adequate recreation; and as play and amusement are necessary factors in young life, they are forced into taking what is nearby. Under this head come the moving pic- ture shows and cheap theaters, not nearly as harmful in themselves as many suppose, but distinctly harmful, in many cases, from the constant temptation they hold out to waste money, and the demoralizing acquaintances that the children, particularly, are likely to meet in and around them. The gymnasiums are wholly good, the only objection to them being the fact that in a thickly populated neighborhood, as is the one referred to, they are far too few in number. Only a very small proportion of boys, and a much smaller proportion of girls, ever get a chance to enter them. Two of these gymnasiums belong to organizations which, though housed in this district, draw their mem- bership largely from outside, so they cannot strictly be counted as "oppor- tunities of this section" (Y. M. C. U. and News Boys' Club). The other two are used by special groups of boys and girls, only those belonging to certain neighborhood houses, therefore not many, are represented, comparatively speaking. The four neighborhood houses, roughly speaking, aggregate a total membership of twenty-five hundred. This includes kindergartens and mothers' clubs, and in a section where there are thousands of children and young working people, it is but a small per cent that have this opportunity. And what does member- ship in a neighborhood house mean in the way of recreation.'^ For the children who belong, it generally means one, or at most, two afternoons a week, after school, provided for, and the use of a lending library. For the working boys and girls, one evening a week, and in some houses, frequent small dances during the winter months. In two of the houses the working boys have the free use of a club room, more or less, every week-day evening, and tlie boys and girls join in dramatics, under good direction, which call some of them to- gether still oftener. One of the houses has facilities for small groups giving dinner or supper parties of special friends. All of these recreations are certainly "healthful" and good, but they are open to but few on account of limited space and time. The two children's clubs (Hawthorne and Louisa Alcott) , probably come nearer to offering adequate recreation to their members than any other, for the parents, with the directors, really plan all round lives for the children fortunate enough SOUTH END AMUSEMENTS 319 to "belong." These houses contain play space indoors (and one of them outdoors as well), and the membership is kept small enough to give every child a chance. The Broadway Public Library Sta- tion and Dover Street Bath are positive opportunities, and distinctly healthful; as with the gymnasiums, their capacity for service is far less than the neighbor- hood need, but one of the most pleasing sights in this part of the South End is the Broadway Library, after school on winter afternoons, and in the hot summer days the Dover Street Bath is the goal of numbers of the children. The dance halls of the vicinity are numerous and various. That the youth of this part of Boston have ample op- portunity to dance, no one can doubt. Daily, in the seasons from autumn to spring, numbers of posters are out calling the boys and girls to dances, and dance tickets, varying in price from fifteen to seventy-five cents, are to be had without searching. The price of tickets for well- conducted dances is from thirty-five to seventy-five cents for men, and from twenty-five to fifty for girls, except in the dances in the neighborhood houses, where the members fix a small price usually just to cover expenses. The poolrooms are numerous and vary in respectability from a few well-con- ducted good ones to the worst kept, most objectionable places to which a young boy could go. And young fellows are encouraged to spend much of their spare time when working, and more of it when "loafing," hanging around the poorest of the poolrooms. It is a safe statement, no doubt, that this provision for recreation, with which this section is generously provided, is only "health- ful" when used in great moderation. The playground opportunities, within the district, are. nil, but Randolph Street playground just outside on the south is largely used by children living in the streets, known as the "New York Streets," between Broadway Extension and Dover street. Hawthorne Club has a small playground for its own members and a few other children in the heart of the district, and the ball field on the Common and sand garden for children furnish a little play space at the northern end. The Common and Public Garden would be pleasant places to walk and sit on summer evenings and fine for skating in the winter if they could be policed sufficiently to protect young girls from insult, and if the gardens, particularly, could be properly lighted and the ice kept in good condition. To the question, "What do you do in the evening.^'" the girls answer, "Oh, nothing. We take a walk, then come home and sit on our steps, and sometimes go to the beach. There isn't anything to do." In summer the children's chief recrea- tion must, of necessity, be playing on the streets. All the parents who can, send their children away to relatives for short vacations. A number go through country week or the Traveler or their "clubs" or some other agency, but I believe that a good many more do not get away at all, than go. Then there are various day excursions through the churches and clubs within the neighbor- hood, and the Traveler and Randidge fund without, but with all of these taken into account, the fact still remains that most of the recreation of the children has to be taken on the streets and in the back yards. Boston is not a very hot city and the South End has rather wider streets than some other sections and rather more of back yards; there- fore if those streets and yards were cleanly, both physically and morally, the situation would not be bad, but with garbage, tin cans and paper strewn about the yards and alleys, and even in some streets, and vulgar postcards to attract the eye on all sides, and low talk and fighting on some of the streets, the opportunity for amusement is not healthy. The good, self-respecting people, who are still fortunately in the majority in this district, are seriously distressed at the atmosphere of the streets which must be the playground of the children in a crowded city. It is obvious, therefore, that this part of the South End is not lacking in j)laces of amusement. If the quality of the cheap theaters and moving pictures were better, we could have wonderful chances of recreation. Another gymnasium and larger public library station would help matters greatly. Taking away the li- censes from the bad dance halls, and 320 NEW BOSTON putting the good ones on a basis when the rental is not so high as to make such expensive tickets necessary, would help the young working girls and men. More money would help the neighborhood houses to extend their usefulness as places for small social gatherings, planned and run hy the neighborhood, not for them, and so lighting and guarding the public grounds and cleaning up the streets as to make them fit places for the best people to gather in commonly, would be practical means within our power of immediately providing a good deal of "healthful" recreation for this section. JUNIOR BASEBALL TEAM, WEST END WEST END AMUSEMENTS MRS. EVA WHITING WHITE Boston was the first American city to establish playgrounds and free gymnasia. It was also the first city to initiate the idea that each section of a municipality should have its public or "ward" build- ing. Instead, however, of developing this idea continuously the scheme has only been partially carried out. Other cities have far outdistanced us in the realization and proof of the value of inclusive plans for public recreation. Boston has tended to stop at the point of supplying the child and the child only with opportunities for play and of offering to adults driving or pleasure parks, rather than parks having features for active forms of recreation or amuse- ment. Such amusement features as are connected with our parks are usually run as private enterprises. Children's playgrounds have been granted a neces- sity and we are doing in several of our WEST END AMUSEMENTS 321 THE STREETS FOR PLAY playgrounds excellent work with children, but we are far behind in providing amusement facilities for older members of our community. It is most hopeful, however, that this subject of recreation in its broadest sense, recreation within the playground, recreation without the playground, recreation enjoyed at parks and public reservations and recreation allowed under private auspices is be- coming a subject for study and com- parison. What kinds of recreation is the city providing or allowing in its different districts ? The West End of Boston is most fortunate in having the West End Park, a narrow strip of land bordered on one side by the Charles River and on the other by one of the most thickly con- gested areas in the city. This park extends between two bridges, the West Boston bridge and the Craigie bridge. Its gravel walks connect directly with the granolithic walks of the esplanade. This gives a remarkable opportunity for promenading and, incidentally, most of the time, for roller skating for children under twelve. We can justly be proud of the splendid work which has been done on the Charles River Basin. The possibilities which this basin offers for large scale spectacles as shown the evening of the Fourth of July at the display of fireworks; for water sports in summer; for skating in winter and for a hundred and one other forms of amuse- ment where the attention of thousands can be held at one and the same time are immeasurable. As a certain young West End youth said to an emphatically affirmative nod from his mother, "M'm, this is a great place to live." The W^est End Park itself is truly beautiful. It is divided into the girls' playground, two grassy mounds well shaded by trees which give a pleasing landscape effect; and the boys' play- ground. Flanking the length of the park are settees. The spot for the park was well chosen and the layout well planned. The girls' playground, contrary to many playgrounds, is far from being a place of desolation. It is most attrac- tive and in many respects could stand as a model. It has its greensward sur- rounded by a thick growth of decorative bushes and its shelter. There mothers can spend the afternoon with their babes undisturbed by the romi)ing of the older children who are provided for in an ad- joining space which is equipped with NEW BOSTON teeters, giant strides, swings, sand-boxes and is under the supervision of the play- ground director and her assistant. In order to reach the playground one enters through the locker house which has a hall that serves as the indoor gymnasium, showers and lockers. This girls' play- ground is very well attended by the younger girls, but its use could be greatly increased if more girls between the ages of twelve and fourteen could be attracted. Basketball does this somewhat in winter. In this playground as elsewhere more definite experimental work ought to be done which would lead greater numbers of our girls over fourteen also to take more active forms of physical exercise. The boys' division is not as attractive as the girls' although it is neat and well cared for. The greatest defect is that the boys have no indoor gymnasium — merely a locker house. The running track is one of the best in the city. As regards apparatus — were more provided there would be danger of allowing too little space for free play. The two things needed to supplement this playground are first a gymnasium and second a baseball diamond for small boys. The older boys can go to the Common, but a chance to play the game nearer home would be a boon indeed for the younger ones. During the spring a vacant lot on the corner of Charles and Poplar streets would contain a hundred boys to the scattered few on the playground. Think of a district whose population is approxi- mately 32,812 to 166 acres offering abso- lutely no gymnasium facilities to young men except during the open months of the year — offering no opportunities for physical development, for proper relaxa- tion. For the past two years the West End Improvement Society has tried per- sistently to get a municipal gymnasium — not situated in the park, because, un- fortunately, the park cannot well be enlarged and every available space is now serving some definite purpose, but situated somewhere in a central location. For economy the rebuilding of the ward room on Blossom street has been advo- cated. If the West End cannot get this for itself it may be necessary to enlist the efforts of citizens in other sections. Meanwhile boys who might be playing basketball, enjoying a swimming pool, taking proper exercise, are loafing. Too much credit cannot be given the athletic committee of Boston-1915 for stirring up our neighborhoods and re- interesting them in playground sports. This work ought to be started very early the coming year and every means used to interest more and more boys and young men. Not only will the games give corner groups — if we must have them — something to think about, but hundreds from a neighborhood can be interested as spectators. Why not do something the same for girls? Up to a certain point the West End park provides for its district recreative opportunities but there is still a tre- mendous amount of study, planning, and executing necessary if we are to do all we can for the district. Considering the important bearing of recreation on life it would seem that the looking after the recreational instincts is quite as important as any matter of municipal concern. There is still need of means for reaching thousands of boys and girls who never go near the playgrounds and at most only for two or three hours a day; of providing places where young men and young women can meet freely in a social atmosphere and where mothers and fathers too can find an interest. At present the small children get their pleasure as they will; older brothers and sisters as they will; and mothers and fathers as they will. We have hardly conceived of family groups enjoying themselves as family groups. Over seventy-five per cent of our young peo])le leave home in the evening in search of relaxation in one form or another and, unfortunately, many parents are wholly ignorant of the kinds of amusement or the sorts of places to which their children go. Since the city stands in loco parentis to the city child, one of the first steps, it would seem, is to make sure that such places of amusement as are run under private auspices are in no sense degen- erating and then to provide in every possible way for the most wholesome forms of recreation. Why shouldn't the city that was the first to conceive of public buildings containing baths and assembly hall fall into line with the recreation center movement? Nothing WEST END AMUSEMENTS 323 would do more to solidify the varying elements in our different sections and to develop from our district loyalties the highest type of city loyalties. This leads of course to a consideration of the opening of the school hovises, of pro- viding within the schools— halls for large social gatherings, rooms for group and society meetings, reading rooms, and so on; in short of turning the school- houses, out of school hours, into peoples' club houses. Boston will come to this surely and when she does many of our problems will solve themselves. If Chi- cago, New York and Rochester stand firmly by the results of offering, as they have, opportunities for recreation on a large scale, providing places for dancing, moving picture shows, civic gatherings, why not Boston? Compare our public dance halls with old-fashioned dances where young and old joined in, and with European dancing on the green. Visit moving picture shows near Bowdoin Square. Neither the public dance hall nor the moving picture show may be deporably bad, but we can offer both under better conditions. Why commercialize the instinct for recrea- tion — the instinct which holds out the greatest opportunity for the highest development of the individual.'^ No educational system is complete which does not consider the educational value of the play instinct. We can't begin too young to cultivate the proper play spirit, and we can't be too ingenious in keeping alive the play spirit. Recreation is a very sure means of developing whole- some social relationships. The block bounded by Spring, Poplar, Brighton and Chambers streets certainly rivals any other block in the city for numbers of children — and the street is their playground. The worst of it is the law doesn't allow "games" in the street, so these children are our most persistent and innocent law breakers. Play they must, but instead of playing openly games which are worth while, the natural play instinct is perverted into dangerous channels. Therefore, the tone of much of our street life is not half so much the fault of our boys and girls as of inflexible laws. Last summer a playground director studied the games of the children of the block just mentioned. The report is illuminating and shows beyond a doubt that we must reach the children in the street, that the playground for the smaller children does not take the place of the street. The social as well as utilitarian function of the street is tS^iscTSKBLafHrnm^ WEST END PARK 324 NEW BOSTON clearly thought out. This trained play- ground director made it a point to be on the street from ten to twelve every morning and from two to five in the after- noon. She could do little toward or- ganizing street games since the law prohibited such a step. She did, how- ever, mingle freely with the street groups. She did get to know the children and through winning their confidence, she did get their point of view. The child's world must be taken into account. If an experiment of organized street games could be tried on one or two streets in different districts of our city, our theories about the bad effects of street life might be revolutionized. It is certainly worth trying. On a certain Sunday an account was kept of what children were doing. The following was the result: (territory, block above mentioned) 10-11 A. M., 29 engaged in marbles; 11 hop-scotch; 60 "Peggy"; 5 matching pictures; 2 rolling hoop; 3 riding velocipedes; 5 pounding iron rubbish can and picking over contents; 5 making mud-pies; 24 tossing horse shoe; 19 craps; many other children sitting about or running back and forth. Several groups of young men, seventeen years old, standing at the several corners. These games with changing participants continued all day. In the evening the children kept on with their games near the arc lights and kept on running abovit and yelling in- terminably. This tabulation goes to show we can't solve the Sunday game problem by saying "No." To sum up : We need in the West End at least one neighborhood center pro- vided by the city. We need to reach young men and women — adults — as well as children. We want families as families to swing into the recreational scheme. We need to put ourselves in the place of the street child and to do what we can to make street play honest and to have it recognized as honest. We need to study Sunday recreation. The whole thing simmers down to asking ourselves whether there isn't a definite connection between wholesome recreation and richer community life. BOYLSTON STREET SUBWAY PLAN DANIEL A. GRIFFIN Secretary Boylston Street Merchants' Association Boston needs more subways. The question of safe, cheap, rapid and efficient transportation is a most im- portant problem, and the business man and real estate owner, no matter where located, whether his interests are im- mediately affected or not, will do well to consider it. At the present time this question is far from an effective solution in Boston. In 1908 the Boston Elevated carried, with 3,488 cars in service, 273,136,584 passengers. In 1909, 281,800,474 pas- sengers were carried on 3,451 cars; more people on fewer cars compared with previous years. The figures for the present year are not available at the time of this writing, but so many things may be observed as showing the total inadequacy of the service, mainly in point of lack of growth to keep pace with the needs of the community, that we may safely assume that conditions have not materially improved since the last report. People from almost every suburban section, and the more intelligent are most in evidence, exclaim on every hand about the inefficiency of the service. The question at this time is not so much where to place the blame, but rather where to put the remedy. South Boston, Dorchester, Brookline and Charlestown are in the line asking for subway connections. We on Boylston street have simply come forward to point out that the whole section of the Metropolitan District to the BOYLSTON STREET SUBWAY PLAN 3^5 west of Boston, and even to the north and south, are affected adversely by what is now advanced by those having au- thority in these matters. In our plans w^e consider the needs of more than one half the whole population of this area. Congestion of traffic was first evident on Tremont street, near Park street, prior to 1897, when all the service was on the surface. The Tremont Street Subway was built to relieve this con- dition, and the immediate results ob- tained were satisfactory. At this time, when the cars on the surface were run to the number of 200 per hour, blockades resulted. When the subway was opened it handled nearly 300 cars, running smoothly on schedule time at an average speed of a bit less than eight miles per hour, reducing the time from ten to twenty minutes to about three or four minutes in the subway, besides wholly avoiding delays due to congestion. x\l- though these results were immediately obtained upon the first use of this subway, nevertheless this subway was admittedly an experiment and has never proved to be anything else from Scollay square to Park street to the south and west up Boylston to Church street. During the past ten years this section of our under- ground transportation service has borne the brunt of more criticism than practi- cally all the other lines of transporta- tion in and out of Boston. The worst thing about this subway is that Park'street has acquired import- ance as a terminal point, when as a station it serves a district of which it is not the center. The people in that section from State street south to Summer street and east from Tremont street, and who live at the west and south of Boston, are forced to use this station, when better facilities should be afforded them. When the Cambridge tube is placed in commission the congestion at this station will be almost unendurable, and indeed conditions are very nearly at that point today. People from the west and northwest of Boston, from Win- chester, Arlington, and other centers, who now, because of fast service, use the Sullivan Square route, will then, because of the more attractive environ- ment use the new route. Therefore, it must be evident that Park street will have to bear very much more than its normal share of traffic under the new conditions. The question is, where shall we look for a solution of the problem. Without doubt, the long way subway or tunnel idea supplies the needed solu- tion; the underground "tube" utilizing locations already established as avenues of approach from suburban communi- ties to the business center, and these tubes to supply the two very necessary NEW BOSTON features, express and accommodation service. Such is the suggestion ad- vanced by the Boylston Street Mer- chants' Association. It has the added advantage that it will further effect the opening up and extending of the retail business area of the city. Boylston street, because of its loca- tion and use as a main artery for present railway passenger traffic, its advan- tageous width, fine business structures, and interesting adjacent areas, is pe- culiarly adaptable for use as a first class retail shopping thoroughfare. Lines of cars from communities re- presenting a population of over two- thirds the total of the whole of Greater Boston now traverse the street. The street is of magnificent width, a straight way from Park square to Massachusetts avenue. The turns indi- cated in our route at the Boston and Albany railroad track and at Com- monwealth avenue are at very slight angles and the curves long; in fact from the engineer's point of view the route has every advantage to com- mend it. Not the least commendable factor in our plan is that it provides for conditions and requirements looking to the future, a feature, it would seem, sadly lacking in subway plans of the past. We consider our plan will do much for Boston and for Greater Boston. It will adequately accommodate subur- ban districts it is designed to serve, and it will relieve the congestion at Park Street station. It offers a reasonable solution for the problem of a connection with the South Station and from a point connecting the Tremont Street Subway and Washington Street Tunnel, where such a connection will best serve the general public. As proof of this fact, consider the needs of those patronizing the theaters. Practically all of these are within a very short radius of Boylston street and are nightly attended by certainly not less than 25,000 people. When you consider that from this point, Boylston street, it is almost impossible for people to get to the South Station other than on foot, you may at once realize the great lack of efficient accom- modation at this point. For several years requests have been made for ade- quate accommodation between these points, but no efficient connection has been obtained. And if the service is poor from this point at night, it is more so by day. When the Washington Street tunnel was built no arrangements were made for connections with the South Station. Today, as one consequence, a district of from ten to fifteen times the area occupied by our principal retail district has been made to suffer from a one way line of traffic which practically ends at a point that has nothing of in- terest to its business population. No less an authority than Mr. George A, Kimball has remarked favorably to my plan from an engineer's point of view. He certainly should be considered a competent critic. Another engineer has also said that our way of handling the grade crossings looked very good. In this latter matter I have had the ad- vice and assistance of Mr. C. H. Gannett, of Boston, himself an expert on subway construction and a competent civil en- gineer. In explanation of our plans, we have left the River Bank route out of the drawing. As ordered by the act of the Legislature it was located under the Park Street station under the Common to a point or points under the Charles River embankment and park, thence to Harvard Bridge to a point under Beacon street to Charlesgate East, at which latter point the western outlet has been finally located. No stations have been located, and probably none will be, at other points than at Charlesgate east. Park street and at the junction of Charles street and Chestnut street. The only possible utility the favorers of this subway can claim for it is that of express service, which is desirable, but it is doubtful if express service could be realized in any tube having an ending at one point and that point Park Street station, as the time gained in transit would certainly be lost in the congestion in the terminal. Its cost of construction was estimated at $3,700,000, though this has latterly been found to be much too low. The cost of subways, unfortunately, is not limited to the cost of their con- struction; the major expense in the cost of this subway would be in the damage costs to be assessed by property owners NEEDS OF THE SOUTH DEPARTMENT 327 on the city of Boston. Estimates on this item that I have received vary from $6,000,000'to $8,000,000. The fact that way stations were ob- jected to, and as the stations would have Httle utiHty, this item need not be considered at all; that the location in this residential section was extremely ill advised, that it has no value in the economy of business progress, and the fact that the operating company has no possible opportunity of realizing any income therefrom to offset the cost of rental, which latter affects the community to the extent that the operating company will find it inconvenient to furnish either as good or so much service, owing to the increased cost, as it might under more favorable conditions; all these, and many more beside are reasons why the Riverbank Subway should not be built. We suggest the extension of the present Tremont Street subway up Boylston street to accommodate four tracks, the two inner for express service and the two outer for local or accommodation service, to extend over a route as shown on the map to the junction of Common- wealth, Brookline and Brighton avenues. Up to the bridge on Boylston street over the Boston and Albany railroad we recommend a continuous platform ar- rangement, ten feet or more wide on both sides as having many advantages, among others that stations be located at new points on the street as future demands on the part of the public may require, at very small expense, and it is economical to build this subway in this manner now as it will have more utility in the future as the business area in Boston becomes more extended, and new stations may be located without obstructing traffic. Four stations are shown, at Massa- chusetts avenue, Copley square, Arling- ton street and Park square. To this latter point we suggest the bringing of the Cambridge line, there to turn on a loop and return at grade, the Tremont Street subway being widened by two tubes, one on each side, the building of which will not interfere with the con- tinuance of the traffic during construc- tion, to accommodate this improvement. We further suggest the extension of the Boylston Street subway under the present subway and tunnel under Tremont and Washington streets to the South Station under Essex street, which subway may later be extended to South Boston. The outer or accommodation tracks in the Boylston Street subway are the ones to be extended for this latter service. The low cost of this work over the greater part of this route is much in its favor. The route itself is very nearly straight; no sharp curves are met with and it fully takes care of every require- ment that may arise in the district served for years to come. I take considerable pride in the fact that the plan has met with the favor of all to whom it has been shown, and I believe that it contains in a large measure the solution of the rapid transit problem. NEEDS OF THE SOUTH DEPARTMENT DR. RICHARD C. CABOT The Syllabus on Boston's Health Needs, prepared by the Health Con- ference of Boston-1915, states under the heading, "Contagious Diseases," that "hospital accommodations are insuffi- cient." This is true. The facts enumer- ated in the following article were gath- ered from a patient at the South Depart- ment of the Boston City Hospital, where diphtheria, measles and scarlet fever patients are cared for. The patient referred to was quarantined in the South Department during the scarlet fever epidemic of last spring, when conditions were not normal. This epidemic gave particular force, however, to the demands S28 NEW BOSTON of the City Hospital for adequate ad- ditional facilities for the South De- partment. The efficiency and uniform courtesy of the hospital authorities — physicians and nurses — cannot be questioned. In spite of the fact that during the recent epidemic every branch of the hospital was working under more than a double load, the patients received every atten- tion that was possible under existing conditions. In no sense are any criti- cisms that will folloiv aimed at any of the executive or administrative authorities, who worked under conditions that handi- capped them at every turn — conditions that exist because through insufficient appropriations better methods cannot be adopted. Proper appropriations have been repeatedly asked for, but refused. The object of a hospital is to cure sick people, not to expose them to the danger of further infection. Yet whenever we have such crowding as there was at the time of the epidemic of last spring, every scarlet fever patient is in danger of con- tracting diphtheria or measles, because there are no adequate means for proper isolation. Diphtheria antitoxin was given to every scarlet fever patient as soon as possible after his admission. When symptoms of diphtheria are noted the patient cannot always be separated from the other uninfected persons in the ward, owing to lack of accommoda- tions. A card is placed on the door of that particular room indicating a so- called "closed room." Nurses wear extra gowns over their regular uniforms while attending to patients in "closed rooms." Last spring there was one room de- voted entirely to cross infection cases — that is to say, cases which showed symp- toms of diphtheria and scarlet fever. The patients in this room were mostly children, one of whom, a boy of twelve years, had been confined seven or eight weeks over the usual period of deten- tion required for scarlet fever because he showed some symptoms of diphtheria. In one room a boy developed mumps and for several days the other occupants of this room suffering from scarlet fever were obliged to stay in the "closed room" exposed to the danger of catching mumps. The staff of physicians was not large enough to meet the needs of the situation, and cross infection was made doubly possible because physicians in charge of the diphtheria or measles buildings of the department were frequently obliged to visit the scarlet fever wards. There is no provision for separate dining rooms for nurses caring for the different classes of patients, nor do nurses change their uniforms before mingling in the common dining room. Further danger of cross infection is present through a lack of sufficient number of orderlies, with a result that one orderly may carry a baby from the ambulance to the scarlet fever ward and half an hour later, without changing his clothes, bring in another child to the diphtheria ward. The ever-present danger of cross in- fection is again emphasized when a patient's seven weeks' quarantine for scarlet fever has been served. Before any scarlet fever patient is discharged he must give three negative cultures showing that there are no traces of diphtheria present. He must prove he is cured not only of the scarlet fever, but of the diphtheria he may have been given (quite free!) in the hos- pital. The person whose experiences are here related instanced cases where scarlet fever patients were held over the seven weeks' period because they showed diph- theria symptoms as well. Under ordinary conditions the scarlet fever wards may be adequate so far as room is concerned, but during the epi- demic the overcrowding hampered effi- ciency continually. In the particular ward referred to seventeen adults used the only toilet available. This toilet, in a dark, poorly ventilated room, was also used in part by fifteen children. There was one bath room for the same number of adults and twenty-five children. Towels were often unobtainable, and after a patient was "ordered up," that is, after the first three weeks of his con- finement had passed, he was often obliged to stay in bed for several days because there were no clothes for him. His own clothes he was not allowed to wear; the hospital set was not ready. After a patient was up and dressed, the NEW BOSTON V 3n ilemorp of fuliaWarbSottie America's #reate£(t OToman supply of clothes was entirely inade- quate. Patients were sometimes com- pelled to wear the same underclothes for two weeks at a time. The hospital food was wholesome and well cooked. The wards were kept clean and bright. In fact, everything possible was done for the comfort of the patients. But they were cared for under a system that should not have place in a city like Boston. If the primary business of a hospital is to cure sick people, the South Department does not, strictly speaking, belong under that head, for while every effort was made to bring the patients back to health and strength, and with remarkable success considering the facts of the case — every patient who entered the scarlet fever wards during the epidemic was laid open to the danger of catching diphtheria. The statement made by the Health Conference of Boston-1915 that "hospital accommoda- tions for contagious diseases are un- sufficient," seems to be pretty well supported. Superior Fabrics DAVIS East India House 373 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON In answering advertisements please mention NEW HOSTON Among the Fashionable Shops Allen, Hall & Co. Boston's Most Exclusive Decorators Invite inspection of their unique and artistic novelties. Decorative effects for wall coverings and ceilings. Draperies, rugs, furniture in special designs and colorings. Individuality of design and perfection of color to meet the most exacting requirements. We invite correspondence and in- spection of our stock and methods. Telephone 600 Back Bay ALLEN, HALL & CO. 384 - BOYLSTON STREET - 390 Allen Hall Building Telephone Con. WALSH Importers & Designers of Millinery 276 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON Established 1858 Edw. F. Kakas & Sons FURS 364 BOYLSTON STREET ATHENIA Cable Address, CORSETS "Corset" Chandler's Corset Store 12-14 Winter St. 422 Boylston St. Telephone Back Bay 3623-2 Telephone Oxford 917-3 BOSTON. MASS. IRVING AND CASSON Custom Furniture, Interior Finish, Wood Mantels Decorations and Upholstery Church Furniture 1 50 Boylston Street, Boston A. E. Covelle & Co. PRESCRIPTION OPTICIANS Printing. Developing and Enlarging 350 BOYLSTON ST., BOSTON Oak Grove Creamery COMPANY 431=437 Boylston Street Boston, Mass. BAKERY DELICACIES OF EVERY DESCRIPTION Restaurant 6.30 a. m. to 8 p. m. Lunch Room open from 11:30 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. UP ONE FLIGHT Russian Importations We have just received from St. Petersburg large importations of linens and unique tops, the handiwork of the Russian peasantry, and collected by our own buyer when he visited Russia the past summer. All these goods are marked at rea- sonable prices. RUSSIAN IMPORTING CO. 429 Boylston Street Boston iijeion^^aittlht PIANOS Boston's Great Art Product 492 Boylston Street The Delft Lunch and Tea Room 429 Boylston Street NEAR BERKELEY LUNCHEON AFTERNOON TEA TABLE D'HOTE DINNER 5.30 TO 8 FIFTY CENTS HENRY F. MILLER & SONS PIANO COMPANY 395 BOYLSTON ST.. BOSTON Burleigh & Martin (Incorporated) CATERERS Telephone, Back Bay 3940 Berkeley Street and St. James Avenue Back Bay, Boston, Mass. NEW BOSTON CIVIC ADVANCE CAMPAIGN A MONTHLY RECORD OF PROGRESS IN DEVELOPING A GREATER AND FINER CITY PUBLISHED BY BOSTON • 1915 • INC • 6 BEACON ST • BOSTON • MASSACHUSETTS • USA- VOL.1 DECEMBER, 1910 no.s FEN CENTS A COPY ONE DOLLAR A YEAR THE CALL OF NTER LIGHT Light and Heat— SOFT, NATURAL, STRONG, AND LIGHT, and QUICK, POWERFUL HEAT— these Lip AT ^re the requirements of the crisp, short days of Fall and Winter. THE MANTLE LAMP THE GAS STEAM RADIATOR The MANTLE GAS LAMP, with its POWER- FUL, YET SOFT AND WHITE LIGHT meets the first need most satisfactorily. Varying in size from the 25 c. p. lamp costing l-12c per hour, to the gas arc lamp of 500 c. p. costing 1 3-lOc per hour, the gas lamp fills every demand of artistic home or exacting office and factory. The GAS STEAM RADIATOR, giving a STRONG STEADY FLOW OF HEAT, is AUTO- MATICALLY REGULATED by its own steam pres- sure to the lowest possible gas consumption. ECO- NOMICAL AND EFFICIENT, it is particularly well fitted for long-hour service in business and house alike. THE GAS LOG The GAS LOG, with its cheery blaze, gives an INSTANT, POWERFUL HEAT, quickly dispelling the chill of early morning. Just the thing for bedroom, dining room, library and office. Gas heaters are supplied in a great variety of forms, for every use. Send for a representative. BOSTON CONSOLIDATED GAS COMPANY Telephone Commercial Department, Oxford 1690 24 West Street NEW BOSTON A Chronicle of Progress in Developing a Greater and Finer City — Under the Auspices of the Boston-1915 Movement VOL. I DECEMBER, 1910 No. 8 CONTENTS NOTE AND COMMENT 329 THE CIVIC ADVANCE CAMPAIGN 329 THE OBSTACLES TO BE OVERCOME 329 THE PART PLAYED BY THE VOLUNTEERS 329 SOME THINGS ACCOMPLISHED 329 THE PAGEANT 330 THE CENTRAL MEETINGS 331 THE LOCAL RALLIES 332 A VISITOR IN BOSTON 332 TWO NOTABLE CONFERENCES James P. Munroe 333 WHAT BOSTON-1915 MEANS TO AN OUTSIDER Henry B. F. Macfarland 334 THE BOSTON-1915 CIVIC PAGEANT Lotta A. Clark 335 THE CITY OF THE FUTURE Hon. John F. Fitzgerald 344 HOW THE " CITY BEAUTIFUL " PAYS Clinton Rogers Woodruff 346 EDUCATION IN THE "GREAT CITY" Charles F. Thwing 349 WHAT DORCHESTER NEEDS Matthew Cummings 350 EDUCATION THAT MEANS SOMETHING Frank W. Speare 352 HOUSING SITUATION IN BOSTON Edward T. Hartman 356 LABOR PLANKS IN A CIVIC PLATFORM Paul U. Kellogg 357 BOSTON-1915 AND LABOR UNIONS Edward A. Filene 360 SAVINGS BANKS INSURANCE Harry W. Kimball 364 THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND CIVIC BETTERMENT Mgr. Michael J. Splaine 365 A MONUMENT TO PUBLIC SPIRIT 367 THE RIVERBANK SUBWAY March G. Bennett 369 Published Monthly by Boston-1915, Inc. 6 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass., U. S. A. Subscription rates: $1.00 per annum; club rate for twenty or more subscriptions from any organ- ization devoted to civic or social improvement, sent in one list, fifty cents per copy per annum. Single copies, 10 cents each. Entered as second-class matter at the Boston Post Office JAMES p. MUNROE, Editor-in-Chief JOHN L. SEWALL, Associate Editor LEWIS E. PALMER, Managing Editor RAYMOND P. EMMONS. Circulation and Advertising Manager (Copyright, 1910, by Boston— 1915, Inc.) NEW BOSTON f.^ II ™ •• • ■ w "'V' ^m^'-:i.r HOTEL PURITAN 390 Commonwealth Avenue 100 Yards West of Massachusetts Avenue Car Lines A DISTINCTIVE BOSTON HOUSE opened in November, 1909, with every modern resource for Transient and Permanent Guests D. P. COSTELLO, Manager Write for interesting literature on the Hotel in Boston and New England 545 Washington Street Boston, Mass. B. F. KEITH'S BIJOU THEATRE Open dally from 9.30 A. M. to 10.30 P. M. Sunday 6.30 to 10.30 P. M. TO THE PUBLIC: The Bijou aims to provide a varied, artistic and wholesome entertainment designed to appeal to people of intelligence, presented amid well-ordered sur- roundings and offered to the public for a small admission. That the Bijou is a pioneer in demonstrating the artistic possibilities of the picture theatre is the opinion of many discriminating critics. All who disapprove of The Moving Picture Theatre and do not believe in its existence, are invited to visit the Bijou, at 545 Washington Street. Although we show motion pictures, we do not run a " Moving Picture Show." PROGRAMME Motion Pictures at their Best The subjects carefully selected, and includ- ing the work of the leading American and European producers. Camera Chats By a trained reader, on interesting phases of Hfe at home and abroad. Stereopticon Views Events of local and world-wide interest pic- tured in specially made slides. One- Act Plays Revivals and New Plays — the best example of the short drama, carefully produced. iVIusic Vocal and Instrumental Solos; high-grade but not too classical; pleasing but not too commonplace. A special effort is made to have music ac- companying the pictures well rendered and inter- pretive. JOSEPHINE CLEMENT, Manager In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON New Boston Vol. I DECEMBER, 1910 No. 8 NOTE AND COMMENT The Civic Advance Campaign As a means of attracting the united attention of the people of a large city to the importance of personal work for city betterment, the Civic Advance Campaign of Boston-1915 was entirely novel. Enlisting hundreds of helpers from all parts of Boston and the Metro- politan District, as well as numerous out-of-town speakers of national repu- tation, the campaign was in itself the best exemplification of the co-operative spirit in which Boston-1915 was founded. For that reason alone we feel justified in devoting this number of NEW BOSTON largely to the work and results of the twelve days' effort to arouse interest in civic advance. The Obstacles to be Overcome From the very first it was evident that many conditions would hinder the easy and adequate fulfillment of the purposes of the campaign. The im- portance of making clear the fundamental aims of Boston-1915 and of bringing to wider circles a knowledge of the opportunities for civic service which have appealed to those now interested in the movement was recognized. The campaign opened two days after the political excitement w^as terminated by election day, and as Rabbi Wise said at the final rally in Tremont Temple on November 21, it was significant that after the people of Boston had been "rallied to death" they would come out, as they did come out, and show that good citizenship means something more than casting a ballot once a year. Never- theless the political campaign left behind a big obstacle for the Civic Advance Campaign to overcome. Then there were the expected difficulties in securing the co-operation of existing agencies already overburdened with their own work, and the problem of securing hearers for subjects that involved the serious consideration of new obligations. All these obstacles were in a measure anticipated; but instead of reasons for not attempting the campaign they were really reasons for doing so as soon as possible, w^ith the fullest resources at command — the matter of expense being a constant check upon best results. The Part Played by the Volunteers Not a single portion of the campaign, from the Mayor's Conference on Nov- ember 10 to the Pageant in the Arena or the Civic Rallies that followed, could have been attempted w^ithout the assis- tance of the hundreds of volunteers who willingly undertook the tasks as- signed to them and made possible the success which accompanied the entire campaign. And if the stamp of success can be put on the campaign as a whole, as we certainly believe it can, what are some of the results that show the worth- whileness of those two weeks.? Some Things Accomplished Forty New England Mayors and city officials met for two days while the arguments of a political campaign were still warm and forgot partisanship in the discussion of city budgets, town planning, the milk situation, health problems, old age pensions and the like. At the final meeting of the mayors a permanent organization was effected under the presidency of Mayor Fitz- gerald, which will meet regularly to 329 330 NEW BOSTON discuss problems of city administration. The feeling of the mayors themselves concerning the value of the conference was expressed by the following letters: "I wish to thank you for the pleasure given me and the city clerk of Portland, in Boston at the Conference of Mayors and heads of departments, last week. "The conference, I feel, was fruitful in results, and I sincerely hope that this year is but a beginning of a long series of such meetings. We saw Boston at its best and thoroughly appreciated the masterly manner in which you managed the affair." "Our trip to Boston to meet the New England mayors and city officials under your auspices having terminated so successfully, and with so much profit to us and others who participated that we wish to give expression to our interest in its continuance, and pledge ourselves to continued effort that the aims of Boston-1915 shall be fulfilled. "We appreciate very much the kindly courtesy and interest which was mani- fested by yourself and others in making our tour so profitable and pleasant." Speaking of the success of the con- ference Mayor Fitzgerald said: "If it were only for Mayor Logan's paper on Public Service Corporations* the Mayors' Conference was well worth while. But this inspiring address and Borough President McAneny's able des- cription of the progressive work done in New York since the inauguration of Mayor Gaynor were merely the climax of an excellent program which included business meetings, luncheons, formal papers, informal discussions, a tour of city departments, and a visit to the Pageant. "The chief result of the conference, in my opinion, was the effecting of a permanent organization of the mayors of New England. All the cities of this section have similar problems to solve and there is hardly one of them that could not afford to send its chief magis- trate and principal heads of depart- ments to such a conference every year. By such trips these officers would get away from local traditions, imbibe a different atmosphere, and come back ready to take their coats off and do things. "Perhaps the most vital of all the prob- lems discussed, at least for the cities of Massachusetts, was the problem of tax rates and indebtedness. One school believes in throwing all municipal ex- penses, even those incurred for perma- nent improvements, into the tax levy. Cities whose finances were administered in this way would have higher tax rates and little or no debt. Another school asks for a constitutional limitation of both debt and tax rate, such as exists in New York and some of the Western states. They believe that between the upper and the nether mill stones, city governments would be compelled to grind out the fine flour of a strict econ- omy. In practice it might not work that way, but at any rate it is an im- portant issue and well deserves a fore- most place in the discussions at the next Mayors' Conference. It is only one of the numerous interesting ques- tions which were raised during the sessions recently held. to "I consider the Mayors' Conference one of the most significant products of the 1915 movement. It means quite as much as the exhibition in the old Art Museum or the successful inauguration of a Safer and Saner Fourth, and I desire to congratulate the organization upon this happy conception and the conscien- tious and careful manner in which the details were carried out." The Pageant Miss Clark's article on another page of this issue summarizes the Pageant, "Cave Life to City Life." In the November issue of [NEW Boston Professor Baker of Harvard said: "The rapid development of public interest in pageantry in England and the United States during the past few years shows it supplies something the public lacks." The crowds that filled the Arena during the four productions of the pageant bore pretty good testimony to Professor Baker's statement. Those who were privileged to work with Miss Clark in organizing the pageant were not allowed to lose sight * An abstract of Mr. Logan's address will be published in NEW BOSTON for January. NOTE AND COMMENT 331 of the idea that "a pageant is not a show," that it means far more than an ordinary theatrical production; that modern pageantry, as exempHfied by "Cave Life to City Life,", is one of the best civic machines that a town or city can have for awakening municipal pride and purpose. That the Boston-1915 pageant was a success in this most im- portant feature was evidenced by the enthusiasm with which the participants entered into it and the results that have followed in the way of definite plans for future civic work. In the course of her class work one of the teachers in a Boston public school asked her pupils if, in their minds, the pageant had been worth while. The following letter is quoted as a sample of those submitted. "The pageant was worth while, I think, because it gave a graphic picture of events in our past history; showed the various steps to better government and to better educa- tion, the great advance in science and industry and filled one with the vision of what Boston might 'yet become speedily and in our own day, too." Another letter said: "I did not under- stand very much about what a pageant was; but I know that Boston-1915 wanted something and we were all ready to do it." It was in the spirit of the last letter that the pageanters entered into the rehearsals early in the fall. Before many weeks had passed they had learned what was the purpose of a pageant and had found new incentives for co-operating with Boston-1915 to make possible a better city. The Central Meetings On Sunday afternoon, November 20, in Tremont Temple, 2,300 young people representing every Protestant young people's religious society in Boston and the Metropolitan District met and heard about the opportunities for civic service through religious organizations. Nor was this meeting entirely devoted to "hearing." Perhaps the most important part was the "doing," when every person in the audience rose and took the Young Athenian's Oath adminis- tered by Judge Robert F. Raymond. These young people solemnly bound themselves in this way: "We will never bring disgrace to this, our city, by any act of dishonesty or cowardice, nor ever desert our suffering comrades in the ranks. "We will fight for the ideals and sacred things of the city, both singly and together. We will revere and obey the city's laws and do our best to^ incite a like respect and reverence in those above us who are prone to annul them or set them at naught. "We will strive unceasingly to quicken the public's sense of civic duty. Thus in all these ways we will transmit this city not only not less, but greater, better and more beautiful than it was transmitted to us." On the evening of the same day in Faneuil Hall a labor rally was held under the auspices of the Central Labor Union. Mr. Kellogg's address on "Life and Labor Planks in a Civic Platform" and Mr. Filene's remarks on Labor Unions and Boston-1915 are printed on another page of this number of NEW Boston. It is to be regretted that we are unable to reproduce the address of Mrs. Florence Kelley, Secretary of the National Consumers' League. Her re- marks were not in manuscript form, however, and we can only say that the child labor situation in Massachusetts was never explained with more clearness and interest than by Mrs. Kelley. And incidentally Boston-1915 was made to realize that the eyes of the child labor people are going to be centered upon Massachusetts in 1915 as a model in the protection of juvenile workers. At the final meeting held in Tremont Temple on the evening of November 21, Rabbi Wise of the Free Synagogue, New York, told how Jews, Unitarians and Universalists were meeting weekly in his home city to sift out the social problems that could be met by all re- gardless of differences of religious opin- ions. This idea of a common responsi- bility for the welfare of the city in spite of religious beliefs was brought out by the Catholic, Protestant and Jewish speakers. Rabbi Wise said that the religion of today shows a "revival" of civic ideas, not a "survival" of religious dogma. And the Tremont Temple meet- NEW BOSTON ing showed plainly enough the hearty interest that church leaders have in civic advance as a definite part of a religious program. The Local Rallies From November 14 to November 19, thirty-one Civic Rallies were held throughout Boston and the Metropolitan District. This was the first attempt in an American city to focus the eyes of the entire community on the pressing needs of civic betterment. The success of the meetings which brought together several thousand people will not only form a valuable asset for the future work of Boston-1915, but will set an example for other cities where similar campaigns can be worked up. Not since Boston-1915 was organized has a more loyal spirit of co-operation been shown to the movement than by the speakers, both local and out of town, who sacrificed time and energy to make these rallies mean something for the civic life of Boston. Boston-1915 needs no better assurance of success than the example set by the speakers at the various meetings throughout the city and the suburbs. Rallies were held in ten different districts of Boston and in sixteen different towns and cities of the Metropolitan District with an aggregate attendance of 4,900. The total attend- ance at the local rallies and central meetings was over 12,000. A few of the papers read at the Civic Rallies are printed in this number of New Boston. Because of lack of space and inability to procure the manu- scripts of all the speakers, it is impossible to print each of the addresses. The articles which appear, however, give an idea of the breadth of discussion and the interesting and instructive manner in which the papers were presented. A Visitor in Boston "If you want an instance and an illus- tration of a mighty spirit of civic pride, take a little trip to the city with the reputation for sedateness and literary culture, not to mention its proud tra- ditions. The city of Boston is fairly seething with civic patriotism. All classes are enlisted, and there is not a day on which something is not accom- plished to realize the greater and finer city. The center of the movement is an incorporated organization formed of the leading business and professional men of the city, some of them men of national fame. They call themselves 'Boston-1915.' And their work, as they have laid it out, is one of constant public education. They publish a monthly magazine of excellent appearance and of still better content, called NEW Boston. They also arrange for addresses by leading citizens on all topics of civic interest. These are held in various parts of the city and at different times and they cover a wide variety of topics. The speakers are not all local men, but they are all authorities on the subjects they are asked to present. Besides, there are the local meetings arranged for the good of the various small suburbs about the greater city. "The census returns scarcely give an adequate conception of the immensity of the city. There is no dividing line between Boston and its suburbs which may be discerned, so that the stranger walking in the streets or riding in the cars cannot tell whether he is in Boston or in Cambridge, Brookline or any one of the dozen other independent towns which are really a part of the city, but which do not figure in its census. So the extent of this civic movement in a city of actually almost a million and a half people is really very impressive. "The editor had the pleasure of wit- nessing perhaps the most interesting as it certainly was the most laborious and expensive of the features of the Boston- 1915 movement. This was called simply the 'pageant' by most of the natives, though the official name of it was 'Cave Life to City Life.' It was an historical panorama reviewing the development of city life from the most primitive historical origins, and was truly in all respects a most remarkable performance. Under such splendid auspices as 'Boston-1915 Inc.,' and with so great a variety of effort in the direction of civic better- ment, there can be little doubt that in the year 1915 the city of Boston will be able to look back upon these years as upon the period of its greatest and most permanent improvement." — Erie, Pa., Dispatch. NOTE AND COMMENT 333 TWO NOTABLE CON- FERENCES JAMES P. MUNROE President National Society for the Promotion of Industrial P^ducation The citizens of 1915, of 1920 and of the years beyond will be those who are boys and girls today. If, in the times ahead, we are to secure better con- ditions of industry, of education, of health, of housing, and of life in general, these citizens of the future must be given, in 1910, a right training for the demands of modern living and a vivid apprecia- tion of what effective citizenship means. A sick man — whether his sickness be physical or moral — cannot be a good citizen; therefore the first business of education is to establish in boys and girls sound and active bodies, clear minds, and self-respecting, self -controlling wills. But neither can a man or woman unable to earn a fair livelihood, be a good citizen. Consequently, the second duty of education is to develop all youth into efficient w^orkers and to start them on the straight road toward earning such a living that they may preserve their self-respect, establish a family, and keep that household above the deadening pressure of serious poverty. Therefore, it was by deliberate in- tention and arrangement that, parallel with the Boston-1915 Civic Advance Campaign, the Boston Vocation Bureau and the National Society for the Pro- motion of Industrial Education — both with the co-operation of the Chamber of Commerce — held their meetings in this city during the past month. It was the first National Conference on Vocational Guidance, but the fourth on Industrial Education; and the sessions of both organizations not only supple- mented one another, not only contributed in a remarkable degree to the progress of modern education, but also rein- forced and emphasized the fundamental principles of Boston-1915. It w^as not without significance that the successive meetings of the vocation conference (November 15 and 16) and of the industrial education society (No- vember 17-19) were held in the Chamber of Commerce, the Women's Educational and Industrial Union, the Young Men's Christian Union, the Public Library and the Massachusetts Institute of Tech- nology. Business, philanthropy, religion and higher education, all have a vital stake in these questions of industry and of vocation; and the problems evoked cannot be solved except by the serious and whole-hearted co-operation of every good agency in the community. The Conference on Vocational Guid- ance was notable, not only for the em- phasis placed by every speaker upon the major importance of giving boys and girls a right start in their economic life, but also for the evidence it gave of nation-wide interest in this compara- tively new development in education. Heretofore, the school's responsibility has been thought ended with "gradua- tion," be that at fourteen or at twenty- one; but it is evidently coming to be appreciated that for the state to spend enormous sums to prepare a youth for political, economic and social citizenship, and then to have no part in making that outlay effective, is a waste, not simply of the public's money, but of its most valuable resource — human life and effic- iency. Since, however, it is idle to point out a vocational path for a youth unless he. has been prepared in some measure to follow that road successfully, and since, directly or indirectly, substantially every boy or girl enters the fields of industry, the relation of vocational guidance to industrial education is the closest pos- sible. This was made plain at both the conferences. Vocational guidance, it was demonstrated, must not limit itself to the narrow, though important, problems of supplying an industrial market eager for trained men, and of raising the earning powers of those men; it must regard these as secondary to the larger ques- tions of individual happiness and sound citizenship. Industrial education, also, must not be controlled merely by the needs of the business and manufacturing world, but must always measure its true efficiency in terms of all-round man- hood and complete womanhood. The goals, therefore, of both these educa- tional activities should be primarily social and moral, rather than economic. This was recognized to an unusual 334 NEW BOSTON degree in all the recent sessions of the National Society for the Promotion of Industrial Education. Its earlier con- ventions, held in successive years at Chicago, Atlanta and Milwaukee, were productive of great good, especially in focussing public attention on the need for industrial education, and in per- suading the manufacturer and the artisan that both will benefit immeasurably by the extending of this type of training. At none of those meetings, however, did the discussion get down so close, on the one hand, to the actual, immediate problems of industrial education, and, on the other hand, to the basic reasons for that form of training, as it did at Boston. Whether on the first day, when that superlatively moral problem, the trade education of girls, occupied the sessions, or on the second day, when the questions of apprenticeship, part-time schools and continuation schools were under discus- sion, or on the third day when the Social Meaning of Industrial Education was the general caption, the speakers, most of them actually struggling with the difficulties of the problem in their daily work, not only dealt with genuine facts, conditions, and experiences, but pressed those concrete questions and results home to the fundamental principles underlying all forms of education. The same was true of the banquet held jointly with the Chamber of Commerce, at the Hotel Somerset, where the speaking was both of intrinsic excellence and upon an unusually high plane. It was especially significant that at this and at other meetings, among the strongest appeals from the merely utilitarian view of in- dustrial education to that of its social and moral bearings were those made by manufacturers, A notable service of the national society was in bringing to the United States, in connection with this meeting, Dr. Georg Kerschensteiner, director of the very complete series of trade schools in Munich, Bavaria. Few men can speak with more authority than he upon this part of the general problem of industrial education. The rest of the program was on an equally high level, and the community, as well as the national society, owes a real debt to those who planned and carried out these stimulating and illuminating sessions. Through these two remarkable con- ventions Boston has gone far towards reassuming the position which she for so many years held — that of undisputed leadership in matters of educational advance. WHAT BOSTON-1915 MEANS TO AN OUTSIDER HENRY B. F. MACFARLAND Ex-President Board of Commissioners District of Columbia The Boston-1915 campaign seems to me after an examination at close range to be thoroughly sound. It evidently commands the co-operation of the mu- nicipal authorities and civic bodies of Greater Boston and the active efforts of many fine men and women. Its prin- ciples are those of the best civic move- ments of our time ; its program is reason- able yet progressive; its success is al- ready gratifying and its future seems to be assured if the present progress is main- tained. As I said in Boston, other cities of the country are watching the move- ment with keen and sympathetic in- terest. Here in Washington, for example, I have had many inquiries about it and everything on the subject is read with closest attention by civic leaders. The reason, of course, is that here and in every city, we have similar problems and a similar desire to settle them right and to develop in every possible way the "City Useful" as well as the "City Beautiful." Both because of my Scotch blood and my profession as a lawyer, I am cautious in making statements, but I think it is no exaggeration to say that on the success of the Boston-1915 move- ment depends in a large measure the general advance of the cities of the United States and Canada. THE BOSTON- 1915 CIVIC PAGEANT LOTTA A. CLARK Director of the Pageant A pageant means opportunity in every sense of the word and is a success in the same proportion that the possibilities of a community are understood and utilized. The past is ours whether we will or not; the present is ours to make or to mar as we like, and the future depends largely on the power we have gained from the experience of our own past and of those who have gone be- fore. The present is always with us and the pressure of its work is often so insistent that only by deliberate effort do we escape from it, and put ourselves back into the past to glean from its field those seeds which have survived and which it is our duty to plant and to tend for future harvests. We are the reapers and the sowers at once and however crushing our present may be, this generation owes a sufficient education to ^the next one, to bear the burden of the problems which we ourselves have been unable to solve. Further- more, this educa- tion must give an adequate understanding of the past and a hopeful determination to face the present and meet the needs of the future. Because a pageant works ac- tively to help a community understand its past and to realize its present resources, it is becoming a powerful tool in education. It has been said that no one can come in contact with a pageant at any point without learning something, and one has MISS LOTTA A. CLARK Director of the Pageant only to try it to prove that this is true. It is quite appropriate also that Massa- chusetts, which has always set the standard in education in our country, should place its seal of success upon this newest phase of education. In organizing this first civic pageant the work at the beginning was to interest those who have in charge the young people who are just about to be citizens and home-makers. These are our hope for the immediate future. Through school superintend- ents, leaders of set- tlements, and club presidents, over a thousand young men and young women from fifteen to twenty years of age were enlisted and set to work. To this number were added several hundreds of older people who became interested in one way or another in some of the work for which the pageant offered a field. In this way all classes of soci- ety, employment, and creeds were brought together. It was no simple matter to interest thirty separate communities in an un- dertaking which they did not understand at first and consequently did not specially wish to help. But when it was made clear that here was a chance to focus public attention on city-making as a civic duty and to contribute a small share with many others for the credit of the home city, the response was im- mediate. There is a mighty civic pride 335 336 NEW BOSTON fh i . ■ M 'J \\ OFF FOR THE GOVERNOR'S RECEPTION in our midst which is dormant most of the time from mere lack of use. When aroused and guided, it brings with it a spirit of wiUingness and an energy for advance which are superb and startUng. The devotion to the work which the pageant embodied grew steadily stronger as the time went on. It was expected that when the real strain was felt many would drop out. Just the op- posite proved true, however. Even in the face of immense demands of time, strength, and patience, our numbers in- creased and our possibilities multiplied luntil we were forced to cut and condense in order to bring the pageant near its time limit. Some of our more daring friends told us that the work of prepar- ation was in itself beneficial enough to have justified the undertaking, even if the pageant itself were a failure. It takes a sober second thought to agree to this, but it was a mighty encouragement when that was most needed. There was no such thing as failure possible for a pageant that had the im- petus behind it which ours had, and that we knew full well who had our hands upon it. It had come to be a living entity brought into existence by much READY FOR THE HUSKING BEE THE BOSTON-1915 CIVIC PAGEANT 337 TOWN CRIER, OLD labor. But the time was ripe and it had to deliver a message which could not be stilled, though it could have been delivered far less perfectly. Its message might be voiced as follows: "Behold! here is what yesterday has given! What have you to add for tomorrow?" Then came before the eyes of the multitude that looked, the lives of those who have built for us all. The cave-man spent his life attending only to the primal needs, but he lighted the first hearth-fire, the heart of the first homes, and we owe him our tribute for that. The home life in the Indian village showed great advancement in industries and in community life. The coming of the Englishman and his conquest of the Indians brought our own era before us and the struggles crowned by suc- cess brought us to the "mile-stone on great freedom's way" at which we have arrived. The chance was then given to our proud city to see the improve- ment which the present has made upon the past. Nor was this all. The watch- word of the future perfect city "Preven- tion" was spoken in no uncertain tone for the guidance of those who come after. And so the Pageant passed and was gone, and even those who worked the hardest for it were sorry to see it go. Not until it was over did we realize how wonderful it had been, how it had bound us together, hundreds of us, to work actively for the good of our great city. We had expected that it would be large and im- pressive, but its beauty, both of color and of spirit, was an inspiration to all. It is impossible to describe the edu- cation through experience which came to those who took part in the pageant. One of the most valuable portions of it was brought by the Indians. These Iroquois came from their reservations in northern New York, near the Canada line. They brought with them the tents and utensils which are a part of their daily home life and we had a chance to associate with them at close range. AND NEW 338 NEW BOSTON FROM THE COLONIAL EPISODE The intelligence, patience, and polite- ness of these Indians were revelations to the young people both in the pageant and in the audience. The gentleness of the Indian maiden won for her many friends among us and a general under- standing of the Indian was gained at first hand in a way that could never be given by books, or descriptions. By the younger people this was voted the finest part of the pageant, and it was certainly well worth while to have these first Americans with us. One of the hardest pieces of work in the pageant was the building of the stockade. To men who are not accus- tomed to hauling logs this was not play, yet these men did it time and time again with no word of complaint, although more than one of them was white with fatigue. The spirit of the defence against attack and their protection of the women was strong ui)on them, and they made their work very real. As they listened to the words of thanksgiving for their deliverance spoken by their pastor, all realized as they never had before the bravery of those who had experienced these terrors in reality. So well did the audience catch this that many put their feelings into words and said that never before had they felt face to face with the sufferings and dangers of our pioneers. About six hundred people took part in the colonial episodes altogether, and here it was that we wanted our young people to feel themselves in the places of those who had built for them so well. It is very hard to say that one part of the pageant was of more value than another, but in no part did the reality of the representation strike deeper root. In the first jjlace those in most of the colonial episodes designed and made their costumes, and how beautiful they were! Artistic talent in the community was brought to the assistance of some of the groups; in others this was a part THE BOSTON-1015 CIVIC PAGEANT 339 of the regular school work, and the loveli- ness of the result was a delightful dis- covery even to those who had brought it about. The spirit of friendly co- operation and appreciative miderstanding which grew out of this phase of the work was wellnigh ideal and one had only to witness the coming of the ox-cart, the spinning, and the quilting to realize that the genius of the common folk had had its way among them. So perfectly had the harvest thanksgiving of the colonists become a reality to. a little daughter of Portuguese blood in one of our brick- paved districts that she wrote the fol- lowing verses: HARVEST SONG Redly the moon of the Harvest Looms hke a beacon for fall: Bright are the maple-leaves turning. Shedding a glow over all: Ripe are the wheat and the maize, — Lift np your voices in praise: No more shall- we dread, winter days, Or hunger when snow-drifts are tall. Bring forth the scythes and the sickles, Sweep down the life-giving grain. Pluck off the grapes and the a])ples, (Jather with might and with main. Store every attic and bin. Plan for your neighbors and kin When bitter-cold winter sets in. And brings with it hunger and pain. Heap up the logs in the fireplace. Fasten the door to the blast. Roast the brown nuts on the hearth-stone. — Now is the gay summer past. Warm your chill hands at the blaze, — Lift up your voices in j)raise: No more shall we dread winter days, No more need we wander or fast. Each time this song was , sung it thrilled those who heard it. Spectators said they felt as though they were borne along w^th the joy of it all. To have given pleasure to that extent to twenty thousand people is no mean civic con- tribution from one small girl, and the pageant furnished the opportunity for her to do it. The boys who came from the forge in their school, clad in blouses and lea- THE RECEPTION PARTY 340 NEW BOSTON THE SPINNING SCHOOL THE AMERICAN DANCERS THE BOSTON-1915 CIVIC PAGEANT 341 THE MAY POLE DANCE ther aprons and armed with their sledge and hammers and tongs put a vim into the Stamp Act riot that answered splendidly the excited call of the tow^n- crier. Those boys had been present at just one rehearsal; they could spare time for no more. But rehearsals are not necessary for that sort of thing. For the time being they are living the very life of it and that is what counts. Those fellows came ready to help wher- ever they were needed and when we asked for one to do a special piece of extra work, half a dozen answered. The most finished piece of work, from an educational point of view, was that done by the girls in the spinning school and the quilting bee. Most fortunately the girls who undertook to represent the spinning of colonial times were in a school where the whole study could be made a real part of the daily program. The head-master and the teacher en- tered into the undertaking with rare understanding and skill. The result proved conclusively that modern educa- tion will be successful when we can use as its material real work for a real pur- pose. The whole community was scoured for spinning-wheels that would spin, and both flax and wool wheels were procured. One of the girls knew how to spin and with the assistance of her mother and another older woman, material for spin- ning was obtained from Nova Scotia. With their help all of the girls learned to understand the process and eight learned how to spin. In the pageant they sat in groups, some spinning, others winding the yarn, and still others knitting and sewing with it. It was a pictiu-e never to be forgotten by those who witnessed it, to see these girls living a day in the lives of their great-grand- mothers and I feel sure it was a red- letter day in the lives of the girls them- selves. The quilting bee also was a scene planned with fine skill and lovely effect. The piecing of the patch work, the stretching upon the frames, the padding, the tacking and the binding produced 342 NEW BOSTON mM ^^^d i W' Kill MC Kfg* ^?- I, l|l| fi'' BOSTON AND HER NEIGHBORS not only a charming picture of the days gone by, but also produced quilts, one of which will always be a souvenir of the pageant most highlj^ prized by the director. The dame school and the singing school, both the results of earnest care and labor, helped to complete the composite scene of Colonial industry and education. The industrial success brought riches and power as the gover- nor's party ably showed. The present as it is was represented symbolically by the superb group of thirty women who impersonated Boston and the neighboring towns and cities about her. Behind them came those who have made their past; before them were presented the young people of this land and of others, who are to make their future. It was as it was meant to be, the crowning feature of the pageant. The thought and labor which it cost were amply repaid by the wonderful beauty of the result. Guarded by their Knights' of Economy, the City Guard, from the evils that sap their strength and stunt their progress, the city group watched the coming of the nations one after another in their genuine folk dances. Swedes, Russians, Italians, Irish and Scotch showed their national characteristics to a remarkable degree for their own sons and daughters represented them. We had a chance ti appreciate the rich variety of ideal and strength which these contribute to our great "melting-pot" of nations. FIRE DANCERS AND KNIGHTS OF ECONOMY THE BOSTON-lOlo CIVIC PAGEANT 343 Tlie graceful tableaux of the Greek girls showiug the contributions of that country to our Athens of America were very beautiful, the vintage dance from the grape-growing countries of Eur()j)e, and finally the lovely American dance concluded the Pageant with a picture that many may not see more than once in a life-time. Great surprise was ex- pressed that these dances could be so much more exciuisite than those of pro- fessional performers. The explanation is simple. This was an expression of genuine American girlhood. Another remarkable result of the Pageant is the delightful feeling of satisfaction in those who have been as- sociated wdth the undertaking. All ex- press a conviction that something dis- tinctly valuable has been accomplished for the community and its people. The wonderful appreciation of the vast audi- ences went far to bring about this state of things. In addition to this, the parents and leaders have thanked us for giving their young people the oppor- tunity to be a part of the great civic work. Best and most significant of all was the word that came from one of Boston's neighbors that the young people there are now all ready to form a club to undertake a definite piece of civic work in their own community. No response could be better than that. No stronger proof is needed that the Pageant has accomplished its purpose. It has aroused the desire in the hearts of its young people to go to work today to do their part for the good of the home city. The same feeling exists in several other districts also, and this is the kind of re- ward which should crown richly in the near future the splendid, far-sighted work of the Boston-1915 organization. It is building on the faith that when Boston uses her own resources wisely, she can accomplish the finest results in the world. No fair-minded person doubts it. t/%'^\'S THE CITY OF THE FUTURE' HON. JOHN F. FITZGERALD Mayor of Boston If Miss Clark and her able associates at the Civic Pageant could have added the gift of prophecy to the arts of com- position and design, they might have ended the pageant with a brilliant spec- tacle. They might have pictured in full detail the city of the future, the city in which our children's children will live. In these days of startling transforma- tions we can only surmise what its ex- ternal appearance will be. But we may be sure of certain things about it. It will be larger than the city of today and because it is larger its government will not only do the things now done and do them better, but it will do more things. For a large city is much more than a group of small cities side by side. As it expands, its problems outgrow private initiative and capacity, and the functions of government become more and more complex. At present nearly all cities provide certain conveniences which we have come to regard as necessities, such as paved streets, water, lights, police and fire protection, the means of education, of health, and of recreation. Nearly all keep records of various sorts and care for the sick and needy. Certain persons selected from among the citizens to administer these functions form a group which is called the government. Not long ago there was a movement to sepa- rate these governing officials more widely from the people. We were told that the city was merely a business corpora- tion and its officers should be trained experts like those of the railroads or insurance companies. This theory is correct up to a certain point and the services of experts in their place are invaluable but when carried to an ex- treme it leads to an abdication of pre- rogative and a renunciation of interest on the part of the people, which is far from wholesome. A counter tendency has arisen, which aims to restore the spirit of the early town meeting by means of a kind of informal referendum. The government, complex as it is, is coming back to the citizens through the local and civic associations which mediate between it and them. They study practical problems and act as a check on the administration by their advice and criticisms. Such organizations, though unofficial, will in my opinion exert a greater and greater influence. Their rise in recent years is quite as important as any modifications which have been made in the form of government itself, the so-called city charter. I urge all good citizens to join such bodies and through them contribute to the building up of the community in which they live. The time has gone by when our whole duty as citizens consisted in the casting of a ballot and the payment of a tax bill. Among the problems which must be settled one of the foremost is transporta- tion. In a great metropolis hundreds of thousands of people must be distributed to and from their places of business every day. Huge living streams converge from the suburbs and residential districts upon the business center, and between the outlying sections themselves there is a continual movement. These shifts of population should be smooth, rapid and comfortable and the task of our civic engineers is to devise machinery to accomplish this. Hitherto our trans- portation systems have followed the main arteries of surface commvmication because the streets have been used for car tracks. In the future the two sys- tems will probably be divorced more and more. Subways and tunnels will make short cuts under the network of streets, emerging at convenient points for the reception and discharge of passengers, and the highways, now choked and al- most impassable, will be reserved for other forms of travel. ♦This article and thoss that follow, with the exception of Mr. Bennett's article on the Riverbank Subway and the dascription of the St. Paul Auditorium, are atsstracts from addresses delivered during the Civic Advance Campaign. 344 THE CITY OF THE FUTURE 345 The problem of transportation is in- timately connected with the housing problem. With a perfect system of distribution, we could relieve the con- gestion in the older portions of our cities, where land values are so high that tenants must be packed together like bees in a hive in order to yield the honey of high rentals. The city of the future will not only provide cheap and rapid transportation to homes some distance away, where rents are less exorbitant, but it will rebuild its con- gested districts under laws that insure a minimum of air space to every occu- pant, besides the other conditions of health and decency. By enlarging the zones of fireproof building it will protect itself against those holocausts which now convert hundreds of millions of dollars of American wealth into ashes every year. The art of seeing a city as a whole has received the name of town planning. Town planning conferences have been held in many foreign cities, and in America ambitious designs have been made for some of the larger centers of population, such as Washington, Pitts- burgh, and Chicago. These plans con- sider not only the laying out of streets and the building of houses with an eye to beauty as well as convenience, but the creation of civic centers, the posi- tion of parks and beaches, and the loca- tion of railroads and markets. In Europe such matters as the height and style of houses and the display of advertising signs are controlled by the government. I believe that we in America shall cul- tivate the art of town planning more and more and perhaps in time go as far as the European cities, with results equally admirable. Cleanliness, which is nothing more than a speedy removal of waste, will be emphasized in the city of the future. Sewage and rain water must be carried off promptly; house refuse must be util- ized and destroyed; the streets must be kept free of noxious litter, and the air cleared of smoke and other pollu- tions. All these problems, I regret to say, are still unsettled, but the city of the future will surely solve them. Health, in the largest sense of the word, will be a theme and study for city govern- ments in the future and the death rate will be one barometer of their eflBciency. We have already gone beyond the care of the sick in hospitals and the control of epidemics. All the arts of prevention will be practised, particularly during early life, so that a sounder race of men and women may emerge out of the happier childhood which the city of the future will foster among its offspring. Education in the future will be pro- foundly modified. It will not cast all the pupils in one iron mould as was the case only a decade or two ago. It will adapt its methods to the varying needs of individuals and the complex demands of society. At the same time it will not specialize to excess or commit the young learner for life to a narrow groove. He will enjoy his lessons more than now, yet get a thorough discipline from them. This new vocational education has its character-building side which must not be overlooked. Industry is the name of a virtue as well as a synonym for trade, and the boy who is trained for productive effort which shall be both lucrative and congenial is the better citizen and the better man for this practical schooling. The means for performing these educa- tional functions will probably be pro- vided in the city of the future by tapping new sources of revenue. The load of taxation is now tossed from shoulder to shoulder until it rests upon the broad back of the multitude. In the future, special benefits will be paid for by the beneficiaries and not by the people. Streets will not be laid out to enrich land speculators. A part of the unearned increment will go back to the community which created it. In a word, the inci- dence of taxation will be shifted and a larger income will be provided, with less strain upon the resources of the poor. I like to think, too, that as govern- ment grows in dignity and influence it will attract benefactors, and that citizens will endow particular public works just as alumni remember their colleges. Boston has now about eight million dollars in trust funds, including the great Parkman bequest, amounting to five million dollars. In the future it should have many times that sum. The effect of all these changes will be no doubt a considerable transmutation 346 NEW BOSTON in the outward appearance of the city. More than that, there will be a growth and change in the character of the citizens. We are all creatures of en- vironment, and our instinct, which judges a city by its representatives we chance to meet, is not a wholly mis- leading one. A Bostonian and a San Franciscan may be brothers by blood, but they will show difference of speech. thought and temperament as wide as the continent which separates Cape Cod from the Golden Gate. The inhabitant of the future city, if he reflects its character, as he must, should be a broader and a finer man than we. He will be able to look up to the heroes unashamed, yet not forget that the cave man was his forefather. 'HOW THE "CITY BEAUTIFUL" PAYS CLINTON ROGERS WOODRUFF Secretary National Municipal League John Burns has constantly before him an ideal toward which he is working as the effective head of England's Local Government Board. While he has most frequently defined it in a series of nega- tives — don'ts — nevertheless it is in es- sence a progressive and constructive plan, at the basis of which lie these two great ideas. Make the private home so pleasant that the public house will have no ap- peal. Make the city a community where health shall be the only wealth. To attain these ends, Mr. Burns be- lieves in imposing upon every new com- munity, and every old one where he gets the opportunity, the maintenance of a proper relationship to the natural, phy- sical, social and industrial ends. Back to back houses are being abol- ished under his initiative; cellar dwellings have gone; the mean street is doomed; the smoke nuisance is diminishing; parks, gardens, trees and boulevards are growing in number and attractiveness; health is improving fast; disease and death are being controlled in Britain faster than anywhere; tuberculosis, the disease of poverty, dirt, density and overcrowding is being ended; infant mortality, the symptom of bad homes and bad mother- hood, has declined forty per cent in five years. Surely a splendid record, and one which is characteristic of modern city life at home and abroad. Indeed, the idea of a city ideal is a modern one. The city is no longer regarded a necessary evil, as Dr. L. S. Rowe points out. It is recognized as the accompanying factor of all civilization. Only under the conditions of city life can the possi- bilities of human development be realized. This does not mean, Dr. Rowe asserts, that the city "should be a monotonous succession of narrow and depressing thoroughfares, that every available open space should be covered with flaring signs, that at every street corner there should be a saloon, and that every in- dividual should be permitted to give free range to his fancy in the erection of dwellings." Through the construction of parkways, the erection of imposing public buildings, a change in the immediate environment of the poorer classes, and, finally, the acceptance of the social standard in the performance of muni- cipal services, a new concept of muni- cipal activity and of city life will be attained. The question of greatest interest in this connection is the ultimate effect of this view of municipal services on the civic standards and activities of the com- munity. The first effect of this change will be of a negative character. The community will no longer tolerate meth- ods of action which are now regarded with indifference. A new sensitiveness which is the necessary condition of higher HOW THE "CITY BEAUTIFUL" PAYS 347 standards will be developed. The over- crowded street car, the advertisement- covered fence, the filthy alleyways will arouse the active condemnation of the community. Opinion will thus reach its true position as a great social force in city life. From these more negative standards there will be a gradual ad- vance to positive standards. Some of the things which the ideal city should avoid, in ]\[r. Burns' judg- ment, are: Street noises, smoke nuis- ances, ugly forecourt shops, vulgar ad- vertisements, professional football clubs, street betting, mechanical amusements, the sombre austerity of the "kill-joy" by providing the pleasures that elevate, the games that stimulate, and the leisure that recreates. These are some of the negative stan- dards from which we proceed to positive ones, and which produce positive results. The new civic standards to which they lead, to carry Dr. Rowe's idea one step further, will be based upon distinctively city ideals, which will assure that de- votion to the public good upon which the future of American city life and the efRcient working of all forms of govern- ment must ultimately depend. A Western paper tells of an occurrence in Kansas City, one of the greatest of the middle western cities, which illus- trates this fact. Boosters of that city were recently showing about the town a man who was looking for a location for a large wagon factory. They took him for a spin over the boulevards that cost millions, through the public parks and along streets lined with attractive, comfortable residences. At the con- clusion of the ride the capitalist said: "This is the place in which I want to locate; a city that has the enterprise to spend money in creating these boule- vards, parks and homes is the place in which I want to raise my children." He didn't inquire as to sidetracks, spurs or shipping facilities. He took all these things for granted in a city which had been so progressive, and de- cided on account of the attractive features of the city. American cities afford abundant il- lustrations of city ideals, and high ones at that. Take our river bank and water fronts. In too many places in America our river banks and our whole river front are far from beautiful; indeed, in most instances they are the least beautiful, the least effective aspects of our cities. Gradually, however, our city fathers are manifesting a new spirit. We find them giving increasing atten- tion to the beautification of the river bank and the water front, so that it may be a thing of beauty, and so that the first impression of those who approach a community by water may be pleasant and uplifting rather than, as at present, uninspiring and often depressing. The river front must be i)rotected where it has not yet been degraded, and where degraded it must be redeemed. Here and there we find striking in- stances of how the water front may be treated effectively. For instance, the banks of the Schuylkill, which flows through Fairmount Park for a number of miles, has been made a joy to the be- holder; and the Wissahickon Creek, which is a tributary to the Schuylkill, has long been one of the scenic features of Philadelphia's great park and of the country as well. W. A. Finklenburg, of Winona, Wisconsin, has been a pioneer in this connection; and the work that he has done on the levee at Winona is effec- tive in itself and has served as an example which other Mississippi River towns have not been slow to imitate. "The St. Louis Plan," worked out by the Civic League of that city, includes a re-making of the river front with due recognition of the fact that it has strik- ing advantages for commercial and trans- portation purposes. Its working out of the problem, however, is worth thoughtful consideration, showing how the most exacting business demands can be met, while the beauty of the city is enhanced. Once a river front is redeemed, ad- joining sections will feel the benefit of the impulse, and there will be a read- justment of extended influence, for good examples are contagious. They will carry with them a desire for cleaner and better streets in the business portions of the city, and for the imi)rovement of the architecture of the usual "downtown" business district; for unfortunately in this country the water front had been abandoned as a place of residence, ex- 348 NEW BOSTON cept in a very few communities. Why this should be so, when one bears in mind the beauty of water scenery, is difficult to say, unless we accept the explanation of the economist that it has been utilized for business purposes be- cause more accessible. With improve- ments in transportation and the read- justment incident thereto, this reason, however, carries no longer the same weight with it, and it is to be hoped that once again the river fronts may become the residential districts. Another reason has been that the water front has been considered unhealthy, but with the great sanitary improvements of the day this reason is also passing away. It is a curious fact that the approaches to towns and cities, whether by water or by rail, have been generallyl unprepos- sessing. Hand in hand, however, with the proposed improvement to the water front, we find a demand on the part of the patrons of the railroads, as well as city authorities and public-spirited men and women, that the railroads should improve not only the surroundings of their stations, but the right of way. Our ideals of what a railroad, as well as what a city should be, and their rela- tions to each other are changing. The Pennsylvania Railroad, in some recent orders, furnished an interesting and striking illustration of the new at- titude of the railroad toward the public and toward its patrons. It is seeking to create an ideal roadbed and right-of- way which will be a pleasure to the people riding on its cars and to the people living by its side. The Schuylkill Valley Di- vision has been chosen for the experi- ment. To secure this desirable end, the railroad started a movement to secure the co-operation of the people living along the right-of-way in having them keep it clean and free from rubbish. Mr. Carnegie, in his deed transmitting $2,500,000 in five per cent bonds to the Dunfermline Trustees, declared it his wish that the money should be used in attempts to bring "into the monotonous lives of the toiling masses at Dunfermline more of sweetness and light, to give them — especially the young— some charm, some happiness, some elevating con- ditions of life which elsewhere we have denied, that the child of my native town, looking back in after years, however far from home it may have roamed, will feel that simply by virtue of being such, life has been made happier and better. If this be the fruit of your labors, you will have succeeded; if not, you will have failed." Such, indeed, may be said to be the trust rationally assumed by the National Municipal League and the American Civic Association and locally undertaken by the Boston-1915 movement. Thus far the national organizations have been successful beyond the expectation of their most sanguine well-wishers, and have found for themselves a place in the American life of today that has made them a factor, an influence of great usefulness. They owe their position, however, not only to the activity of their officers, but to the united and efficient co-operation of their members in every city, town and village. They stand with all that they have accom- plished, only at the threshold of its opportunities. May the coming years see a great accession to their numbers and resources, so that they may realize in some degree at least, the aspirations of their founders, officers and workers, in promoting higher ideals of American municipal life. The Boston-1915 movement repre- sents the same public-spirited co-opera- tion for the concrete application of the principles of the new municipal idea to a great metropolitan community. May the same wisdom and foresight which guided its formation attend its effort to the solution of Boston and America's greatest problem — the satisfactory self- government of the urban population. EDUCATION IN THE "GREAT CITY" CHARLES F. THWING President of Western Reserve University and Adelbert College After its mighty resistance to one of the longest and severest sieges in our history, Ley- den (dear to the Pilgrim heart), on being relieved, was freed by William of Orange either from a cessation of taxes for a term of years, or the foun- dation of the uni- versity. The foun- dation might lay upon the city finan- cial burdens which it was ill fitted to bear, but at once the citizens re- sponded, "Give us the University." The history of Ley- den for more than three hundred years illustrates the wisdom of their choice. If Boston did not have any Boston University and Boston College, and in Cambridge and other surrounding towns institutions of the higher education, it should at once set about laying such a foundation. The municipal university represents one of the great duties and opportunities of the present and of the future. The higher education is important, but the lower is, in many ways, more im- portant. Foundations are wider the deeper they go down. A good school should teach truth, but it should do what is more important — teach boys and girls to think, to reason, to judge. It should so teach truth that the power to think shall naturally result. It also should so teach truth that boys and girls shall think about the things that interest and inspire. If the public schools should Copyright by Purdy PRESIDENT CHARLES F. THWING accomplish this great result, the record of a class going through the school would not be, as it now is, like the log of a ship in a gale, marked by what it loses. A great city aims to be great in its religion. A common denomi- nator of religious systems should be found. This great principle repre- sents God. Each individual makes his own God, each interprets Him, each accepts Him according to his own ability. But the element of rev- erence, of respect to the Universal and Eternal Being, of obedience to His laws, of heeding every admonition of His will, should be broad and pervading. The institu- tions established in His name should be supported. The evangelist comes with his revival of religion. All blessing be upon him! The religious statesman comes with his religion as a permanent, broad, and high part of civic duty. The city holds a relation to God which it cannot afford to neglect. To put off His will is disaster; to obey His will in love and reverence is civic tri- umph. The Roman Catholic, the Jew, the Friend, the Protestant] can here stand together. A great city must be greatly religious, greatly religious not in dogma, nor in creed, or denomination, but greatly religious in its uplook to the eternal and in its outlook upon the universal and the infinite. 349 WHAT DORCHESTER NEEDS MATTHEW CUMMINGS President Neponset Improvement Association I read recently a very interesting state- ment made by General Bancroft of the Elevated Railroad wherein he said that the Elevated was willing to have a subway built to Park Street, Dorchester, provided the Legislature authorized the consolidation of the West End and Boston Elevated Railways. And provided further that the leases granted to the Elevated Railroad by the city of Boston for the use of the subways would be extended. The citizens of Boston believed in the past that the subway belonged to the city, as the city is' obliged to pay the cost of construction. But according to General Bancroft's statement we cannot have a subway to Dorchester, unless the Boston Elevated Railway receives from the Legislature what it demands. If the people of Dorchester are at the mercy of the Boston Elevated Railway to that extent, there is little hope for the future. However, I believe public opinion will induce General Bancroft and those whom he represents, to change their minds on this matter very quickly. Notwithstanding the great amount of advertising in the Boston papers, transit facilities have not improved in Dor- chester to any ajipreciable extent during the past ten years, particularly that part of Dorchester lying east of Washington Street. Every effort is made to divert traffic to the Dudley Street Terminal and the people living in a large part of Dorchester who are going to or returning from the city are forced to travel more than a mile out of their way, or wait a long time for a Dorchester Avenue car. It takes fifty minutes to travel, with the present facilities, from Dorchester Lower Mills, Mattapan, or Neponset to the North Station. If the time wasted waiting for cars is added, it means that an hour's time is used up going to the city, and the same returning in the even- ing. Consequently two hours is con- sumed every day by many thousands of people in Dorchester going and returning from their work or business. We want to create a public opinion that will force the Legislature to au- thorize the Transit Commission to build a subway to Park Street along Dor- chester Avenue with the least possible delay. And we look to our representa- tives in the state and city government to support us in this movement for better transit facilities. The growth of Dorchester is also seriously handicapped by the fact that we have no cross town traveling facilities either by the electric railways or steam railroads. In order to travel from Ne- ponset to Franklin Park, Mattapan or West Roxbury, the people are obliged to ride into the city and out again by another route in order to arrive at their destination. This means that people are obliged to travel a double distance with a corresponding waste of time. The cost of making cross-town connections by the Elevated Railroad would be in- significant and should be insisted on by the citizens of Dorchester. The line at present running from Mattapan to Dorchester Lower Mills should be extended along Adams and Minot Streets to Neponset. The present Talbot Avenue line should be extended along Ashmont or some other suitable street to Neponset Avenue, if for no other reason than to accommodate the pupils attending the Dorchester High School. Although the distance from the water front to Dor- chester High School is less than two miles, pupils who attend on stormy days are obliged to ride from Neponset and Commercial Point to Uphams Corner or to the Dudley Street Terminal, and then transfer to a Dorchester car, the only connection that can be made to reach the school. The children are thus obliged to travel a distance of about eight miles to reach a school that is not more than a mile and a half or two miles from their homes. This is the only city in the country that runs all its car lines in one direction. The steam railroads afford no better 350 WHAT DORCHESTER NEEDS 351 accommodation in this direction, as all the railroads run north and south. There is at present an unused branch of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad that runs from Neponset to Mattapan. The people of Dorchester and West Roxbury should demand that a new line be constructed to connect the Mattapan branch with the Providence line of the New York and New Haven road, thereby forming a circuit line that would help to develop all that section of the city, both for residential and manu- facturing purposes. We have been trying for years to get the city or state to build a broad level road from the Quincy bridge at Neponset to the old colony roadbed at Crescent Avenue, but our petitions have so far been rejected. When the railroad cross- ing at Walnut Street is abolished (which will be within a year) there will then be no level road from the south shore to Boston, and heavy loads from Quincy must be hauled over steep grades. We are told by the city that there is no money available for street construction in Dor- chester and this leads up to the questions of state and city taxation and expendi- tures. The city of Boston contributes more than one-third of the state tax. There are hundreds of miles of state roads in Massachusetts, built by the State High- way Commission, and Boston pays thirty-six per cent of the cost of their construction and maintenance. Yet we have never been able to get a state road built in Boston except a short section in West Roxbury and that under a special law whereby the city had to pay about eighty per cent of the cost of con- struction. This year's Boston tax bill shows that the city is obliged to pay a state tax of $1,880,395 and a metro- politan tax amounting to $1,369,4'92, making a total of .$3,21-9,880 that Boston is obliged to pay to the state. In my opinion this double system of state taxation on the city is a rank injustice. In addition to paying thirty-six per cent of the state tax, the city of Boston is compelled to pay sixty-five per cent of the cost of the construction and main- tenance of metropolitan parks, boule- vards, and sewers, although the city is obliged to construct and maintain its own ])arks, sewers and boulevards. It pays eighty per cent of the metropolitan water rates, and it will have to i)ay about eighty per cent of the cost of the con- struction of the C'harles River Basin. You will find in that part of Quincy known as Atlantic a state boulevard, and the citizens of Boston are compelled to pay sixty-five per cent of its cost, while the city of Quincy, which receives all the benefit, pays less than two per cent of its cost. If Quincy or any other city wants parks and boulevards they should pay for these improvements and not saddle two-thirds of the cost on the city of Boston. The money that should be used for Dorchester improvements is being used for the benefit of other cities and towns in the so-called metro- politan district. That is the reason cities and towns in the metropolitan district refuse to be annexed to Boston. Under our present laws the city of Boston is compelled to pay from sixty-five to eighty per cent of the cost of improve- ments in those places. If all construc- tion work done by the state were paid out of the state tax, these cities and towns would be in a hurry to be annexed. If we had a fair and equitable system of state and city taxation there would be sufficient money for all necessary improvements in our city. We are in need of better police pro- tection. This is not the fault of the officers, as the routes are so large that it takes a policeman nearly all his time traveling from one end of his route to the other, in order to ring his calls at the patrol boxes. The streets of Dorchester are not cleaned as they should be. Do you realize that Dorchester with its very large population and area has no sanitary and street cleaning yard? The streets of Dorchester should be cleaned by citizen labor and by the street cleaning de])artment of the city. It is false economy to save money by leaving dirt on the streets. The men who have grown t)ld in the city's service could be used for that ])urpose with good results. I am strongly opposed to the cry of the incompetent and inefficient boss who usually tries to cover up his own in- efficiency by throwing the blame on the old men working under him. I 352 NEW BOSTON speak from experience and I unhesitat- ingly say that men who are well along in years are the best for street-cleaning work. The removal of garbage and ashes should also be done by citizen labor and by men who can speak English. I believe that the citizens of Dor- chester should meet frequently and discuss the importance of improving local conditions. This is a great resi- dential section of our city, yet you will find hundreds of miles of sidewalks un- paved. In the city of Chicago when a street is laid out, sometimes before any building is erected, granolithic sidewalks are constructed and a portion of the cost charged to the property owners. I be- lieve a law of that kind containing a provision that the property owners should pay for the cost in installments covering a period of ten or fifteen years would be a great benefit to our community. We should work for these mprovements not as Republicans or Democrats but as Dorchester citizens. We all suffer alike from the conditions I have mentioned, and it is only by having all the people of this section working together, de- manding what reasonably and justly belongs to them from the state and city, that we can hope to obtain results. EDUCATION THAT MEANS SOMETHING FRANK W. SPEAEE Educational Director, Boston Y. M. C. A. The pupils in the public school are singing two songs, the first of which is absolutely pat in its application. It runs, "I don't know where I'm going, but I'm on the way." Let us stop to analyze the title of this song, and see how it applies to the situation. What official is there connected with any great public school system who is well in- formed as to the ultimate or intended destination of his students? The pri- mary teacher's business is to get her pupils into the grammar school. The grammar school teacher passes them on to the high school, and the high school teacher fits them for the college, technical school or "life," the latter being a very general term which means very little in the majority of cases. The first need of any complete school system is vocational advice based upon careful investigation and analysis. This advice can be given with the greatest success in the later teens, but should be preceded by definite vocational train- ing. As an example of this plan, take the method now opeiated in the Day School of the Boston Young Men's Christian Association. The objects of the system are fourfold: 1. To induce the parent to keep his boy at school as long as possible. 2. To give each boy who attends, in addition to his regular grammar or high school work, a definite occupation by means of which he can earn a comfortable living at any time he finds it necessary to leave the Day School. 3. To lead the boy to see the necessity for the courses he is taking and their application to the completed whole. 4. To so interlock the work of the day and evening schools that at any time the boy may change from one to the other without disturbing his regular plan of life. All the boys in the seventh and eighth grades are required to take certain courses which fit them as competent office assistants. This work includes simple bookkeeping, filing, tying and marking bundles, dusting and sweeping an ofiice, opening and sorting the mail, the use of the telephone, writing tele- grams, meeting customers and perform- ing general office routine. Such boys command five dollars a week at the outset as against two dollars for the EDUCATION THAT MEANS SOMETHING 353 READING GAS METER IN ASSOCIATION SCHOOL unskilled boy. Any boy or parent will at once appreciate the value of such training, and heartily enter into its spirit. The boy is not consulted as to his likes and dislikes, but is arbitrarily taught this office routine as part of his regular school program. We say to the parent, at the com- pletion of the grammar school, "Your boy is capable of earning five dollars a week, but if you will continue him through the first year of the high school, he will make a much better showing." This is accomplished in two ways. Those boys who show a decided preference for commercial subjects are given a thorough course in double entry bookkeeping. Those who do not show such an interest are given a course of thirty-two weeks, six periods per week, in mechanical drawing, including the use of instru- ments, intersections, geometrical prob- lems, machine work, inking, tracing and blue ])rinting. Such assistant book- keepers and draftsmen command, as a minimum, ten dollars per week. 354 NEW BOSTON Y. M. C. A. ELECTRICAL LABORATORY This work is in addition to the regular high school program. It is required of all, and is known as the "boys' life line." Thorough study is absolutely insisted upon, and nothing is allowed to inter- fere. These boys also know "where they are going, and are on the way." Again, at the completion of the second year, the parent is interviewed, and the following proposition is presented: that his boy, by continuing in the commercial division of the vocation courses, will be taught shorthand and typewriting, or in the industrial lines will be given a thorough course in industrial electricity, including batteries, bells and annun- ciators, switchboards, arc and incandes- cent lighting, dynamos and motors. These boys command from twelve to fifteen dollars per week. They have, therefore, increased their earning ca- pacity 150 to 200 per cent over the five- dollar-a-week office boys of two years before. At this period in his career, definite vocational advice is given, and the boy is led to take specific subjects which will complete his preparation for college, technical school, business or industrial activity. He has become accustomed to doing things which have a commer- cial value; he has learned to think for himself, and to appreciate the value of labor so that at the end of the second year he is enthusiastic in the develop- ment of his powers. The three-year boys in the commercial division are given accountancy and other commercial subjects, while the indus- trial boys are given instruction in gasoline engines, stationary automobile and marine. Now again, the compensation has in- creased from fifteen to twenty dollars, and the parent is willing to make any sacrifice to enable the boy to reach this goal. The fourth year in the high school is left free for the boy to specialize in those subjects which have been elected either as a vocation to be followed or in concentrating upon the college preparation. But, in any case, at the completion of four years, the boy has been led through several different occu- pations, industrial or commercial. He has been given two or three opportu- nities for earning a livelihood. He has done all the work of the regular high school, in addition, and through this entire period, has performed his assigned tasks cheerfully and with intelligence. The parents who watch the progress of the boy from year to year gladly EDUCATION THAT MEANS SOMETHING 355 IN THE EDISON TESTING ROOM sacrifice on his account, feeling that when the time conies for the boy to leave school, instead of joining the great army of street walkers who are obliged to hunt for a "job," about wdiich they know nothing, he will seek employment for which he has been trained, enter this work with enthusiasm and make for himself a respectable living. The work is made possible for those who are not going to college through a re-adjustment of the courses of study and re-writing of text-books. Small classes and male teachers of liberal training and experience give to the work continuity and definiteness of purpose unknown in many systems. Teachers and pupils are in mental attitude of the operatives of a great raihvay system. The train crew, flagmen, switchmen and all the officials know where each train is to be sent, what it needs to complete its journey, and unite in making the run successful. The second song which is being sung by our school children and some teachers is "The Sweet Bye and Bye." That is, Johnnie and Mary are not capable of earning a dollar today, but will be in the future. It can be seen that this deferred system of education where every one waives the parent and student on to some succeeding period of time, but with no definite guarantee as to what there is "over there" leads to hesitancy in entering certain lines of work, and creates a tendency to give up when the tasks })ecome arduous or the diflaculties many. Experience has taught those of the Association Institute that the features enumerated largely eliminate the.se un- fortunate tendencies. Boys who never attended school, except under protest, come gladly, and fairly glow over their work. Boys who l>alked at mathematics, as dry and uninteresting, now undertake this work with enthusiasm, as they see that no industrial progress is possible without such knowledge. The languages are studied as never before. Chemistry and physics have a new meaning, as each day brings a learner nearer independence and the ability to be self-sustaining. The little fellows in the grammar school are so enthusiastic over their vocational training that it is difficult to choke them off at the completion of the period as they want to keep "doing real things." Those of the old school will say that the cultural value is being sacrificed to the utilitarian, but we believe that such is not the case, for, while Greek and Latin may be insisted upon and acquired under protest, a less quantity taken voluntarily =? and correlated with those subjects, which will enable one to keep his stomach filled and his back covered, have a marked educational value and at the same time fit into one's plan of life. A system such as indicated, if operated by the public schools, would require a greatly increased expenditure of money for the teaching staff and equipment. It would ♦ require also the establishment of many new"" features, but that it is absolutely workable is our firm conviction. HOUSING SITUATION IN BOSTON EDWARD T. HARTMAN Secretary of the Massachusetts Civic League In its consideration of the housing question in the past, Boston has been academic. Certain investigations have been made, but they have covered only small territories in each case. Some fairly good reports have been based upon these investigations, but no action has resulted. The report by Professor D wight Porter in 1888 and the report of the Collins commission in 1904 ought, however, to have justified action; but the only results discoverable are that these reports may be found in most of the public and private libraries in the city. The present very inade- quate law is, as far as it applies to tene- ment houses, the results of the w^ork of a committee appointed by the Massa- chusetts Civic League in 1906. The legislature of 1907 enacted this law along with the remainder of the building law drafted by the commission appointed by Mayor Fitzgerald. It was said at the time that this law would prevent future building, but if anyone doubts that most serious housing conditions may be developed under it let them look at a building recently erected between Prince Street and Cleveland Place, or one at the corner of North Street and Bakers Alley. These are about as bad as anybody could think of building, regardless of law. The great difficulty in Boston is that the people are not interested. Beyond the mere academic interest mentioned, few people have any concern. Those who are in comfortable circumstances know very little about the conditions among the poor tenants, and the tenants themselves range from those who succeed in maintaining the most commendable cleanliness to those who live literally like hogs. Anyone doubting the accuracy of this statement might look at the second floor tenement in the wooden shack in the rear of 15 Sheaf e street or in any one of numerous places which might be pointed out in the North and West Ends. The concrete difficulty in the worst sections is that too few of the tenants care about the conditions in which they live and too few of the land- lords are willing to do their share. Where a landlord has careless and destructive tenants it is not his fault, but as a rule the negligent landlord and the careless tenant combined make our worst condi- tions. This leads to the question of whether the city can do anything to remedy these conditions. It can do something; but the people will eventually have to do it, or see that it is done. It will not do to elect officers, have them appoint sub- ordinates and then go about our own business. The people must know at all times what is being done, why it is done, whether it is right, and bring about remedies where anything is wrong. The Health Department would be able to do much more work if it were backed by a strong and manifest public opinion. If it does anything along right lines now, it comes into conflict with owners and tenants, often also with politicians; but it never comes in contact with the public who ought to be standing by it in its work. The board has for so long been subject to these negative influences that there is ground for question whether it can at the present time meet the very serious conditions which exist in many parts of the city. Antiquated methods, lack of sufficient number of inspectors and of sufficient money to properly develop the department effectually, pre- vent meeting the conditions as they now stand. Until the people of Boston take the housing question into their own hands to the extent at least of seeing that their officials are supported in enforcing reason- able regulations against both tenants and landlords, and until they still further help by educating the tenants so that they can see the evil results coming to them from the surroundings in which they live, we may not expect any great change. The Building Department will do all 356 LABOR PLANKS IN A CIVIC PLATFORM 357 it can under the present very weak law. Here the main need is to revise the law in the interests of the public, develop public opinion in support of a rigid in- terpretation of the law by the building commissioner, and then in some way bring it about that the law may not be broken down at many })oints by the Board of A})peal. The Board of Appeal at present sees only the economic side of the question. The public must realize that the economic value of houses de- pends upon whether or not people will live in them. This gives them, in spite of what any economist may say, a social significance. Until all parties concerned can come to appreciate both the economic and the social significance of the housing problem we shall not make satisfactory progress. The whole matter is at present tied up between indifference on the part of the public; ignorance, carelessness and sometimes maliciousness on the part of the tenants; a little too much politics in some of the official bodies; and all the way around a lack of proper appreciation of the real importance of the housing question in our social economy. Our churches are trying to cure immorality, our dispensaries and nurses to cure disease, and our charitable societies to cure poverty, while bad housing is allowed to manufacture all of these conditions much more rapidly than the present equipment can ever cure them. LABOR PLANKS IN A CIVIC PLATFORM PAUL U. KELLOGG Editor of The Survey We have heard a great deal about the abandoned farms of New England. The next fifty years will, we are told, see advances in intensive agriculture, in the application of chemistry to soils, in the development of a new fibre crop, which will make the acreage of these states again a great national asset. However that may be, there is warrant in history for believing that those fifty years will bring Massachusetts face to face with a great problem — that of the abandoned city^ — unless the inventive genius, the patri- otism, and the resources of this old Com- monwealth bend themselves to a greater constructive program, such as will over- come those back-set tendencies which have been the undoing of less enlightened peoples faced with a similar economic situation. There is, I believe, no area in the LTnited States today to compare with Eastern Massachusetts in the number of in- dustrial centers of first rank. That does not sound much like decadence. Yet there are two underlying factors which your most far-seeing men view with grave concern. One is that this great constellation of manufacturing centers is far removed from many of the sources of raw material. And the second is that there is a constant stream of New Eng- land capital going out to all parts of the country, and all parts of the world, for investment in quarters where, because of new sources of natural wealth and because of leaping real estate values, a greater return can be obtained in profits and interest. This tendency toward outside investment of the capital of a great industrial district is not a new one in history; in the past it has had but one result. It has meant the gradual dis- integration of the district from which the money has come and the upbuilding of the district to which it has flowed. This is what happened when manu- facture left the south of England for the north. It is what happened in the shifting of commercial supremacy from the mediaeval Mediterranean cities and from the old industrial centers of France. Can such a drift be checked and over- come in New England and by New Eng- land.^ I believe that it can. I do not believe that it can unless New England 358 NEW BOSTON develops what might be called an eco- nomic patriotism which will go beyond anything which has yet been manifested by business interests in any part of America, — which will in democratic ways, match the imperial statescraft which since the seventies has brought about an industrial revolution in Ger- many. If New England can do this, it will have made a greater contribution to the economic development of the world's resources than the Dutch did when they rescued the garden beds of Europe from the salt water of the North Sea. In a way the two problems are analogous. Capital will stay in New England if New England can keep her industries and can keep them prospering. There is probably no Aladdin's lamp by rubbing will bring ores or hides or cotton crop or iron or copper within easy reach. But there is one natural resource which New England has in greater measure and in finer quality than any other part of the country, that is, intelligent labor. When the manufacturer in the West or South wants craftsmanship in foreman or mechanic, he looks longingly to New England. When he wants a man who can read a blue print or run a thread to exactness he plans a raid on the machine shops of Worcester or Providence. The continuous mills which turn out the tonnage of the steel plants of Ohio Valley are many of them made in New England because workmanship and in- vention, rather than pig iron and coke, is what is needed to make them effective. I do not see how New England can keep her industries and keep them prospering by exploiting that natural resource — cutting wages, and lengthening hours and hiring cheaper unskilled labor in an effort to make up for her distance from mines and crops. That is 'not the way that she can permanently reduce labor cost. What is needed is a policy of labor conservation which will hold the massed skill here, which will recruit it in natural ways, and which will bar out the salt seas of inefficiency and disease and discord. If Boston develops such a policy in a^'rounded way in connection with her 1915 movement, she will have the start of the rest of the country by from five to twenty -five years."* Such ' a policy and such a start would be more valuable to New England than all the patents taken out on Yankee mechanical in- vention in a decade. So far as self- preservation goes this is a property- holders fight. The capitalist can place his money elsewhere; the manufacturer can move his plant or open new ones (witness the Alabama cotton mills and Missouri shoe factories) ; the worker can go West. But all three have enough at stake in New England to want to make them, through self-interest, join forces with the common citizenship, if the call to their loyalty can break through thatl inertia which, save in times of great crises, muffles concerted public action. Civic and sanitary reform, the demo- cratization of universities and libraries and other cultural agencies are parts in such a program; they are part of the wages of life, and if New England can pay them in heaped up measure while new communities have little in these ways to offer. New England can keep her men. The improvement of industrial villages and the development of a Greater Boston are alike means to this end. Industrial education, not devised to break down the earnings of skilled men, but to thoroughly equip the next gen- eration and the immigrant to produce more effectively and earn not less but higher wages, are steps to this end. And here in her public industrial high schools New England is leading the country. "The brains of our working boys lie fallow,' ' said an English mill worker to me last month. He had himself, as a lad, to do his studying between four and five in the morning and after eight at night. "That sort of struggles cost England too much," was his verdict. We've gone ahead a long ways since the days when they worked growing boys thirteen and fourteen hours daily; but it's all foolishness to say that a work- man's son today has the same chance as a boy with means. And I believe that if you analyzed it closely, you would find that the latter, who benefits through the endowed chairs of a university like Harvard, is a bigger recipient of public LABOR PLANKS IN A CIVIC PLATFORM 359 bounty in his growing years, more wholly a dependent upon the surplus stored up by other men, than the wage- earner's boy who goes to the public schools and pays nothing for it. So I would consider movements look- ing toward industrial education, in- dustrial efficiency, the democratization of our cultural institutions, all parts of a plan of conservation of natural labor power; as distinctly so, as the building of upriver dams and storage reservoir, the reforestation of a denuded watershed, are parts of a program for the conservation of natural water power. But my point is that a popular move- ment like Boston-1915 does well in not limiting itself to civic reform and edu- cational progress. What is needed is not only a policy of labor conservation which will hold the massed skill here by making living conditions attractive, and which will recruit it in natural ways and develop its powers; but a policy which will bar out those industrial conditions which wear out, break down, and dis- hearten a labor force. Those are the salt seas against which dikes must be built up and guarded. My point is that a popular movement like Boston-1915 does well not to limit itself to civic re- form and educational progress. What is needed are labor planks in your civic platform. My understanding is that the 1915 movement embraces not only labor unions and civic leaders, but the phil- anthropic agencies — tuberculosis associ- ations, charitable societies, child labor organizations, hospitals and so on, those which care for the morally, physically, and economically sick and disabled, and those which the logical outcome of those who must care, promote movements to prevent misery and to create well being. Much of the demand upon their re- sources, whether it comes to them in the form of premature widowhood, or broken health, or inefficiency, or juvenile crime; whether they find it in a painter's poisoned blood, in a telephone girl's frazzled nerve cells, in the empty sleeve of a brakeman, or in the underfed child of an underpaid man, has the stamp of the workshop about it. Heredity, alco- holism, home environment, ignorance and many other forces, or secondary forces, no less than work conditions, enter in. But we are coming to see the increasing importance of industrial fac- tors in modern social life, not only as influential in themselves but as accentu- ating other influences and sometimes wholly dominating or perverting them. This is not because industry is antag- onistic to human nature; but because men and women are closely bound up in their work and dependent upon it for their everyday existence. With its co-operating agencies it is more than ever then incumbent upon Boston-1915 that it should tell law- makers and industrial leaders where lines must be drawn if the business world is not to throw back upon family and state burdens which would be seen to be exorbitant were they not scattered among a million households and among the budgets of a hundred types of charit- able institutions. It is scarcely possible that you could get agreement, all hands round, as to the standards which as a final goal should be secured. But I believe that there are certain minimum standards, on which common agreement can be reached, and below which no industry can go, without knowing that they offend as definitely as the' man offends who disobeys generally accepted rules of health or violates the ordinary canons of decency. For example, a working day which will give every wage-earner a chance to be a householder and a citizen, which will give him a chance to recoup the physical drains of his work; a working week which will give a man at least one day off in seven for his family and his town; a working year which will give a full year's income as a basis of livelihood — these are occupational standards of the sort which ultimately react upon the activities of every member of a commun- ity, which will determine whether the human basis of New England industries shall be destructive or shall be firm in elements of wholesome living. We in America have a new continent under our feet. You in New England have had the use of that continent for a longer period than West or South,'or Middle West. Is it too much to ask 360 NEW BOSTON for leadership from New England in this civic-economic field? You have reserves of wealth; you have intelligence in the rank and file; and you have in Boston-1915 a movement which em- braces educational and business and labor forces at work in society. The country as a whole, the generations to come — most of all, you yourselves — will be in your debt if you will draft and carry through a labor platform which shall set the standards below which New England industrial life must not sag, at peril of its future — standards of hours, of rest, of safety, of health, of restitution when the worker is killed or injured or diseased by his work, of current wages such as will sustain life amply. I believe it is the unescapable responsibility of a civic movement such as this to courageously formulate such a platform in public opinion and in law. BOSTON-1915 AND LABOR UNIONS EDWARD A. FILENE There is every reason why Boston- 1915 and the labor unions should be working together with all their might. At the meeting where the Boston-1915 movement was launched publicly, I said in explanation of our proposition: "After all, it means, largely, that it shall be possible for a willing worker earning an average wage, to live, him- self and his family, healthfully and comfortably; to bring up his children in good surroundings; to educate them so that they may be truly useful good citizens; and to lay aside enough to provide for himself and his wife in their old age. A city which provides less than that directly must make up for the deficiency in a more costly indirect way; there is no alternative." Now, frankly, when I said this I was not thinking of the wage-earners alone, but of the city as a w^hole. I was think- ing not simply of the unions, but of the entire community. And in the year and a half of Boston-1915's activity, I have found no better way to express its funda- mental idea. Yet I think you will agree that I could not have expressed labor's own hope, desires and ideas more definitely if I had tried to do that alone. It is self-evident, it seems to me, that if afman can't get a decent, healthful living for himself and his family, the community suffers just as much as do the man and his wife and children. It loses a good share of the efficiency he might have; it loses part of his value as a citizen; and it has to pay for hospitals and other institutions to patch him up physically and mentally and to patch up, if it can, some of the general evils bound to come from his bad condition. The bill for doing these things will be at least as big as it would have been for making conditions right in the be- ginning and then keeping them so. The chances are that it will be bigger and much harder to pay. The unions have long recognized this and have tried to do something about it. As far as they could go alone, they have succeeded admirably. But they have had great difficulty in getting the sj'mpathetic hearing they deserved in this respect, from men with whom they were having frequent clashes over other matters. That is only human nature; it is no different from the obstacles many other organizations have found facing them when they tackled the broad problem of general interest. Boston-1915 is trying to remove those obstacles by getting people together to work out these things for the common good that they can't work out alone. It does not want any organization to abandon its own special work, but there are certain things in which all organiza- tions are vitally interested — the things that make for the good of the city as a whole — andJ|^Boston-1915^brings them all together to work for those things BOSTON-1915 AND LABOR UNIONS 361 with the whole of their combined powers, regardless of what their attitude may be in other directions. In this movement of ours, each individual organization finds its power increased by having added to it at least part of the power — and sometimes, of course, the full power —of other groups of j^eople wdth whom it has been unable to get into co-opera- tion before. All contribute something, directly or incidentally, toward the realization of the plans of all the others. Among the common interests of Boston-1915 and labor, are some of the most important of the interests of the communit}^ as a whole. If you will help Boston-1915 and let Boston-191o help you in improving relations between employers and employees, for instance, you will be making the largest single contribution possible, as I see it, to the commercial and industrial development of Boston. If Boston could properly say that the relations between its em- ployers and their employees were twenty- five per cent better than any other city in the country could show — if it could guarantee that labor conditions were even ten per cent more stable here than in other places — it would offer an in- ducement for starting new industries and bringing outside capital here, far stronger than the proffer of free land, or of exemption from taxation, or other things which many communities depend upon as a bait to draw new industries. The result would be a greater and faster industrial and commercial growth than any other city has ever known. Organized labor and other organiza- tions have already done much to better the relations between the man who works and the man for whom he works. We are freer from serious labor troubles in Boston than are the people of most large cities. But there is still a good deal that might be done, and I suppose there is nobody who would be more glad to do it or benefit more by its results than labor itself. If it is to be well done, labor must have much co- operation and in turn must co-operate even more largely than in the past. The Chamber of Commerce is doing splendid work in increasing the commer- cial and industrial activities of the city, but it must fight against many disad- vantages. Our distance from the sources of raw materials, the expense of fuel, a still undeveloped transportation ser- vice and the failure to properly develop its dock facilities so as to encourage independent manufacturers and shipping, are some of Boston's more serious liandi- caps. But the unions can make up this lack in the way I just suggested. They can work with Boston-191.5 to assure the best possible labor conditions. If Boston suffers from some disadvan- tages, it has also certain special oppor- tunities to offset them. The workers of this city have long been known for their skill. We have renowned technical educational institutions, universities, col- leges, art museums and libraries, the finest equipment of any American city for developing the manufacture of the finest grades of goods. We should set about making Boston the Paris of America — the center of fine work. In addition to what we are making we should manufacture things whose value is not so much in the ma- terials from which they are made as in the perfection of the workmanship and the art and science that go into them. This kind of thing the United States imports in enormous quantities. This kind of thing pays the largest profits to the makers and with safety to the employer can be made to pay the highest wages to labor. We should make in Boston a great j^art of those things which the United States now imports. By co-operation with Boston-191o in this way, the unions not only will help the progress of the city but, in time, will become bodies of highly trained workers whose skill and art are so superior thai they will be protected by this fact against non-union competition. I mean that if union labor means labor more skilled than any other, it will from that fact alone shut out the competition of the great mass of unskilled labor. There will be no need then of the fight for the closed shop — a fight in which, in my opinion, final permanent victory is neither possible nor profitable to the unions. Nearly all the interests of Boston- 1015 are gf great interest and imi)ortance to labor; and, in turn, nearly all of labor's interests are of great importance 362 NEW BOSTON *o the 1,200 other organizations asso- ciated in Boston-1915. Labor wants proper vocational educa- tion for itself and its children, to keep the highest opportunities really open to them. Every other one of the 1,200 organizations ought to work with labor for that end. Labor will be greatly helped by a re- duction of the enormous waste of pre- ventable diseases and accidents. Every other one of the 1,200 other organizations will be helped if it helps strongly and definitely to prevent this waste. Labor wants to live in a decent, healthy home, with a garden of its own and a properly equipped public play- ground nearby for the children, and a schoolhouse or other public building in the neighborhood to provide a meeting place in the evening, or at other times. Every one of the 1,200 organizations in Boston-1915 will benefit itself in its work, directly as well as indirectly by aiding labor to attain this goal of good living. And so I might go on and show how each legitimate interest of any of the 1,200 organizations in this great public movement is really the interest of every other, and can be helped by the common co-operation. But the fact is too self- evident to need further elaboration. The Boston-1915 movement is made up of 1,200 delegates from as many asso- ciations, clubs and organizations meeting as experts in conference groups formed within the lines of the special interests represented, to seek facts and co-operate for the common needs. Ten of these conferences were organized by Boston- 1915, namely: education, health, work for youth, industrial and fine arts, charities and correction, city planning, civic organization, co-operative asso- ciations, women's clubs,** neighborhood work. Three other groups of interests, which already were specially organized, are represented in the Boston-1915 directorate, namely, labor, business and religious bodies. In this way every important, legitimate organization in our city whose purpose includes 'the common good, is represented in the movement. The 1,200 delegates elect from their number eighty-five directors, who meet once a month to consider first steps and aid progress within time limits. An executive committee of one repre- sentative from each conference group meets for work at least once a week. A central office is provided sufficiently equipped to put into working order the approved plans, to give publicity to proposed measures, and to encourage, enlist and sustain co-operation in the accepted programs of the 1,200 con- stituent bodies. You see, this is only an enlargement, in a way, of the ideals of the Central Labor Union. When labor joined the Boston-1915 movement it entered into a federation with 1,200 other organiza- tions to support each other in all mutual interests that are for the common good. Boston-1915 is simply a union of prac- tically all the legitimate organizations in the city, labor unions and church unions, health and educational unions, and many more. It tries to help them all in their own special, just desires, but its most important function, since there is no other body to perform it, is to help them all in their common interests from which they have too long stood apart. Already the plan is bearing fruit, not alone in things done in the name of Boston-1915, but in much broader ways. The spirit of mutual help you and we are trying to apply is spread- ing rapidly because it is based on the broadest self-interest. Boston-1915 does not expect to per- form miracles any more than do the unions. But it does try to apply to the activities of the city what is applied to every well-managed organization or fac- tory or shop. It wants to have all the departments, so to speak, working in close co-operation, so that results may be produced most quickly, economically and satisfactorily. The unions will find in Boston-1915 a valuable ally for every undertaking that is for the benefit of the community at large, as well as for themselves. They will find in Boston-1915 a means for closer approach to the other organized interests of the city than they can find in any other way. Taking advantage of this, they can do much to spread a better understanding of what they are trying to do and can make more rapid BOSTON-1915 AND LABOR UNIONS 363 jeadway in correcting some of the mis- understandings, misrepresentations and internal weaknesses from which the just cause of labor has suffered. By means of Boston-1915 labor can most easily spread abroad an adequate un- derstanding of the needs of the working- man and of his social as well as economic importance. What Boston-1915 can do for working- men might well be tested by the aid it can give to the proposition recently set forth by the Central Labor Union for the establishment of a state depart- ment of labor. If this is a proposition good for the whole community — as I believe it is — we should have a right to expect the hearty co-operation of all those working through Boston-1915 and especially the churches. For instance, in the meetings of the national council of the Congregational denomination held in Boston last month — I refer to this particular body only because it is the one that has spoken most recently — the committee on industrial resolutions said, among other things, in the course of its report: "We deem it the duty of all Christian people to concern themselves directly with certain practical industrial problems. To us it seems that the churches must stand for a living wage as a minimum in every industry and for the highest wage that each industry can afford; for the most equitable division of the pro- ducts of industry that can ultimately be devised; for the gradual and reason- able reduction of the hours of labor to the lowest practicable point, and for that degree of leisure for all, which is a condition of the highest human life; for the release from employment one day in seven and, wherever possible, on the Sabbath; for the right of workers to some protection against the hardships often resulting from the swift crises of industrial change; for suitable provision of the old age of workers and those in- capacitated by injury; for the protec- tion of the worker from dangerous ma- chinery, occupational disease, injuries and the mortality; for the principle of conciliation and arbitration in industrial dissensions, for the abolition of child labor" — and there were several other similar items. Labor can help the Boston-1915 move- ment and itself powerfully by giving its support to the general plans for improve- ment for the city at large. One of Boston-1915's purposes is to stir the feeling of responsibility in every citizen. We are too apt to lay the blame for not having some things, and having to put up with others, on municipal mismanagement, on bad government or bad laws, and forget that we are our- selves responsible for those bad con- ditions. We give great credit to the com- munity that does anything good, that rebels and insists on having what it wants and ought to have, but we do not sufficiently censure the community that weakly submits to bad conditions or allows itself to be swindled or deprived of its rights. The responsibility belongs ultimately on the average voter, and every man who casts a ballot earns his share of blame or praise for the resulting conditions. liabor has been so hard pressed in the past that the workingman has felt obliged to vote, when he voted as a workman, with first consideration for legislation that would repair injuries or remove undue burdens. Whether or or not we like to face it, the fact is, as we all know, that the men who are in the employ of someone, outnumber many times over the men who employ them. So the power for good or evil lies in their hands. It is the workingman to whom the city must look finally for its better- ment. And, now that he is beginning to get into shape the fair disposition '.>! his labor, he may fairly be called upon to take up with the same energy and intelligence the fair disposition of his free hours. He has helped to improve factory conditions; let him help in im- proving housing conditions. He has insisted that he be given ndequate fa- cilities for earning a just wage; let him now help to make better his facilities for recreation, for education, for helpful living. The workingman can be the most powerful ally of Boston-1915 in all it may try to do to make this city of ours better and finer and more prosperous — a better })lace in which lo live and work. Boston-1915 is the most practical — and, if looked at with an open mind, the 364 NEW BOSTON simplest existing organized effort to change the disorganized, comparatively feeble civic good will of the average man to an organized, victorious force. Al- ready it is the greatest efficient union for co-operative democratic community effort that the world has ever seen. I speak advisedly and challenge anyone to disprove the statement. While we have been glad of your par- ticipation hitherto, we now ask from you, as we ask from other organizations, a closer study of the possibilities of this movement for the common good and an even more active support of its work. The test of our democracy is, largely, that it shall produce just conditions of living and working that are a real vital force and a basis for joy in work or, as the Central Labor Union's resolutions have put it, "help make the conditions of the wage-earners of the state a source of contentment rather than discontent." I believe that the world's greatest progressive force lies in work done under just and proper conditions. Out of the ranks of workingmen under such condi- tions will come not only good and con- tented workers and citizens, but many of the future captains of industry, many of the great men of the nation. Ten years ago, before a great meeting at Philadelphia, I voiced this thought by telling how to make a poet: "First get a good piece of land; build a factory upon it; govern it wisely — that is, with knowledge plus sympathy; make it a business success; make con- ditions just; and then more just; and then more just; and one of these sons of one of the workers will be a poet." The real poets of our democracy, the real power of our triumphant city and country, will be in and from the ranks of contented men working under just conditions and with the doors of oppor- tunity always open to them. To help attain these conditions, 1,200 organiza- tions have come together in Boston-1915. SAVINGS BANKS INSURANCE HAEEY W. KIMBALL Field Secretary Massachusetts Savings Insurance League Throughout Massachusetts about three years ago, much interest was aroused by a proposed law under which savings banks might open insurance depart- ments. Those who were interested in the endeavor to have such a law passed, felt that the industrial insurance com- panies doing business in this state had made life insurance too costly for the working people and that an opportunity ought to be afforded to obtain this pro- tection as nearly as possible at actual cost. After the passage of the law, which was simply permissive, two sav- ings banks opened insurance de])art- ments- — the Whitman Savings Bank of Whitman and the People's Savings Bank of Brockton. While many thought that nothing would result from the passage of the law, the actvial fact is that these banks have, in two years, written over a million and a half of insurance and about $1,400,000 is in force at the present time. A dividend of eight and one-third per cent was declared at the end of the first year, and through the establish- ment of agencies among large employers of labor, steady jjrogress month by month is being made. A report issued by the Insurance De- partment of the People's Savings Bank of Brockton covering receipts for the month of October, 1910, shows that during that month there was received from the policy holders as premiums $2,900.40 as against $2,075.12 for the month of October, 1909 — that is a gain of forty-two per cent. The report of the Insurance Department of the Whitman Savings l3ank shows premium receipts during October, 1910, of $3,456.59 as against $1,975.46 for October, 1909— a gain of more than seventy-four per cent. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND CIVIC BETTERMENT Mgr. MICHAEL J. SPLAINE My first duty is to express the regret of His Grace, the Archbishop of Boston, that his official duties do not permit him to state personally his well-known in- terest in everything that has as its aim the spiritual, moral and material welfare of the city of Boston. The efforts of the archbishop alone for the betterment of this community are gigantic and have caused the country at large to look to Boston for guidance, initiative and ex- ample in those higher and broader fields of endeavor that bring to a city its true betterment and its lasting re- nown. The archbishop has given his time and talent to promote better feeling and understanding among the different classes that make up our city. He has endeavored to break down old barriers that were deeply rooted in petty bigotry and lying tradition and in their place to cement friendships on a foundation of mutual understanding and sincere good will. It is better than riches that men should live in peace with their neighbors: "xVll men as brothers is bet- ter than gold," and therefore the arch- bishop has contributed generously to the welfare of this city by promoting peace and good will among its citizens under the banner of Him who is the Prince of Peace. At the outset it must be clearly stated that to bring about a model city all our efforts, if we wish them to endure, must begin under God. They must be con- tinued with a constant sense of our final accountability to Him, who in His own time and way will complete the work which we begin and crown it with sure and lasting success. For "Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless the Lord keep the city, he watcheth in vain that keepeth it." Deeply" conscious of the truth of this divine admonition, the Catholic Church of Boston, under the splendid leadership of our archbishop, is putting forth its best efforts along spiritual, educational and charitable lines, so that step by step with the material, economic and industrial development of our city, there is going on a sweet influence of religious reverence and Christian sym- pathy to sanctify the labors of men, to chasten their motives and to bring down upon this city the blessings of God in whose hands alone it is to give success to our deliberations and perpetuity to our achievements. It is quite fitting, therefore, and a splendid manifestation of the keen judg- ment of the directors of this 1915 move- ment, that at this final rally, wherein all the efforts of the previous meetings are to be crystallized into some tangible plan for hastening the dawn of an ideal city, a representative of the Catholic Church should be asked to speak, not any message of his own, but from out the storehouse of the church's centuries of experience and knowledge to point out what she teaches are the elements that go to constitute a true and God-like city. For the Catholic Church has sat by the cradle of the cities and civiliza- tions. She has seen them rise succes- sively to heights of which we have not as yet dreamed, and she has seen them crumble and decay till naught but shape- less ruins mark the places where human efforts tried to build enduring monuments to the pride of men who took not God nor morality into their deliberations. It is altogether fitting, therefore, that we should listen to the voice of the oldest of existing institutions and one that we know according to God's i)romise shall last till the end of time, when we j)lan to build up an ideal city. Material betterment will help much toward the perfection of a city, but it must not be the end and object of our endeavors. Material betterment is only a means to the end. True betterment must look beneath the surface of tilings. It must look beyond the mere material better housing of the people. It must look beyond the mere external neatness that is encouraged in the person, the 365 366 NEW BOSTON home, the shops and the thoroughfares. True betterment must penetrate to the very heart of things and not rest until it reaches the sources from which our thoughts and actions spring. Man's conscience must be quickened and at- tuned to the laws that God has given and by which men shall live. True better- ment of a city must aim first at the bet- terment of the individuals who compose it, and the true betterment of the in- dividual demands that the human mind be illumined by divine truth to know its first and necessary duties and obliga- tions, and it demands that the human heart be attuned to the divine will of God to fulfil those duties and obligations. Man's true betterment can only consist in his verifying in his life and conduct the full measure of service for which in the mind of God he was created. Mere material betterment may produce a well-fed man, in a comfortable home with a lucrative occupation, but, precious and desirable as these material blessings may be, unless at the same time he has become a God-fearing, God-loving man, creating a Christ-like, sacred home, pursuing an honest honorable occupation, all mere material betterment will make him little better than a whitened sepul- chre and hasten on a refined pagan state, which is always the forerunner of final corruption and decay. The Catholic' Church in Boston, there- fore, side by side with the material bet- terment, which she also encourages and promotes, is working steadfastly for the true betterment of the city and her citizens, by lifting their lives above the mere material and temporal and center- ing their thoughts and affections upon the things that are spiritual and eternal. Satisfy to the full, she says to her chil- dren, every lofty, every noble ambition that God has placed within your bosom. Develop your talents to their fullest measure in the various works to which God has called you, but pause betimes and consider that this life cannot go on forever, and while you pursue the duties of this life that is temporal do not loose your grasp upon the life that is eternal. The Catholic Church then in Boston, just as in every corner of the globe, and not now merely, nor only in 1915, but from the day that Christ commissioned her to teach the nations until the end of time, is the best adviser and champion of all true and lasting betterment, be- cause she is the mother of civilization and the guardian of Christ's teaching to men. True to her lofty mission she, here in Boston, takes her place in the van- guard of those who honestly and sin- cerely seek the true betterment of our city. Her beautiful churches dot every section of this city where human hearts throb lovingly together under God. Her well-equipped schools are busy centers of training and education, and these represent the love of Catholic parents and the financial sacrifice they cheerfully make to secure for their children an education of mind and heart under God. Hospitals, houses of refuge, homes, asylums and nurseries that are inspired and supported exclusively by the Catholic Church in Boston amply attest what the church is doing for the betterment of this city without ever asking one cent of recompense in return. Who, except the recording angel, can measure the infinite aid given to better thousands of our citizens and make their lives and homes and labors happier and sweeter, in the safe, conservative and redeeming lessons and graces that flow daily from the Catholic pulpit and con- fessional.'^ The Catholic Church has long been doing her full share to better this city and the lives of her citizens, and she will not now fail or falter in her en- deavor to make this the city beautiful, the city of God, the city set upon a hill. AUDITORIUM INTERIOR A MONUMENT TO PUBLIC SPIRIT In few American municipalities have the citizens themselves raised a more remarkable monument to their public spirit than have the people of Saint Paul, in building and presenting to the city one of the finest auditorium buildings in the world, seating 6,000 more people than the New York Hippodrome, and 9,481 square feet larger in base area and seating 2,200 more people than the Madi- son Square Garden. Now that the auditorium is completed and has proved its exceptional adequacy for the purposes to which it is devoted, it has become an object of especial satisfaction and pride to all the thousands who, moved by generous ambition for a greater and bet- ter city, gave so freely towards its erec- tion. The structure was conceived in April, 1905. On the eleventh of December of the same year the first contract was awarded and operations on a convenient site, already purchased, were commenced. The April agitation for the erection of a suitable building was a spontaneous revival of the old-time demand for a "town hall" of suitable proportions and consequence to entertain fittingly visiting conventions. In May a com- mittee of eleven was chosen to erect a building, with Phil AV. Herzog at the head. No more competent manager was ever selected for the onerous work of raising funds and vivifying the pro- ject with life and thorough business sense. "This building is to be built at once," Mr. Herzog announced, and he suffered no bending of his will. He collected around him the best men in the city, organized the project as he would have handled the management of a huge business project and on July 10 a mass S67 368 NEW BOSTON BANQUET ROOM IN THE AUDITORIUM meeting was called in the City Council chambers and the plan tersely put be- fore the people of the city. When the doors closed that night $46,400 had been subscribed and people were every- where hunting for their check books. Within a few days more than $150,000 had been subscribed. In early Sep- tember, with more than $200,000 sub- scribed, the committee selected a site. Contracts were awarded, the building was erected, and on its completion was turned over to the city of Saint Paul as an edifice belonging to the public forever. The first opportunity the people of the city had of viewing the beautiful structure came on the night of the opening ball, on the anniversary of the beginning of the auditorium movement, when 2,000 couples occupied the stage at the same time, and 10,000 people looked on. Many months later, when Saint Paul entertained Secretary Taft, 2,000 people sat down on the stage to dinner in honor of the famous guest. Through the great arches opening from the street to the stage, four-horse tally-ho coaches loaded with people are fre- quently driven, and during the early months of the present year a full-fledged circus and wild west show, complete in every detail, with rings, aerial artists, troops of horses and all the usual circus features, gave performance after per- formance on the huge stage, and was not hampered in the least for space. On several occasions 10,000 people have been seated in the building at the same time, for the enjoyment of various spectacles. A battalion of infantry can manoeuver on the stage with room to spare. The Saint Paul Auditorium is an ob- long structure, 181 feet in width and 301 feet in length, having an average height of seventy-one feet. It is designed in the modern Italian renaissance style. The facades are extremely simple and dignified, and a very pleasing effect has been secured by the use of dark golden brown brick, with trimmings of terra cotta in the same color. All glazing throughout the building is of green and THE RIVERBANK SUBWAY 369 opal [tinted] glass, and all exposed wood- work is treated with a dark mahogany stain. On each side of the building are beautiful arcades, facilitating entry and exit, each 300 feet long, thirteen feet wide and eighteen feet high, with a barrel arch broken by pilasters and arch ribs every fifteen feet. Each is illum- inated by fifty incandescent lights from sixteen graceful chandeliers. The remarkable flexibility of the struc- ture, which was secured by methods which were used in Saint Paul for the first time and have been patented, makes it possible in fifteen minutes to transform the huge hall with its enormous stage, a public gathering place seating 10,000, into a cozy theater seating 3,200 people. The theater occupies approx- imately one-third of the length of the building. Along the side walls are boxes, which with the balcony seats above them are constructed on huge steel frames skillfully concealed. These great frames, pivoted on the ends reaching to the rear of the theater, swing inward at will, and the effect is as if great sections of the side walls had suddenly been moved entire, carrying with them boxes and balcony seats. As the hinged box- sections swing inward, the proscenium arch drops downward from concealed recesses in the ceiling, a velvet curtain falls and the building is a beautifully appointed theater, with all of the great stage except the footlights hidden from view. Scenery is shifted into place and in a few seconds the theater is ready for use, although back of the last stage prop- erties there remains almost the whole of the stage, vacant and unused and large enough for a baseball diamond. From the footlights to the far end of the stage, comfortable boxes occupy the side- walls. In a few moments these are fitted with movable screen walls and partitions and become private dressing rooms, excellently lighted, with hot and cold water and every convenience. Used as an auditorium for especially large gatherings, the box-sections are again moved back into place, the pros- cenium arch disappears into the ceiling, the scenery is lifted into lofts far above, and the building viewed from the inside is a huge rectangle with theater balconies and parquet seats in front, with long side balconies at the right and left ex- tending the entire length of the building, under which are boxes. At the far end of the building a balcony from side to side surmounts immense arches through which trucks loaded with scenery are driven from the street to the stage and unloaded before the footlights. From the footlights to the farthest row of theater seats is a distance of 160 feet. The entire structure is absolutely fireproof. It is built entirely of steel, brick and concrete, and there is nothing which could burn except the little woodwork and whatever scenery the building happens to contain. The main floor is of concrete, built to sustain 1,000 pounds to the square foot. The entrances to the building, a dozen in number, open upon a wide lobby, from which a dozen doors lead to a beauti- ful foyer shut off from the theater by swinging doors. From the lobby, wide and graceful staircases lead upward to the first balcony floor, on which is lo- cated a banquet room, with convenient cloak and retiring rooms at either end. Other staircases lead to the second balcony above. Underneath the foyer are lounging rooms and lavatories, well appointed and simply and effectively decorated. THE RIVERBANK SUBWAY MARCH G. BENNETT The Riverbank Subway was proposed and advocated by public-spirited citizens wholly for the purpose of securing real rapid transit through a part of the city where it was most needed, and at the lowest cost. When the plan was first proposed in 1905, by William B. Richards the congestion on Boylston street had already made rapid transit impossible during the rush hours, and this plan promised at first sight to be the quickest and most economical relief. Neverthe- 370 NEW BOSTON less, the Legislature felt that no action should be taken without full inquiry and they therefore passed a resolve directing the Boston Transit Commission to "in- quire into the subject of the further development of the subway systems of the city of Boston; the most advisable routes; whether further subways are necessary or desirable at the present time, or will be in the immediate future; . and such other details as said commission may consider necessary and relevant;" . . , and to report to the next Legislature. The Boston Transit Commission had built all of our subways and had been studying the transit problem for years. The resolve, as will be seen, covered the whole field of subway extension, and in 1906 the commission submitted a report (House Document No. 896) in which the conclusion was reached that further subway construction for westward traffic was urgently needed, and the commission recommended that "without delay" the Boylston street subway be extended to Copley Square, or possibly to Exeter street, and that an entirely new subway be constructed from the junction of Beacon street and Com- monwealth avenue to Park street, sug- gesting as possible routes Common- wealth avenue, the Riverbank or some street between that and Boylston street. No action was taken during 1906, be- cause the Cambridge Subway legislation consumed the committee's time, but in 1907 a bill was submitted by George B. Upham, who was the first secretary of the original Transit Commission, pro- viding for the construction of the River- bank Subway. As soon as the report was published, in 1906, the residents of Commonwealth avenue organized in pro- test against the building of a subway through the middle of that avenue, which they felt would destroy the trees and the beauty of the parkway, and in support of their protest they offered constitutional objections based upon the nature of the titles to the lands. The friends of Boston Common and the Pub- lic Garden prepared to resist this plan to the last, because it involved subway construction directly through the middle of both of these parks, and the probable destruction of a great many beautiful old trees. This opposition was so strong that it was apparent that it was not practicable to select that route. The route next suggested was the Riverbank, which proved to have more arguments in its favor than the Commonwealth avenue route, or than any other subway ever proposed. It was almost as direct as the Commonwealth avenue route, and its construction was much more simple and inexpensive. It passed un- der the parkway for most of the dis- tance, and under Beacon Hill for the remainder, without interfering with trees or inflicting damages upon abutting property. It should have been built immediately, but the Boston Elevated Railway Company would not consent, giving the threatened panic as a reason, although when the act was passed, the company was relieved by it of the construction of a subway more than five times as costly, east of Washington street. The company still desires to postpone construction, and has only consented to it with great reluctance, after almost four years of putting it off. The Boylston street extension recom- mended by the commission was not ordered, because the commission and the railroad company decided, after the pub- lication of the report, to change the terminus of the Cambridge Subway from Scollay Square to Park street so as to pre- pare for an extension to the South Station and to accommodate the Cambridge travel, which desired to reach the central shopping district. It was felt that this change, together with the Riverbank Subway would relieve Boylston street for many years to come, and that the Boylston street merchants would really be better off to still have the surface cars passing their handsome shop windows. Li advocating the Riverbank Subway, its sponsors had in mind all the advan- tages, direct and collateral, which would flow from it. A few of these follow: It solves for all time the old and irritating question of preserving Boston Common from further encroachment. The Common is an object of proper and reverential devotion to the citizens, but it is a barrier to traffic, and many schemes for overcoming this have been over- whelmed by violent opposition. One of them proposed the extension of THE RIVERBANK SUBWAY 371 Columbus avenue tlirough the Common and by a tunnel under Beacon Hill to the North Station. The Riverbank Subway leaves Park street below the grade of the present subway tracks and in the same tube with the Cambridge Subway, which dives immediately into the hill. At Chestnut street it diverges and follows the line of that street to the Riverbank, thence straight to the outlet on Beacon street, forming an almost direct line for express traffic, and completely cutting the transit knot without injury to the Common. The cost of construction would be very low. The outside estimate is that pub- lished in the recent advertisements of the Boston Elevated Railway Company, i. e., $3,000,000. The Washington street tunnel cost about $12,000,000 and is about one-third shorter than the pro- posed Riverbank. The most expensive items of cost on our subway construction are the removal and relocation of the network of sewers, water mains, gas and other pipes, conduits, etc., which fill our streets below the surface; the re- moval of the pavement and its restora- tion; the construction and maintenance of the temporary wooden street surface for traffic; and the shoring up and after- ward permanently sustaining the founda- tions of the buildings along the whole line. The Riverbank Subway will be practically entirely free from all of these expenses. It will be so far underground where it passes under Beacon Hill that it will not interfere w'ith foundations nor disturb pipes and sewers, and there will be no buildings to sustain or streets to be maintained and renewed except possibly for a few hundred yards at the foot of Chestnut street. It will meet with none of these obstructions through- out its whole course under the parkway, which is new land containing one large marginal sewer with feeders all on the same level and at known and regular intervals. It will be, therefore, the cheapest subway ever built, irrespective of length, and infinitely cheaper per mile. It can be quickly built. The boring through the hill is easy and rapid, as the Cambridge Subway Tunnel has shown, and the remainder of the route is straight digging. This is a very important item, because almost five years have passed since the Boston Transit Commisssion found that conditions called for the immediate construction of this line, and these con- ditions have constantly grown worse. No other subway could possibly be so quickly constructed. It would take sev- eral years to make the survey and plans and get ready to make contracts for any other subway, and everything is now ready to begin work upon the Riverbank. It gives real rapid transit to the dis- trict that vitally needs it. The whole western territory of Brookline, Brighton, Newton, Watertown, parts of Cambridge, and the communities beyond need this quick transit for their proper develop- ment, and what they recjuire is fast service to the center of the city. If they wish to shop on Boylston street, they can transfer at Massachusetts avenue to local cars, as they would also be obliged to do if the express service were down Boylston street. If the people of the sections above mentioned ap- preciate what this subway means to them in speed and in quickness of con- struction, they will loudly demand its immediate construction. Here, then, we have a subwaj^ that has been carefully thought out and planned. It is the only one of all of our subways that really has been authorized only after investigation by an expert board. It is the cheapest subway of all, and can be built the most quickly. After waiting five years to bring this subway to the point of actually com- mencing construction, what a ridiculous thing it would be to abandon or post- pone it at the behest of a few interested people who offer an uninvestigated sub- stitute situated only a few blocks away! For it is impossible to discuss the Riverbank Subway in this magazine without noticing Mr. Griffin's article in the last issue of NEW BOSTON about the proposed Boylston street Subway, which contains many amazing statements and j'et is most amazing for what it oes not say. For instance, he utterly iails to tell what his proposed subway would cost, and probably for the good reason that he does not know, be- cause no real plans or surveys have been made for it. It is merely the hastily sketched plan of an engineer hired for the 372 NEW BOSTON purpose by his association. It is cer- tain that it would cost many miUions more than the Riverbank, and in ad- dition would carry damages to abutters, which the Riverbank does not. Mr. Griffin says that the Riverbank is esti- mated to cost $3,700,000, but this is $700,000 higher than the highest esti- mate. He further says that the greater cost would be in damages to property, and that "estimates on this item that I have received vary from $6,000,000 to $8,000,000." This is absurd, because no question of damages has been raised in connection with the Riverbank and on account of its character, none seriously can be raised. His claim that Boylston street is a principal highway entirely ignores the fact that Boylston street is only half a street, one side being permanently dedicated to parks for a large part of its length, and beyond that the block occupied by the Technology and Natural History build- ings is out of commerce, while upon the other side Copley Square and various public and semi-public buildings, and the yard of the Boston and Albany Railroad prevent development. He over- looks the fact that Boylston street is not the direct line, and that the cars destined for the Riverbank would never have run on Boylston street except for the pres- ence of the Common and the necessity for going around it, which the Riverbank Subway overcomes. In his plan (which he naively admits does not show the Riv- erbank Subway, for reasons unexplained by him but which will be obvious to everyone who desires a really direct rapid transit route) he shows a line that has an ultimate conclusion at Park street, in spite of his belief that it doesn't go there. His connection with the South Station will not, I fear, be appreciated by those who really desire to go there promptly and comfortably, while the Riverbank will be a part of the Cambridge line that will ultimately be continued — and it now appears probable that this will be done very soon — down under Winter and Summer streets directly to the station and beyond to South Boston and Dor- chester. This whole development was in the minds of the advocates of the River- bank Subway, and they so stated at the hearings. Such being the case, no post- ponement of this really well-devised and partly executed project — for all of the preliminary work has been done, bonds have been voted, and many thousands of dollars already spent against these bonds — should be considered on account of the superficially prepared project of an organization which frankly admits being actuated by a desire to enhance the value of its real estate. The Chamber of Commerce Committee on Public Utilities, in its report upon this situation, said: * "We have been asked from time to time to recommend that the chamber favor various ad- ditions to, or changes in, the existing electric transportation facilities of the city. Usually the addition or change has been urged by persons who wished thereby to advance the business or real estate interests of a particular district — e. g. the West End or Boylston street — in which they held investments. To the careful consideration of these requests your Committee on Public Utilities has devoted much time, but with a steadily growing conviction that while the interests of a particular district are entitled to serious consideration, the transportation problem ought to be considered in a broader way, and with a view to devising and providing the system of transportation which will best serve the requirements and convenience of the whoe metropolitan district." The Riverbank Subway is, as stated before, the only one that has been con- sidered in this broad way, and by our commission of experts. It is now ready to begin, and any other plans would mean a delay of three or foin* years longer. The public should not be imposed upon in this way, nor should the company be given fiu'ther excuse for delay. *Lest someone should say that the Chamber of Commerce amended its committee's report and by inference favored postponing the Riverbank Sub- way, let me add that the Riverbank question was not properly before the meeting. The notices of the meeting stated that the Boylston street plan and the West End loop would be considered, and the sponsors for these plans were out in force, in person and by their attorneys, who addressed the meeting, while the friends of the Riverbank plan had no warning, no organization, and — no attorneys. The vote was taken at 5 Ao, and a majority of those still remaining in the room belonged in the Boylston street and West End groups, most of the members of the chamber who were not personally interested having gone home. Only about 150 members, out of the over 4,000 in the chamber, were present when the vote was taken. BO^TOiN - ^BLl^HED BYBO^TOM l915IfJC- CENT3 A copy- OTVr^ DOLLAR, A VOI-- • 1 orA2srArA:RY- 1 9 1 1- ^^ ^ THE CALL OF WINTER LIGHT Light and Heat— SOFT, NATURAL, STRONG, AND LIGHT, and QUICK, POWERFUL HEAT— these lip AT are the requirements of the crisp, short days of Fall and Winter. THE MANTLE LAMP THE GAS STEAM RADIATOR THE GAS LOG The MANTLE GAS LAMP, with its POWER- FUL, YET SOFT AND WHITE LIGHT meets the first need most satisfactorily. Varying in size from the 25 c. p. lamp costing l-12c per hour, to the gas arc lamp of 500 c. p. costing 1 3-lOc per hour, the gas lamp fills every demand of artistic home or exacting office and factory. The GAS STEAM RADIATOR, giving a STRONG STEADY FLOW OF HEAT, is AUTO- MATICALLY REGULATED by its own steam pres- sure to the lowest possible gas consumption. ECO- NOMICAL AND EFFICIENT, it is particularly well fitted for long-hour service in business and house alike. The GAS LOG, with its cheery blaze, gives an INSTANT, POWERFUL HEAT, quickly dispelling the chill of early morning. Just the thing for bedroom, dining room, library and office. Gas heaters are supplied in a great variety of forms, for every use. Send for a representative. BOSTON CONSOLIDATED GAS COMPANY Telephone Commercial Department, Oxford 1690 24 West Street NEW BOSTON A Chronicle of Progress in Developing a Greater and Finer City — Under the Auspices of the Boston-1915 Movement VOL. I JANUARY, 1911 No. 9 CONTENTS NOTE AND COMMENT 373 BOSTON-1915 IN 1911 373 NEIGHBORHOOD CONFERENCE PROGRESS 373 TO STUDY BOSTON'S PLAYGROUNDS 374 AN ENLARGED PUBLICATION COMMITTEE 374 FRAUDULENT CHARITIES 374 DENISON HOUSE ACTIVITIES 374 A SCHOOLBOY'S STADIUM 375 BOSTON'S GARBAGE PROBLEM Louis K. Rourke 375 INDUSTRIAL BLIND ALLEYS Owen R. Lovejoy 376 TWENTY YEARS AT HULL HOUSE Reviewed by Arthur P. Kellogg. 377 NIGHT MESSENGER SERVICE R. K. Conant 370 MUNICIPAL RECREATION PROGRESS Everett B. Mero 383 THE MERCHANT AND THE SOLICITOR Lloyd B. Hayes 38& INSIDE INFORMATION ABOUT CHARITIES 392 A SUBURBAN TOWN BUILT ON BUSINESS PRINCIPLES. Frederick Law Olmsted 395 SYLLABI OF BOSTON-1915 CONFERENCES 390 THE OPPORTUNITIES OF DENISON HOUSE Lilian Marchant Skinner 402 THE AMERICAN CIVIC ASSOCIATION AT WASHINGTON. . John L. Sewall 405 THE WEST END LOOP Alexander Whiteside 407 THE BOYLSTON STREET SUBWAY PLAN Charles J. Rich 410 THE BOY SCOUT MOVEMENT 413 Published Monthly by Boston— 1915, Inc. 6 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass., U. S. A. Subscription rates: $1.00 per annum; club rate for twenty or more subscriptions from any organ- ization devoted to civic or social improvement, sent in one list, fifty cents per copy per annum. Single copies, 10 cents each. Entered as second-class matter at the Boston Post Office JAMES P. MUNROE, Editor-in-Chief JOHN L. SEWALL, Associate Editor LEWIS E. PALMER, Managing Editor RAYMOND P. EMMONS. Circulation and Advertising Manager NEW BOSTON HOTEL PURITAN 390 Commonwealth Avenue 100 Yards West of Massachusetts Avenue Car Lines A DISTINCTIVE BOSTON HOUSE opened in November, 1909, with every modern resource for Transient and Permanent Guests D. P. COSTELLO, Manager Write for interesting literature on the Hotel in Boston and New England 545 Washington Street Boston, Mass. B. F. KEITH'S BIJOU THEATRE Open dally from 9.30 A. M. to 10.30 P. M. Sunday 6.30 to 10.30 P. M. TO THE PUBLIC: The Bijou aims to provide a varied, artistic and wholesome entertainment designed to appeal to people of intelligence, presented amid well-ordered sur- roundings and offered to the public for a small admission. That the Bijou is a pioneer in demonstrating the artistic possibilities of the picture theatre is the opinion of many discriminating critics. All who disapprove of The Moving Picture Theatre and do not believe in its existence, are invited to visit the Bijou, at 545 Washington Street. Although we show motion pictures, we do not run a " Moving Picture Show." Motion Pictures at their Best The subjects carefully selected, and includ- ing the work of the leading American and European producers. Camera Chats By a trained reader, on interesting phases of life at home and abroad. Stereopticon Views Events of local and world-wide interest pic- tured in specially made slides. PROGRAMME One-Act Plays Revivals and New Plays — the best example of the short drama, carefully produced. Music Vocal and Instrumental Solos; high-grade but not too classical; pleasing but not too commonplace. A special effort is made to have music ac- companying the pictures well rendered and inter- pretive. JOSEPHINE CLEMENT, Manager In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON New Boston Vol. I JANUARY, 1911 No. U NOTE AND COMMENT Boston-1915 in 1911 The year 1910 has seen a wide ex- tension of the Boston-1915 idea and a general acceptance of its fundamental soundness, as well as the accomplish- ment of certain specific features of its work which stood out prominently in public attention. The Housing Com- mittee prepared a careful report showing living conditions in Boston's congested districts, a report which is being followed by constructive w^ork. A successful Sane Fourth of July was inaugurated and carried out through a Boston-1915 Com- mittee. Important schoolboy track meets were held during July and August, under the direction of the Boys' Games Committee. Through the summer and fall plans were laid and carried out for the recent civic advance campaign and the Pageant, "Cave Life to City Life," details of which appeared in the Novem- ber and December numbers of [NEW Boston. While these more striking features of the movement were under way, a most important but necessarily inconspicuous work was progressing — the organiza- tion of the twelve hundred bodies affili- ated with Boston-1915 into workable conference groups. The opening of the new year sees each of the thirteen conferences effectively organized, the several Syllabi *of the Needs of Boston, either prepared or nearing completion, and active steps being taken towards the fulfillment of these conference programs. The chief work of Boston-1915 in the year ahead will be to use the combined forces of its co-operating agencies in bringing to pass the recommendations of the various conferences. In line with this policy, the Board of Directors approved the following recom- mendations made by the Executive Committee: That each conference shoukl select one or two important things which ought to be done, and that they should then submit them through the Execu- tive Committee to the Directors, to be incorporated in a platform of work for the coming year. Neighborhood Conference Progress Following out this recommendation of the Board of Directors, the Neigh- borhood Conference* has voted that more drinking fountains and public comfort stations are the most pressing needs of 1911 in that Conference's par- ticular field. This recommendation has been approved by the Executive Com- mittee of Boston-1915. The lack of adequate provision for public toilets in Boston was brought out in a report made by the Public Health Committee of the United Improvement Association. That report stated that "At present, with a single exception, there are no such stations woi-thy of the name within the municipal limits. The sole exception is the well equipped and maintained sta- tion on the Common, where conij)lete toilet facilities are provided for both sexes. A board of experts on this sub- ject might be selected, the members of which would gladly volunteer their services in the working out of a plan which would result, year by year, in the building of suitable additional stations, first, in the downtown districts, and later, at junction points in the outlying sec- tions, until the entire city was provided for." TUe complete syllabus of the Neighborhood Conference appears on another ge of this number. 373 374 NEW BOSTON To Study Boston's Playgrounds The Boys' Games Committee of Bos- ton-1915 is not confining its operations to tlie summer months. At a recent meeting of the Youth Conference it was announced that the committee will make a study of the playgrounds of Boston with reference to the use made of them by boys. An investigation will also be made of baseball grounds and their location, public baths used by boys, the number of boys taking part in the Boston-1915 boys' games of last summer, the number of boys from different sec- tions of the city competing in these meets, the organizations represented, the boy population of the city between the ages of ten and eighteen, and the approximate division by districts. The committee will also endeavor to outline an all round physical test for boys and an indoor test in calisthenics, fancy steps and apparatus work for boys and girls. It is hoped that schedules may be arranged for schoolboy contests in baseball, hockey and track events, and that a committee may be appointed, consisting of one man from each of the large organizations doing physical work for boys, to organize work for boys and schedule the summer's games by play- grounds or districts. An Enlarged Publication Committee At a meeting of the Board of Directors of Boston-1915 held on December 12, it was decided to enlarge the publication committee of NEW BOSTON by the appointment of one representative from each of the conference groups. These "additional members will be appointed from the conferences and the completed committee will constitute an advisory group thoroughly representative of the social and civic interests of Boston. Fraudulent Charities The article entitled "Inside Information About Charities" on another j^age refers to the effective work of the Massachu- setts State Board of Charity in investi- gating new charitable corporations. The act providing for such investigations went into force on March 25, 1910, and up to December 14-, 1910, the board had received forty-nine petitions from various charitable societies. Of that number, eight societies are now under- going inquiry. Forty-four have been investigated and twenty-eight charters have been granted by the secretary of the Commonwealth. Of the eleven charters refused, in two cases the petition was withdrawn during investigation. This careful work of the state board guarantees hard times ahead for useless or fraudulent organizations looking for state charters. At that point the public is protected. But the "Mr. Merchant" of Mr. Hay's article must keep a close watch for the already flourishing busi- ness and charity sharps, who find Boston as good a field as any in the country. Both of the articles on fraudulent charities should be read by every one who is approached for contributions to charitable organizations of whose worth he is not absolutely sure. Denison House Activities Jane Addams in "Twenty Years at Hull House," says that "the educa- tional activities of a settlement as well as its philanthropic, civic and social undertakings, are but differing mani- festations of the attempt to socialize democracy, as is the existence of a set- tlement itself." Denison House in Boston has unusual opportunities in this field of "socializing democracy," and how it is meeting some of these opportunities is told in this number of NEW BOSTON by Miss Lilian Marchant Skinner. Syrians, Italians, Greeks, Jews, Irish and Chinese com- pose the heterogeneous racial mixture of the neighborhood in which Denison House works. The section is half a living district and half a business district studded with dance halls, saloons and moving picture shows. As Miss Skinner points out in her article, chances for real neighborhood service have not been wholly met. The workers are cramped for room in their present quarters and a Denison House extension committee has been appointed to plan for a new building. A properly equipped addition is proposed on the ground now occupied by Nos. 95-97 Tyler street. The basement and first floor will be used for gatherings of all sorts; the third floor for industrial classes and clubs, and the top floor for living quarters for NOTE AND COMMENT 375 the men residents. Information regarding the work of Denison House and ])lans contemplated when additional facilities are secured, may be obtained from the director of the Extension Committee, John Daniels, at 718 Barristers Hall. A Schoolboy's Stadium ~' The Boston-1915 Boys' Games held during the summers of 1909 and 1910 showed the need for an adequate muni- cipal athletic field for schoolboy track meets. The value of such a central meeting place is perhaps even more apparent in the cases of other branches of athletics like baseball and football. At the suggestion of Mayor Fitzgerald, Robert S. Peabody, chairman of the park commission, has prepared three tentative plans for a schoolboy's stadium to be located on the Fenway land under the control of the Park Department. Each of these plans would necessitate the ex- tension of Jersey street to the rear of the Art Museum by the Fens Roadway. Two of the plans provide baseball and football fields with the necessary grand- stands, while the third calls for a stadium below the street level. The park com- missioners are also considering the prop- erty immediately in the rear of the Art Museum. The Youth Conference of Boston- 1915, through a committee consisting of Mitchell Freiman, Edith M. Howes and Dr. A. E. Garland, made a report at a conference meeting held on December 15 in which the stadium plan was dis- cussed in some detail. The committee was unable to make a complete inquiry, but reported as follows: The project of the stadium has meant to us an athletic fiekl and a large structure for seating spectators, with enclosed rooms inside. From the point of view of the schools, there is immediate need of a general athletic field for foot- ball, baseball and track races. At present, each school is obliged to hire enclosed grounds for such purposes, at its own expense, charging substantial sums for admission, paid by pupils and outsiders alike. Your committee deems it wise that com- mercialism be removed, and believe that the crea- tion of an enclosed athletic field would probably remove this condition. There is a large tract of land in the Fenway, be- longing to the city, now being filled in, which will very shortly be of use. It is under the control of the Park Department and could, by legislation, be applied for athletic purposes. Your conunittee believes that it is desirable for this land to be used as a general athletic fichl, open to the schools and public alike. Here, general grammar .scIkjoI com- petitions could be h(>ld, and high .school games could be played. Ciirls and boys alike could use it. It is within c>asy reach of the English High School, Boston Latin School, Girls' High School and (iirls" Latin School, and the coming High School of Practical Arts. ]"'urthermore, it is handy to Simmons College and many private .schools in the Back Bay. It could be patronized by working men and boys during the summer months, and would be convenient for y)ublic festivals, carnivals, folk dances, choral exhibitions, and municipal athletic events. It would make possible military drill in the open air for high .school boys and would allow a general celebration in .June of the classes graduating from the schools. At the start, a locker building could be erected, with shower baths, and pcrha{)s a small adminis- tration building. Later, when the public has become accustomed to resort to the field, a stadium could be built with enclosed rooms for basketball, banquets, dances and other events of social and municipal interest. The river flowing through the land could be so directed under the building, that a swimming pool could be provided for, useful in simiraer and winter alike. Your committee is unable, at this time, to pre- sent any definite plans and can only outline the opportunities and state a few of the needs. We believe that such an athletic field is desirable and that the land in the Fens is well adapted in situ- ation and extent to meet those needs. We believe that a stadium would be a great ornament and a monument and that it would become the great recreation center of Boston, and the most important recreation center in New England. BOSTON'S GARBAGE PROBLEM LOUIS K. ROLUKE Superintendent of Streets, City of Boston On August 25th, as superintendent of streets of Boston I called for l)ids for the disposal of city refuse under a ten-* year contract to go into operation on January 1, 1912. Twenty copies of the specifications were sent out antl on October 17, the last day named in the notice to bidders, one bid was received from the Boston Disposal Company. That bid was rejected on account of the high prices specified, the biddcM- agreeing in the meantime to submit another estimate naming fairer i)rices. The fact tliat the New England Sanitary Product Company, which now liolds the city contract for refuse disposal, has an extensively equipped plant at Spec- tacle Island, probably accounts for the 376 NEW BOSTON lack of a more general interest in the submission of bids. The specifications called for the dis- posal of "city wastes, comprising ashes, garbage, rubbish and street sweepings in a sanitary and inoffensive manner, it being understood that no untried methods will be considered." I think, however, that the best and cheapest method for handling ashes is through municipal disposal at sea; and in all likelihood the city will eventually under- take this part of the work. At present all local dumps, with the exception of the West Roxbury and East Boston dumps, are practically filled up, necessitating long hauls to the water front with increased expendi- ture for disposal. In fact this question of hauling is the principal factor in the cost of garbage removal. Consequently local collection stations must be estab- lished at Roxbury, Dorchester, Albany street and Fort Hill, from whence refuse can be taken to barges. The location of Brighton makes that district ideal for an incinerating plant, which should be established there under municipal supervision. The Brighton plant could be made an object lesson for the large number of citizens who desire disposal by incineration. As a general proposition incineration is expensive, and fvirthermore the fvmda- mental principle of burning all refuse is against a policy of conserving natural resoiu'ces. Milwaukee operates an in- cinerator where 300 tons of mixed refuse are disposed of daily at an operating cost alone of ninety -five cents a ton. Incinerators offer one practical solution of the refuse problem, however, and if Boston finds it impossible to dispose of its wastes at reasonable rates by other methods, local incinerators may be adopted. Columbus, Ohio, operates a reduction plant and one collecting station. All refuse is hauled from this station on a municipally owned railroad to the re- duction plant which pays for the interest in the investment, depreciation of the plant and the cost of operation. Cleve- land has a similar system which is a good examj)le of the way in which a reduction plant may be utilized to best advantage. INDUSTRIAL BLIND ALLEYS OWEN R. LOVEJOY Secretary National Child Labor Committee The attempt to regulate employment of night messengers in Boston and the other large cities of Massachusetts is in line with the plan inaugurated a year ago by the National Child Labor Committee. Through various reports from its field agents and other representa- tives, this committee became convinced that the service of messenger boys during the late night hours is an unfit occupa- tion, from which young boys and youths should be debarred. The investigation of the committee covered nearly seventy- five cities in sixteen states, and is con- sidered sufficiently representative to prove that the startling evidence is not of an exceptional or accidental nature. The committee's investigators found that after the late hours the bulk of messenger business in many sections of our large cities is in catering to saloons, houses of prostitution, gambling halls, disreputable hotels and similar patronage. A considerable business of a legitimate character was found, of course — viz: calls from newspaper offices, hotels and places of business open occasionally at late hours. But it was also found that nearly all the work of this character can be transacted by telephone without in- terruption or loss. The moral hazard of the night mes- senger boy is not the only loss he sus- tains, as was clearly demonstrated from the committee reports. While instances can be cited of men who have risen to positions of prominence and responsi- bility from this occupation, they are not typical. To the ordinary boy the night messenger service is an industrial blind alley and should be clearly marked "no thoroughfare." The popular notion that messenger boys are trained in the art of telegraphy is unfounded. Few in- stances were discovered in which any systematic efforts were made to train these boys, while in the typical messenger office, boys not on duty customarily loaf in their waiting room or outside, receiv- ing no training or instruction to develop their industrial efficiency. An objection to employing adults for NOTE AND COMMENT 377 the night messenger service is that I lie wages offered are insufficient to interest able-bodied men. In many instances this objection is vaHd, but not against the exclusion of young boys from this service. The objection can be met only by establishing a wage scale sufficient to attract those who are suitable for the work. The best evidence that the campaign against child labor in the night messen- ger service is well founded, is the fact that in New York, where the most vigorous effort was put forth to secure a good law, no word of opposition was advanced by any person engaged in the business. Officials of messenger com- panies to whom the evidence was re- ferred voluntarily offered to co-operate in seeking an eighteen-year-age limit; but when the state legislature, impressed by the evidence, went even farther and established a twenty-one year age limit, the measure was without opposition. But two possible arguments could be advanced against such a reform in Massachusetts: first, that boys would be thrown out of this industry ; and second, that the industry would be injured by the restriction. The National Child Labor Committee believes its accumu- lated evidence is a complete answer to both these objections, demonstrating that the service is not fit for young boys and that the industry itself will not suffer interruption provided those en- gaged in it are willing to pay a living wage to their employes; and no business which refuses to do this is entitled to survive. TWENTY YEARS AT HULL HOUSE* Reviewed by ARTHUR P. KELLOGG This is in no sense a guide book to settlement work, or a recipe for clubs and classes. It is the life story of Jane Addams. During the two decades of her residence in Halsted Street, Chicago has gone through "the period of propaganda, the moment for marching and carrying ban- ners, for stating general principles and " Twenty years at Hull House. By Jane Addams. 1910. 450 pages. Price $2.50. Orders for postpaid delivery at $2.50 may be sent to NEW BOSTON, 6 Beacon Street. making a demonstration," and has reached the time for constructive work. Such years of growth are common to all cities, and the l)ook thus becomes of vital and personal importance to every American community. With the clearness and gentleness, but with those stirring forces in reserve, which characterize all of Miss Addams' writing, she has set down in one volume the story of her life, the historj^ of Hull House, and her conception of the philosophy of social progress. First of all there is interest in tracing through the 450 pages of the book Miss Addams' growing outline of settlement method and practice. At the beginning she modestly asserted that "the mere foothold of a house easily accessible, ample in space, hospitable and tolerant in spirit, situated in the midst of the large foreign colonies which so easily isolate themselves in American cities, would be in itself a serviceable thing for Chicago." On the last page, with twenty years' work and experience behind her, she characterizes the American social settlement thus: "The educational ac- tivities of a settlement, as well as its philanthropic, civic and social under- takings, are but differing manifestations of the attempt to socialize democracy, as is the existence of a settlement itself." To socialize democracy — that is Jane Addams' mission, and the story of her work toward it is the story of the book, which is, above all, her autobiography. It was inevitable she should express her faith through works which we call social. When she was but seven years old she went from the little mid-western village where she lived to a neighboring city of 10,000. "I remember launching at my father the pertinent inquiry, why people lived in such horrid little houses so close together, and that after receiving his explanation I declared with much firmness that when I grew up I should, of course, have a large house, but it would not be built among the other large houses, but right in the midst of horrid little houses like these." Miss Addams' life has been, from the first, an expression of the truth that was in her. As William James i)ut it, "She simply inhabits reality, and everything she says necessarily expresses its nature. 378 NEW BOSTON She can't help writing truth." One of her earliest recollections is a midnight trip to her father's room to confess a childish fib. The same quality has constrained her to give fearless testimony to the great crises which came in later life. Because she could not see just as they did, party Socialists once disowned her, and because she could see and sym- pathize with the despair of a man in the clutches of a hopeless philosophy, she was branded an anarchist. Holding true to her even course, it has been her remarkable faculty to gather up and to voice the hopes, the views, the aspirations of the hundreds and the thousands with whom she has placed herself in contact. This has given a wonderful democratic resonance to all that she has said with hand and tongue and pen. It has given a human and dramatic touch to the everyday walks of a great city. It has made her without spectacular incident or event to hinge the matter on, what a London writer recently called her, "the foremost woman in America." Of her recent work on public boards and commissions, of her later honors — first woman to preach the baccalaureate sermon at Chicago University, first woman president of the National Con- ference of Charities and Correction, first to be given an honorary degree by Yale — we all know. The background of settlement experience in terms of living men and women, prepared her. Of the earlier life, the motives, the in- fluences here and abroad which led her to open Hull House in 1889, we have hitherto known little. Of these as much as of the more public things, she has made a book. The fragmentary bits noted here, picked at random from many chapters, are set down in the hope that they may lead many to read this book and to buy it, for it is one to keep on one's own shelves. Lincoln and Addams, her father, who w^ere close friends in the pioneer days of Illinois before the Civil War, have been her heroes. It was to the great President that she turned in the dark days of a great strike — "walking the wearisome way from Hull House to Lincoln Park, for no cars were running regularly at that moment of sympathetic strikes, in order to look at and gain magnanimous counsel, if I might, from the marvelous St. Gaudens statue." In just such ways, this book, and the serene and thrilling personality which it holds lightly between its covers, may serve as counsel and inspiration to those who in different parts of the country, singly or in groups, and in all w^alks of life, face the issues of this present time. ^^ -NIGHT MESSENGER SERVICE R. K. CONANT Secretary of Massachusetts Child Labor Committee While the modern inventive genius of society has been perfecting the tele- graph, society's conscience has been un- aware of a great accompanying evil — the use of boys in the night messenger service. This is a new problem for child labor committees. P'or a long time it was supposed that "child labor" meant solely the employment of eight-year-old weaklings in a South Carolina cotton mill. Since the development of the forces of child labor reform it has been found that "child labor" is a more pervasive evil and that it is not confined to the cotton mill. The employment of boys in the night messenger service is one of the many newly discovered child labor problems. In the mills the child is weakened physically and mentally; in the night messenger service the boy is weakened morally as well. Not in Massachusetts alone is this form of child labor prevalent; it exists in large cities throughout the country in fully as harmful a degree. The Na- tional Child Labor Committee has made investigations in nine states and nearly the same conditions are found in all of the sections studied. Society has un- wittingly allowed children fourteen or sixteen years old, indeed minors of nearly all ages, to enter an occupation which society's evil elements have made unfit even for grown men. Had the develop- ment of the messenger service stopped with the development of the telegraph, the harm would not have been great. The boy carrying telegrams alone could have suffered no unusual injury. But the value of a public errand boy apart from the delivery of telegrams caused the messenger service to develop further on its own account and there it came to grief. The value of the system of public errand boys lies in having at one's service a machine-like organization which will deliver and collect articles within the city. The impersonality of the organization and the lack of responsi- bility upon the user of it, increase the business efficiency of the service. But wdien the system is allowed to continue at night, it is discovered that the boys are not machines — they are sensitive, growing human beings with morals — at least in the beginning. The unques- tioning obedience of the boy and the lack of responsibility upon the user of the boy increases the usefulness of the system for legitimate day business. At night these two things make it destruc- tive. The unquestioning obedience of the boy makes it possible to make use of the system for immoral purposes and the lack of responsibility makes the user careless of the temptation into which he sends the boy. In the day time, when most of the business in which messengers can engage is legitimate, there does not a])- pear to be harm; at night nearly all legitimate business stoj)s, yet the mes- senger goes on working. With the excej)- tion of a few offices and stores open during a part of the evening, newspaper offices and railroad stations, the legitimate business of the messenger, apart from the 379 380 NFAV BOSTON carrying of telegrams, ceases. But the public errand boy is still at beck and call and is used by prostitutes, gamblers, illicit saloons, places of assignation, hotels of shady reputation, and drug- stores with doubtful vendibles. The service would not be so harmful if it were merely a mechanical transmis- sion of notes and packages between these various resorts, but the carriers are boys, not machines, and the service generally requires that they enter the resorts and often that they remain some time. In Boston it has sometimes been found necessary to send two boys, one to wait outside and see that the other did not stay too long inside. Complete evidence has been accumulated by trained in- vestigators and is now in the possession of our child labor committee. Most of this evidence is entirely unprintable. This evidence shows beyond question that immoral women in employing night messengers make no attempt to conduct themselves in a proper manner. The service is personal service of whatever kind the employer may desire. The messenger is frequently sent for meals to be served in the rooms of disreputable lodging houses, is sent after legal closing time to kitchen bar-rooms for liquor, is even sent at times to opium dens for opium. The pity of the situation lies in the attractiveness of the work in the eyes of the boy. A little fourteen-year-old boy who had been in the service of the company just a month said of his night work, "I like to work nights because it's nice to be up and around with grown folks while the other kids are sleeping." He had already begun to "get wise" as he called it and had received the large tips given by the kind of fellow "who likes to show the girls that he's a sport." One messenger said: "There are some dandy sights always going on," and pro- ceeded to explain what they were. Another, "I'd rather work at night be- cause there's more fun." Another, "I've been on and off the messenger service six or seven times. I can't seem to be able to leave the work. There's some- thing about it that I can't let go of." Another seventeen-year-old boy, as he was pointing out to the investigator the places to which night calls took him, exclaimed enthusiastically, "Isn't this a great job? I like it so much that I'd rather be a messenger than a clerk. ON THE NIGHT SHIFT NIGHT MESSENGER SERVICE 381 WAITING FOR A NIGHT CALL Whenever I get a chance I do night messenger's work." The night messenger often feels that he is protected from pohce surveillance by his position. One Boston boy after explaining his visits to doubtful houses and to kitchen bar-rooms was asked whether he wasn't afraid of the police. He quickly pulled off his cap, showed the company's badge on it and said scorn- fully, "Gee, no. The cops can't touch us when we've got this badge on." The proprietor of the kitchen bar-room has no fear in selling illegally to the messenger in uniform, he knows that he is generally safe from the public eye, for as one messenger said, "We never goes back on a fellow what calls us." For this reason police have sometimes used messengers as detectives with suc- cess. The universal entanglement of the service with organized prostitution cannot be dissolved by removing the call boxes from the houses. The attempt of some companies to do this is praiseworthy, but it is of course an inefl'eclive remedy. In the absence of a call box it is only necessary to call the messenger office on the telephone. The customer's name will not be asked for; if it is, a fictitious name is easy to give. The customer's purpose cannot well be inquired into; if it is, a misleading answer may be given. Calls may be sent from places not known to have a doubtful reputation. Even when the night messenger is not actively engaged in the midst of immoral occupation, he is in a night environment which is harmful. Merely the glamor of the Chinese restaurant or the after- theater hotel is quite sufficient to lead him further into temptation. Tlie office in which the night messengers wait is often a crowded room where the total absence of supervision conduces to gambling, relating coarse jokes and reading literature of ((uestionable value. The face of the night messenger has a typical appearance which anyone may observe for himself. There the environ- ment shows its effect. It is not only the menace to moral character that makes the night messenger 382 NEW BOSTON service an objectionable occupation for growing boys. The physical havoc wrought by the unnatural hours of work, irregular hours of sleep, lack of healthy recreation, the character and irregularity of the meals and exposure to all kinds of weather is equalled by the wrecking of the mental faculties and the industrial destruction of the worker. Industrially, the work leads nowhere but to the grave of the dissolute unem- ployable. The messengers receive $20 a month in wages and about as much more in tips for services often connected with immorality or crime. Little advance- ment is in sight as long as the boy re- mains in the service. The service teaches the boy little which is of possible use to him in any legitimate business. This is the general situation in Boston and in the large cities of Massachusetts. The conditions here are no worse than in the large cities throughout the country. They are in many respects considerably better than in other states, but they are so bad that they must not be permitted to continue. Boston-1915 should give its entire support to the removal of these boys and young men from the night messenger service. What is being done about the situa- tion? Society's conscience is beginning to rouse. Attempts to remedy the evil have so far met with little opposition. The heads of the messenger companies have apparently never known the ex- tent of the evil. Their employes are not under their control sufficiently for them to have reports upon the nature of the work. The service of a messenger is personal — the company is not ex- pected by its patrons to concern itself with the use made of the boy. The boy is not interested in telling the manager what he sees and does. But when the messenger companies have been shown the evil they^have generally consented to the passing of laws excluding the boys from the service. Last year New York passed a statute prohibiting the employ- ment of boys under twenty-one and at present we are informed that the service in New York City is performed entirely by men of mature age. The Massachusetts Child Labor Com- mittee will introduce a bill at the coming session of the legislature to prohibit the employment of minors under twenty- one in the night messenger service. Organizations of all kinds have begun to send endorsements of the measure to the Child Labor Committee and public sentiment is showing itself in favor of the eradication of the evil. •MUNICIPAL RECREATION PROGRESS EVERETT B. MERO "We need more plain pleasure, for recreation rightly used is a resource for the common purposes of daily life that is entitled to rank with education, with art, with friendship. It is one of the means ordained for the promotion of health and cheerfulness and morality. As one of our modern philosophers has said: 'Vice must be fought by welfare, not by restraint; and society is not safe until today's pleasures are stronger than its temptations,' adding with true optimism and sound insight: 'Amusement is stronger than vice and can strangle the lust of it.' Not only does morality thus rest back on recreation, but so does efficiency in every direction. One-half of efficiency and happiness depends on vitality and vitality depends largely upon rec- reation." — John Nolen. Rational recreation service has lately become accepted as a matter for serious consideration by those who wish to assist in the civic and social welfare of individuals and communities. Still more recently city authorities have recognized the need for intelligent administration of recreation facilities, often allowed to administer themselves, so far as se- curing adequate returns on investments is concerned. Providing adequate facilities under competent supervision and based on a sound policy for the recreation of city people is no longer a bit of experi- mental paternalism that needs to be bolstered up. Most progressive folk accept the general idea and know its importance. But too often there is un- warranted content with creating facilities and scant attention to how they are used. Practical experience proves that this method is wasteful and wrong from various points of view. Partly because this fact is recognized, cities all over the country are giving the matter attention on its merits, as a serious proposition, and there is a well- defined tendency toward one method for covering the ground properl3\ This tendency shows in the improvement recently proposed for Boston — the cre- ation of a centralized municipal body whose fundamental purpose shall in- clude all feasible service to the people from the public playgrounds, gymnasiums, baths, parks and beaches that already exist; and to have all of these facilities co-ordinated and run by one agency according to a unified plan. The policy of such a body should take into account other elements for recre- ation, amusement or pleasure beside those in which physical activity is promi- nent. There are good things that may be rescued from uncertain reputations and made to serve higher purposes. In most cases this means features that have educational, social and civic connections. Under this head would be motion pic- tures, photo plays and theatricals. Be- ginnings of this nature have already been made in Boston, through private initi- ative, the usual starting place of pro- gression. Dancing indoors and, still more im- portant, dancing in the open air is quite too much neglected. The development of national and other types of dancing for both sexes and all ages, with at- tendant festivities, has large social, civic and physical value. Not all danc- ing good for these uses has a "made in Europe" label. There are American dances quite worthy of cultivation. Moreover, social dancing of the usual type is not to be ignored. Music should be vocal and instrumental. People should hear good music — and also make music that many of us like even if critics say it is bad. A municipal recreation department should have a hand in all these aft'airs. If the depart- ment should not actually j)romote such a varied j)rogram, it might at least act as advisor and stimulate private efforts along right lines. We have a harbor and we have a Charles River Basin that we are begin- ning to appreciate. How much do the people use the old harbor or the new basin? The recreation possibilities are inadequately comj)rehended and almost entirely undeveloped. The mayor ap- 383 384 NEW! BOSTON Fiuin lilaii^ (j1 Xcishall iV Bkviiis, Architects NEW MUNICIPAL GYMNASIUM AND BATHS, EAST BOSTON A well-equipped recreation center, equal to any of the type proves a city stadium in the Fens, which sounds quite in harmony with progressive recreation service. The Fens are largely undeveloped from the point of service to the people. The use of almost every park might be profitably increased. We have trolleys running almost every- where, but what efforts have been made to get people to use the street cars in- telligently to reach the public reserva- tions? And what do we offer them when they get there? What do we in Boston know of great open air festivals of which physical activities are the basis, but not the end of their being? xVthletic com- petitions, gymnastics, massed class calis- thenics, dancing, singing, social rela- tionships between groups of young people who too seldom come into contact for a common purpose — all this should be included in an outdoor recreation field day for 15,000 men, women and children —an event that could be made annual in Boston, under the auspices of a muni- cipal recreation department. The recreation movement covers all that playgrounds cover and much more. It extends the desirable features of play- ground occupation and activities to a larger constituency than playgrounds alone are meant to reach. Recreation service also embraces gymnastics, even the formal, set, disciplined sort. It includes athletics, both competitive be- tween groups and individuals, and the less strenuous sort which comes nearer pleasure for its own sake. In fact, it includes all sorts of approved physical activities indoors and outdoors. There is a national tendency to work along the broad lines that this summary tries to indicate. Even where play- grounds alone are receiving good atten- tion with municipal support, and other recreation features are neglected, there is a general advancement toward the idea of complete recreation service for all inhabitants, large and small, old and young, black, white and brown, seven days a week, from January 1 to Decem- ber 31 of each year. A solution of the problem in other cities, or an attempt to solve it, may not necessarily be the solution for Boston. But it is worth while to know what they have done and are planning to do. The cities that have taken definite steps toward treating all the elements of recreation service together, and that have either established municipal de- MUNICIPAL RECREATION PROGRESS 385 ECHO I'ARK, RECREATION CENTER, LOS ANGELES ' ;^-^-V3C« — " SLALSUN i'LAiGKOL-NL) AND CLL 15 llnL>l,, !,'•- ANGELES 386 NEW BOSTON partments to handle the matter compre- hensively and intelligently, or have ad- vanced in that direction, are Phila- delphia, Los Angeles, Chicago, Pitts- burg, St. Louis, New York and several smaller places. Some twenty cities have shown plain intention of using their present municipal playground systems as the beginnings of larger and more extensive work. The recently laid out plan for recreation service by the city of Milwaukee is very interesting and unusu- ally comprehensive. The accomplishments in Philadelphia are especially significant. A group of citizens started a campaign of educa- tion two years ago which resulted in the appointment of a mayor's commission to make a study of the needs of the city. Several months were devoted to in- vestigation, both in Philadelphia and throughout the country. The commission came to Boston and noted what was here. The good and bad features of Boston's public play- grounds, baths and gymnasiums aided in*determining the commission's conclus- ions. The report contained this funda- mental recommendation, which has been incorporated into the playground and recreation policy of Philadelphia: Your commission is clearly and firmly convinced that the best results can ultimately be obtained only by the creation and maintenance of a separate and distinct system of public playgrounds, recrea- tion centers and related activities, directed and controlled independently of any existing depart- ment or bureau of the city government. Under existing laws this is impossible at present and your commission therefore recommends that a bill be [introduced and pressed for passage in the next LOS ANGELES RECREATION BUILDING session of the legislature of Pennsylvania, looking to the creation of a municipal body to organize, direct and control such a recreation system. In the meantime, to make a prompt beginning possible, the report recom- mended that the city councils empower the mayor to appoint a committee of seven members to act until the permanent department could be legally created. This action was taken and the committee appointed in August is now construct- ing the first recreation center as a sample of what is to be done later throughout the city. This center is a development of Starr Garden playground. The ordinance authorizing the Phila- delphia innovation states that the tem- porary committee — ^which is really a city department — is to have charge of and manage the various playgrounds, recreation centers, municipal floating baths and bathing grounds which may be established at the present time or which from time to time may be authorized by councils or donated by private in- dividuals or associations and accepted by the city. That the said committee shall plan and recommend, and after appropriate action by councils, shall create and develop such a system as they shall deem proper and necessary. This puts the whole recreation service into the hands of a single body in sym- pathy with its duties and provided with power to carry out the plans adopted. In Columbus, Ohio, a department of public recreation was created in July. It is composed of five citizens serving without salaries and an executive secre- tary who receives a salary. The or- dinance creating the department says: Be it ordained by the council of the city of Colum- bus, that there be and hereby is established a de- partment to be known as the Department of Public Recreation, whose duty it shall be to make a study of the city's needs for public recreation, playgrounds, recreation centers, baths, and all like matters pertaining thereto and relating to the welfare and betterment of the inhabitants of said city, and to have charge and supervision under and in connection with the proper officers of the city, of all such institutions now or hereafter established. The last legislatiu'e of New York state passed a bill authorizing a public recreation commission for New York city to be appointed by the mayor. The purpose is to co-ordinate depart- ments, do away with confusion and con- fliction of authority between departments having in charge various phases of recre- ation^a parallel condition to that ex- isting in Boston. The New York law MUNICIPAL RECREATION PROGRESS 387 f C^^q^-JCJ^rplriS'i;. PLAN OF PHILADELPHIA RECREATION CENTER would have the new commission composed of the president of the city park board, a representative of the board of educa- tion appointed by that board, and five other persons to be selected by the mayor. The period of service would be three years after the first appointments . The members would receive no money compensation. The work in Chicago is already well known. Its results in actual practice seem to bear out promises. There are several systems of recreation centers, but all are conducted on similar lines. Service to the people all the time is the fundamental principle, not service to a few, part of the time. The South Parks system has been given more publicity than the others. Each of these centers includes facilities for the recreation and the physical and social welfare of the entire community in which it is located. No other work just like that done in Chicago is to be found in America, or perhaps in the world. The policy meets the needs of that city and is altered in detail from time to time to keep it in close touch with developing needs. The Chicago method might not be appropri- ate to Boston; that is a point to determine after a study. As an evidence of public approval it is interesting to know that the last Illinois legislature authorized an issue of bonds for $1,000,000 to ex- tend the recreation centers in some parts of the city not yet covered. Los Angeles is making all of its play- grounds into fully equipped recreation centers which are also intended to be social centers. One unit in its muni- cipal system is a large building devoted mainly to gymnasium, baths, roof garden, meeting halls, club rooms and social facilities. In other jinits playgrounds are the larger element, but in every case the purpose is to make them of all round service to all the people nearby. In one sense the consolidation proposed to improve Boston recreation and parks is like the recent creation of the new Public Works Department in this city. But there is a fundamental difference, of which some of its advocates seem to lose sight. Public recreation service has a human side. It has to deal with human beings, not only as employes but as growing, developing individuals whose lives may be influenced by what is done for and by them. A park may be cre- ated and left pretty much to take care of itself; or at least may be looked after by those who understand soil antl trees and flowers. Whether parks ought to be left to care for themselves is another question. But there is no room to doubt that playgrounds cannot be left without the care of specialists. By this newly advanced method we might have playgrounds oi)erated in connection with gymnasiums. Gym- nasiums make excellent indoor i)lay- 388 NEW BOSTON grounds and playgrounds make excel- lent outdoor gymnasiums. A policy that provides year round service may make use of this plan. Playgrounds and gymnasiums do not necessarily have to be on one lot of land to make such co- operation feasible. The recent City Club forum that con- sidered playgrounds and public recre- ation was " told that 100,000 Boston children should be on the city playgrounds instead of five per cent of that number. It was stated that Chicago South Parks recreation centers each cost about $'25,- 000 a year to maintain, which is about what Boston spends for the conduct of all the playgrounds administered by the School Committee. Another critic said that he did not know of a single public playground in the city properly main- tained or attractive in appearance. He called some of them disgraces to the community. None of the speakers mentioned vital differences between the Boston and Chicago services. The fundamental principle of Chicago South Parks Com- mission is expert, trained, educated supervision under a general policy that covers all features of the centers under its jurisdiction. We do not approach that idea in any of these respects here in Boston. It is not so much a matter of money as of policy. The plan suggested in October by Mayor Fitzgerald to the City Council and the Finance Commission, a plan also considered by the United Improve- ment Association, and by Boston-1915, would create a recreation department with that title from the following existing agencies which would thus be abolished as independent activities : De- partments of parks, baths, public grounds, music, and the public celebrations di- vision of the mayor's office, and perhaps parts of the playground and athletic work now in the hands of the School Committee. The Finance Commission recommends that the public grounds, bath and music departments be combined with the park department. Public celebrations involve no change of departments. If it should be finally decided that the Park Depart- ment is the body to assume the respon- sibility of this important work, much of it entirely foreign to present interests, presumedly there would have to be a reorganization of that department. The possibilities from such a con- solidation justify serious attention re- garding administration and policy. iirw OTiTi»'^"Fff'F' ■"^S— PHILADELPHIA RECREATION BUILDING THE MERCHANT AND THE SOLICITOR LLOYD li. HAYES Bureau of Investigation, Boston Chamber of Commerce "Mr. Merchant, I have a little proposi- tion to bring to your attention which will interest you — it will save you monej'." He had every appearance of being a business man with an errand worth while, so Mr. Merchant listened. "My purpose in calling on you this morning is to get your subscription to the Old Colony Credit Association, which furnishes members with full information on any individual or organization, charitable or commercial, seeking your support by way of a contribution or an advertisement. We will tell you whether the object is worthy or un- worthy, genuine or fraudulent. By consulting us each time you are ap- proached by a solicitor you will, in the course of a year, be able to save the price of the membership fee many times over; the unworthy will no longer live on your bounty, and the worthy will not be refused your support. Let us enter your name for a year's subscrip- tion." Mr. Merchant paused for a moment antl then replied, "If there is one thing that I ])ride myself upon it is my ability to tell a crook when I see one. My gifts to charity in the course of a year are pretty large," right here he leaned back, stuck his thumbs in his waistcoat and puffed slowly on his cigar, "and I think I know pretty well where every cent of it goes. No, sir, your proposition does not interest me a bit." "Pardon me, Mr. Merchant, but will you be kind enough to consult your check book for last month and see to whom you gave on the third?" Astonished at, the nerve and perse- verance of the man, IVIr. iSlerchant did as he was asked. "Yes," he replied, "I gave $100 to The Home for the Widows and Orphans of Life Savers." "Of course you knew all about the institution or you wouldn't have given to it?" ventinvd the visitor a bit cautiously. "Oh, yes! The chap I gave the money to was a very nice-appearing fellow, well dressed and all that, and he liad a letter from the president of the home introducing him, written on their own paper and with their seal stamped right on it. Oh, he was all right, that fellow was." "Yes — and now that you have your check book handy, just look for another one, please — June 10th — three months ago, and see to whom you gave that day." x\gain Mr. ]\lerchant pored over the pages till he found the date and with an air of "I told you so" showed it without a word — "$50 to the sick and death benefit fund of the International Order of Grocery Clerks" (Mr. INIerchant was a wholesale grocer). In this case, too, there was the official letter with its seal of authority carried by the nice-appearing man, who also had a long list of names, prominent business men who had con- tributed, among them several whom Mr. Merchant knew would not give to an unworthy cause. "It may interest you to knoAv, ]Mr. Merchant," said the caller in a C(uiet way as he arose to go, "that a couple of pals of mine got both of those checks and divided with me in a bar-room around the corner." As he went out, ]\Ir. ^lerchant wrote in his check book "$'-25 subscription to the Old Colony Credit Association." This little story illustrates a very common occurrence in lioston. Mr. Merchant is typical of many of our business men. They pride themselves upon their ability to detect the fraudulent and unworthy, do not take kindly to suggestions that they are being fleeced and are very reluctant to rely upon any other judgment than their own. It is the i)urpose of the writer to point out a few of the ditferent groups which are living U])on the business men and to illustrate them with concrete examples. Fii-st, there is the .so-called charity solicitor, who, like the nice-api)earing young man in the story, asks for the support of an institution, with a title S89 390 NEW BOSTON which is invariably calculated to touch the heart. The poor widow or the destitute child are favorite subjects for appeal, and the tale is told by one selected on account of his, or her, ability to make the story most touching. One of the most effective examples of clever acting in this connection which has come to the attention of the writer was that of a very attractive young woman, exceed- ingly well dressed who, with the air of a lady of society giving her spare moments to the cause of charity, pleaded in a most touching manner, with a voice full of tenderness and affection, almost emo- tional at times, on behalf of "the poor little dears in the slums." Into their lives her organization was endeavoring to bring a ray of sunshine (whenever a ray of sunshine creeps into the charity solicitor's story, beware). But when a peep was had behind the scenes, how different that sunshine appeared! The society lady, tracked to her lair, was discovered in a very hilarious condition enjoying a wine supper in company with a few good fellows at a decidedly sporty resort. Tracing that ray of sunshine still further towards its source, it was found that the organization which was doing such a philanthropic work was nothing more nor less than a poor, pale- fuced, shabbily-clad clerk in a shoe store, on a miserable dirty street in one of the suburbs of New York City. He was the owner, sole contributor and editor of a magazine which the lady with the tender manner was seeking subscriptions to, at a dollar a year. When asked if he had had much experience as a charity worker or writer on charity, he replied that it did not take much literary ability to publish the magazine with which" he was connected. Another fruitful source of income for the solicitor is the trade union, in whose name much fraud is committed. This fact is] well known to labor leaders, ''and many of them have made an earnest effort to suppress it, forbidding the use of this method for raising money. It is an easy method, however, and a large number, especially those who are not very prosperous financially, cannot resist the temptation to make money in this way. The opportunity is especially good in this class of cases on account of the fear which many of the business men have of retaliation on the part of labor in case they refuse to contribute, advertise or purchase a ball ticket. Un- doubtedly this fear is largely without foundation, but it exists nevertheless, and the less scrupulous of the unions take advantage of it. Here too is the opening for the solicitor who fraudulently claims to represent some fictitious organ- ization or, as is often the case, represents a genuine organization without authority. As in the case of the charity solicitor, the trade union solicitor is generally of good appearance, well dressed, polite and genteel of manner. In fact, these details often betray the crook, for the more smooth of speech and glib of tongue, the more apt he is to be a fraud. The letter of authority, or credential, neatly typewritten on official stationery, bearing a very pretentious seal, is of no value whatever as a badge of authority or genuineness. Nor is the long list of subscribers which the solicitor usually displays with great gusto of any weight whatever, for both of them are in many cases either made out of whole cloth or are borrowed plumes. It is a very simple matter, and a method frequently em- ployed by the professional solicitor, to secure a sheet of letter paper used by an organization, sometimes well known, if he is a very bold man, and this he takes to a printer who is in league with him and together they imitate the letter both in paper and type so that it is difficult to detect the fraud. To secure a seal, typewrite the letter and forge the signature which they have obtained by correspondence with the organization, is a simple matter indeed. But, you ask, how about the list of subscribers, do they forge a hundred or two hundred names? No, not at all. The list is genuine, the names have been genuinely affixed, but not for the purpose for which they are now used. It is well known to those who are familiar with the professional solicitor that there exists in every city, and particularly in Boston, a sort of family or clique, banded together by common interests, with headquarters or meeting places in a few centrally located bar- rooms. One might almost say that there is a perfect nest or den of these highway- men, for their work is nothing short of highway robbery. Here in these bar- THE MERCHANT AND THE SOLICITOR 391 rooms they meet at the end of the day's work and exchange information. "Kid" O'Brien, who has liad a successful day working the Hfe savers' racket, meets "Spike" jNIurphy, who has not had such good hick with the Bank Clerks Union, so "Kid," out of the kindness of his heart, gives "Spike" his list of subscribers, removing his credentials, for, if you will notice, the list of names is always con- structed on the loose leaf system bound with wire clips which permit the removal of the leaves. These names have been |)assed around so many times, have become so worn and soiled, that the solicitor who originally obtained them would never recognize them. They were first obtained in behalf of a genuine cause by a solicitor properly authorized to represent a worthy institution, but like many institutions, the managers did not exercise care in selecting their representative and unwittingly, perhaps, obtained the services of a professional whose history they did not investigate and whose dishonesty they did not dis- cover and, consequently, the list soon found its way to the den of thieves. What wonder then that Mr. * Merchant was misled (we will be as charitable with him as possible), by the nice-appear- ing young man, the letter of authority, and the list of names. The third group of cases may be called commercial propositions. These com- monly take the form of a trade directory, a town history or a special write-up on some particular class of trade, in which you are asked to advertise. In a majority of cases the book is never published or, if it is, only one copy is sent to each advertiser. That, however, does not often occur, for the usual way is to show the advertiser that his ad has been printed and his money is due. If the advertiser will carefully examine he will be pretty apt to find that the page on which his advertisement appears has been cleverly inserted in the book, a single copy of which alone has been con- structed for the purpose; or possibly it is last year's issue in a new cover. One of the cleverest schemes which has come to the writer's attention in this connection was that worked by what appeared to be a publishing com- pany engaged in the publication of a directory of manufacturers. A large manufacturer in Boston one day received tiirough the mail a letter bearing a title similar to that of a rei)utable publishing company which read as follows: "Dear Sir: Enclosed ple.ase find proof of your advertise- ment in tlie last issue of our direetory. Kindly correct the same and return at your earliest con- venience in order that it may appear in the next issue whicli is about to go to press. We are making you a special price of $1.5 this year, just half of what our price was a year ago. Kindly send check for the above amount i)ayable to Yours truly, (Signed) " Upon examining the enclosed advertise- ment it was found to be that which the manufacturer had inserted in a well- known directory published by a reputable house whose name had been cleverly imitated. The advertisement had been cut from the pages of this directory and was being used as a blind to mislead the unsuspecting merchant. In this particular case, however, the scheme failed, for the merchant recognized his advertisement, remembered the real name of the publishers with whom he had advertised, they were notified at once of the fraud which was being committed in their name, and the post-office au- thorities did the rest. In such cases as this the operators figure on a good percentage of "easy marks," they work the proposition quickly and disappear leaving no trace whatever by the time the fraud is dis- covered. In each of these three classes of cases which have been described, the charity, the union and the commercial proposi- tions, there seems to be known to the professional solicitor a group of merchants who are particularly suscejitible when properly approached. This fact was testi- fied to on the witness stand by a ])rofes- sional himself who was on trial for at- tempted larceny by false ])retences. When questioned by the ])rosecuting attorney as to why he sought contributions from certain individuals he replied: "Because I knew that they were in the habit of giving money to such things as this. We know pretty well who'll give and who won't." Cannot some method be contrived whereby this highway robbery may be 392 NEW BOSTON diminished, if it cannot be stopped en- tirely? To think of completely eradicat- ing the evil is out of the question. It is too deeply rooted. Those concerned are too clever, and human nature is too weak to think of abolishing the dif- ficulty, but from the experience which the writer has had in investigating these matters, it does seem as though a great deal of good could be accomplished, a great deal of money saved, by bringing home to the public the real situation, by spreading abroad through the press, the true story. The two best methods for accomplishing this would be publicity and concerted action on the part of the business men. If the wholesale dealers, the retail merchants and the manufacturers would absolutely refuse to give to any organization or individual whatever until they had investigated the case and ascertained the true facts, or unless they were personally acquainted with the case and positively knew first hand that the matter was a genuine one, a great deal of the fraudulent would be eliminated. In many cities this has been accomplished by referring to the chari- table organization on the one hand and the commercial organization on the other. In Cleveland, San Francisco, and many other cities, much good has been accomplished in this way. The Association of Commerce in Chicago has now taken the matter up and is establishing a bureau for working out the problem in a thorough manner. We have in Boston the machinery for ac- complishing this purpose, the xA-ssociated Charities, and the Chamber of Commerce, who together could do a great deal towards eliminating a feature which is to say the least exceedingly vexatious and annoying, if not wellnigh criminal in many of its aspects. But again we encounter Mr. Merchant, ultra-conservative, self-sufficient and pre- ferring almost not to be awakened to the true situation. He has his "pets" whom he delights in supporting and it is difficult to make him realize that they are not worthy of that support. Can he not be persuaded to exercise the same amount of discretion in his charity in- vestments that he does when he is asked to buy copper or life insurance? INSIDE INFORMATION ABOUT CHARITIES Last spring a few individuals applied to the secretary of state for permission to incorporate a charity, the alleged purpose of which was to be "gospel, mission, social and religious work." With the power conferred upon him by the last legislature, the secretary of state asked the State Board of Charity to investigate this application, and as the investigation showed that the would- be incorporators were men of shady reputations, inexperienced in the lines of work proposed, and of no financial standing, the secretary of state refused to grant the incorporation. The daily papers reported a few months later the incorporation of this enterprise by the Supreme Court of New York state. The legislation referred to, which has already jn'oved its value in protecting a credulous public from the schemes of bankrupts and swindlers who would recoup their losses from the pockets of benevolent individuals, was secured by a sub-committee of the Associated Char- ities of Boston, namely, the Committee on Information about Charities. By this act, the secretary of state was em- powered to ask the State Board of Charity to investigate all applications for incorporation as charities. The immediate and significant proof of the value of the law is due to the hearty co-operation of the State Board of Charity and to the keen intelligence shown by its secretary. Typical of another group of solicitors was the unctuous, genial, colored minister, in expensive clothes, who was collecting funds for the support of a southern school. The fact that he had never read the only credential which he possessed, a INSIDE INFORIVIATION A150ITT CHARniES 3o:i prospectus of the school, and that he could not tell its location, that he had no local references to give, and that he reserved twenty-five per cent conunis- sion on all collections, did not, in his mind, seem to justify the scrutiny of the committee. In this case, the com- mittee concluded to inform the principal of the southern school that it coidd not recommend contributions to the school through the man who was at that time its Boston collector, with the result that the school immediately discharged the collector. Two years ago a suave gentleman with brilliant black eyes and polished manner tlropped like a meteor upon Boston for the purpose of raising, at short notice, $40,000, to establish a hospital for lepers in Syria. The oriental gentleman was literally burdened with letters of en- dorsement from mayors of cities, a Y. M. C. A. president, a charity organi- zation society president, an Episcopal bishop, many well-known clergymen of several denominations, and from others of the great and good — all of them written, as investigation showed, not from any personal knowledge of the writer, but because the philanthropist showed letters of recommendation from friends of each writer. It took but a few days to learn that this man had served twelve months at hard labor in an English prison for obtaining money under false pretences, had been turned out of more than one hotel in this coun- try, and was untrustworthy in every respect. Yet this man for some years had had an apparently uninterruptedly successful career in the eastern part of the United States, and possibly, if the well-known and hospitable Bostonian to whom he brought a cordial letter of introduction had been at home, there might have been a little more delay in securing the facts. From Boston he went to Rhode Island and Connecticut, and in at least one city was taken into court, only to secure a discharge through the pleadings of Sunday-school officials who had been hoaxed by the pious pro- testations of the oriental. As a general proposition the public is "easy" when solicited for the supj)ort of charitable schemes. And strange as it may seem — perhaps after all it is human nature — a charitably disposed citizen hates to be told that he is being defrauded by a worthless organization. He nnich prefers to contribute and credit some goodness to his ])liilanlhro])ic nature. If no one tells him that he has been sold, he is satisfied. He has the same mental feeling, at least, as the man who falls down on a slippery sidewalk and doesn't mind the shake up if no one happened to see him on his sudden descent. Just as long as the easy public is not informed regarding the worth of charitable organizations soliciting funds will it continue to give indiscriminately. It is the idea of the various charities endorsement committees that have sprung up in recent years to furnish this necessary information, and at the same time to assist worthy but poorly managed organizations to a higher level. In 1902 one of the first and most interesting committees of this kind was inaugurated in San Francisco. This committee consisted of seven persons, three, including the president, from the Merchants' Association, two from the Associated Charities and two represent- ing charities at large. Its purposes were announced as follows: "The Charities Endorsement Com- mittee is designed to protect the com- munity both from fraudulent and from inefficient enterprises soliciting in the name of charity, and to set a standard of efficiency below which no endorsed charity shall fall. "The Committee stands ready to investigate all charitable organizations applying to it for endorsement and to issue its official card to such as are doing honest and intelligent work. "It asks the charity-giving public to co-operate in making this ])lan etfective by refusing to give to charities not presenting the endorsement card of the Committee." On the same general lines committees have been organized in Cleveland, Provi- dence, Newark, Springfield and Seattle, where cards of endorsement are furnished to those organizations which, in the opinion of the conunittee, are worthy of public support. In several cities where the investiga- tion is made by charity organization societies, the work is followed uj) by a 394 NEW BOSTON report on the management of the in- stitution involved, in most cases allow- ing the inquirer to draw his own infer- ences on the propriety of lending support. It is on such a basis that the Committee on Information about Charities of the Associated Charities of Boston pursues its work. The last report of the Asso- ciated Charities states the position of that organization on this subject of en- dorsing and reporting: In our opinion the endorsement of some insti- tutions and the refusal to endorse others by giving or withholding an endorsement card tends to divide all petitioners for public contributions in the name of charity into two classes — the good whom it is proper to support, and the bad who must be refused. Now, there are in every large community some charitable institutions, though not many, to which any committee would be glad to give an uncjualified endorsement — institutions having a responsible board of directors who take an active part in the management, a competent treasurer whose books are kept in a proper manner and audited by a professional accountant, which make an annual report showing in detail everything that the contributing public is entitled to know, and the management of which is progressive along the lines approved by the experienced social workers of its particular branch. There are also in every large community a number of so-called charities which are nothing more than fraudulent devices for picking the pockets of the charitably minded for the benefit of a peculiarly contemptible kind of grafter. A great drawback to the endorsement method, according to the Associated Charities, lies in the fact that it leaves no middle ground on which can stand those institutions and organizations al- most wholly good but with a dash of bad. There must be a label "good" or a label "bad," and with the "bad" tag numerous organizations, in the main worthy, will find difficulty in existing. Another criticism of the endorsement method is that it lacks the educational features that can be embodied in the reporting plan. For instance, a committee with- holding an endorsement card may give no reason for non-endorsement and con- sequently may leave no loophole for reform. The rejected institution simply gets no card and the cause for such re- jection is consequently left in doubt. The Committee on Information about Charities of Boston makes inquiries only on the request of its own members, or of some other persons in whom the com- mittee has confidence and who have been asked to contribute to the fluids of the charitable institution in question. The committee furnishes a report and either allows the applicant to draw his own inferences or, at times, give its reason for believing that the cause is worthy or unworthy. The committee emphasizes the con- structive side of its work and wherever possible, in the case of generally good institutions with some poor features, endeavors to persuade the directors to correct certain branches of their work. Where actual fraud is detected, the com- mittee at times secures the co-opera- tion of the police and warns charity organization societies in other cities. Often in the case of a badly managed institution or in those where funds are misspent, the frank publication of facts is enough to discourage further fraud. The work of the committee in the last report of the Associated Charities is summarized as follows: 212 persons made 300 inquiries. Twenty-seven inquiries from cities and towns out- side of Boston. Total number of charitable and civic enterprises, and promoters, about which the committee has information, 550. Total number of these investigated by the com- mittee at the request of our subscribers, 462. New investigations made during the past year, 64. Supplemental investigations made during the past year in reply to inquiries about societies already investigated, 21. Thirty-seven societies and individuals asking public support, to whose work the public cannot be advised to contribute, considered by the com- mittee during the two years, October 1, 1907, to October 1, 1909. Nineteen of these are probably fraudulent. "To make the work truly effective for good," says the Associated Charities report, "such a com- mittee must always keep in mind that it has several distinct duties to perform — first, to educate the public so that it shall demand proper standards of efficiency in charitable organizations; second, to prevent the duplication of charitable effort; third, to help legitimate enterprises by advice and co-operation; fourth, to show the needs of new organizations or the extension of existing ones; fifth, to detect and drive out impostors and frauds. In order to do all these things the committee must have the confidence of the community both as to its business sanity and as to its knowledge of charitable and sociological work. If the com- mittee is composed wholly of business men or their representatives, though satisfactory to the public in the first capacity, it is likely to fall short in the second. If the committee is composed wholly of social workers or representatives of charity organi- zations, the converse is likely to be true. We believe, therefore, that a committee fairly repre- sentative of both bodies is the one which is capable of the largest and most effective work." A SUBURBAN TOWN BUILT ON BUSINESS PRINCIPLES FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED Forest Hills Gardens, whose landscape features are described by Mr. Olmsted in the following article, is a business investment of the Russell Sage Foundation. The town is situated within the boundaries of New York City, and while not differing materially from other Long Island real estate enterprises, emphasizes English garden city features that are so often un- known in our American suburbs. Ample playground and recreation facili- ties are provided and minute attention is given to an attractive city plan that conforms to the tentative plan of Greater New York. This idea of a well-rounded policy of suburban development — a policy that coincides with the plan of the greater city — might well be applied to the outlying sections of any large community. It is so seldom that an American town plans its growth with an idea of future development that the example of Forest Hills Gardens is noteworthy. — Editor. The Russell Sage Foundation, as a means of earning the income which it uses in various lines of philanthropic work, has invested a part of its capital in a suburban land company operating in the Borough of Queens, in New York City. This concern, the Sage Fovinda- tion Homes Company, has bought a tract of some 160 acres on the Long Island Railroad sixteen minutes from the Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan and is developing it into building lots. As a business proposition the enterprise differs in no essential respect from those of other land companies except in this: that whereas the ordinary land-company will put upon the market only the same old standard article in the way of city lots that is already selling successfully in the vicinity, the Sage Foundation Homes Company is willing to risk some- thing by introducing to some degree what may be regarded as novelties in the New York retail land market, novelties which it believes the public will appreciate and pay for, which if successful will be copied by others and raise the general standard, but which are not sufficiently certain in their appeal to induce the average real estate man to try the experiment on his own account. There is a speculative element in any transaction in city land, but what the Sage Foundation Homes Company is doing, as many land development con- cerns all over the country are doing, is not mere gambling in land values. as in the case of those land speculations where the only source of profit is the unearned increment. It is conductiug, in fact, a process of manufacture and merchandising. As raw material it lias bought agricultural land at wholesale, although at suburban prices which in- clude a large and purely speculative advance secured by previous holders. It is manufacturingi,that' land in some cases partially and in other cases wholly, into good individual suburban dwellings, with all that term implies in the way of equipment and surroundings. Finally it is marketing the product at retail, in various styles and stages of comple- tion, to suit the purchasers and tenants, from the vacant lot on a clean, paved, planted street, to the non-housekeeping apartment of one to four rooms and a bath in a building with a restaurant, a garden and a squash court. Its profits, as in the case of other well- ccnducted land companies, are those of the manufacturer and merchant who performs an actual service to the com- munity; they depend not at all on hold- ing land for a speculative rise, but on turning it over as quickly as possible to the retail purchaser at reasonable retail prices, with the least possible loss through accumulated interest and taxes. In laying out Forest Hills Gardens there has been an attempt to secure the full benefit resulting from three imjmrtant principles in city planning, the advantages of which are coming to be more and more 395 306 NEW BOSTON clearly recognized as part of the rapidly advancing expert knowledge of the sub- ject. One of these principles relates to the main thoroughfares, which should be direct, ample and convenient, no matter how they cut the land. Two eighty- foot streets are carried straight through the property, on lines l,'-260 feet apart, fixed by the location of bridges under the railroad and in accordance with New York city's tentative street plan covering adjacent territory. A boule- vard 1'25 feet wide, also coinciding with the city's tentative street plan, is pro- vided along the line where the property fronts on Forest Park, a 536 acre tract forming the largest reservation of public park lands in the Borough of Queens. In addition, two avenues seventy feet wide, with an ample set-back of build- ings, radiate from Station square, where the most important of the eighty-foot streets passes under the railroad, on direct but gently curving lines, so lo- cated as to secure the best grades and the most agreeable setting, through the midst of the property to the entrances of Forest Park and to the boulevard which is to follow its easterly boundary. These two important lines would be wholly unprovided for under the usual rectangular layout of New York streets and blocks. Other streets secondary to the above in importance are sixty feet in width, also with a set-back for buildings, and follow lines which are direct but carefully related to the top- ography and which connect with the adjacent street layout of the city's tentative plan. A second principle, which is very im- portant to supplement the first, but which has been too generally ignored in American street layouts, is that those streets which are not needed as thoroughfares should be planned and constructed to meet the purposes of quiet attractive residence streets. To this end the local streets at Forest Hills Gardens are laid out so as to discourage their use as thoroughfares. While not fantastically crooked, they are never perfectly straight for long stretches; and their roadways, well paved with bituminous macadam, are narrow, thus permitting additional space to be devoted to the front gardens which will be one of the characteristic features of the whole development. Probably one of the most notable characteristics of Forest Hills Gardens from the point of view of the homeseeker, when the plans are fully realized, will be the cozy domestic character of these local streets, where the monotony of endless, straight, wind-swept thoroughfares which are the New York conception of streets, will give place to short, quiet, self-contained and gardenlike neighborhoods, each hav- ing its own distinctive character. A third principle that has controlled the design of Forest Hills Gardens is the deliberate setting apart of certain areas for the common use and enjoy- ment of the residents. The fortunate location of the tract on the very borders of Forest Park has, of course, made it wholly needless to provide any large park within the tract itself, but in spite of this advantage, a public green has been formed at the point where the two main avenues divide, within view of the station and central to that part of the property which is farthest from Forest Park. This will form the resi- dential focus of the community just as the neighboring Station square will be its business focus. The portion of the green lying between the roads and de- voted wholly to lawn and paths and ornamental planting occupies one and one-half acres, but the size of the whole open space of the green, from building line to building line, is about three and one-half acres. Beyond the upper end of the green and upon its axis is reserved a public school site and in connection with it, sufficient space for a school playground and for school gardens. The Station square itself, although primarily a traffic center, is of consider- able size, and the whole of the surround- ing architecture, including the railroad station and its approaches, is being developed as a single composition, with a regard for the pleasure which the resi- dents may derive from its use, that is impossible in the individualistic develop- ment of business centers which usually occurs even in the most costly and most fashionable suburban districts. In addition to the school playground and the green, a space of about an acre A SUBURBAN TOWN BUILT ON BUSINESS PRINCIPLES 397 ' rr ■^■''•■f^j^ CiO 1^ QC^c S98 NEW FBOSTON and a half, surrounded by streets, is being held in another part of the tract for use as a public recreation ground. The most novel recreation feature is that of enclosed "block playgrounds." These are spaces of varying shape and size, occupying the interior portion of some of the blocks and intended for the exclusive use of those living on the sur- rounding lots. They cannot be used for the active, noisy games of large boys and will not be open to the general public or to loafers, but will provide places where the smaller children of the block can find room to play instead of being forced out upon the streets. They will be reached through gates, directly from the back yards of most of the houses in these blocks. Where land is of such high value as is bound to be the case within a quarter of an hour of Seventh Avenue and 32nd street, such a liberal provision of land forfcommon use and enjoyment is pos- sible, upon a sound commercial basis, only by paying a round price for it; and in the last analysis the price must be paid by the occupants of the lots. It Us therefore a fair question how that price is to be paid — just what loss is to be set off against the gain. The question may be answered in two ways. On the one hand, lots having such advantages are thereby made more desirable, and are actually worth more to their occupants and worth more in the open market, lot for lot, than similar properties without these advantages; just as lots on a paved and sewered street are worth more than upon a street that is unimproved, the increased market value going to cover the cost of the im- provement. In the opinion of most students of city planning and of many experienced and progressive real estate operators of large practical experience, land set apart for public recreation pur- poses in reasonable amount and in an intelligent manner, adds considerably more to the saleable value of the adja- cent lots than it costs to set it apart. In other words, for a slight increase in lot prices the wholesale dealer in land can profitably afford to give something which is worth to the purchaser more than the amount of the necessary in- crease in the price of lots. On the other hand, it is possible by a reduction in the size of the back yards, so slight as not to reduce their practical usefulness, to save enough land for these neighbor- hood purposes without increasing the prices. Some of the lots in Forest Hills Gardens, therefore, being intended for homes of moderate size, are made shallow- er than the customary New York lot SYLLABI OF BOSTON-1915 CONFERENCES 399 on which the deep, badly lighted tene- to suit every purchaser other lots are ment house has developed, and will laid out of the usual depth, and in a have the advantages already described fewcasesof more than the usual depth, for with no increase of cost; while in order a price that is but slightly advanced. ■FOREST HILLS- GARDENS CCSIGNED .FOR THE -SAGE- FOUNDATION -MQMES- CO • ' J'' T^^^r /^ LllliilSMJra^ % ^, ^^^*~--^'**^1^|^r.. • GROUP YI NINE -SS -FOOT -SIMGL.t:- FAMILY -DWELLINGS- lO TO 12 ROOMS- SYLLABI OF BOSTON-1915 CONFERENCES The following syllabi have been pre- pared by two of the conferences of Boston-1915 as indicating the needs of the city in the particular fields covered. From each of the syllabi will be chosen two or more of those projects which are most needed and which it is prac- ticable to carry through within a reason- able time. Several additional conferences will have reported before the publication of the February number of XEW BOSTON. All programs will be co-ordinated by a Joint Syllabus Committee made up of rep- resentatives from each of the conferences. The Neighborhood Conference 1. Agencies: (a) Improvement x\ssociations. 1 New organizations in those districts not already covered. 2 Licrease in membership, attendance and interest in associations. (6) Settlements and Neighborhood Centres. 1 Better general knowledge of the undertakings, and results of same in existing settlements. 2 Moral and financial support of same. 3 The establishment in the suburbs of Boston of a chain of social centres for neighborhood welfare. 4 More general use of the information possessed by the settlements for city and neighborhood advancement. (c) Better social inter-district relations, such as would be brought about by exchange of educational and social courtesies between schools, churches, settlements, and improvement associations, etc. 400 NEW BOSTON 2. Social: (a) Restrictions of saloon and enforcement of laws regarding kitchen bar rooms. (b) Social hygiene. (c) Study of child labor in relation to 1 Home. 2 School. 3 Industry, 3. Recreation: (a) Enlargement of play facilities. 1 Concentration of authority with proper financial control to carry out a unified program as regards ground, equipment, leadership, instruction, use, etc. 2 Numerous small local playgrounds. (a) Use of public school playgrounds out of school hours as far as possible. (b) Provision that unused land be used as playgrounds without rental to owners, city bearing expense of improvements. (c) Provision for use of certain streets for play where other space is not available. (6) Provisions for lighting playgrounds summer and winter (more for moral safety than for play purposes). (c) Establishment of broad, shady walks where no parks may be had, especially in tenement districts. {d) Opening of schools as social neighborhood centres. (e) Gymnasia facilities throughout city and higher degree of efficiency in super- vision of public gymnasia and swimming baths. (/) Licensed places of amusement and promotion of more rational public amusement. (g) Revision of laws dealing with recreation. 4. Education: (a) Increase of interest in civic affairs. 1 In all the schools. 2 In neighborhood centres. 3 Upon attaining voting age. (6) Investigation and report as to advisability of grouping schools about parks. (c) Extension of garden work in public schools. (d) A system of "no school" signals which would not require the children to leave home for information. (e) Removal of portable school houses from school yards to other sites. 5. Sanitation: (a) Streets, public alleys, sidewalks. 1 Greater efficiency in method and personnel for street cleaning. 2 Legislation for compelling city to clean alleys. 3 More boxes provided for the disposal of rubbish. 4 Police enforcement of law compelling tenants to keep sidewalks clean and to dispose of rubbish in proper receptacles. 5 Invention of method of cleaning macadamized streets. (6) Houses and yards. 1 Community spirit to keep houses, yards and fences in good condition. 2 Law to relieve owners of responsibility for nuisances for which they are not accountable. 3 Removal of garbage, ashes and rubbish. (a) Scheduled collection. (6) Better methods. (c) More frequent collections. {d) Regular stated collection of such rubbish as cannot be put into barrels. (e) Printed copies of schedule placed in hands of all householders and tenants, or conspicuously posted in areas of all houses. SYLLABI OF BOSTON-1915 CONFERENCES 401 (c) Markets and Stores and Bakeries. 1 Rigid enforcement of all laws concerning grocery stores, markets, provision stores, fruit and candy stands, restaurants, etc. 2 Same, or new laws regarding adjoining walks, alleys, etc. (d) Public Buildings. 1 More frequent and thorough cleaning of all municipal buildings, especially school buildings. 2 Compulsory frequent cleaning of railroad and railway stations, ferry houses and approaches to same. 3 More public convenience stations. (e) Enforcement of anti-spitting law. (/) Compulsory enclosure by wire fences to keep rubbish from blowing about from public dumps and the restraining of children from entering thereon. (g) Smoke Nuisance: 1 Enforcement of laws. 2 Framing of new laws if necessary. (h) Regulations defining the responsibility of tenants for committing nuisances. 6. Transportation: (a) Establishment of Public Service Commission. (6) Electrification of steam railroads. 7. Community Protection: (a) Auxiliary fire-alarm system. (b) High pressure salt water system for fire purposes. (c) Extension of fire district limit. Laws as to building material. (d) Better enforcement of and inspection under building laws. (e) Increasing of number of miles of overhead wires buried yearly. (/) More thorough and systematic treatment of tree pests. 8. Community Development: (a) Tenement House Commission. (6) Territory. 1 Development of suburban occupancy recruited from congested districts. 2 Dispersion of congestion. (c) More public drinking fountains in all thickly inhabited sections. (f/) Reduction of lawful noises of various kinds at all times, chiefly late at night in crowded districts. (e) A law compelling the construction of proper sidewalks throughout the city. Fine and Industrial Arts Conference 1 . Civic Auditorium. DRAMA 2. An investigation of the interest in plays and acting in settlement houses with a view to pos.sible correlation of the different efforts. 3 . An investigation of the possibility of special performances in our regular theaters at lower rates or at reduced rates for current plays. 4. An investigation of the possibility of performances of special plays on holidays at lower rates. 5 . An investigation of the status of the drama in the schools of Boston and the nature of the plays acted from time to time by students. 6. An investigation of existing conditions to determine what form of public theater may best be established in Boston, and how soon. It is understood that such a public theater shall provide at reasonable rates the best in plays and their presentation. 402 NEW BOSTON MUSIC 8 . Use of automatic piano players in schools. 9. Gradual increase of number of municipal concerts given to school children and parents. 10. Investigation of music school settlement. 11. More extensive popular band concerts. (a) In halls in winter, with a nominal charge. (c) In prisons. {d) In factories. 12. Responsible censor of programs for proposed concerts. 13. Organization and extension of people's singing classes. 14. Series of educational lectures on music. 15. Reduced rates for special performances and special rates at the Boston Opera House for students and certain classes of wage-earners. ART 16. Free art exhibitions at least twice a year in a well-lighted, conveniently situated hall with an artistic and public-spirited committee in charge. 17. Free lectures on industrial arts. 18. The study of art in our public school system, to be attained as in Amsterdam, by sending the children in groups to our Art Museum or to other galleries, with a teacher or guide for the purpose of giving them knowledge and a love of beautiful things by early familiarity with the best. THE OPPORTUNITIES OF DENISON HOUSE LILIAN MARCHANT SKINNER A thoughtful working girl recently said, "If people who have nice ways only lived where you could see how they did, I think you could get on faster." This remark expresses the motive which placed Denison House where it is, in the poorer quarter of the city, now fast becoming a foreign quarter. The early idea of the college settlement was simple and personal. It was to be a good neighbor where the good neighbor is most needed. To tliis motive the house is still faithful, though compelled by it to face the most comjjlex of city prol)lems. Eighteen years ago the neighborhood was Irish; now races from eastern Europe and from the Orient have come into the nearby streets. This is our great op- portunity; to be able to know these people truly by living beside them; to be able to find out what they are bringing to us. The Italian work, for which Denison House is known the country over, grew A NEIGHBORHOOD ALLEY out of its willingness to meet a new environment, and from courage to face new opportunities. Six years ago the Italians came into the immediate neigh- borhood, and though it is now plain that the number near the house is likely to THE OPPORTUNITIES OF DENISON HOUSE 403 jk ft ^^^^^mmm ^ ^^^^^^^^S^^E*^ ^ / Ji^» ^^ % ^9\. ^^^^K^ ^--^v NEIGHBORHOOD PARTIES remain a small group, acquaintance with them and interest in the larger problems of their life, led to the forming of the Circolo Italo-Americano, a club of Italians and Americans. The influence of the Circolo extends throughout the North End, the large Italian quarter of the city. A society to preserve Italian handicraft has recently been organized by a group of workers connected with Denison House who are familiar with the needs of the Italians through neigh- borhood work with them. In the new and strange environment of an American city, Italians too often lose the arts they have brought with them. Es- pecially on the part of the men has there been great waste of talent, for with no knowledge of English they often desert their craft and turn to unskilled labor. The development of the connection of Denison House with the Syrian Colony is a story which illustrates the natural and simple way in w^hich such relation- ships may be formed. These people be- gan to come to America twenty years ago, impelled, as were other races, by stories of opportunity for poor men; but it is only for the last five years, since military service became compulsory, that they have been coming to Boston in large numbers. There are about 3,000 now in the quarter immediately about Denison House, on Tyler and Hudson streets, on Kneeland and Harvard. They come from Damascus and Beyrout, and from the country about Lebanon. Here they keep fruit stands or restaurants, or sell Syrian wares. Kn eight-year-old child, explaining her father's fears during a time of unemployment, said that they liked Boston except when he could not get work, but that, remembering a time when they had to ask for help, he feared the future. Interpreting for her parents, who spoke no English, she said: "When we came over Boston we found that Boston was good for us; we stayed in Boston. My father and mother does not want to go back to Syria. Please, my father and mother like to tell you what they did. Please, when my father was not working for three weeks, he was afraid it would happen like the other time. So he was very afraid." The fear of the untried which comes in an unknown country is hard to bear without the help of some person of wider knowledge who is not afraid. The beginning of the acquaintance which brought to these Syrian strangers the help of friends stronger than them- selves, was on the streets about Denison House several summers ago. One of the residents noticed very many children with rickets and she wanted to know who they were and what was wrong that so many should be suffering from such a disease. From the primary school she got their names and addresses, and by visiting the mothers she persuaded them to allow their children to be properly cared for. Through this same summer she assisted at the milk station at Deni- son House, where modified milk for infants is sold; as Syrian women were 404 NEW BOSTON being sent there by physicians, she came to know many of them well. With these mothers she started a Syrian Woman's Club, where talks on the care of children and similar subjects were given. During this time, through visits in the homes, she came to know the men of the colony, who are much better educated than the women; and she began to see that there was need for a club of educated men. Some cases requiring relief came to her attention and she formed a committee of eight of the most intelligent Syrian men to look into cases of need among the Syrians for the Associated Charities. A year ago a social club for both men and women was formed to bring together the more serious minded among them, to con- serve their influence and to make it count for all that it may among their own people. Among the more helpless of the colony there are many whose high hopes of making a home for themselves in this new land can be saved by a little help at just the right time. They dare tell their friends of such crises, and Denison House has proved itself powerful and ready to help. A little interpreter ex- plained that her father was trying to buy a new house in the country which was owned by five brothers who were about to insist upon a larger payment than her father had expected to make. She writes for her father and mother who know no English: "A new house has very much money to pay for it. Ask them if they can't sell it to my father for $250? Please speak to those five brothers. They have very much money and my father has not very much money ; only you please speak to them. They do not care because they got a lot of money. Please, they have not got any- one, only God and you. Please, please, please, speak to the five brothers. Selva wrote this, but my father and mother told me to write this letter to you." On the list of Christmas parties to be held this season at Denison House appears on the first day of the New Year a re- ception for the St. John of Damascus Society, and on one evening of Christmas week a reception for Germaat Surea- Americanea, where the entertainment is to be the nuisic of a Syrian lute and songs by a man whom his countrymen call the sweetest singer of Damascus. Another party to be given at Christ- mas-time is one for another race, the Greeks; but these people, though they are our neighbors, we do not know. There are fifty or sixty families who have come from the vicinity of Sparta, living in nearby streets, a part of the Boston colony of several thousand. There are also many single men living without their families and without family life, as the Greek restaurants near us bear witness. They keep little fruit stores or push handcarts, or work in hotels and restaurants. Our knowledge of them comes through the nurse at the Denison House modified milk station, our reliable outpost for gathering up the needs of the people about us. A year ago the nurse had only one Greek woman coming for the milk; this woman brought others, and now there are nine or ten who come for properly prepared food for their babies. The nurse has no one to speak Greek for her and in the many visits she must make, finds it hard to give them all the attention they need. She says: "I do what I can, but much more ought to be done, they seem so quick, and so eager, and so ready to take new ideas." This unentered way invites us and would bring rewards as rich as those which our acquaintance with Italians and Syrians has brought to us. When one reflects on the meaning of the relationship of men to each other, and upon the great gifts which have been laid in the hand of the various races, such an ojjportunity to know the people of Damascus, of Sicily, and of Sparta, seems of untold value. Intimate knowl- edge of a neighborhood and the sym- pathetic understanding of the life of its people is the special offering which every settlement wishes to make to the public good. It is only in the light of such understanding that the service of mankind may go forward. Once upon a time a six-year old child was invited by her settlement "teacher" to spend a few days in her own home. On leaving the child for the night her friend said, "Are you afraid of the dark, Sarah; shall I leave the light burning?" "No," replied Sarah, stolidly, "put it out. It costs money to burn a light." Our city children are in danger of long remaining plunged in a more profound darkness of the spirit, because it costs money to burn a light. THE AMERICAN CIVIC ASSOCIATION AT WASHINGTON JOHN L. SEWALL Victor Hugo's good bishop is one day questioned by a member of his house- hold, in the midst of his abounding philanthropies, as to his consistency in devoting so much space in his small garden to flower beds. "Monseigneur, you who turn everything to account have, nevertheless, one useless plot; it would be better to grow salads than bouquets." "You are mistaken," re- plied the bishop, "the beautiful is as useful as the useful;" he added, after a pause, "More so, perhaps." This bit of philosophy accords well with the spirit and scope of the American Civic Association, which has just held its sixth annual conference in the city of Washington, and incidentally cele- brated in a fitting way the establishment of permanent headquarters at the na- tion's capital. The impression has sometimes pre- vailed that this body was more interested in the ornamental than in the practical, concerned with reaching certain standards of aesthetics which are highly com- mendable but hardly comparable with utilities which are deficient in modern cities. The program of these recent sessions contradicts that impression. President Brunner, of the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects, spoke some wise and witty words upon this point: "We must disabuse the mind of the ordinary man on the street," he said, "of the notion that city-planning means a scheme im- possible devised by a man impractical, a plan to tie pink bows on all lamp posts"; he declared the need of a new word, "beautility," to express the real meaning of the association's work. It it true that in the past this body has done large and heroic work in {)reserving the beauties of Niagara and i)ronioting the attractiveness of the community tli rough the building of parks and abolishing bill-boards and superfluous smoke. The association still retains its zeal for such things, as witnessed by President J. Horace McFarland's annual address upon the theme "Are State Parks Worth While?" in which he thus defined the function of all city parks: "It is only upon the basis that suitable recreation facilities are an indispensable means toward preventing life-loss and time- loss to productive industry that we may argue to the main body of our citizens that parks are worth while." Such a position is thoroughly utilitarian, and far removed from idle sentimentality. In this connection it is interesting to note Mr. McFarland's reference to Bos- ton's Metropolitan Park system as a model for park develojiment on a broader scale than the limits of a single munici- pality. Later discussions reviewed the prog- ress up to date of attack u}:)on the bill- board and smoke nuisances, calling out some able and discriminating state- ments of how to meet the legal difficul- ties in the way of regulating these grow- ing evils. Special emphasis was placed upon the strengthening of intelligent public opinion, and also upon securing from state legislatures ample powers to aid local authorities in abating such nuisances. There was one significant incident in the conference which showed that the superb spirit which made this associ- ation a large factor a few years ago in saving Niagara Falls is still alive. When it was reported that Letchworth Park in the Genesee Valley, accepted l>y the state of New York under conditions that were to preserve it forever inviohite as a pleasure resort for' ,the people, had been invaded by a proposal from a state commission for a great storage basin for the benefit of certain ])rivate interests, telegrams were prom])tly sent both to Gov. White and Gov. -elect Dix, protesting against the breach of 405 406 NEW BOSTON faith. This proposition, made four days after the death of Mr. Letchworth, ilhistrates the need of some vigilant body Hke the American Civic Associa- tion, to continually guard the possessions of the community against the covetous greed of self-seekers. In reviewing the remaining topics upon the crowded but well-balanced program, one finds the expected atten- tion to promoting the attractiveness of city environment, but is impressed with the direct approach now being made by the association to personal problems and the needs of individuals. Mrs. Bailey brought from Cleveland a most inter- esting report of the rapid progress during the year of junior civic leagues, in which, through the co-operation of school authorities, the scholars are being organized and admirably guided in the responsibilities of approaching citizen- ship. By training these youths to care for the special range of activities in- cluded in the association's program, a much broader education in all good citizenship is secured. Miss Louise Kleine Miller, also from Cleveland, reported the marvellous spread of the school garden and home garden move- ment. One of the most impressive portions of her address was the story of the proposed monument to the scores of children burned to death in the Col- linwood holocaust; this is to take the form not of a bare shaft of marble, but of an exquisite garden, with a fountain playing at the very spot where the most horrible relics of that disaster were found, with suitable colonnades to add im- pressiveness to the surroundings. In connection with this subject David Fairchild, in charge of the government's Bureau of Plant Industry, gave a val- uable illustrated lecture upon new plants for the people's gardens which are being brought from foreign lands and adapted to American surroundings, while J. Lockie Wilson, of Toronto, described the generous financial help given by the Canadian government to horticultural societies across the border. Deeply significant of the practical purpose of the association, and sug- gestive of the influence of the National City Planning Conference which has now held two annual sessions, was the giving of practically an entire day to the theme of city-planning. Bostonians should be gratified though not sur- prised to find that two names locally familiar, Frederick Law Olmsted and John Nolen, appeared upon this pro- gram. One session was presided over by Hon. Franklin MacVeagh, who has proved such a friend of the city -planning work in his own city of Chicago. In one of his remarks upon the general subject, Mr. MacVeagh, while giving due credit to the interest and activities of city officials in such matters, de- clared with emphasis that we have not yet reached the point where we can rely wholly upon such assistance, but that we must still have the help of outside ex- perts and of many unofficial volunteers. Mr. Olmsted's A B C of City-Planning was a worthy supplement to his address upon the general subject at Rochester last spring, an abstract of which ap- peared at the time in NEW BOSTON. Mr. Nolen made his points extremely effective by a well-chosen series of stereopticon slides, wherein pictured con- trasts spoke more loudly than any words. The views shown of Washington's pres- ent and prospective beauties were highly appreciated, as well as Clinton Rogers Woodruff's forceful utterances on city ideals. It iis noteworthy and most gratifying to find the civic association recognizing in this manner the large place which city-planning is destined to have in the near future in any satis- fying and comprehensive civic progress. The closing session of Friday after- noon was devoted to The Typhoid Fly, as this familiar resident of our homes was described. If it seemed to anyone perusing the program in advance that it was an exceedingly heavy battery turned upon an insignificant object, such an impression was dissipated by listening to the detailed indictment against this foe of health. The motion pictures added an effective climax to the afternoon's program, and the use of a special film, loaned in advance of its general sale to the public by the Edison Company, brought a most impressive close to the conference. This brief resume of the program indicates the many points in common between the American Civic Association THE WEST END LOOP 407 and agencies for the betterment of civic conditions included in the Boston-1915 movement. The chiims of this national body to a more intelligent and sub- stantial support were made clearly mani- fest in the synopsis of the report of the secretary, Richard B. Watrous. His skillful but unobtrusive management of the sessions shed light upon the effec- tive cause back of the progress of this last year, which has in nearly all points surpassed all previous records. There is a small but steadily diminishing debt, the legacy of the emergency campaign for saving Niagara Falls, which ought to be and probably will be removed in the near future. The report emphasized the campaign to save part of the Yosemite Park from the grasp of San Francisco's water department; the progress of the Saner Fourth campaign, henceforth to be designated as by Mayor Gaynor, "the old-fashioned Fourth"; the increas- ing appreciation on the part of com- mercial organizations of the importance of the civic association's work in pro- moting the material prosperity of the city; and a determination to conduct in various centers of the country, during the coming year, civic revivals, prac- tically modeled upon the Civic Advance Campaign just held by Boston-1915, whose executive secretary was accorded a place upon the program, and ample opportunity in private to answer many eager inquirers into the methods and progress of this latest experiment in co-operation. THE WEST END LOOP ALEXANDER WHITESIDE The drawing of the proposed subway known as the West End Loop shows a continuation of the Cambridge Tunnel, now being built to Park street, by means of a subway under the present Tremont Street subway to Scollay square, con- tinuing thence under Court street to Bowdoin square, and under Cambridge street to the Cambridge street end of the Cambridge tunnel, thus forming an en- largement of the Cambridge tunnel into a loop. The loop would have two tracks and be so designed as to permit trains to run in l^oth directions, so that al- ternately trains coming from Cambridge should run first, say, via Park street, Scollay square and Bowdoin square, and next, say, via Bowdoin square, Scollay square and Park street. It is planned to have stations at Park street, Scollay square, Bowdoin square and Charles street. This specific plan has been advocated during the past few months before the Joint Board of Railroad Commissioners and Transit Commissioners, to whom was referred the general subject matter of petitions for legislation filed last year by Edmund D. Codnian and others. The joint board will report to the in- coming legislature beforel January 1, and then it is up to the legislature to say what should be done. While this specific plan has been advo- cated, its advocates have expressly and repeatedly stated that they are not so wedded to it as to be unwilling to con- sider changes. What we desire is the betterment of conditions — real estate, business and social — in the Bowdoin square and Scollay square districts by means of better and fairer transporta- tion facilities, and any plan which will contribute to such betterment, in whole or in part, is just so much to the good. If anyone can suggest a better plan than our loop we shall be very grateful. It can be stated without fear of contra- diction that Scollay square has not had its share of transportation facilities as compared with Park street. It needs but one visit to Bowdoin square to satisfy an observer that that district has no modern means of rapid transit whatever, for surface cars in the center of a large city are 'not a modern means of rapid transit. At the hearings before the joint board 408 NEW BOSTON Pnopbstb Ci^MBFms Loop V7/7 PAFV Bowbom sq. CuY C Emcrson. it was conclusively proved, and not contradicted, that real estate values, rentals and business interests had actually depreciated and suffered in the Bowdoin square district on account of the lack of transportation facilities, and it was proved and not contradicted, that real estate at ScoUay square is not so valuable as real estate at Park street, and yet Scollay square is the most important single point in Boston, and the city itself has real estate valued at over ten millions of dollars within practically a stone's throw. The policy of the Boston Elevated Railroad to make Park street the prin- cipal receiving and distributing depot of its subway system has of course some advantages of economy from the point of view of the Elevated. It has, however, resulted in an unfair distribution of traffic, in forcing some people who would prefer to go elsewhere to go to Park street, and in an insufferable con- gestion at Park street and its vicinity both under and above ground. The consequence is that Park street has attained an artificial importance as a center, not justified by its location, and that real estate and business interests have been helped there far more than their share, at the sacrifice of real estate and business interests in other sections of the city, and to the resulting detri- ment of I3oston througli loss of taxes. And yet if the Boston Elevated is allowed its own way its plans will tend to increase rather than diminish this undesirable situation. Had the Elevated been wise enough, or had it been forced to consider as part of their transportation problems a fair distribution of traffic in various parts of the city, Boston would be better off than it is. It is not too late to effect a remedy, but it will be soon, if the Elevated is allowed to carry out its plans. I do not wish to be understood as blaming the Elevated for its attitude. Its duty is to its stockholders and it has used its best judgment, whether mistaken or not, in performing this duty. I am not convinced that the Elevated should be expected to show public spirit. So far in our campaign for the betterment of the West End district, the represen- tatives of the Elevated have given no indication whatever that they care whether their solution of transportation THE WEST END LOOP 409 problems ruined individual real estate owners and business people. I am not blaming the Elevated for this. I am merely stating a fact. But if it is not the part of the Elevated to consider such matters, it seems to me that they might very rightly be considered by the legislature and the people of Boston and vicinity. During the hearings before the joint board it was shown by the Elevated's own figures that there were actually more cars running over the Cambridge bridge to Bowdoin square than over the Harvard bridge to Park street, and that a larger number of passengers daily left such cars at Bowdoin square and ScoUay square than boarded Harvard bridge line cars at Park street. This would seem to indicate that more people desire to go from Cambridge to Bowdoin square and ScoUay square than to Park street, and yet the Elevated by building the tunnel under Beacon Hill to Park street proposes to wipe Bowdoin square off the map so far as transportation facilities are concerned; and, further, to make it much more difficult for people to go from Cambridge to Scollay square than from Cambridge to Park street. One of the features of the plan which we advocated was the removal of the present structure now standing in the center of Scollay square and the sub- stitution of more suitable ones which would not so interfere with traffic and business conditions. This is a very important matter and one which ought to be given thorough consideration. The Chamber of Commerce, after considering through one of its committees various suggestions for subways, in- cluding our general plan, decided that it would be wise to have a thorough study made by some duly authorized public board, or boards, of the whole street transportation problem of Boston and its vicinity, with a view to getting a comprehensive plan which would be for the best interests of all concerned. This is a very wise suggestion which ought to be vigorously and intelligently carried out; and if the legislature will authorize such a consideration and, pending it, will postpone all proposed subway plans, — including the subway from Park street to the South Station and thence to South Boston and Dor- chester, the Riverbank subway, the Boylston Street merchants' plan, and, of course, our plan, — I should be per- fectly wiUing to let our general plan, namely, the betterment by additional subway facilities of conditions in the Scollay square district, and the Bowdoin square district, take its chances in such a comprehensive study. I fully realize the burdens and obli- gations of the Elevated Railway and the difficult problems which it has to solve, and I can heartily commend much that the Elevated has done and does, but I think that it has gone astray on this question of a fair distribution of traffic in Boston, and I believe that public opinion, moderately and intelligently expressed, will bring the company to see the matter in its true light. THE BOYLSTON STREET SUBWAY PLAN CHARLES J. RICH Resident Manager HoUis Street Theater, Colonial and Park Theaters, Boston The article on the Riverbank subway, by March G. Bennett in your December issue, appears to me to be so much lieside the real issue as to require a reply. I take it that your very interesting magazine, NEW BOSTON, is to serve as a public forum, and as one interested in the general movement for a greater and better Boston, I am taking this occasion to express my views on present transportation suggestions. The matter of subways is of such vital importance at this time that it seems to me that every well-intentioned citizen of Greater Boston should give it his very best considera- tion. We must bear in mind as we read the statements in the Boston Elevated Rail- way Company's advertisements that the electric street car service, including the subways and elevated lines, has grown from a comparatively small proposition, serving an area within a radius of three miles approximately from the State House, to one serving an area of about ten miles; and in this larger district vastly more routes are now operated than was the case at the time when the Tremont Street Subway was built. This growth in the suburbs is the reason for the demand for improvements which will adequately supply rapid transit in the city proper through means of sub- ways. Every well-informed citizen must recog- nize that the real Boston is the social and commercial community composed of the people living within the whole metropolitan area lying within a radius of fifteen miles from the State House. The residents within this district are dependent upon Boston, and conversely, the interests of the center are dependent upon its suburban population to an even greater degree. Therefore, it must be recognized that the welfare of each is absolutely dependent upon the general and larger welfare of the whole. 1 wish expressly to deny that selfish in- terest should be considered, and I do not see that either the Boylston Street Merchants' Association or the plan which its members are furthering, has any- thing of this element of selfishness in it. Their opposition to the Riverbank Sub- way is simply the intelligent and un- selfish effort of well-intentioned people who are trying to save the community from taking a misconceived action which, if its misguided promoters are allowed to proceed with it, will forever stand as a monument underground of what selfish purpose may lead a community into. We must consider the future effect of any further extension both as regards business progress in the city proper and its utility to the suburbs. It cannot be said that I, whose interest is not in any way identified with Boylston street above Park Square, am advancing these views for selfish interest alone. I am speaking in the interest of the public. I am not one of those who decry the Boston Elevated system in any way and have no desire for notoriety. When, however, I see a plan so thoroughly feasible, reasonable and so remarkably efficient, I feel that it is my duty to raise my voice in its support. Besides combining the feature of a long way subway through a growing and well- improved business district and that of accommodation and express service by means of a four track way, the Boylston street plan presents a suggestion for relief at Park street by bringing the Cambridge line to Boylston street and Park Square. That is something that patrons of the theaters can appreciate from actual experience, as this change does away with the necessity of transferring 'at this point, with [ all the consequent danger and bother attending 410 THE BOYLSTON STREET SUBWAY PLAN 411 thereto, in order to get into the theater district. Anyone visiting the Park street station fifteen minutes before or after eight o'clock of an evening will appreci- ate the value of this suggestion. The South Station connection is an important element. When the Wash- ington street subway was built and opened to the public, a tremendous cry arose because there was no connection pro- vide with the South Station from Boyl- ston street. As a matter of fact the public was unfamiliar with the plans for the Washington Street Tunnel and its con- nections, and the newspai)ers must have been, for not a word was said about this lack until after the tunnel was opened. Then the newspapers gave a pretty thorough lashing to the authorities who were responsible for this oversight. The Boylston street station has al- ways been the recognized point from which connection should be made with the South Station. People of East Boston, Chelsea, Charlestown, Winthrop and other points to the north find it very inconvenient ito [[get into^ this section. This connection with the South Station will serve the purpose of effecting what will be practically a through line from the points north of Boston to points to the south and west. Daniel A. Griffin's estimate is that about 25,000 are affected daily or nightly by lack of such transit connections. The figure is modest. The people to the north of Boston find it very hard to get into the Back Bay district where so many important functions occur almost daily. I simply mention these few facts to show the great general value of the Boyl- ston street plan to the whole community. Its principle is right. It represents through service from the districts south and west to north and east without unduly pro- moting congestion at any point, while it has the advantage of relieving the con- gestion at Park street. Considerable talk has been made about what the Elevated will do regarding the unimportant question of stations on the Riverbank route; but as to the real question of what the Elevated must do, ^in consideration of ^ the rights and privileges which this corporation has obtained from the people, in regard to the general scheme and effort to improve the welfare and progress of this whole dis- trict, we hear decidedly little. One fact is pre-eminent above all others — that our electric lines center too much at one point and that point is Park street under the Common, there forming a terminal which is really a monster barrier to business progress. It is useless to claim that this is the fault of anyone, whether of the Boston Transit Commission, or the Boston Elevated Railway Company. The point is that this situation must be relieved and the plan which will best mitigate or remove this obstacle from the path of progress is the one to be pursued. While it is a fact that people from the western suburbs who will be served by the Riverbank Subway desire to get to Park street and should have the facilities for so doing, that item is only one part of the whole question. The Riverbank Subway offers only one possible advantage, that of rapid transit from and to Park street station, and does not in any way offer relief of that congested point. Its route is through a residential section whose population can best be served by sur- face lines rather than by subway, and people living there are sure to be dis- turbed in the daytime, and much more so at night, by the noise of heavy cars or trains. Through the strenuous demand of some in this very small section for stations en route, the one and only ad- vantage this route offers now bids fair to be lost. The Riverbank Subway was a make- shift alternative which was accepted by the Boston Elevated road as such, wdtli the understanding that tbey were to be relieved from the liability to contract for the lease of another subway to be built east of the Washington street tunnel, which Mr. Bennett not very naively states would have cost about five times as much, or about $15,000,000. It did not have the approval and was not suggested by the Transit Commission in its report back to the Legislature, while that board did suggest an extension of the original subway up Boylston street. The Riverbank Subway was acceptable to the residents of Newton, Brookline, Brighton, Allston and other sections in the suburbs affected because it was the 412 NEW BOSTON 07ily thing that, after years of effort on their 'part, they could obtain for rapid transit. Mr. Bennett indicates that the Boston Elevated Railway Company accepted this proposition simply to gain time, and says that the company still desires to postpone construction. Certainly it does, because it recognizes the futility of such a makeshift and incompetent proposi- tion. Mr. Bennett says that the Riverbank Subway is the cheapest of them all. It is; in fact it is too cheap. He further says that it solves for all time the old and irritating question of preserving Boston Common from further encroach- ment. If it does do this, it does it in a wrong way, because it further encroaches on space imder the Common nearer its center and under area occupied by grand and beautiful old trees, the life of which will certainly be in danger from the con- struction of the station and loop for the Riverbank Subway, even if on the sur- face not much greater space be taken for an outlet. I think it certain that if this route is extended to Park street, accommodation must be allowed and suitable entrances and exits provided, which will mean still further encroach- ment on the surface of the Common. Mr. Griffin of the Boylston Street Merchants' Association informs me that the figure of $3,700,000 was obtained from the acting chief engineer of the Boston Transit Commission; better au- thority in my opinion for information than the advertisements of the Boston Elevated Railway Company, which was the source of Mr. Bennett's information of $3,000,000 as the estimated cost of the Riverbank "tube." It is absurd for experts, let alone laymen, to be too positive as to questions of cost in matters of this kind. Now the Boston Transit Commission, I understand, states that the Riverbank Subway will exceed the board's estimate of $3,700,000 and that it may cost more than $4,000,000. I am inclined to agree with Mr. Griffin on the question of damages, which, under the Riverbank act, clearly allows broad claims, and the totals stated may not be far wrong. At the hearing before the Boston Transit Com- mission given to the committee of prop- erty owners, for consideration of the relocation of the western outlet, where at least a score expressed their views, this question of damages was not the least one discussed. But the element of cost is of no account whatsoever if the results obtained shall be efficient in the greatest degree as in the proposed Boylston street plan. Mr. Bennett's statement that the Boylston street plan is "merely the hastily sketched plan of an engineer hired for the purpose" is very amusing, when that plan has absolutely every advantage without an objectionable feat- ure, and supplies the maximum of efficiency not only for the present, but for all time in the future. Besides serv- ing every element of transportation for which it is designed, it conserves the property and business interest of nearly thirty-five per cent of the total property value of the city without causing loss to anyone. I will not undertake to go into a comparison between the two plans, but will simply advise readers of this maga- zine to obtain copies of the November and December issues and to read Mr. Griffin's article and contrast his fair, simple statement wdth the remarks of Mr. Bennett. No public improvement has had the unqualified editorial support of the press to the extent enjoyed by the Boylston street plan. I am in favor of the Boyls- ton street plan, and write simply to do my duty as a good citizen in favor of a plan worthy, in my opinion, of the sup- port of every good citizen. THE BOY SCOUT MOVEMENT There is some confusion as to the ex- act origin of the boy scout idea, but it seems quite clear that credit for the de- velopment of the movement should be shared by Ernest Thompson-Seton and Lieut. -Gen. Sir Robert S. S. Baden- Powell. Any controversy between these gentlemen as to their relative interest is now harmonized and they are working in hearty co-operation. Special features of Thompson-Seton's early woodcraft and scouting work have been adopted by Gen. Baden-Powell, and many of the features of Gen. Baden-Powell's English Scout Movement have been adopted by Thompson-Seton in the Boy Scouts of America. The Boy Scout Movement in England assumed definite shape early in 1908, but it was not until early in 1910 that the movement appeared positively in the United States, when various movements in different parts of the country sprang up almost simultaneously. The Boy Scouts of America was in- corporated in the District of Columbia, February 8, 1910. The American Boy Scout was incor- porated in the state of New York in June, 1910. Other organizations early in the field were the Boy Scouts of the United States, under the leadership of the Na- tional Highway Protective Association of New York, directed by Col. Peter S. Bomus, the National Boy Scouts or- ganized by General Verbeck, of the Military School at Manlius, N. Y. Organizations such as the Boy Pio- neers, or the Sons of Daniel Boone, the Woodcraft Indians, and others all hav- ing as a principal motive the scouting idea, have sprung up in various places. Most of them are distinctly local in character, like our own Boston City Guard, organized by Frank O. Carpenter, of the English High School. The Boy Scouts of the United States, the National Boy Scouts, the Boy * This paper was read on December 6 at a meeting held in the City Club to explain the boy scout movement. The committee that prepared the report consisted of Samuel Shuman, Edwin Mulready, Arthur A. Wordell, Arthur Adams and Frank L. Locke. Pioneers and the Woodcraft Indians have consolidated with the Boy Scouts of America. Outside of the two organizations, the Boy Scouts of America and the i\.merican Boy Scout, the organizations not al- ready consolidated with one of these organizations are distinctly local in character and seem to call for no special comment. . . . The striking similarity in title adopted by the two leading organizations. Boy Scouts of America and Ameiican Boy Scouts, has led to no little confusion. Magazine and newspaper articles as well as statements and letters of promi- nent men, referring to the general scout idea, or perhaps endorsing particularly one of the leading organizations, have undoubtedly been misconstrued as special endorsement of the other organization. The Boy Scouts of America was in- corporated by W. D. Boyce, Edward S. Stewart and Stanley Willis, in the Dis- trict of Columbia, February 8, 1910. Meetings were held during the early spring and summer culminating in the formation of a national committee and opening of headquarters at 124 East Twenty-eighth street. New York City, on June 1, 1910. The president of the United States, William H. Taft, is the honorary president, and Colonel Theo- dore Roosevelt, the honorary vice-presi- dent. The present board of managers is W. D. Boyce, Chicago; Colin H. Living- stone, Washington, D. C; George D. Pratt, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn; Morti- mer L. Schiff, Kuhn, Loeb & Co., New York City; Wm. D. Murray, Plainfield, N. J.; Seth Sprague Terry, Montclair, N. J.; Lucien T. Warner, Bridgeport, Conn.; Frank Presbrey; Lee F. Hanmer and E. M. Robinson, New York City, and ex ojficio, Ernest Thompson-Seton; Adjutant General William Verbeck, state of New York; Dan Beard, Flushing, L. I.; and Col. Peter S. Bomus, of New York City. The American Boy Scout was incor- porated by William R. Hearst, James F. McGrath and James R. O'Beirne, in the state of New York, in June, 1910. 413 414 NEW BOSTON The first meeting for organization was held in May in New York City. The honorary vice-presidents and founders are, Col. John Jacob Astor, William K. Vanderbilt, Jr., Major-Gen. Fred D. Grant, G. Otis Draper, Lieut. - Gen. Nelson A. Miles, Henry Clews, Gen. E. A. McAlpin, William G. Mc- Adoo, Lieut. -Gen. Adna R. Chaffee, Jefferson Seligman, Mortimer L. Schiff, Chauncey M. Depew, William Nelson Cromwell, Cornelius N. Bliss, Bradley Martin, Jr., Gen. Edward L. Molineux, John Miles, Robert V. Van Cortlandt, James W\ Gerard, V. Everit Macy, Samuel McRoberts, Dr. Edward Weston, Simon N. Rothschild, William B. Walker, J. A. Goulden and Jacob C. Schiff. The following departments have been organized : Department of Atlantic, headquarters, 239 Broadway, New York City. De- partment of Middle W^est, headquarters, Chicago, 111. Department of Northwest, headquarters, San Francisco, Cal. De- partment of Southwest, headquarters, Los Angeles, Cal. The ofiicers of the Department of Atlantic are William R. Hearst, presi- dent; Jefferson M. Levy, first vice- president; Charles P. Devare, second vice-president; James R. O'Beirne, treas- urer and James F. McGrath, secretary, and they also serve at present as the national committee. Organization was begun in Boston in June, but not completed until August or September. The Department of New England has established headquarters at 5 Bromfield street, with the following committee: Gen. William H. Oakes, M.V.M., retired, chief department scout; Charles W. Birtwell, Children's Aid Society; Major P. F. O'Keefe, M.V.M., retired; Rev. A. H. Wheelock, pastor Marlboro Congregational Church, Chap- lain State Grange; Lieut. A. P. Coleman, Adjutant General Boys Brigade; and with George H. Gordon, Boston American, as secretary. The objects of the Boy Scouts of America according to paragraph 3 of the Articles of Incorporation reads: "The particular business and objects of the so- ciety are to organize the boys of the District of Columbia and elsewhere in the United States, into units, and to teach them, or cause them to be taught, through duly designated leaders, discipline, patriotism, courage, habits of observation and self-control and ability to care for themselves in all exigencies of life." Article 2 of the American Boy Scout constitution reads : "The object of this association shall be: The mental, moral and physical training of the American boy; the inculcation of obedience and loyalty to parents, to superiors and employers; the protection of girls and women; adherence to the Scout's Oath and Law, and fealty to Country and the Flag, and as specified in the certificate of incorporation of this Association." The motto of the Boy Scouts of Amer- ica is "Be prepared," and of the American Boy Scout, "Semper Paratus" — always prepared. The Boy Scouts of iVmerica requires that "Before he becomes a scout a boy must take the scout's oath, thus: "On my honor I promise that I will do my best. 1. To do my duty to God and my country. 2. To help other people at all times. 3. To obey the scout law." The scout law is: 1. A scout's honor is to be trusted. If a scout were to break this honor by telling a lie, or by not carrying out an order exactly when trusted on his honor to do so, he may be directed to hand over his scout badge, and never to wear it again. He may also be directed to cease to be a scout. 2. A scout is loyal to his country, his officers, his parents, and his employers. He must stick to them through thick and thin against anyone who is their enemy or who even talks badly of them. 3. A scout's duty is to be useful and to help others. He must be prepared at any time to save life or to help injured persons. And he must try his best to do a good turn to somebody every day. 4. A scout is a friend to all, and a brother to every other scout, no matter to what social class the other belongs. A scout must never be a snob. A snob is one who looks down upon another because he is poorer, or who is poor and resents another because he is rich. A scout accepts the other man as he finds him, and makes the best of him. 5. A scout is courteous. That is, he is polite to all, but especially to women and children, and old people and invalids, cripples, etc. And he must not take any reward for being helpful or courteous. 6. A scout is a friend to animals. He should save them as far as possible from pain, and should not kill any animal unnecessarily. Killing an animal for food is allowable. 7. A scout obeys orders of his parents, patrol leader, or scout master without question. Even if he gets an order he does not like he must do as soldiers and sailors do, he must carry it out all the same because it is his duty; and after he has done it he can come and state any reasons THE BOY SCOUT MOVEMENT 415 against it; but he must carry out the order at once. That is discipline. 8. A scout smiles and whistles under all cir- cumstances. ^Mien he gets an order he should obey it cheerily and readily, not in a slow, hang dog sort of way. Scouts never grumble at hard- ships, nor whine at each other, nor swear when put out. The punishment for swearing or using bad language is for each offense a mug of cold water to be poured down the offender's sleeve by the other scouts. It was the punishment invented by the old scout, Captain John Smith, three hun- dred years ago. 9. A scout is thrifty, that is, he saves every penny he can and puts it into the bank, so that he ma J' have money to keep himself when out of work, and thus not make himself a burden to others; or that he may have money to give away to others when they need it. The Boy Scouts of America divides its membership into three classes as follows : TENDERFOOT A boy on joining the Boy Scouts must pass a test in the following points before taking the oath: Know the scout's laws and signs, and salute. Know the composition of the national flag and the right way to fly it. Tie four out of the following knots: Reef, sheet bend, clove hitch, bowline, middleman's, fisher- man's, sheep-shank. He then takes the scout's oath, and is enrolled as a Tenderfoot, and is entitled to wear the button- hole badge. SECOND-CLASS SCOUT Before being awarded the second-class scout's badge a Tenderfoot must pass the following tests: 1. Have at least one months service as a Tender- foot. 2. Elementary first aid and bandaging. 3. Signaling, elementary knowledge of sema- phore or Morse alphabet. 4. Track a half mile in twenty-five minutes; or, if in a town, describe satisfactorily the contents of one store window out of four, observed for one minute each, 5. Go a mile in twelve minutes at "scout's pace." C. Lay and light a fire, using not more than two matches. 7. Cook a quarter of pound of meat and two potatoes without cooking utensils other than the regulation billy. 8. Have at least twenty-five cents in a savings bank. 9. Know- the si.xt'een principal points of the compass. FIRST-CLASS SCOUT Before being awarded a first-class scout's badge, a scout must pass the following tests, in addition to the tests laid down for second-class scouts. 1. Swim fifty yards (N. B. — This may be omitted where the doctor certifies that bathing is dangerous to the boy's health, in which case he must run a mile in eight minutes, or perform some equivalent selected by the scoutmaster.) 2. Must have fifty cents at least in the savings bank. 3. Signaling. Send and receive a message either in semaphore or Morse, sixteen letters per minute. 4. Go on foot, or row a boat, alone to a point seven miles away and return again; or, if conveyed by any vehicle or animal, go to a distance of fifteen miles and back, and write a short report on it. It is preferable that he .should take two days over it. 5. Describe or show the proper means for saving life in case of two of the following accidents (al- lotted by the examiners); Fire, drowning, runaway carriage, sewer gas, ice breaking, or bandage an injured patient, or revive apparently drowned person. 6. Cook satisfactorily two out of the following dishes, as may be directed: Porridge, bacon, hunter's stew, or skin and cook a rabbit, or pluck and cook a bird. Also make a "damper" of half a pound of flour or a "twist" baked on a thick stick. 7. Read a map correctly and draw an intelligent rough sketch map. Point out a compass di- rection without the help of a compass. 8. Use an axe for felling or trimming light tim- ber; or as an alternative, produce an article or carpentry or joinery or metal work, made by him- self, satisfactorily. 9. Judge distance, size, numbers and height within 25 per cent error. 10. Bring a Tenderfoot trained by himself in the points required for a tenderfoot. Care is taken that only those boys properly certified by scout masters or authorized committees may use the uniform or badges denoting the various grades of accomplishment. It is required of those furnishing uniforms that they sell only on presentation by purchaser of a properly signed certificate. The American Boy Scout in Articles 18 and 19 of the constitution reads: Article XVIII. "Boys of good character, between the ages of twelve and eighteen, who subscribe to the scout law and take the scout oath, shall be eligible to membership in county and state branches. Existing cadet corps, boys' clubs, athletic associ- ations and other organizations whose purpose is the upbuilding of character and physique of the American boy shall be eligible to membership in county and state branches by subscribing to the scout law, and oath, and as herein provided. Such organizations may preserve their individual uni- forms if they so desire, provided there is attached thereto the scout badge. Article XIX. Enlistments shall be for a term of one year for the first enlistment, and for one year or more in all succeeding enlistments. Enlistments shall be made on approved enlistment blanks, and shall be countersigned by the applicants* parents or guar- dian. Written application for membership with endorsed approval of parent or guardian and subscription by the ap- plicant to the scouts' oath and the scout law is required. The oath is identical with that of the 416 NEW BOSTON Boy Scouts of America, and its scout law is the same save for slightly different wording of perhaps two or three para- graphs and the addition of the para- graph: "A scout is the protector of girls and women at all times — ^and he holds this a sacred duty." It will be noted that in addition to subscription to the scout law and taking the scout's oath, substantially the same in both organizations, the Boy Scouts of America require for admission the pass- ing of certain mental and manual tests, and that promotion in the different grades of membership is dependent on the successful passing of like prescribed tests. It is difficult to obtain accurate figures, but the New York office of the Boy Scouts of America report a membership of something over 250,000 with some 3,000 leaders. The Boston headquarters of the American Boy Scout estimates a total enrollment of 100,000 with some over 15,000 in New England and up- wards of 5,000 in greater Boston, In the earlier days of the movement, enrollment in the American Boy Scout was more rapid than in the other or- ganization from the fact that in the Boy Scouts of America, great stress has been laid on perfecting the organization, in securing the proper leaders before attempting to organize any groups, while in the American Boy Scout the stress has been laid upon first getting together large groups of boys to prove to the public the demand for the movement, and then perfecting the organization by selection of suitable leaders. In this connection Mr. Gordon, sec- retary of the Department of New Eng- land, of the American Boy Scout, states that Mr. Hearst in speaking to their Boston committee at the time of its formation, said the only reason for starting the American Boy Scout was that apparently nothing was being done and he felt the movement should be taken up by men of large influence and given wide publicity. On the other hand we have the statement of Mr. Robinson of the Boy Scouts of America Committee that he was present at what he under- stood to be the first meeting of the American Boy Scout Committee in New York, and notified the committee of the work of the Boy Scouts of America and protested against the formation of a second organization. Both organizations solicit the member- ship of existing boys' clubs, athletic associations, settlement groups and Other groups working with boys, and such organizations are allowed to preserve their identity and the pursuit of their particular lines of endeavor conforming only to the main principles of the scout idea. From the literature and from the names of the leaders of the two move- ments, the impression is given that in the American Boy Scout the military feature is more prominent than in the Boy Scouts of America. Both organizations are non-sectarian. The impression that the Boy Scouts of America is under the control of the Young Men's Christian Association is incorrect. The location of the New York office of the Boy Scouts of America in the Twenty-eighth street building of the Young Men's Christian Association, and the fact that Mr. Alexander, the managing secretary of the Boy Scouts, left a position with the Christian Association of Phila- delphia, to take up the scout work, may have been in part at least the cause of this misunderstanding. Communica- tions from the Boy Scouts of America and from the National Committee of the Young Men's Christian Association received in answer to your committee's inquiry are submitted herewith. The committee finds that the location of the National Headquarters of the Boy Scouts of America in the Young Men's Christian Association building was oc- casioned by a business arrangement advantageous to the Boy Scouts Com- mittee, rather than on account of any affiliation with the Young Men's Chris- tian Association and that Mr. Alexander has at present no official connection with the association. A METROPOLITAN CITY PLAN BOJ^TOTM '^ !- ij t:. i V t iJ j ^^'^ ' 4 19 11 1' ^ ll^ V. «^1 51l_ ffUBUI.51iED BYBOvSTOM I9I5IMC_ 6 BEAC07SI v5T- D03T0AI .MA3JV3A— CENT3 A COPV- ONI. D OLLAILA OL. 1 FEBRUARY, 1911 NO. 10 THE CALL OF WINTER LIGHT Light and Heat— SOFT, NATURAL, STRONG, ^I^Q LIGHT, and QUICK, POWERFUL HEAT— these lip A-r are the requirements of the crisp, short days of Fall and Winter. JHE The MANTLE GAS LAMP, with its POWER- MANTLE FUL, YET SOFT AND WHITE LIGHT meets the I A M P ^^^^ need most satisfactorily. Varying in size from the 25 c. p. lamp costing l-12c per hour, to the gas arc lamp of 500 c. p. costing 1 3-lOc per hour, the gas lamp fills every demand of artistic home or exacting office and factory. THE GAS ^^^ ^^S STEAM RADIATOR, giving a STEAM STRONG STEADY FLOW OF HEAT, is AUTO- R A n I ATO R MATICALLY REGULATED by its own steam pres- sure to the lowest possible gas consumption. ECO- NOMICAL AND EFFICIENT, it is particularly well fitted for long-hour service in business and house alike. Til p OA^ "^^^ GAS LOG, with its cheery blaze, gives an I Qp INSTANT, POWERFUL HEAT, quickly dispelling the chill of early morning. Just the thing for bedroom, dining room, library and office. Gas heaters are supplied in a great variety of forms, for every use. Send for a representative. BOSTON CONSOLIDATED GAS COMPANY Telephone Commercial Department, Oxford 1690 24 West Street NEW BOSTON A Chronicle of Progress in Developing a Greater and Finer City — Under the Auspices of the Boston-1915 Movement VOL. I FEBRUARY, 1911 No. 10 CONTENTS NOTE AND COMMENT 419 THE CITY PLANNING REPORT 419 A METROPOLITAN PROBLEM 419 TO PROTECT THE MILK SUPPLY 420 POWERS OF MILK INSPECTION 420 A PUBLIC LANDING, OLD AND NEW 421 A NEW COLLEGE COURSE 421 GOVERNOR FOSS'S MESSAGE 422 CIVIC AUDITORIUMS 42.2 A SOUND CIVIC INVESTMENT Emil Seidel 423 THE GREATER BOSTON FEDERATION OF CHURCHES Rev. E. T. Root 424 THE CAMPAIGN FOR GOOD EYESIGHT Henry Copley Greene 425 NEED OF MORE PRACTICAL EXAMINATIONS BY THE STATE BOARD OF REGISTRATION IN MEDICINE Richard C. Cabot, M. D.. 430 PLANNING FOR THE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT Arthur A. Shurtleff 432 THE WAYFARER AND THE PUBLIC IN BOSTON George L. Warren 435 COMPENSATION FOR INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS Carroll W. Doten 440 BOSTON'S HOUSING LAWS Edward T. Hartman 443 CO-OPERATIVE INFORMATION BUREAU G. W. Lee 446 REVIVING THE SPIRIT OF THE " LITTLE RED SCHOOLHOUSE "John W. DeBruyn 449 THE NEW Y. M. C. A. BUILDING George W. Mehaffey 454 CONVENIENCE STATIONS AND DRINKING FOUNTAINS 455 WHAT THE AUTO HAS DONE FOR BOSTON Chester I. Campbell 457 Published Monthly by Boston-1915, Inc. 6 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass., U. S. A. Subscription rates: $1.00 per annum; club rate for twenty or more subscriptions from any organ- ization devoted to civic or social improvement, sent in one list, fifty cents per copy per annum. Single copies, 10 cents each. Entered as second-class matter at the Boston Post Office JAMES P. MUNROE, Editor-in-Chief LEWIS E. PALMER, Managing Editor RAYMOND P. EMMONS. Advertising Manager NEW BOSTON ATLANTIC DECORATING CO. BOSTON. MASS. Main Offices 5 Park Square Branch ----- 529 Tremont Temple Warehouses - - - 80 Farnham St., Roxbury Architects and Constructors of All the Noted Shows in Boston For Designs and Estimates address E. W. CAMPBELL, General Manager 545 Washington Street Boston, Mass. B. F. KEITH'S BIJOU THEATRE Open dally from 9.30 A. M. to 10.30 P. M. Sunday 6.30 to 10.30 P. M. TO THE PUBLIC: The Bijou aims to provide a varied, artistic and wholesome entertainment designed to appeal to people of intelligence, presented amid well-ordered sur- roundings and offered to the public for a small admission. That the Bijou is a pioneer in demonstrating the artistic possibilities of the picture theatre is the opinion of many discriminating critics. All who disapprove of The Moving Picture Theatre and do not believe in its existence, are invited to visit the Bijou, at 545 Washington Street. Although we show motion pictures, we do not run a " Moving Picture Show." PROGRAMME Motion Pictures at their Best The subjects carefully selected, and includ- ing the work of the leading American and European producers. Camera Chats By a trained reader, on interesting phases of life at home and abroad. Stereopticon Views Events of local and world-wide interest pic- tured in specially made slides. One-Act Plays Revivals and New Plays — the best example of the short drama, carefully produced. IVIusic Vocal and Instrumental Solos; high-grade but not too classical; pleasing but not too commonplace. A special effort is made to have music ac- companying the pictures well rendered and inter- pretive. JOSEPHINE CLEMENT, Manager In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON New Boston FEBRUARY, 1911 //////^/^////////////////r/////////////////////////////r^^ryy^/xf^ / NOTE AND COMMENT The City Planning Report ACTTY plan that includes the met- ropolitan development of transit facilities, a safe and adequate water supply for future needs, the reservation of land and building sites for jjublic uses, better building and sanitary laws and an extension of the right of eminent domain, is printed on another page of this maga- zine. The report, which is the result of months of study by the City Planning Conference of Boston-1915, is based on the need for co-operative action in the development of the towns and cities comprising the metropolitan district. To carry out its plan the committee suggests that the improvements be en- trusted to "properly constituted state or metropolitan authorities using as far as possible authorities now in existence, but giving additional powers and creat- ing new authorities where necessary." No question could come before Boston- 1915 that has more direct bearing on the successful work of its constituent organi- zations than this problem of city planning. Good housing, recreation, playgrounds, ])ure water, prevention of congestion, minimizing the danger from conflagra- tion, better transportation h\ car, train and road — all are bound uj) in a properly conceived and carefully worked out city plan. The Providence Board of Trade is advocating a city plan and this idea of co-operation between commercial and social agencies was thus expressed by the secretary at the annual meeting of the board : Svich a plan as is indefinitely today in the minds of many of our active business men ean only be begun in a healthy manner by co-operation on the part of all bodies which are related in any way to the future moral as well as physical and business growth of the city. Labor as well as capital, church and state, charity and philanthropy, art and in- dustry, manufacture and trade, health and educa- tion, are all interested factors in the plan for the future, and they must all co-operate if the city plan is to be successful. A Metropolitan Problem SYLVESTER BAXTER, Secretary of the Metropolitan Improvement League, has made valuable comment on the committee's report in which he emphasizes two important factors — action by public authorities and the importance of treating the whole question as a metropolitan problem. Mr. Baxter says: I am pleased to see in the report of the Boston- 191.5 City Planning committee the fruit of a most intelligent study of the problems involved, set forth concisely, comprehensively, and with a broad understanding of the subject. It pleases me all the more since it is quite in line with the report of the Metropolitan Improvements Commission, of which I was secretary. One of the most difficult factors in the case is the fact that all the elements are interrelated, and must be co-ordinated. The committee has appreciated this, as its work shows. The next thing is to impress it upon the public. Then comes the most formidable part of the task: to get the public authorities to realize the fact and act accordingly. Failure to do this has been at the bottom of the piecemeal, unrelated methods where- by the most of our problems in public improvements have been dealt with, entailing an appalling waste and inefficiency. The whole (juestion must be dealt with on a distinctively metropolitan basis, and to that end, of course, there must be a metro, politan organization with all these results in view- For instance, the highly important problem of docks, which means the most efficient use of the port facilities with which nature has endowed Boston so superbly, requires that the railroad prob- lem be considered very carefully in connection with it, in order to secure the most practical and econ- omical lavout and use of terminal facilities. In 419 420 NEW BOSTON siK'h ways it will be found that every element has an important relation to some other element and perhaps to every other element. To Protect the Milk Supply THE bill now before the Massachusetts Legislature, "to promote the public health by protecting the supply of milk for sale and insuring the cleanliness of such supply, and its freedom from in- fectious germs and other harmful quali- ties" ])laces the power of ins])ection in tlie State Board of Health, and if passed will give every reasonable assurance to the consumer regarding the produc- tion, transportation and storage of milk intended for sale. According to this measure all regulations made by the state board shall be submitted to the Dairy Bureau of the State Board of Agriculture before they go into effect, and shall be sent to every dealer holding a license and to every registered pro- ducer. All producers shall be licensed by the state board, and only licensed ])roducers shall be allowed to sell milk. All dealers shall be required to register with the State Board of Health the name and address of every producer from whom he obtains milk. Every dealer must also keep a complete list of his producers, a list which shall be open for examination at all times. Pro- vision is also made for reserving to cities which are now doing the work well, the right to continue their own inspection. The state board shall be given power to revoke licenses after a hearing at which the applicant or licensee shall have full opportimity to be heard and to present evidence in his own behalf. In order to carry out the provisions of the act the state board shall establish a milk division which shall in addition to the new ])owers conferred, perform the duties now imposed upon milk in- spectors. This milk division shall con- sist of a chief at a salary of $5,000; an assistant chief at a salary of $3,000; and a chief inspector at a salary of $2,500. The state board is further authorized to employ at least twenty inspectors at an annual salary of not more than $1,800. The state board is authorized to expend for salaries, expenses, travel, etc., a siHU not exceeding $100,000 annually. Powers of Milk Inspection THE State Board of Health shall be authorized to inspect all places in which milk is stored or kept for sale, and all vehicles used for the transportation of milk intended for sale, and to take samples for investigation. The pro- ducer outside of the state will have the same inspection as the state producer. Uniformity will assist the Massachusetts producer by cutting out unfair competi- tion. In any case where samples are taken, however, a portion shall be de- livered to the owner of the milk and a receipt obtained. The state board shall have the authority to dispose of milk unfit for sale, compensating the owner at prevailing wholesale prices. The regulations made under this act may contain provisions for: 1. Establishing standards for milk, skim milk and cream, below which the sales thereof respec- tively shall be illegal. 2. Establishing different grades of milk, skim milk and cream which may be sold. .3. Requiring the use of score cards in inspecting dairies and dairy farms and other places where milk is produced as well as the places of business of all licensed dealers; one copy of said score card to be left at the place inspected, the other to be filed with the said board. 4. Providing for the inspection once a year or oftener of the places of business of licensed dealers and registered producers. .5. Stating the conditions under which licenses under this act may l)e suspended or revoked. 6. Providing for the proper marking or labeling of vessels in which milk, skim milk and cream is sold or offered for sale and against the misbranding or mislabeling of such vessels. 7. Providing against adulteration of milk, skim milk or cream. 8. Specifying the diseases which may render milk considered unwholesome or dangerous for human consumption. For selling without a license or for selling adulterated, misbranded or mis- labeled milk, a fine of not less than $5 or more than $100, or by imprisonment for not more than 30 days is imposed. The act also provides that any official of the milk division or employee of the board who assists in any violation oi the act shall be pimished by a fine of not less than $1^5 or not more [than $300. NOTE AND COISIMENT 421 PhMtMj;rai,h b Ilisturic I'liotof^raph C,. IJOSTOxXS "WATER GATE" IN 17GS From a drawing by Paul Revere A Public Landing, Old and New IN the new cover design which was used for the first time on the January magazine, the artist, Mr. I. B. Hazleton, lias caught the spirit of what might have been, and, with limitations, of what may still be. New York is to have a beautiful water-gate at 116th Street. Other cities, notably Rio de Janeiro, have taken advantage of opportunities for artistic water front development. Mr. Hazleton's drawing shows a great public landing, flanked by columns which are surmounted by winged victories. A noble avenue leads from the harbor, through the old north section, razed of its outworn buildings, to the State House. In the foreground on the left stands the new Custom House, and on the riglit the lio])ed-for Civic Building. Quite different from the artist's dream was the old-time public landing, pictured in Paul Revere's drawing of 1708. But the "city planners" of that day provided for a water-gate and for an avenue lead- ing to the Old State House. Both artists are picturiug the same general idea — one a vision, the other a reality. Is the visiop prophetic.^ A New College Course TO Harvard University belongs the credit of announcing the first course on \ ocational Guidance ever given in a college. The Harvard faculty has re- cently voted to have Meyer Bloomfield, the director of the Vocation Bureau, give a course of ten lectures at the Summer School next Jidy. This is recog- nition from a high source of the value of sane and expert vocational direction in the schools of our country. The Harvard course will be open to qualified teachers and school officials. While Harvard is first in the field with a course, the l^niversity of Wisconsin, with its usual alertness, has arranged for a public meeting in Milwaukee on Fel>ruary "i, at which Mr. Bloomfield is to speak, and later to confer with the city officials who are interested in the Boston plan of school guidance. The Harvard course will deal with both the theory and prac- tice of vocational direction. Lectures, conferences, and readings will make up the course. If a new profession is in the process of development, that of vocational counselor, to Harvard University will NEW BOSTON belong the credit of initiating the train- ing and the standards required of the practitioner. Governor Foss's Message THE message of Governor Foss pre- sented to the General Court on January 5 has the great merit of brevity and , on most of the subjects which it treats, plainness of speech. It is not for NEW Boston to deal with the political ques- tions which the message raises, but many of its other features are of immediate concern to every constituent organiza- tion of Boston-1915. Three planks of the Governor's plat- form are especially notable — his em- phasis upon the fundamental importance of publicity, his insistence upon ad- ministrative co-operation and his plea for a preventive rather than a corrective policy in dealing with the so-called wards of the state. If democracy is to cope with the immensely complicated problems of modern life, all the people must know and understand what its public servants and its quasi-public servants are doing. Moreover, if New England is to maintain her social and economic leadership there must be an end to local jealousies and to rivalries between authorities, so that all agencies, official and unofficial, may work together to promote her material and moral welfare. In this connection, it is significant that the Governor devotes so much attention to the city of Boston, thus indicating his belief that largely upon the welfare of this great port of entry depend the growth and prosperity of the important region which it serves. He raises large questions regarding terminal facilities, the opening of water- ways, the creation of a "Real Boston" and the control of quasi-public corpora- tions; but they are problems which must be settled and settled promptly if Massa- chusetts is to develop as she ought. It is interesting, as an indication of the rapid advance of modern thought, that the Governor, in presenting recom- mendations as to hours of labor, work- men's compensation and industrial edu- cation, does so as a matter of course; and that most of such utterances in his inaugural have been pronounced by the press in general, conservative. From the viewpoint of Boston-1915 perhaps the most significant statement is the following, concerning the chari- table and correctional institutions of the commonwealth. "While it must ever remain our fixed duty to protect these helpless ones, yet immediate steps should be taken to prevent such a large and in- creasing number of persons from losing the power of self-support, either through mental, moral or physical sickness, or through that industrial in- efficiency which leads to pauperism. "We should seek out all the causes which result in the loss of personal independence and self-sup- porting power, and apply scientific measures of personal help to all who are drifting toward our public institutions. This is the greatest problem at present confronting us." The promotion, through co-operative activity, of every rational preventative measure against ignorance, disease, in- competence, pauperism and crime, is the main purpose of the whole Boston- 1915 movement. In recognizing the absolute inter- dependence of questions of business and questions of social well-being, the governor's message is in itself notable. It is significant, moreover, as an index of the rapidly growing acceptance of the fundamental belief of Boston-1915 that the material and the social welfare of the commimity must be advanced simultaneously and that all who are working for either type of progress nuist combine their forces in every possible way. Civic Auditoriums MAYOR SEIDEL'S article on another page of this number, together with the additional facts presented in the August and September issues of NEW Boston show that Milwaukee and St. Paul have come to look upon their audi- toriums as necessary parts of the com- munities' civic machinery. Three of the largest civic auditoriums in the coimtry — those at Milwaukee, St. Paul and Denver — were each success- fully financed by different methods. Milw^aukee secured its building through private subscription and city appropria- tions; St. Paul raised its funds by private subscription and Denver issued $650,000 in bonds. The Denver Auditorium has a seating capacity of thirty-three himdred in its NOTE AND COMMENT 423 theatre, and of twelve thousaiui in the auditorium proper when the various rooms are thrown open. The theatre rents for $300 a night and the entire building for $600 a night, or on a per- centage basis. No admission is charged for meetings of a public nature, and although in the first year of operation the receipts were about eleven thousand dollars less than the operating expenses, owing largely to the use of the building for large public gatherings, Denver Municipal Facts says that the auditorium "paid a big dividend in 1909 and the masses have acknowledged receipt. The worth of the Auditorium to Denver is not measured by dollars, but those who desire to figure it in that way can do so by charging a rental for free band concerts on Sunday, the N. E. A. convention, Trans-Mississippi Congress, Mechanics' Convention, Taft meeting. National Street Railway convention, free enter- tainments for children, etc., and then provide funds from the general revenue to pay the same. The figures would be changed, but the net results would be the same." The receipts for 1910 were $28,016.13 and the expenditures $32,952.49. For twenty weeks of the fall and winter the theatre has been rented to the Shuberts at $800 a week. A SOUND CIVIC INVEST- MENT EMIL SEIDEL Mayor of Milwaukee IN response to your request for a state- ment from me regarding the worth of the Milwaukee xVuditorium as a civic investment, after scanning the record of operations for the first year of the auditorium's existence, I am inclined to sum up by asking — "How did we ever get along without it?" Possibly the best evidence of the value of the Milwaukee Auditorium as an asset to the municipality which I could present to you, may be gleaned from the frequency of its use. The building was finished and dedicated in September, 1909. During its first year it was oc- cupied for various purposes as follows: Industrial and Educational exhibits. , . .57 Conventions 35 Meetings, social, religious, fraternal and political 188 Lectures 13 Concerts and Dances 44 Circus 8 Athletic Entertainments 5 Miscellaneous 8 358 The physical arrangement of the building and accommodations afforded therein were, I understand, covered by an article contributed by the manager, Joseph C. Grieb, which appeared in the September, 1910, issue of New Boston, so that your readers have a good insight into the facilities and ac- commodations provided in the Mil- waukee Auditorium. The several halls were used during the year as follows: Main auditorium 98 times Smaller halls in Annex 256 Basement under main hall ... 4 Entire building 17 days It was found that on several occasions when industrial exhibitions were held, the main hall was taxed to its utmost capacity. In the present day of conferences and assemblages, which are as essential to the educational, social and political develop- ment of a modern people, as they were the salvation of the old, a progressive community not only recognizes this demand, but provides adequate facilities for the proper housing of such gather- ings. A large community requires an auditorium for great popular gatherings, for mass concerts and the like. These are strong factors in promoting in- tellectual and material advancement, as well as contributing to the common welfare and happiness of society. Every citizen who loves his home, who delights in the growth and development of the municipality, who is proud of its past and hopeful of its future, applauds the auditorium enterprise as a most laudable one. There is no other public building in this city which expresses in the same degree the civic pride and love of our people for their home city. Its dividends consist in the favorable out- side publicity it creates for ^Milwaukee and the educational advantages and en- tertainments it will afford its people. 424 NEW BOSTON Our Auditorium is a monument of loyalty to community interests, a fine sample of strong civic pride and a noble example of individual liberality and generosity. In our Auditorium is made manifest the spirit of progress; for it incomparably excels all that have preceded it. Here we have facilities to comfortably house the largest political, social and civic gatherings. It stands a mutely elo- quent invitation to the world at large to there assemble its most representa- tive conventions. It has been demonstrated beyond peradventiu'e of doubt that the con- ventions which can be accommodated are of incalculable value and I, therefore, regard this investment as one of the most profitable that the city can make. THE GREATER BOSTON FED- ERATION OF CHURCHES REV. E. T. ROOT THE Massachusetts Federation of Churches was organizetl in March, 1902. Since December, 1904, it has had an executive secretary. The purpose of the federation is "to overcome our over- lapping and overlooking." It assumes no ecclesiastical authority. Its method is "to keep the facts before the churches till the churches change the facts" by "consolidations somewhere and co-oper- ation everywhere." Just because it seeks to promote local federative movements everywhere in the state, it has not concentrated its atten- tion upon Boston. Very early it sug- gested a municipal federation on the lines of that of New York city. But Boston is not an easy j^lace in which to start new movements, for the very reason that so many have originated here, and so many general causes, denomina- tional or philanthropic, make appeal here for support. The state committee, there- fore, contented itself with keeping the suggestion before leading men, and find- ing or forming local movements in sec- tions of the city or suburbs. Among these, the oldest is the Jamaica Plain Fraternity of Chiux'hes. Federations have been formed in Charlestown, Dor- chester, East Boston, South Boston and Brookline. From the experience of these and successful attempts at co-operation within and outside of the state, informa- tion regarding motives and methods has been accumulated. Only a fitting occa- sion to urge them u])on the whole metrop- olis was needed. That occasion was given by "Boston- 1915." At the semi-annual meeting in June, 1909, the following resolution was adopted: "Whereas the plans of 'Boston- 1915' are strikingly in accord with our own watchword: 'Learn all the facts and ally all the factors'; resolved that the Massachusetts Federation inaugurate the following plan to enable the churches of Boston to take their part." Early in the fall, correspondence with leading pastors evoked hearty approval. Dr. John Hopkins Denison, for example, wrote: "I have always had a vision of what this city might be, if all the churches worked together and each took a definite responsibility for a certain number of blocks." The request of the directors of Boston- 1915 for the appointment of two offi- cial representatives of the Protestant Churches opened the way for definite action. A convention of the churches of Boston was called in the summer to elect two such directors and to consider whether a city federation was advisable. The convention unanimously voted in favor of the step and appointed a com- mittee to draft a constitution. That committee reported at an adjourned meeting, and the draft, modeled on the revised constitution of the New York federation, was amended to include the whole of Greater Boston, and adopted. Officers were elected. Probably the work of the first season will consist in a survey of the situation, the location and statistical study of all the churches, and of all sub-federations existing or newly formed, and the con- sideration of definite plans, such as "the co-operative-parish plan," to be sub- mitted at the annual meeting in May. By Courtesy of the American Steel and Wire Company WIRE DRAWING SAFETY DEVICE This means a stop to a succession of blinding accidents. Note the levers to stop the revolving dnnn, by hand at a safe distance, or automatically, if a kink occurs in the wire CAMPAIGN FOR GOOD EYESIGHT HENRY COPLEY GREENE Field Agent for Conservation of Eyesight of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind NEW BOSTON for September said: "A good slogan for Massa- chusetts would be: 'No babies needlessly blind for life in 1915.' " Since September, faith in the possibility of preserving eyesight has so far increased, both here and elsewhere, that a strong slogan for the country now would be "In the United States of tomorrow, no needless defects of eyesight!" Not only faith but confident and active work grew and spread so far in the autumn that in December it seemed wise to call a conference of persons active for the conservation of eyesight in various states.' Brought together by Dr. F. Park Lewis of Buffalo, Presdient Van Cleve of the Ohio Commission for the Blind and James P. Munroe, chair- man of our Massachusetts Commission, nearly a hundred persons, representing a wide range of professions, met at the rooms of the Sage Foundation in New York and spent the day in a most il- luminating discussion of the larger causes of preventable blindness, and of steps toward their removal. Among those present were not only ophthalmologists and workers with the blind, but pliysi- cians who recognize the relation of work for the prevention of gonorrhoea, sy- philis and tuberculosis to the preserva- tion of good eyesight; educators, who realize the direct relation of school conditions to eyestrain; experts in il- luminating engineering, who see danger in the increased use of very brilliant artificial lights; and social workers, who are investigating the effects on eyesight of unhygienic environments. This meet- ing resulted in the appointment of a representative committee empowered to form a national association, to call a national conference in the near future and to organize an international con- gress two or three years hence, for the purpose of em]jhasizing both the social and the economic importance of the conservation of eyesight. Meantime in Massachusetts, the spirit 425 426 NEW BOSTON of co-operation has been no less active; and work that was done once incom- pletely and in mental isolation, is now being carried further in clear conscious- ness of team effort and of the whole team's goal. Take for instance the Lyman School for Boys, at Westboro. What might be called the outpatient department, which steers the boys from graduation to maturity, is arranging ^\J>% JLI^dl Jt » a:iJ^ i^j* ^JS loA 0' -Jyj J» J^j * JlitVl o^ J'j' ^j^ A^:^ jf j-'*^\ w'_/J Jaj ? Jl j Al' J^ '> VJ^ v^^. *^^ 'J^='^ j^ jl ^ i;l ^y.' Ja (JI^R^w^! OUi^ ( di;iA_>. ) L-. Lib ^U"! • iiJi c-ij;; w i^y^ j*j " i_rL'-^ *^*-* " t/-^. j i3V y silb jU Li^j, ^ -aL' ^I A<; >!1 ^ Jill ^-.C j JUI *1; Jl ^, Jt Ji,T V WARNING TO SYRIAN MIDWIVES ISSUED BY MASSACHUSETTS COMMISSION FOR THE BLIND "Every midwife knows 'babies' sore eyes.' Do you know that this disease is usually very contagious? Do you know that it must be reported at once to the Board of Health, on pain of $100 fine? Do you know that it may make the baby blind? This disease can be prevented. Cure is hard and uncertain. Prevention is simple and easy." to follow up the school physician's eye work, watching for possible relapses when the eyes have been diseased, or keeping in view the coming needs of boys whose eyes can only for a time serve without glasses, or again keeping one-eyed boys, where possible, away from abnormally dangerous trades. As another instance take the Industrial School for Girls, across the hills at Lan- caster. Controlled by the same trustees. this school has long had an ophthal- mologist at work examining each girl when she arrives; and what we may again call the outpatient department has long watched over the girls' eye- sight and has taken them to the Massa- chusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Boston at any sign of need. But in recent months the spirit of team play has brought these officers still more closely together; and now, not only are the results of the oculist's examination and his plans for each girl handed on to the outpatient department, but the oculist, the school physician and the superintendent of the outpatient department periodic- ally meet to plan for each girl's varied physical needs. The question of hygiene, the question of good air, good food and housing and of sleep is far more closely connected with eye- sight than the general public yet know. To the Lyman School, for example, come boys and girls with eyes more or less scarred by the commonest serious eye dis- ease, a disease dependent on just these factors of hygiene. To day- nurseries again, little children are brought from time to time, with "phlyctenular keratitis," as this disease is called, showing itself in little elevations on the edge of the cornea, or colored portion, of the eye. These children, with eyes watery and sensitive, hold their heads down to avoid the light. Not infrequently they seem in good health. But they so often show signs of tuberculosis else- where in the body that their dis- ease of the eye is thought to be tubercular. However this may be, it yields to local measures, combined with just such treatment as tuberculous children require; while with- out proper treatment, it results in ulcers of the eye which leave scars and, in re- ciu'ring, leave more scars, till the result- ing "ground glass surface" may seriously obscure the vision. All this is small news to oculists. To social workers, combating the causes of phlyctenular disease, such knowledge is novel. They have seized on it, how- THE CAMPAIGN FOR GOOD EYESIGHT 4^f ever, uiid tlial orjianizalioii lor heller hygiene most vitally interested, the Boston Society for the Relief and Con- trol of Tulierculosis, has not only en- dorsed a bulletin on this subject, j)rei)ared with the help of Dr. (ieorge S. Derby, and issued In' tiie Massa- chusetts Commission for the Blind, but has put it l)efore all Boston societies taking care of children. Nor is this all. School superintendents and city boards of health have asked for copies almost faster than they can be supplied; twelve hundred have been imported by the Sage Foundation's national secretary for the conservation of eyesight and the State Committee in New York; and the Ohio Commission for the Blind, with characteristic vigor, has published an edition with its own special imprint. And nearer home again, the Nursery for Blind Babies has taken this generous measure, — it has opened the doors of its liomc, on tlial airy hillside in Jamaica Plain, not only to babies hopelessly blind, but, when space allows, to little children in temporary need of its hygienic surroundings and of the expert treat- ment made availal)le by the Social Service Department at the Ma.s.sachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. For different, though (juitC' as im- portant ends, the spirit of team play has penetrated our hospitals. They have begun to get together in devising leaflets to warn their patients against the dangers to eyesight lurking in gonorrhoea. And through their chiefs of staff, the four largest eye departments in Boston have met to consider such im- proved and essentially uniform records as may be of use for the study of eye disablement, whether through disease or more especially through industrial accidents. As a result, the City Hospital is considering ways and means, the From the Montfily Bulletin for August. 1910. by courtesy of the Stale Board uj' Health WHKRE .\ SAFETY DEVICE CAN WISELY HE PIT IX ISE Every wheel with glass plat<- to ])rot<'ct the eyes 428 NEW BOSTON Carney Hospital is instituting improved methods, the Eye and Ear Infirmary is including fresh requirements in a card- system already planned for the Out Patient Department, and the Boston Dispensary is finding, through wise experiment, just how the most significant data can be gathered. To carry such investigation to the source of trouble, the Commission for the Blind, in harmony with the State Board of Health, has planned an im- portant extension of work by the District Health Inspectors; and to put this plan in practice, it has introduced into the Legislature a bill (House No. 357), carrying a small appropriation, and empowering the District Health In- spectors, in the course of their studies of factory lighting, to investigate in- juries and diseases of the eye connected with such processes as emery grinding; and where a preventive device can be wisely put in use, to reqviire its installa- tion. At the same time the commission has recommended to the Legislature that the registration of accidents and the factory inspection of the State Police, be provided for more fully. As things now stand, it may be noted in passing that the State Police are unable to learn the results of the eye accidents which they record. Even where the law empowers them to en- force the use of protective devices, they know too little about their severity or their relative triviality to serve as a basis for action. As an instance, it is enough to cite a series of apparently prevent- able accidents in the process of wire drawing at one of the plants of the Ameri- can Steel and Wire Company. This series of accidents continued for years; and a preventive device was at last installed only because the steel trust had itself created a force of safety inspec- tors. Under a chief safety inspector, these expert ]irotectors of life and limb had brought the workmen into line in their task of inspecting machinery, studying accidents, and devising safety devices. This system it was which provided the means, last summer, to stop a long succes- sion of blinding accidents. Now to return to our starting point, what can we say of that slogan for Massachusetts, — "No babies needlessly blind for life in 1915"? In a sense, ilO babies are or have been needlessly blind from ophthalmia neonatorum; for every baby made blind through this preventable disease has been made blind, in the last analysis, by unabolished ignor- ance and carelessness unredeemed. The question then is. Can the state rouse itself to abolish this ignorance and to redeem this lack of care.'^ During the summer, a physician who, by the way, is both a graduate of the Harvard Medical School and a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society, delivered a child at a suburban hospital. Symptoms of ophthalmia neonatorum soon appeared. The physician failed to obey the law (Chap. 251 of the Acts of 1905), which requires the reporting of these symptoms at once, so that the local board of health may take measures to prevent blindness. On the contrary, he dismissed the mother and baby from the hospital while the disease was still in progress, and with only a warning to call in a doctor if the baby's eyes did not improve. When next he saw the mother, she was wheeling in a baby- carriage a baby blind for life. Another Harvard graduate, and the medical member of one of those local boards of health whose duty it is to take measures in order that blindness may not ensue, delivered a child at a farmhouse last summer. The symptoms of oph- thalmia neonatorum appeared. After a dangerous delay, this physician was called by telephone. Only on the next day did he respond; and then, without a nurse, he tried his hand at treating the child's imperilled eyes, not one day or two days, but till the transparent cornea of each eye was opaque. The child is blind. Such spectacles as these have roused both the State Board and certain local boards of health. Interested with the Commission for the Blind in the campaign against ophthalmia neonatorum, the State Board of Health now notifies a district health inspector by telephone or by telegraph as soon as a case is brought to his attention. The district inspector rigidly investigates both the origin and treatment, and the facts of legal interest, and reports back to the secretary. If neglect or illegality appears THE CAMPAIGN FOR GOOD EYESIGHT 429 OPHTHALMIA NEONATORUM Of the physicians responsible for the needless blindness of babies in the last few- months, more than one has been a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society to have been shown, the secretary then notifies the physician and the local board of health involved, calling the attention of each to the medical aspect of the case, and the fine to which the physician may be liable. These letters, following on the investigations just out- lined, cannot but inform and rouse many a careless or ignorant physician and many a local board. But what of the local boards at present? Worcester has promised to inspect every reported case; Spring-field provides free treatment, and more than one other town and city has taken its remedial duty concretely to heart. But the Boston board stands in the front of action. After four notices of the law had been sent to every physician in the city, the board, this autumn, began legal action against physicians failing to report. ^Yith a wisdom, at the time unappreciated by many of us, the chair- man chose as the first case under the law of 1905, a case which was not of gonorrhoeal origin, and in which blind- ness had not resulted. The i)hysician in question raised both these points in defence, and he appealed to the Suffolk Superior Court. His conviction is there on record. Not content with this example, the Boston Board of Health has l)rought into court the three other physicians against whom sufficient evidence has since come to light. Out of a total of four cases, three have resulted in convictions. Two points remain: one for the courts to show the full importance of this law; the other for our medical schools to teach 430 NEW BOSTON not only medicine but a keen sense of civic duty. Through the clemency of the courts, only one condemned delinquent, among three, has paid a fine. This fact seems to ,^suggest that the bench is not fully aware of the issues at stake. However this may be, the Society for the Preven- tion of Cruelty to Children, in a fine spirit of team play is sending to all our judges Bulletin No. 3, of the Com- mission for the Blind, which lays stress on the validity and the importance of the law of 1905. Both legal and lay opinion, let us hope, will soon support the bench in drastic action. Of the three physicians thus far con- dennied under this law, only one has lacked training in a rejjvitable medical school. Of the physicians responsible for needless blindness in babies, in the last few months, more than one has been a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society, and several have had the best of training. Does not this suggest that our medical schools have still to learn the full spirit of civic team-i)lay.'' At the Harvard Medical School, Dr. Williams is giving a most valuable popular lecture, on ophthalmia neonatorum^ on Sunday the fifth of this month. But has Harvard, and have our other schools, begun regularly to produce graduates that shall not be law breakers? This question suggests an- other, and with this question we may close. How soon willi the slogan of our medical schools be, "In 191o, all ovn- graduates public servants; and of their patients, none needlessly blind." NEED OF MORE PRACTICAL EXAMINATIONS BY THE STATE BOARD OF REGIS- TRATION IN MEDICINE RICHARD C. CABOT, M.D. IGNORANT doctors can do a lot of harm. They can and they do. They fail to recognize contagious disease before it has spread into an epidemic. It might have been checked if recognized early. They fail to recognize at the top of a patient's lung a dangerous disease (tu- berculosis) before it has spread and pro- duced advanced phthisis. It might have been checked if recognized early. They fail to recognize an appendicitis before it has spread to produce fatal peritonitis. They let wounds go septic and babies' eyes get blinded by that absolutely preventable disease, gonorrheal ophthalmia. As health officers in most of our cities and towns, they fail to apply principles of preventive hygiene in the shop, the home, the street and the school. They allow foul air, promiscuous spitting and windowless sleeping-rooms. What is the remedy.'* There are two possible remedies. One we can apply at once, the other we cannot. We cannot force our medical schools to do decent work or go out of existence. At least I cannot discover any way to do it. As this remedy is not feasible, there is left but one alternative, viz., to make more practical oxw existing state examina- tions for the right to practice medicine. They are now mostly written examina- tions, and any smart boy can pass written medical examinations without any genuine medical knowledge. Six months' study of the cram-books (ciuiz-com- pends) will put a boy through. He may never have seen a sick patient, never attended a woman in labor; never dressed a wound or written a prescription in his life. Practical examinations — the examina- tion of patients to settle a diagnosis and determine treatment — that is what we want. There is no other way to find out whether a boy is fit to begin the practice of medicine except to watch him in the act of trying to practice it. THE NEED OF MORE PRACTICAL EXAMINATIONS 431 Fancy a board of judges at the Con- servatory of INIusic determining a violinist's proficiency by a written ex- amination, without hearing him i)lay! Suppose a jury of Royal Academicians judged of a ])ainter\s art without seeing any of his pictures. You have there a situation })recisely like what exists when we judge would-be doctors by written examinations. To examine a patient's heart, to judge of the condition of his lungs, of his })lood, of his bones and joints, is an art as practical and as dif- ficult as billiards or dancing. Eyes, ears, fingers and wits must tackle a new and peculiar situation in every patient. No two are quite alike. Each j)uts us on our mettle like an athletic contest. It is not a matter for generalizations written in a blank book. Practical examinations have already been undertaken by our State Board of Registration in medicine since 1908, when chemical tests in the examination of urine and some other laboratory procedures were added to the list. In 1909 and 1910 a certain number of patients were examined by some of the applicants for a doctor's license, but this was not possible at every one of the examinations since held, as the facilities provided for the Board at the State House, and the appropriation allowed, are not sufficient. Four middle western states have now undertaken regular and systematic practical tests for candidates in medicine. There is nothing untried or unusual about the use of practical methods, for, though this country has been slow in adopting them, England has had such tests for many years. Patients with various diseases of the heart, lungs, blood, kidneys, joints, skin and nervous system, can easily be hired and are very glad to earn a little money (since they are unfit for active work) by submitting themselves to examina- tion. The examination does the patient no harm, as he can sit or lie still during the entire process. Of late years I have hired many such patients every summer for the instruction of graduate students, and have found no difficulty in so arranging it that the physicians under my instruc- tion became familiar with the most important types of disease by actual case-study, without hurting the patients and with some addition to their scanty income. No half-educated student can pass these tests. They separate the good men from the bad, insianter. ]\Iany good practical physicians do not do themselves justice on a written test — but put them up against a case of disease and their sense and ability are at once obvious. On the other hand, many a glib writer, with a memory for words and figures but no knowledge of the facts of diagnosis and treatment, can slip through Avritten tests and even learn simple laboratory procedures by heart. It is the actual recognition of the [pres- ence or absence of disease in a human being that floors these facile writers, thereby saving the state from being saddled with that most dangerous load — a cheeky but ignorant doctor. I need hardly add that this proposal — thorough ■practical examinations conducted 071 actual cases of disease for every candi- date for license to practice medicine — has nothing to do with the status of osteo- paths. Christian scientists, masseurs, magnetic healers, etc., who can practice without a medical license. The Board of Registration has both the legal right and the entire willingness to make these practical tests. The Board is convinced of their value and has already introduced them to a very limited extent. No new legislation is needed. What we need is to impress u])on our Governor and our Legislature the fact that it is up to them to give the board proper facilities for j)rotecting the com- munity against im])osition, and mal- practice, bj' excluding, through practical examinations, the untrained and blunder- ing; candidates for license. PLANNING FOR THE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT ARTHUR A. SHURTLEFF TWENTY-FIVE years ago Boston and its environs suffered from three clearly recognized handi- caps, two of which then endan- gered the health of the thirty-nine cities and towns of the District, and one of which promised to endanger it at a later period. What was done to relieve the situation? You may ask this question in London, St. Petersburg, Tokio or Rio Janeiro, and receive a ready answer, for the news of the three great public works which overcame these handicaps is today everywhere known: — "Boston and its environs provided them- selves with the best system of water supply, of drainage, and of parks in the world." Newspapers, magazines, and lecturers in all countries reported the progress and outcome of these great undertakings, which were prosecuted with the most modern precision for most modern needs. The success of the work was assured by methodical planning. Conditions were mapped, methods of relief were studied, plans and estimates were prepared, separate municipalities were united to secure powers and funds, executive authorities were created and finally, after years of construction and dedication, these great works were satis- factorily completed. The lesson, however, is not for London, for Rio Janeiro, or for any city that has heard of our achievements, but rather for us. Of late, when new metropolitan planning of this kind is obviously needed, we have fallen into a lethargy of repining, in which we forget the straightforward tactics by which great public works were executed here in a businesslike way, and we only remember the aftermath of assessments which yearly come due to provide payment for the advantages which we are receiving. From this lethargy we are likely soon to awaken, however, on account of the bestirring nature of new handicaps which irritate us, and which must be taken in hand. if for no other reason than to increase the money earning capacity of Boston and its vicinity. We are learning that we must })repare plans to meet the competition of Portland, New York and Baltimore. Great railways and great steamship lines are making elabo- rate plans to increase their usefulness for Boston. What are we doing to help or hinder them? What active, aggressive authorities have we delegated to confer with these planners, to lead them forcibly where they must be led, or to follow them intelligently when they need to be fol- lowed? We have only given our authori- ties feeble powers to help or to hinder in these affairs, because w^e have chosen to allow the greater problems of trans- portation to drift rather than to spend money to direct them, as we know they ought to be directed. We dislike our yearly Metropolitan assessments for water, sewers and parks, therefore we have decided we will not spend money for planning which could insure the best transportation system in the world for Boston. Whether we plan or not, the railway and the steamship lines must plan. They must earn money. They cannot afford to follow our policy of laissez-faire. Therefore, if we will not intelligently and actively interfere with them for good reasons; or, if we will not actively and intelligently assist them for good reasons, they must continually plan for us, drive us, threaten, promise, advance, retreat and waste their efficiency and our opportunities as may be most expedient for them. Great private planners cannot deal with our great un- planning community in a businesslike way, either for their own or for our advantage. Our lethargy expresses itself in other fields: Weymouth, Newton, Woburn, Lynn, and all the other cities and towns of the district are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to build streets that do not connect with one 432 PLANNING FOR THE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT 433 another, and, consequently, fail to assist year by year, as the undeveloped land transportation by wagon, motor truck in the vicinity of Boston becomes more or electric cars. What have we to offer closely occupied and as temporary build- of sanity or convenience in a street ings of wood are replaced by permanent system controlled by thirty-nine com- and expensive structures of masonry, munities acting without co-operation, The more dense the occupancy of the and yet having but one interest? In ground, the more serious become the our repining, we have also concluded problems of sanitation and housing, of late that, in view of the assessments and the more difficult the task of trans- which we pay yearly for the best system portation systems. There is nothing of water supply, drainage and parks to be gained by a further postponement in the world, we will, therefore, spend of active planning in the metropolitan nothing to save ourselves from a high- district of Boston. way situation which wastes money both During the last ten months, the City passively and actively — passively by Planning Conference of Boston-1915, failing to provide linkages between streets working with the City Planning Com- which, if connected, would form great mittee of the Boston Chamber of Com- arteries of circulation, and actively by merce, has studied the needs of the building local streets in one community district and has classified those which which embarrass those of adjoining cities affect most vitally the physical plan and towns. of the City and its surroundings. This The need of planning in these fields classification and its accompanying and in all other fields grows more apparent recommendations are given herewith. The following recommendations are based upon the assumption that only by following a comprehensive plan of development can our Metropolitan District pro- vide the best attainable living and working conditions for all classes. 1. Passenger Transportation by Rail: The rapid transit and steam railway systems should be co-ordinated so as to make a unified system of passenger transportation between all parts of the District, and give ample and equitably distributed accommodation to the outskirts and avoid congestion at the centre. These improvements evidently would be Metropolitan in scope. 2. Freight Transportation by Rail: All freight lines should be intimately connected with one another and with the water front. Freight yards should be distributed in a way to avoid long teaming and hauls and to provide modern methods of transhipment. The dependence of every conununity in the district upon the efficient handling of freight marks this problem as Metropolitan, 3. Water Transportation: A scheme for additional modern docks should »be prepared, these docks to be built as required. They should be connected^with one another and with all railway lines. The dependence of all the portions of the district upon the port of Boston evidently marks the dock problem as Metropolitan. 4. Road Transportation: The system of radial thoroughfares should be perfected. The circumferentud thoroughfare system should be completed to allow circulation independent of radial movements between all parts of the district. All these main thorough- fares of travel should be of ample width and of easy gradient. Since their control is now dividetl among the thirty-nine cities and towns individually, co-ordinated development can only be accomplished by metropolitan action; at the same time the powers of the local street boards throughout the Metro- politan District should be strengthened to enable the cities and towns to plan and to execute convenient street systems. 434 NEW BOSTON 5. Water Supply and Drainage: Adequate water sheds should be safeguarded lo ])r()\ ide the entire dislriet with a water supply suffieient to meet reasonal)le future recjuirenients. A system of trunk sewers with pro])er outfalls should -be eompleted for the entire district. Contamination from drainage outflows should be eliminated. 6. Lands for Public Uses: The existing policy for the reservation of lands and building sites for jjublic uses should be continued and perfected in order that the public needs for these purposes may be adequately and economically met. 7. Building and Housing Recjuirements: Building and sanitary laws should be ijcrfecled and made vuiiform in their requirements and enforcement throughout the Metropolitan District. The inequalities at present existing discourage investing capital and cause slum conditions in the lax localities. These laws should cover: 1. The structural safety of all buildings with regard to their use. 2. The highest practical standard of fire protection. 3. Such limitations of the height, location, interior arrangement and occu- pancy of Iniildings as will eflfectually prevent («) The gathering in any district for business purposes of more persons or street traffic than the street layout is fitted to accommodate. {!)) The gathering in any district for dwelling i)urposes of more persons than can be provided with adequate light, air and open sjjaces for recreation. (c) The unsanitary and congested occupancy of individual dwellings. 4. The confining and subdividing of existing conflagration districts l)y streets or parkways of great width, by fire walls, by special s])rinkling lines or other devices so as to reduce existing hazards. 5. Such regulations as will prevent the further creation of such conflagration districts. 8. Local Building Restrictions: A system of restrictions should be devised to control the distribution of resi- dences, business, manufacturing and transportation in a way to allow each community of the District to develop to the best advantage. 9. Eminent Domain: The pending Constitutional amendment should be passed, extending the right of eminent domain under proper safeguards so as to allow excess condenmation. 10. Centralized Authority: It is evident that many of the above improvements affecting the 39 inde])endent cities and towns of the district can only be accomplished economically and effectively by methodical planning and by co-ordinated eft'ort on the ])art of the community as a whole. It is therefore reconmiended that the ])lanning and execution of such Metropolitan improvements should be entrusted as soon as practicable to properly constituted permanent State or Metrojjolitan au- thorities, using as far as possible authorities now in existence, but giving ad- ditional powers and creating new authorities where necessary. Arthur A. Shurtleff, Chairman, Richards M. Bradley, F. E. Cabot, Philip Cabot, Ralph A. Cram, Edward T, Hartman, James H. Hustis, Harry J. Carlson, Secretary. It needs very little consideration to show ks the importance of adhering to some well-reijidated plan for our new sections, for the real gist of the whole matter is that if proper supervision is not exercised at present, the near future will present addi- tional problems similar to those lohich now confront us in our congested and badly arranged built-up sections. — Major Joseph W. Shirley, Baltimore. "THE FLOTSAM AND JETSAM IN THE WRECK OF EXISTENCE" THE WAYFARER AND THE PUBLIC IN BOSTON GEORGE L. WARREN Secretary Joint Department for Helping Homeless Men PARDON me, mister! but could you spare me the price of a bed for tonight?" Who of us has not been stopped on the street to Hsten to this ])lea, and who of us has not as faithfully gone into his pocket and granted the request? But let us follow this polite gentleman who begs for money on the street. AMiere does he go and what does he do? He wends his weary way to the cheap lodging house where, for ten or fifteen cents, he is housed for the night. Here we find many of his kind,^ — poor, broken-down, spiritless wretches, who are nothing but failures. Among them are foinid painters, masons, shoe factory workers, and so on, none of them very expert at his trade, and all of them wan- dering always in search of work, (ien- erally speaking, such men get work on an average between two and three months of the year. During the remainder of the year, they exist on what odd jobs can be found, and on the charity of the giver on the street. They are continually wandering from city to city, and town to town, never satisfied to remain in any one place in order to gain a foothold and start life anew. Lost to their vices and bad hal)its, work to them is only a means of satis- fying their passions for drink and other evils. In about every city and town, l)enevolent individuals and charitable agencies stretch out their hands in a vain effort to reclaim these men. Some, no doubt, are reclaimed to society, and even enough to make the work worth while, but the great majority go on as hopeless as before, shunned by friends and acquaintances, forgotten by their families, and left by all. the flotsam and jetsam in the wreck of existence. Perhaps one of the chief reasons that more of these men are not reclaimed lies in the fact that the general i)ul)lic does not fully appreciate the need and value of intelligent co-operation with the agencies which deal with the ])rol)lem of homeless men. If such co-oi)eration could be brought about, concerted action 435 436 NEW BOSTON THE WAYFARERS SUMMER HOME on the part of all would undoubtedly result in certain defined plans and methods which would aid materially in the solution of the problem. The kind-hearted individual, upon being approached on the street, feels that he has done a kindly act of charity by giving the applicant the price of a bed or "just enough to get a bite to eat." He does not stop to think that, in reality, he is working in direct opposition to those who are endeavoring to help the l)erson who is unfortunate enough to be obliged to ask the charity of others. The nickel and dime charity on the street, given hastily on the spur of the moment, without the least consideration of the special needs of the asker, can very easily work greater harm than is |at first sight apparent. To illustrate this point, I might relate the story of James Norton. James is a laboring man — a jack of all trades one might call him — who, a, few years ago, lost his leg in an accident. Previous to his misfortune he had been a self-support- ing individual, but finally, owning to the accident, he was obliged to apply for aid. Charitable agencies in another city furnished him with an artificial leg, provided him with a job at which he could earn ten dollars a week, and vir- tually gave him a fresh start in life. James soon discovered, however, that by coming to Boston, where he was unknown, he could make an easy, com- fortable living by begging alms on the street. He now wears his artificial leg only on Sundays, while on week days he smiles u])on and blesses the passers- by who drop })ennies into his hat as he sits upon the sidewalk. It is doubtless true that James ])resents a pitiable ap- pearance, so pitiable, in fact, that it is difficult for the charitable individual to resist the temptation to aid. The public little realizes that each small contribu- tion added to all the rest encourages James to refuse honest employment, which he is perfectly capable of taking, and sets at naught all the efforts of the agency which tried to make a self-sup- porting, self-respecting individual out of a man handicapped by misfortune. We also find others aided by the public on the street, more active and more per- sistent, who even dog our steps as we go, asking the price of a "bite to eat" or possibly the fare to a nearby town. Why^ should they be asking for alms? They are able-bodied, perfectly capable BROKEN DOWN AND SPIRITLESS THE WAYFARER AND THE PUBLIC IN BOSTON 437 EARNING BREAKFASTS AT THE BOSTON WAYFARERS LODGE of making a living" by honest labor, and yet they ask assistance and in many cases even demand it as a right. Re- ceiving the dime or quarter asked, they are profuse with thanks, promise to lead a better life, and leave their benefactor only to repeat the operation on the next likely person. In granting the request of this class of charity seeker, the public is again unconsciously working in direct opposi- tion to those who are making an earnest effort to help the down and out to become decent, respectable, law-abiding citizens. In arguing, however, against the treat- ment which the public generally offers to homeless men, the writer, in support of his argument, must suggest a better method of treatment, or at least a means of effective co-operation between the l)ublic and the agencies interested in the problem of homeless men. To begin with, the overseers of the poor of the city of Boston maintain a Wayfarers' Lodge at 80 Hawkins Street, where men are provided with clean beds and meals in exchange for work. The work involved is the cutting and chop{)ing of wood, which is later sold to the public at regular prices. All men are examined by the physician, and those considered physically unfit are provided for without work. The Wayfarers' Lodge also pro- vides temporarily for a number of men awaiting admission to the proper hospital. The hygienic conditions at the Way- farers' Lodge are excellent; the beds are kept clean and the bed clothing cleansed regularly. The building itself is likewise kept up to a high standard of cleanliness. The clothing of the lodgers is disinfected every night while they are asleep, and all the men are obliged to take a bath before retiring. Curiously enough, these conditions are not appreciated by way- farers, who would much prefer to sleep in a cheap lodging house, where hygienic conditions are of the worst, rather than accept a clean bed for a few hours' work. A few years ago a rule was in vogue which allowed a man to remain at the lodge for three days and nights. Realiz- ing, by this ruling, that the men were turned into the street to beg, when unable to find work within the three days allowed them at the lodge, the au- thorities at present allow them to remain as long as it is deemed necessary to insure them a reasonable time in which to secure work. Some objection is made that men are asked to work in the morning and consequently lose their chances of getting work for the day. As a matter of fact, very few of the men are at the lodge later than seven-thirty, and, furthermore, if they but report at the desk the previous night any possible chances for work in the morning, they are awakened and dis- charged early. Under present conditions, therefore, 438 NEW BOSTON THE HOMELESS AT THE LODGE there is absolutely no excuse for any man begging for food and lodging on the streets of Boston. If men are willing to work they can be provided for; if they are not, they should not l)e encouraged by a too charitable {)ublic to live a life of idleness by subsisting by their wits. No attempt, however, is made at the Wayfarers' Lodge to find work for the men or put them in touch again with former friends and acquaintances. More- over, the public may ask and rightly demand that someone take more than a |)assing interest in the city's wayfarers, that someone take the time to listen to the retpiest of each man who is anxious for a chance to start life anew, give it full consideration, and do all that is within reason to help the man gain a new foothold. During the past three years just such an agency as is suggested has been maintained by the Associated Charities of Boston and the Boston Provident Association. It is known as the Joint Department for Helping Homeless Men and has its offices at Room 38, 43 Hawkins Street. A secretary is employed who gives his full time to the problem of homeless men, and his efforts are devoted entirely to personal work with the men themselves. To this department men are referred by other charitable societies, benevolent individuals, hos- pitals and dispensaries, minis- ters, rescue missions, and the Wayfarers' Lodge. Many men apply also of their own volition. Each a])plicant is encouraged to tell the story of his misfortune, and each, in turn, is ministered to, according to the circum- stances involved. Many men are provided for temporarily during treatment at the out-patient departments of the various hos- pitals; others, especially young l)oys and men, are returned to their homes in other cities and towns, and oftentimes work is provided. All cases are inves- tigated to insure that the j)roper aid and advice be given, and the department is at all times willing to assist, not only those in need of help, but all per- sons who are themselves inter- ested in homeless men. The following story will perhaps best illustrate the nature of the work attempted. One day John Carey, directed by an- other wayfarer on the street, applied at the office for clothing. Supporting himself on crutches, one longer than the other, his right leg amputated above the knee, clothing ragged and worn, he pre- sented a forlorn apjiearance. Losing his limb in early life he had worked man- fully, with the aid of an artificial leg, until a second accident had deprived him even of this. Lacking the money to re])lace it, he had been forced to give up his job as driver and to accept the chance charity of the passer on the street. Eor two years or more he lived as our other friend, James, still prefers to live, until by chance he was directed to apply to the department. John's former em- ployer was then persuaded to give him back his job jjrovided he could be fur- nished with an artificial leg. This was done by the department, and now John is working steadily and has refunded the fifty dollars advanced on his behalf. Fortunately enough, the easy life of begging did not appeal so strongly to John as it still does to James, and conse- quently he has been reclaimed to society and is now earning a respectable living. James would be doing likewise, I am THE WAYFARER AND THE PUBLIC IN BOSTON 439 (juitc sure, if the pityinj^' public, through its various members aud the iudulgeut police, had but co-oj)erated with the charita})le ageucy which tried to make him self-supj)orting. Allow me, then, to suggest that all concerned work together in the future, in the hope that the homeless man, who earnestly desires a fresh start in life, wull be given the benefit of intelligent and sympathetic treatment, while the panhandler and jirofessional beggar will be so discouraged that he will i)refer to ply his trade beyond the limits of Boston. The police authorities have co-operated in the past with the Board of Overseers of the Poor, by refusing to lodge way- farers at the various station houses, as was the custom some years ago. This action alone on their part reduced the numlier of wayfarers lodged at the expense of the city, '-23,000 in one year. When this new ruling went into effect, wayfarers immediately avoided Boston as no longer a place where they could l)e su])ported at i)ublic expense, through very little effort on their own part. Would it be asking too much at present that the police authorities renew tlieir effective co-operation by enforcing the laws against begging on the streets!' They hold an enviable position with regard to the ])roblem, in that the officers come in contact night and day with the men who make their living })y ))egging. A strict enforcement of the authority which they now have by law woidd tend to dis- courage all beggars and also to reduce the total numl)er of wayfarers in the city. The Joint De])artment, already men- tioned, will gladly send, upon recjuest, a small booklet which can be used in referring all applicants to the office. A detailed report of exactly wdiat the department is able to do for the appli- cant will be sent to all persons using the booklets. Communications should be addressed to the secretary, George L. Warren, 43 Hawkins Street, Boston. The purpose of BostoJi-lQlo is to stimulate and organize the spirit of co- operation by studying, through conferences of experts, the city's immediate and future needs, by deciding, through a representative central body, or directorate, ichich of those needs should enlist immediate attention, and by bringing, through an effective organization, intelligent and widespread support to the projects thus endorsed. Boston-ldl5 does not expect to perform miracles. It appreciates, moreover, thai most of its plans are as yet in a preliminary stage. It believes, however, that every one of these plans is practicable and can be realized, if not by the year lJ)lo, at least ivithin this generation, provided every citizen, working irith every other, will do his part. COMPENSATION FOR INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS CARROLL W. DOTEN THE present system of providing for the victims of industrial accidents has long been recognized as un- just to employes and socially inexpedi- ent. It is based upon industrial condi- tions long since outgrown and an obsolete and discredited economic theory. It has practically no advocates even among those who profit by its weaknesses. Naturally it occurs to anyone who con- siders this matter, to inquire why a law which satisfies no one, which pro- motes wasteful litigation and hostility between employers and employes, and which greatly increases the burdens of the community in the way of public and private charitable relief should be retained on the statute books of this or any other state. It is certainly not because of a lack of models of other systems or of information concerning such systems in operation in other countries. In addition to the natural political inertia which everywhere im- pedes the progress of reform, this country labors under two serious handicaps in matters of this sort. These are the con- stitutional limitations on both Congress and the state legislatures and the fear of interstate competition. There are other contributing causes, but these constitute the chief reason why Massa- chusetts, among others, has not fol- lowed the lead of Germany and England in substituting an insurance or compensa- tion law for the old common law principle of negligence or fault. Nearly thirty years ago, under the leadership of Bismarck, Germany began the development of a comprehensive scheme of social insurance. This pro- vided for adequate and speedy relief in case of industrial accidents and made the support of this relief a social burden, to be borne in the first instance by mutual insurance associations of em- ployers, but to finally rest upon the general i)ublic as consumers of the products of industry. This system has long since passed beyond the experi- mental stage. It has been copied, with modifications, by many other countries, and seems destined to grow in favor both in theory and ])ractice. The British Parliament jiassed an act in 1897 providing for limited com- pensation to be paid the victims of accidents by the employers in certain hazardous employments. In 1900 this was extended to include agriculture, and in 1906 a comprehensive act was j^assed which covers practically all occupations. The English law does not do away with the common law or the employers' liability act, but adds to them a surer and speedier method of settlement. In this it differs from most European systems and fails to reduce so fully as they do the waste and other undesirable results of litigation. Under this system most eniployers feel it necessary to insure their legal liability, and insurance companies are compelled to charge premiums to cover both the old and the new laws. In other words, when a company insures an employer it is buy- ing lawsuits as well as guaranteeing certain fixed rates of compensation for definite injuries. Massachusetts has followed fairly closely in the past, the lead of England in social legislation. The factory and labor laws of this state may be cited as instances. In these lines Massachusetts for many years set the pace for other states, but recently the rapid advances made in other parts of the country have raised a doubt as to whether this leader- ship still exists. Seven years ago a commission of which Carroll D. Wright was chairman, recommended the passage of a compensation act to provide relief for the victims of industrial accidents. If this measure could have been passed at that time, it would have kej^t Massa- chusetts in the lead, so far as this matter 440 COMPENSATION FOR INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS 441 is concerned, and wonld liave rei)eated the experience of the 80's when the com- monwealth was only seven years behind England in passing an employers' li- ability law. The bill failed to pass, however, and in spite of the efforts of the labor representatives who have re- introduced the measure every year since 1904, the matter stands today just where it did seven years ago, and now if a compensation act is passed, the state will be fourteen instead of seven years behind England. Moreover, as other states, notably New York and Oregon, have passed similar legislation and at least seven other states seem likely to do likewise at their legislative sessions this winter, the question is not now one of leadership but rather of keeping up with the procession. On June 8, 1910, pursuant to a resolve of the General Court, Governor Draper appointed a commission of five members, to make a study of this whole matter. The commission was made up of two members of the Legislature and three outsiders. Two of the members were employers, one represented organized labor, and the other two were lawyers, who by reason of professional training and legislative experience, were con- sidered to be especially well equipped to deal with this problem. The members of the commission were James A. Lowell of Newton, chairman; Amos T. Saunders of Clinton; Magnus W. Alexander of Lynn; Henry Howard of Brookline; and Joseph A. Parks of Fall River. Mr. Saunders was made secretary and the writer was appointed as chief investigator. By the terms of the resolve creating the commission, it was instructed to make a careful investigation of the laws of other states and countries and to report the draft of a bill to the Legisla- ture on the second Wednesday of January, 1911. It was also instructed "to corres- pond or confer with committees and commissions in other states considering the same subject," for the manifest purpose of promoting uniformity of legislation throughout the country. In following out these and other in- structions, the commission undertook several lines of investigation, held numer- ous public hearings, and took part in a number of very important conferences during the summer and fall. On De- cember 17 it published a tentative draft of a bill for public discussion and criti- cism. This bill in general conforms fairly closely to the English act and does not vary greatly from that proposed by the Carroll D. Wright Commission in 1904. It covers all employments; but employers who have not more than five persons in their service are exempted from its operation. It limits the operation of the employers' liability law to those persons not covered by this act so long as it may be in force, and provides for an irrevocable choice by the injured em- ployee or his legal representative, be- tween the act itself and the common law as a means of securing redress in case of personal injuries. The scale of compensation is as follows: In case death results from the injury, those wholly dependent upon the injured employe for support at the time of the accident are to receive 50 per cent of the average w^eekly wages of the de- ceased, but not more than ten dollars nor less than four dollars a week, for a period of three hundred weeks. Partial dependents are to receive a proportion of such weekly compensation, based upon the degree of their dependency. If no dependents are left, medical at- tendance and funeral expenses not to exceed $200 are to be provided. In case permanent total disability results from the accident, the injured employe is to receive a weekly compensa- tion of 50 per cent of his wages, not more than ten dollars nor less than four dollars a week, for a period of not more than three hundred weeks. If the dis- ability is only partial, the weekly com- pensation is not to exceed 50 per cent of the difference between earnings before and after the accident. In case of temporary disability, the same scale of benefits is provided during disability, if such disability does not continue beyond three hundred weeks from the date of injury. In all cases of disability a waiting period of two weeks is provided, during which, howe^•er, the employer must furnish necessary surgical or hospital treatment for the injured employe. The bill makes it possible for the em- ployer and his employes to contract 44^ NEW BOSTON out of the provisions of the act if they can agree upon a scheme of insurance or compensation which carries benefits equally advantageous to the employes and if it meets with the approval of the Industrial Accident Board in whose hands is ])laced the execution of this law. This Industrial Accident Board is a unique feature which is not contained in the English model. It is to be made up of three members appointed by the governor, and its primary functions are to take charge of agreements and the arbitration of disputes under the act. In one other respect this bill is a distinct improvement on the English act. It provides for no lump sum settlements and permits the commutation of weekly payments only under extraordinary cir- cumstances and with the consent of the Industrial Accident Board. The commission was not satisfied with this bill when it was submitted for dis- cussion, and its doubts in regard to the expediency of some of the provisions contained therein have been so abundant- ly justified by the pronounced opposition developed since the draft was published, that it decided not to recommend the measure to the Legislature in making its report. The commission made a partial report to the Legislature on January 11, setting forth the results of its investigations and asking for at least two months' more time for the consideration of a bill. It further urged the desirability of more extensive investigations than it was able to make in six months, and recom- mended that an entire year be granted for such investigations and the prepara- tion of a final report. This recommendation is based upon several considerations, the most im- portant of which are: The ])ossibility of securing uniformity of legislation in the several states now considering the matter; the utilization of valuable sources of information in regard to the o])eration of the various foreign laws, which will soon be available; the gathering of full reports of accidents in the Common- wealth for a year as a basis for estimating the cost of any system which may be proposed; and finally, the necessity of securing the co-operation of employers and employes in shaping legislation. The commission feels that the present opposition, which is especially strong on the part of employers, can be largely overcome by further study. It does not hope to draft a perfect measure, but it is desirous of laying a foundation which will be safe and capable of modifica- tion to meet future conditions. It is still an open question whether the Eng- lish scheme meets these recpiirements, and whether such a plan can be properly safeguarded by insurance, without un- due cost, so as to guarantee payments to injured em})loyes and to protect the employer against overwhelming losses. This is by far the most important question before the American public at this time. Humanitarian sentiment, economic expediency, and social justice are all in accord in demanding a change from the old system based upon fault. The common law with its unfair defenses for the employer is a travesty on justice, and employers' liability laws which merely remove or modify the doctrines of assumption of risk, contributory negligence, and the fellow-servant rule, simply increase litigation and the wastes of the present system. It is coming to be recognized the world over, that with the introduction of new machines and methods there is an increasing number of casualties for which no one is directly responsible. These inevitable accidents constitute a necessary part of the social cost of the industrial system, and should be borne by the consumers in the price of the product as are all the other ex- penses of production. Society now bears this burden, but it falls with crushing weight upon the unfortunate victims, and is distributed imperfectly and with disastrous social consequences through public and private charity. BOSTON'S HOUSING LAWS EDWARD T. IIARTMAN S('crcl;iry Mas.sachu.s("tt.s Civic League IN 1007 the Massachusetts Legishiture passed a law by which building opera- tions in Boston have since been regu- lated. It was said at the time that building would be impossible under it. The law is in some respects not so rigid as the New York law. In New York enough buildings have been ])ut up under the ONE OF THE TIIHEE-STORY HOISES WI THE PALE OF THE TENEMENT HOI KEdULATION.-; new law to house two or three Bostons. In Boston enough have been put up to show that the law is seriously defective in many respects. For examjjle, as the law is at present interpreted, a man may buy up a lot of back yards and build over them; under the decisions the idea of "team play among open spaces," the basis of the back yard idea, has been done away with; and there are many similar points. Each year since the passage of the law, attempts have been made to weaken it, but the Legislature has seen fit to leave it as it is. This year there is manifest the beginnings of a public interest in the housing question. Doubt- less because this has led the health authorities to feel they would find some support, they have recom- mended, and the mayor has introduced, three amendments which are fundamental, and will, if enacted, prove of the utmost service. Section 42 of the present law reads: "A tenement house is any house, building, structure or por- tion thereof, occupied, or adapted for occupation, as a dwelling for more than three families, living independently of one another and doing their cooking u})on the l^remises, or by more than two families above the first story." The amendment will change the word "three" to the word "two." This is the New York definition, where the three-family flat is a rarity, Init it was refused in Boston where there are actual acres of three-family houses. Chicago las the only logical definition, wliere tenement reg- ulations a})uly to any places where entries, hallways and stairways are used in common by two or more families. But thechaiige will great- ly help the situation in Boston. THOIT SE 443 444 NEW BOSTON Anotlier proposed change makes the maintenance of filthy conditions or of overcrowded con(Htions, in viohition of the regnhitions of the Ilealtli Depart- ment, misdemeanors. The Health De- partment is to determine in each in- stance who is responsible, whether owner, lessee, agent or occnpant. This will fill a most important need, if carefully followed by the Health Department. In many cases where bad conditions ])re- vail, the orders of the Health Depart- ment are i)ersistently ignored, and the present force of the department is not sufficient to maintain satisfac- tory conditions. Public opinion should THK I'llHKK S lOHY BUILDL\(; ON THE LEFT IS EXCLUDED FROM THE TENEMENT HOUSE REGULATIONS BY THE ACT OF 1907 BOSTON'S HOUSING T.AWS 44.) stand tor this iiurcased |)()\ver, likewise for its eiil'orccnuMil. A thir Beacon Street, where, beginning on January 2 of this year, inquiries should be made. The first question asked was for literature on efficiency engineering, which the key showed that participant No. 41 was sponsor for. As fate would have it. No. 41 occupied a room within fifty feet of him who put the question, and we may expect that one of the results of this clearing house system will be to awaken us to the resources close at hand. The publicity has been limited largely to the participants and the questions have been expectedly few. Moreover, as it is a voluntary undertaking thus far, perhaps the fewer the questions the * Reported in Special Libraries {ov Jan., 1911, which may be had for the asking. ■14G A CO-OPERATIVE INFORIMATION 15UREAU 447 better in this testing out stage. We need to consider carefully some of the initial problems, ])articularly to learn the (|uality and the limitations of sponsorships. If John Smith is the man to refer to on real estate, how efficiently and im- partially does he handle real estate questions.^ How many sponsors are needed for various t()i)ics? Should not four or five suffice for real estate? And in what order of preference should they be arranged? It is easy to see that many administrative problems may readily arise. The topics listed to date are substan- tially as follows, the numbers referring to the participants (/. e., sponsors for the topics), whose names and addresses are kept at the headcpiarters : *Accicients, 2, 60; Accounting, 12, 22, GO; Acts and resolves, see Statutes; * Advertising, 27; Aerating reservoirs, 47; Aeronautics, 2; Agricul- ture (experiment stations, etc.), 36, 50; (education) 50; Alloys, 2; Analysis (hygienic), 42; f Appren- ticeship, 60; Arbor Day, 50; * Architecture, 2; Art, municipal, 50; outdoor, 50; Arts and Crafts, 50; Atlases, 3, 19, 22, 27, 30, 60. Back numbers and sets of periodicals, 29, 44, in- surance, labor and railroad reports, Mass., 58; Bank- ing and bank reports, 12, 26, 29, 50, 57, 60; Baths, 50; fBetterment work, (iO; Billboards, 50; Biography, 3; Blind, 14, 50; Boilers, 2; Bond offering circu- lars, 26; Boston city ordinances and department reports, 36; Boys, 50; Boys" clubs, 50; Bridges, 2; Budgets, 50; Building construction, 2; codes and laws, 45, 59; Business administration, 12, 22, 41; education, 50. Cai)ital, 2, 29, 50; Catalogues of engineering trades, 29, .35, 42, colleges, etc., 36; Census returns, 2, 3, 13, 19, 29, 35, 36, 43; Chambers of Commerce reports, 59; Charit-ies-v, 19, 50, 60; Chemistrv, 2, 42, 59; Child labor. .36, 50; Children, 50; Children's encyclopedia, see Encyclopedia; Church, social work of, 50; *City planning, 50; *plans, 59; Civic improvement,. 50; Civil engineering, 2, 29, 42, 59; Classification, 16, 60, see also Catalogue: Decimal system; Clippings, 24, 33; Clock, see also watch; Coal, see Fuel; Commerc-ial law, 12, 22; Concrete, 2, 29; Conservation, 50; Cooling ponds and towers, 47; Co-operative loans, 36; Correction- al agencies, 19; Cost of living, 50; Crime and criminals, 50; Currency reports of Comptroller of, 13; Cyclopedias, see Encyclopedias. Dams, 2, 22; Dancing, 50; Decimal system of classification, 33, (iO; Dictionaries (see also Lan- guages), 19, 24, 27, 29, 30, 41. 60; Directories, general. 22, 28; special, 19, 22, 27, 29, 60; Divorce, 50; Doctors theses, 59; Domestic science, 36; Dyes and dyeing, 2. Economics, 12, 13, 19, 41, 50, 60; Education (see also Agriculture, Business, Industrial, Physi- cal, Vocational), 16, 36, 50, 60; Efficiency engi- neering, 41; Eleetric-al engineering, 2, 22, 25, 29, 59; railways, 29, .35; fEniployers' liability, 60: Emi)loyment offices, 19, 36; Encyclopedias. 19, 24, 27, 29, .30, 3(i, 60; (Children's), (il; Engin.'cring, 2, 11, 22. 23, 29, 59; societies, transactions, 2, 22, 29, 44, 59; Entomology, 9; Esperanto, 29; Etliics, 50; Eugenics, 50; Experiment stations, see al.so Agriculture. Factory inspection, 2, 36, 50; Finance, 12, 22, 26, 29; Fine Arts, 5; Fire waste, 45; Fire.s, 45; Forestry, 2; Fourth of Julv, 50; fFranchises, 60; Fuel, 2, 50. (larbage disposal, 42; (larden cities, 50; (Jas, 2, 29, 49; Genealogy, 20; (icology. 2; (Jirls, 50. Handbooks, engineering, 2, 22, 23, 29; Heat, 2; History, see New England, State (name), 'J'own, etc.; Home econcjmics, 36. 50; Housing prol)leni, 50; **Humidifying, ; Hydraulics, 2, 22; Hy- giene, 2, 42, 50. Immigration. 46, 50, (iO; Industrial and mis- cellaneous corj)oration reports, 12, 19; education, see Vocational training; statistics, 43; Instalment business, 36; Insurance, 12, 19. 26, 45, 50, 60 (See also Savings Bank Insurance, also Back num- bers); Irrigation, 2, 22. Kindergarten, 50. Labor, 2, 13, 19, 36, 43, 50, (iO. (See also Back numbers). Landscape gardening, 50; Languages, foreign (dictionaries), 2, 3, 19, 29, 41; **Lantern slides; Laws, see Statutes; *Lecture service, 51; Legacies, making of, 19; Legislation, 3, 13, 19, 50, 60; Libraries, 50; Library teclinique, 16, 60; Lighting, 2, 29; Liquor problem, 50; Lockouts, see Labor. **Management, scientific; Manufactures (statis- tics), 43; *Maps, 3, 60 (see also Topographic maps); Marriage, 50; Massachusetts history, 3, 21; Mathematics, 2, 22; Mechanical engineering, 2, 29, 59; Medical inspection, 50; Metallurgy, 2; Metals, 2; Milk, 50; mineral industry, 2*, 29; Mining, 2; Money, responses to appeals for, 19; Moral reform agencies, 19; Municipal franchi.ses, 4.3, 60; government, 50; lighting, 2, 29, 42, 49, 60; Music, 5. fXatural resources, 60; .science, 2, 22; Naval architecture, 2; Negroes, 50; New England his- tory, 3, 21; *Newspapers, etc., 3, 36; *Nuisances: flies, mosquitoes, smoke, 50. *()ccupati<)ns, dangerous, 50; Oils, 2; Old- age pensions, see Pensions; **Ordinances, see also different cities; Ore deposits, 2; dressing, 2. Pageants, 50; Paper, 2; Parks, 50; Patents, 27; Pensions, 50, 60; Periodicals (see also Back numbers, technical, egrg., 2, 22, 23, 29, 35; chemical, 2; general, 30; sociological. 36. Philanthropy, 13, 60; Photography. 2; Physical e«lueation, 50; Planning, see city; Play. 50; Playgrounds, 50; *Political science, 50; Probation. 50; Public docu- ments. 2, 3, 19, 22, 41, 60; *utilities, 49; commis- sions reports, 3, 29, 35; *ulility cor]ioration re- l)orts, 12; Publishing business, 12; Pumps and ])umping, 2. Railroad reports, 12, 26, 29; Railroading, 2, 12, 13, 29 (See also Electric railways); *Real estate, 48; Reference books. 2, 16, 19, 22, 24, .30, 60; Refrigeration, 2; Re]>orts, see various topics, also Back numbers; Rubi)cr. 2, 60. Salesnianshi]), see \Ocatioiial training; Sanita- tion, 2, 42; Sa\"ings bank insurance. 3(i; *Sehools, 50; catalogues, see Catalogues (colleges, etc.); lunc-hes, .36; |Scicntifie American and Sui)plenient. 27; *Seeurities, 29, 60; Sewage and sewerage. 2. 42, 47; Ship l)uilding, 2; *.>hoe and leather, k Smoke, see also Nuisance; Social directt)ries. 19, 29, 41; oruani/alion, 41; work. 19. 41. 50; Soci:il- 448 NEW BOSTON ism, 50; Society transactions and proceedings, 44 (See also Egrg. soc); Sociology, 50, 5!); Sjieak- ers, see Lecture service; Specifications for building, 3J5; Spray engineering, 47; State and city docu- ments, 3, 19, 60, (see also Insurance, Railroad, Labor); Statistics, 2, 19, 29, 36, 42, 43, 50, 60; Statutes (acts, resolves), 3, 17, 19, 22, 36; U. S., 13, 19, 00. *Steam engineering, 2; **Steel, ; Strikes, see Labor; Sugar, 2, 60. *Taxation, 50; *Teaching, 50; Technical library literature, 16; Telegrai)h, 2; Telephone, 2, 38; Tenement houses, 19, 50; **Textiles, ; Texts, early English, etc., 15; Therapeutics, 50; Thrift, 36; Topographic maps, 3, 22, 29; Town history, etc.. New England, 3, 20, 50; planning, see City planning; *Towns, 3, 50; Trade catalogues, see Catalogues; Union, 50. Training, see education; Transportation, 12, 29, 60; Tuberculosis, 19, 50; *Turbines, steam, 2; *water, 2. United States, see Census. *^^illage improvement, 50; Vocational training, 16, 19, 36, 46, 50, 60. Wage systems, 36, 60; * Wages, 50; Watch and clock manufacturer, 10; *Water, 2; *power, 2, 60; *purification. supply, 2, 42. *Wlieels, 22; Works, 2, 23, 42; *Welfare work, 50; W^omen in industry, 36; W^orkmen's compensation, 50. *Year books of organizations (local), 41. For most topics five or six sponsors may be needed, the marks indicating those for which they are wanting or particularly desired. A nearly complete list of the partici- pants to date is as follows: Ambursen Hydraulic Construction Co.; Boston Book Company; Boston-1915; Boston Safe De- ])osit & Trust Company; Boston Society of Civil Engineers;; Boston Young Men's Christian Union; Brockton Public Library; Brookline Pul)lic Library; Hureau of Statistics; Children's Aid Society; Christian Science Monitor; Congregational Library; C()ui)er & Bailey, Architects; Edison Electric Il- luminating Co.; Graduate School of Business Administration (Harvard); Harvard University Library; D. C. & Wm. B. Jackson; Lee, Higgin.son & Company; Massachusetts Historical Society; * More sponsors needed. **Returns on these topics desirable; none received to date. t 60, Library of Congress. Local resources also needed for this topic. t It is hoped that soon a list of technical periodicals availaV)le in the business district will be compiled. Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Mellin's Food Company; Metcalf & Eddy; Metropolitan Coal Company; Milton Public Library; Parker, George S.; Perkins Institution for the Blind; Political Economy Library (Harvard); Hadclifi'e College Library; Sampson & Murdock Company; Spray Nozzle Companv; Simmons College Library; Smith, W. H.; Stone & Webster; Tenney, C. H. & Company; Town Room; Twentieth Century Club; Vocation Bureau; W'altham Public Library; Weston, Robert Spurr; Wheeler, William; Wilkie E. A., (New England Telephone and Telegraph Com- pany) ; Women's Educational and Industrial Union; Youth's Companion. Absent from the above list is the Boston Public Library, but because that insti- tution is presumably a source of informa- tion for substantially all the topics listed, it has been thought best not to include it at present. Moreover, if it were always available for everything wanted, there would hardly be need for looking to other sources at all; but how can it be expected to specialize on all topics .^^ and how familiar are the memoranda on the slips that come back to us when calling for books, saying "Out," "Not on the shelf," "Missing," "Bindery"! A general invitation is hereby extended to all who will co-operate by sending in topics upon which they may be re- ferrred to, whether those already on the list, or ones not yet listed. Until further notice, commimications may be addressed to Special Libraries Association, G Beacon Street, Boston, Room 405, telephone, Haymarket 890. The Local Committee is as follows: G. W. Lee, (Chairman) Librarian Stone & Webster, 147 Milk Street. Boston; Charles W. Birtwell, Secretary Children's Aid Society, 43 Charity Bldg., Boston; E. I. Cooper, Cooper & Bailey." 89 Franklin Street. Boston; D. N. Handy, Librarian Insurance Library Association, 141 Milk Street. Boston; L. B. Hayes. Librarian Boston Chamber of Commerce. 171 Milk Street. Boston; G. E. Marion. Librarian A. D. Little, Inc., 93 Broad Street. Boston. THE PUBLIC GARDEN IN WINTER WINTHROP PARENTS' ASSOCIATION REVIVING THE SPIRIT OF THE "LITTLE RED SCHOOLHOUSE" JOHN W. DeBRUYN ONE of the writer's earliest recollec- tions is a song which began, "Dear, dear, what can the matter be, parents won't visit the school." Wheth- er the parents of that day had any particular desire to visit the schools I do not know, but anyway the sentiment of the old song does not apply today, for fathers and mothers are beginning to show real interest in securing an ac- quaintance with their children's schools and teachers. The Home and School Association of Boston, composed of thirty odd parents' associations, aims to connect the parent and the teacher so that sympathy, harmony, co-operation and understanding of the child may result. The greatest - problem of parenthood is that pertaining to the knowledge of child development. In these days of investigation into genetic psychology — into the growth and process of animal minds — and the application of results to child training, a great mass of useful information has been accumulated. The Home and School Association j)laiis make it possible ft)r every j)arent to share that infornuition. No one can predict the pari wliich the school district may take in the life of cities. Surely it is the best in- clusive social unit. Ever since the days of the little red schoolhouse, where the community fathers gathered and ran affairs of government, it has always been the most democratic place of meeting. Because of sympathy founded on filial affection, the parents can be drawn into the school building in the common inter- ests of themselves and of their children. The Home and School Association has taken as its final object the construc- tive moral and physical development of the school district. To revive in school districts, where now is a "city wilderness" of lonely isolation, the lost art of neighborliness, to quicken in some the spirit of good citizenship and to give public opinion a free focus point of ex- pression, to bring about in others cleaner streets, better sanitation and more beauti- ful homes, to stimulate in all the homely cpialities of kindness, truth, loyalty, freedom and service — that is what the Home and School Association is trying to do. If tills kindly sentiment and neigh- borly feeling so noticeable at meetings of ])arenls in the schoolhouse, could be U\) 450 NEW BOSTON LOWELL PARENTS" ASSOCL\TION cultivated in every school district of Boston, and crystallized and finally brought to a head in some such organi- zation as Boston-1915, there would be effected such a social consciousness that Boston would be an object of admiration and emulation to the other cities of this country. Just how does the Boston Home and School Association hope to bring these ideals into realization? First of all, the movement's distinguishing trait is its democracy. Not a few but all must co- operate. Although leadership is neces- sary, it must not overbalance the essen- tial town meeting. iVnd while at first, as in the initial stage of any movement, the aid of philanthropy nuist be sought, the support eventually nuist come from the people themselves. Thus the different branches of the work have their special committees. The central committees of tiie Home and School Association considers hygiene, home and school visiting, home and school gardens, the further use of school buildings, vocational guidance, art and music, the theater, parents and children's reading, school decoration and work against the cigarette. Many local parents' associations have like com- mittees to consider corresponding activi- ties. Pursuant on vigorous growth it has become desirable to connect the work of central and local committees having the san:e object, so that this year conferences of central and local committees will be held. In this way it may properly be said that in its method of organization and procedure the Home and School Association re- sembles the greater Boston-ll)15. First among home and school activi- ties are the [ arents' meetings. These occur, on the a\(':age, once in six weeks. The president, v.lio is frecjuently the master of the (!i Irict, forwards to the parents, tlirot,' li the school children, written or j)riiilc(l announcements of the meeting. 1 hen in the afternoon or REVIVING THE SPIRIT OF THE "LITTLE RED SCHOOLHOUSE" 451 evening of the day designated, the parents gather in the school hall- — there have been meetings of a thousand people — to listen to a talk of interest to parents. The Child in the School and in the Home, Moral Training for the Modern Child, Humors of Child- hood, The Boy at the Cross Roads, The Best Books for Boys and (iirls to Read, The City Boy, Moral Train- ing for the Modern Child, Self Control as a Health Promoter in Children, Keep the Boy Off the Street, Training for Citizenship, Home Training for School Children, Social Conditions of the Com- munitv as Thev Affect the School, Clean Streets and ^Markets, The Effect of To- bacco on Growing Boys — one may judge from this list of lectures that fathers and mothers have gone from these meetings with much to think over for the benefit of their boys and girls. Music, con- tributed frecjuently by local talent and often by choruses of school children, adds to the enjoyment. During the social hour the people mingle freely. The esprit de corps develoj)ed at these meetings of ])arents and teachers has done much to increase the efficiency of the Boston school system. Another great ol)ject of the Home and School .Vssociation — the scientific study of child training — though covered by the lectures at the regular gatherings, has been pursued with vigor in the meetings of mothers in small groups and in "discussion clubs." One can easily imagine the thousand and more problems which confront parents in the home and how valuable are these conferences where specialists can be met and (piestions quickly answered. The scientific study of child develoj;- ment calls for a knowledge of hygiene, and so a committee, under the leader- ship of Mrs. Ellen H. Richards, devotes attention to that need. The care of the teeth, feeding of children, adenoids, contagious diseases, prevention of dis- eases, sanitation, clean towels, hot LOWIOLL SCHOOL OIU'IIKSTHA 452 NEW BOSTON DKIMONSTRATION LECTURE ON MEASLES, HUGH OBRIEX PARENTS" ASS()CL\TION water in the school room, the larger questions of food values and matters of thrift, markets and city streets — not one of these topics has been neglected. The same committee has logically gone into the problem of the school luncheon. The penny lunch experiment which provides for the selling of lunches in the schoolhouse to hungry children at 10:80 each morning, now covers eight centers. The report of the Hygiene Committee, stating that "the hundreds of children who have had six weeks' feeding show the result in increased weight, better color, more receptive, active minds," gives the committee basis for its future work. An experiment has been in ])rocess in the schools wnthin recent years about which the general public has had little information. Up to this time a wide gulf has been fixed between parent and teacher. Many parents have been too busy to come frequently to the schools for information concerning their children, while the teacher has been too busy to visit the homes; and the pupils involved have suffered a consequent loss. Truant officers and school nurses have i)artly l)ridged this gulf. But with the one the agent of the law and the other limited to questions of physical health, the large body of causes in the field of social ])ath()U)gy as they concern the home and tile school, have been liardly touched. In the Eliot District in the North End where exist congestion, "ignorance of laws and customs, poverty, avarice and other conditions which place heavy bur- dens upon the schools," the home and school visitor has investigated cases of persistent tardiness, uncleanness, back- wardness, gambling, truancy, insuffi- cient clothing and street loafing; she has applied remedies so that "the public school attendance and punctuality have materially increased, cleanliness im- proved, and a general advance made upon unsatisfactory conditions." In no case is mutual assistance be- tween parent and teacher more neces- sary than in vocational guidance. De- cision regarding a jjupil's fitness and like- lihood for success in a given occui)ation, requires the judgment of both ])arent and teacher. In the furthering of this aspect of its function the Home and School Association last year provided several lectures and counsel sessions which parents attended with great in- terest. The field in which the Home and School Association operates fairly bristles with opportunities. It would take too long to describe adequately the effective work of tlie committee on parents' read- ing, children's reading, home and school gardens, the cigarette and the theater. Much is heard these days about the increased use of school buildings. The proposition is very simple; if school buildings are now used but six hours in the day, why not double on the tax- payers' money by keeping them open eight, REVIVINCI THE SPIRIT OF THE "Em LE HEI) S( HOOLIIOUSE" 453 ten or twelve liours a day? The ques- tion is largely one of administration. True, the school expenses might be made larger by the expenses of increased heat, light and janitor serivce, but from the tax-payer's point of view it seems busi- ness-like to say that the capital invested in school grounds, buildings and equip- ment should have a potential use value whose capitalization is greater in amount than that of increased running expense. Certainly if we could capitalize the good which would come to the com- munity from the increased use of its school buildings, the proposition would seem from the good citizens' standpoint still more reasonable. The school committee has already recognized the feasibility of the project and on February 21, 1910, it invited the Home and School x\ssociation com- mittee on the further use of school buildings to be an official advisory body on that matter. This committee, as a beginning, has planned the following activities which do not involve any change in the construction of school buildings; parents' meetings, vocational activities, junior cWh- clubs, reading circles or discussion clubs, mothers' classes, evenings with pictures and nnisic. It would be a great addition to the community life of the jx'ople were it possible to have a neighborliood center in every school district — a place where every parent without spending car fare could go to hear lectures not only on child training, l)ut on history, biography, travel and other matters of education; where every mother could listen to good music, and choral classes could gather; where the stereopticon could show views from all over the world and churches, mountains, strange vegetation, marts of trade, habits and costumes of jicople, or representations of famous pictures in the Art Museum; where ideals of citizenship and methods of government could be taught to young men; where advice about life occupations could be dispensed by skilled vocational advisers to young men and young women. By such means as this the Home and School Association is endeavoring to revive the spirit of the "little red school- house." THE NEW Y. M. C. A. BUILDING GEORGE W. IVIEHAFFEY GentTiil Secretary THE new Young Men's Christian Association plant will be a radical departure from the conventional association l)uildings found in the other cities, in that it will consist of a group of buildings instead of all de- partments of work being housed under one roof. This new arrangement is made possible by the splendid area of the new site, which contains 155,000 sfjuare feet. The location is on Huntington Avenue, adjoining the New England Conserva- tory of Music and extends over four hundred feet along the avenue to the American League baseball grounds and back an average depth of 375 feet. The buildings, six in number, will cover with light areas, about 59,000 square feet of land. They will consist of the administration building, in which the executive offices and the religious and social activities wall be accom- modated; to the right, the association hall Iniilding, seating about 500, and al)ove which will l)e located the employ- ment department, the camera and other club rooms. To the right of the ad- ministration building will be the boys' and educational building, the former l)eing on the first floor with an inde- pendent entrance, and the latter occupy- ing the third, fourth and fifth floors and having one of the most complete equipments in the city. The heating and lighting plant will occupy a part of the basement of this building. Above these buildings will be additional stories providing living rooms for over 200 young men. Leading off from the lobby of the administration building will l)e a corridor comnumicating with the natatorium and the physical depart- ment. The former will be a building 40 by 100, containing a swimming pool 25 by 75, one of the finest in the city, and the latter will be a three-story building and l)asement 75 by 188 con- taining, in addition lo all the ecinipment of a modern gymnasium, six fine bowl- ing alleys, four large handball courts, a complete massage department, and various jjrivate exercising rooms. Both of these buildings will have skylights admitting both light and sunshine, rendering them particularly attractive. In the rear, and accessible from St. Botolph Street, will be the vocational school building, 140 by 57, consisting of two stories and basement. This will be a valuable addition to the associa- tion's educational department equip- ment . The remaining unoccupied land will be graded and used for athletic pur- poses, which will include tennis and handball courts, a fourteen lap running- track, a hundred yard straight away, pole vaulting, high jump and broad jump pits, quoits, etc. No association equipment in North America will surpass this one in com- pleteness, though others may be more ornate. Simplicity is the aim here, and it is fitting that Boston, the ])arent association of them all, should be so well jjrovided for. Plans for the main plant are being made by Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge, and those for the voca- tional school by Clinton J. Warren. Building operations on the latter build- ing will begin very shortly, and it will be ready for occupancy by early summer. The association management hopes to have the main structure ready for the opening of the fall work of 1912. The association, now housed at Nos. 2, 8 and 10 Ashburton Place, has just closed a remarka])ly fine year's work in all departments and it will undoubtedly move into its new ])lant with a large and well-organized work, notwithstand- ing the severe handicap caused by the loss of its Berkeley Street building. This new association plant will be a fine addition to our city and will be one of the striking imi)rovements of the Boston-1915 period. 451 CONVENIENCE STATIONS AND DRINKING FOUNTAINS AFTER a thorough study of the ques- tion of puhHc convenience stations, both in this country and abroad, tiie Connnittee on Pubhc Health of the I nited Improvement x\ssociation reported hist September to the mayor. Board of Health and City Council and made recom- mendations, which are being acted upon by the Board of Health. These recommenda- tions look to the gradual increase of public toilet facilities, both in the down-town dis- trict, and later at junction points in the out- lying sections by the building of at least one well-equipped station each year. Acting with the United Improvement Association, the Neighborhood Confer- ence of Boston-1915 chose for its im- mediate work, co-operation in securing these convenience stations at the most needed points, together with an investi- gation of public drinking fountain fa- cilities. In order to secure information regarding community needs in this re- spect, a letter in which the following questions were asked was sent to a number of social and civic organizations: 1. Are any public drinking fountains (either inside or outside fountains) needed in your neigh- borhood? 2. If so, at what particuhir sites? .'5. Are any pubhc convenience stations needed in your neighi>orhood? 4. If so, at what particular sites? Among the replies received the follow- ing are ({uoted, showing the general lack of proper pul)Iic toilet facilities and drinking fountains: We are well supplied with drinking fountains at Forest Hills, but one of the most needed reforms or requirements is a convenience station at Forest llills Square. All the teaming from the towns beyond, both Hyde Park and Koslindale and Dedham directions, come through the Square. At present the contractors are working on Stony Brook. The postmen and police say it is very necessary to have a convenience station at this point. MRS. A. H. ROOT, Sec, FruHcifi Parkinaii Parcnt.s' A.s:sn. We are near a drinking fountain but I should think one might be replaced at Glovers Corner to advantage or on Dorchester Avenue near Kimball Street in the saloon district. As to convenience stations one at the junction of .\dams Street and Dorchester Avenue near tiic Field's Corner Post Office and one at (ilovers Corner or between Field's and (irlovers (\)rner. GLADYS ABBOTT, Resident in rliiirge, Dorchester House. After lo(jking over the ground carefully and considering the probable changes in this neighbor- hood, I may say that both a public drinking fountain and a convenience station are nuich needed, and the best location would be on the triangle at the junction of Shawmut Avenue and Trcmont Street where Warrenton Street crosses both streets. As the subway is directly imderneath there might be difficulty as to the convenience station. Some other near-by station might be located. .\s to the need of both there can be no question. B. F. McDAXIEL, Barnard Memorial. There appears to be no need of additional con- venience stations or drinking fountains in this neighborhood. We would like to see the drinking fountain on the junction of Cabot and Tremont Streets equipped as a bubble, dipperless fountain. EDWARD P. SHUTE, Prcs., Sherman- Hyde Parents' Assn. In the entire West End there is no place for any man or woman to get a drink of water. In the summer time there is an opportunity at the Charles- bank, one foimtain being in the open space in the men's gymnasium and the other being in the girls' playground. Two places, one at the end of the West Boston bridge and the other at the end of the dam, are suitable for the construction of public convenience stations and drinking fountains. In both cases the streets are main arteries leading to Cambridge and are used daily by a large numljer of people and teams. One other placi — Bowdoin Scjuare — is deei(l(>dly in need of l)oth drinking fountain and public convenience station. There the station could t)e placed underground in the middle of the square and there would be no expen.sc in acquiring land. Bowdoin Square is a very congested district, and a drinking fountain and convenience station for that place should be urged strongly. The Square at the junction of ^Ierrimac and Causeway Streets has already a drinking fountain for horses, and an old-fashioned drinking fountain for men, which is not allowed under the present law. This practically meets the need, but not wholly. The drinking fountain for horses is running the year round, but tlie other is clo.sed in the winter and the need for women and children is not met. The North Station and two or three hotels are not far away. We have one public building, the Ward Room on Blossom Street, which is situated right in the 455 456 NEW BOSTON midst of Iho toncnK-nl district. Would it not he possil)lo to place ;i drinkin<;- fountain there directly in front or on the wall of I he i)uildinf,^^ FRKDKHICK \V. IUN(.DAIIL, Elizabeth Pcubody IIoii.sc. Drinking fountains are not required in our im- mediate neighborhooil, but if one would he secured for Day Square at the junction of Chelsea, Benning- ton and Prescott Streets, East Boston, it could he a blessing to the Fourth Section of J^ast Boston, in which we are located. Convenience stations are a crying need all over the city of Boston; there should be at least one located in every square of our city and its suburbs. There is no such accom- modation in East Boston and I think one should be established in Maverick Square, Central Square, Day Square and near Orient Heights Station. Might I suggest that our immediate district is terribly neglected as to sidewalks; a large per- centage of our streets have practically no sidewalks at all. In the winter we are ankle deep in mud and in summer ankle deep in pulverized ashes. ARTHUR J. PAGE, Pres., Binhop Cheverus and Paul Jones Parents' Assn. A drinking fountain is needed very much indeed at Breed's Square, Orient Heights. At the present time we have an old rusty, played out foimtain (an old-fashioned thing) that is worthless. We would like you to do all you can to have placed in Breed's Square an up-to-date bubbling fountain in place of this old-fashioned one that we have. As far as a public convenience station at Orient Heights goes, we do not want it as we believe it would be a nuisance. JAMES HAIN, Sec, Orient Heights Improvement Assn. An underground convenience station is much needed and could be very easily located on the pnjperty of the city in front of the old Franklin School House on Washington Street. There is already a public drinking place at this point. There is a ])iiblic drinking fountain in the tri- angle at the corner of Tremont and Montgomery Streets. There is no arrangement at this i)oint for having the watci- iced in sununer. It is extremely important that this should he done as this is at the entrance of a large lodging iiouse tlistrict in which very few people can, without considerable incon- venience and expense, supply themselves in summer with cool drinking water. There is a public drinking fountain with ecpiip- nient fo: cooling the water in front of the municipal gymnasium, corner of Harrison Avenue and Plymp- ton Street. There is considerable trouble each summer in getting this fountain in operation. It ought to he made the regular duty of .some city official to have this done. ROBERT A. WOODS, South End Iiouse. We have no drinking fountain in our neighbor- hood. We have one inside the Sailors' Haven for the use of the seamen and workers, but nothing outside. A drinking fountain on W'ater Street, where the passengers going to and from the ocean .steamers, people visiting the Navy Yard, the ilock laborers, freight handlers, all sorts and conditions of people who use Water Street, would he well placed. Regarding public convenience stations, there is none in Charlestown of which I know. The public is forced to go to a bar-room or some public in- stitution. Convenience stations are needed all over Charlestown, and I would suggest one in Thompson Square, Hancock Square, City Square. STANTON H. KING, Supt., Sailor.s' Haven. We would recommend, for this neighborhood, a public drinking fountain to be located at the junction of Ruggles and Tremont Streets, directly in front of the branch of the Boston Public Library. W'e also suggest that a public convenience station, located at Roxbury Crossing, would supply a long felt want in this community. THOMAS BURDETT, Asst. Snpt., Peoples Institute. THE HARVARD BRIDCJE AT NIGHT WHAT THE AUTO HAS DONE FOR BOSTON CHESTER 1. CAMPBELL THE average person, not intimately acquainted with the automobile trade, has Httle conception of the marvelous development of the industry. Of course, the great number of auto- mobiles seen in the streets, the byways and the parks, impresses one with the magnitude of the business, but it is only by getting at figures that a real knowl- edge of the situation may be obtained. The growth is all the more astounding when it is realized that it has all been gained in a single decade, as it was about 1900 before the first general agency was established in Boston. In 1895, Kenneth A. Skinner, who has the honor of being the pioneer in the field, brought from Europe the first motor-propelled vehicle, a DeDion Bouton tricycle. Two years later he introduced a four-wheeled vehicle of the same make. In 1898 or 1899 a steamer made in Cambridge was the only notable addition to the list, until in the following year the Locomobile (\>mpany established an agency under the management of J. H. MacAlman, the present president of the Boston Automobile Dealers' Association, who previously had been in the carriage business. This was shortly followed by the Mobile Company of America luider different managements, including Harry Fosdick and the writer, and then the Winton Company and others followed in quick succession until at the present time no less than 110 agencies and fifteen branch stores are located in Boston proper. So much for a general review of the automobile industry. Now to come to the real object of this article, "What the Auto has done for Boston." At first thought it may be said that in at least five essential ways has the motor- propelled vehicle added to the wealth or welfare of this as well as other cities. These, taken in order of commercial importance, are increased real estate valuation and taxes, the employment of skilled labor, resulting good roads and improvements, the reduction of local freight rates and increase of trade to city merchants, and last but not least the benefit to the general health of the community in bringing thousands into the open air. What the automobile industry and its allied trades are doing and have done for the development of Boston in the way of increasing the amount of property devoted to business and at the same time materially increasing its valuation, is strikingly illustrated at the present time along Boylston Street, in the vicinity of Copley Square up to and around Massachusetts Avenue, which now is the principal thoroughfare in the city occupied by the motor trade. Within one year upwards of $"2,500,000 has been invested in new buildings or in the re- modeling of old for this one industry. Four large buildings are now in the course of construction, and it is reported that three or more companies contemplate building within a short time. This, of course, only refers to one locality, (^olumbus Avenue and Huntington Avenue contain many stores, warerooms and garages devoted to the automobile or allied trades and there is also a large investment in buildings and shojjs, partly occupied, outside of the city proper. All these buildings have been erected and occupied within the past year or two, with the addition of many re- modeled buildings for automobile stores. Just how much this investment totals, it is difficult to estimate, but if all the real estate devoted to the automobile business in and around Bostt)n were lumjM'd, it would make an amount that would be surj)rising to some of the older trades. Then another direct benefit to the city is the tax from the owners of cars, 457 458 NEW BOSTON BOSTON S FIRST MOTOR-PROPELLED VEHICLE drivers, etc., amounting to about $300,000 annually. It is doubtful if any one line of busi- ness or trade in Boston can produce so many well-paid em])loyes as the auto- mobile industry. Skilled mechanics command the highest pay and many expert chauffeurs receive wages far in excess of those in similar work. In all there are probably over 50,000 men so employed in this state alone, with the majority in or around Boston. Boston has cause to be proud of her wonderful jmrk system and beautiful roads leading into the Hub. While these improvements cannot be laid car. While the i)leasure car has done much for the city, the commercial car will in the future do more. Not a fad, not an experiment, the commercial car has come to stay. The strides in the past year have been phenomenal and today the out- look is so bright that many of the leading manufacturers of ])leasure cars have added the business truck to their output. In fact, to show what promi- nence the commercial car has attained, the Highway Com- mission has decided to register it separately from the pleasure car. Many of the j^rominent stores which formerly only delivered goods within a ten mile radius of Boston, by the aid of motor delivery trucks are now able to make deliveries as far as the fifty mile radius. Conse- quently much trade is brought into Bos- ton that was formerly scattered. It is often asked if automobiling in its present stage is not a craze, similar to the bicycle fad. But those same people wdio, in the old days, considered that the full enjoyment of the bicycle consisted in rolling off a century or two on every Sunday or holiday, now brag of their hun- dreds of miles an outing in their automo- biles. The saner time is coming, however, when fewer miles will be registered and PALMER-SINGER 1911 MODEL directly to the automobile, still many of them are partly traceable to this industry and the large amounts of taxes paid by automobile owners towards keeping the great highways in rejjair. This brings us down to the point in the motor-proi)elled vehicle that divides the pleasure car from the commercial more enjoyment will result;and with that realization will come the benefit of cheaper u])keep of cars and more general satis- faction. There is no doubt that the gen- eral health of thousands has been im- proved by the exhilaration of open-air riding. Prices are now so low for good, (Continued on fourth page of advertising) NEW IJOSTON sorviccahlc cars. IhaL llic niassos may become devotees as well as the rich. The continually increasing importance of the motor car, both pleasure and com- mercial, is again emphasized by the fact that the Automobile Show to l)e held in Mechanics liuilding Mai'ch 4 to 11 in- clusive, under the auspices of the Boston Dealers Association Inc., will overshadow in size and importance any other show held in this country. Calls for more space come by every mail, and at the present time it is seriously inconvenienc- ing the ingenuity of the show manage- ment to meet the demands. In order to accommodate the manufacturers of cars and accessories who wish to exhibit their wares at the automobile show, plans are now being made to secure an addi- tional hall for an overflow. If this can be done, satisfactorily to the late comers, arrangements will be made so that one ticket will permit entrance to the auxiliary hall as well as to the Mechanics Ikiilding. When one realizes that 105,000 square feet of exhibit floor space is inadequate to meet the requirements of exhibitors, some idea of the magnitude of Boston's Automobile Show can be realized. Dealers in Boston and New England are enthusiastic over the pros- perous season which is now oj)ening up, and I predict an vniusually large sale of automobiles and commercial vehicles at the show in March. "U. S. MINISTER BEDLOE" William II. Crane began an engagement at the Park Theater on Monday evening, January 30, in a new comedy by George Ade, entitled "U. S. Minister Bedloe." Mr. Crane plays the title role, and Minister Bedloe is what Mr. Ade playfully describes as a "Loud Noise" in his own town — one of the numerous Springfields dotted over the United States. He is an editor and a politician and, as a reward for long and faithful hustling in the interests of his party, he gets an appointment as U. S. Minister to Caribay — a "Red-Pepper Republic somewhere to the South," whose citizens are either sleeping or frothing at the mouth. Shortly after Bedloe and his family arrive on the .scene they wake up and begin to froth. In other words, the perennial revolution breaks out in a fresh place. To make it all the livelier for Bedloe, a young American whom he wants for a son-in-law takes a hand in the sport and gets arrested as a filibuster. What's more the young fellow stands a mighty good chance of being shot and Bedloe is confronted with the problem of how to remain neutral as the representative of Uncle Sam and at the same time rescue his friend. IIow he solves it — that's the play. MRS. Fl^KI as "Becky Sharp" Dorchester Awning Company (INC.) Manufacturers of all kinds of Canvas Goods Awnings, Tents, Etc. WEDDING CANOPIES AND LARGE TENTS TO LET PIAZZAS FITTED UP FOR SLEEPING OUT 1548-1558 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester, Mass. Among the Fashionable Shops A. L. La Vers Co. Telephone, Back Bay 1344 190-192 BoylstonSl. 32-34 Park Square Boston, Mass. Specialty Shop FURS, MILLINERY GOWNS, DRESSES WAISTS and COATS Maynard & Co. Incorporated DEALERS IN GOLD, SILVER AND PRECIOUS GEMS Gifts for All Occasions S5.00 to $500.00 416 BOYLSTON ST. Established 1858 Edw. F. Kakas & Sons FURS 364 BOYLSTON STREET WOOD-KRUSTA A pi-rtVct wood-panel effect. Suitable for Dining Room, Hall, Library, Wainscoting and very effective in Bun- galows. WALL PAPER Latest foreign and domestic designs. H. C. MONROE DECORATOR 29 Temple Place, Boston The Delft Lunch and Tea Room 429 Boylston Street NEAR BERKELEY LUNCHEON AFTERNOON TEA TABLE D'HOTE DINNER 5.30 TO 8 FIFTY CENTS EXCLUSIVE MODELS Corsets, Waists and Neckwear CHANDLER'S CORSET STORE MRS. GEORGE CHANDLER 12-14 Winter St., & 422 Boylston St. May we demonstrate to you the New Hallet & Davis Player- Piano? Plays the whole key-board Hallet & Davis Piano Co. 146 Boylston St., Boston, Mass. Burleigh & Martin (Incorporated) CA TERERS Telephone, Back Bay 3940 Berkeley Street and St. James Avenue Back Bay, Boston, Mass. WALSH Miliintv Correct Fashions in Even- ing Hats. New Crush Models in Fur. 276 Boylston Street BOSTON HENRY F. MILLER & SONS PIANO COMPANY 395 BOYLSTON ST., BOSTON Lusbus Cbocolaites "The Sign of the Kind" The Aldrich-Clisbee Co 21 Portland St., BOSTON BOSTON-1915 PROGRAM FOR 1911 BO^TOTM 'y- i w^'. ^L'OiWa^j^' ^rW^ V*. i UBLI^SHED BYBO^TOAI 1915 INO- €) BEACO/^ ST- BOv5TOAl J'^1u\vSJV%5A- CENTRA COPY- OM^ DOLI^AK^ A^gXAR;: MARCH, 1911 NO. 11 THE WORLD'S GREATEST AUTOMOBILE SHOW AUSPICES BOSTON AUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSOCIATION, Inc. Entire Mechanics Bldg. and Horticultural Hall (ONE TICKET ADMITS TO BOTH) March 4th to 11th, inclusive The Largest and Best Display of Pleasure Vehicles=Coiiiniercial Cars=Accessories EVER ASSEMBLED THE FACTS 94 Different Makes Pleasure Cars 127,000 Square Feet Exhibition Space 450 Men Employed in Construction $27,000 Expended in Decorations 8462 Incandescent Lamps — 400 EXHIBITS — 37 Different Makes Commercial Cars 19,000 Yards "muL'' Floor Covering 2840 Salesmen and Attendants $5,000,000.00 Property Represented 680 Arc Lamps 4 ORCHESTRAS 4 Cafe in Connection SPECIAL DAYS Tuesday, Mar. 7th, Military Night Wednesday, Mar. 8th, Society Day Thursday, Mar. 9th, Commercial Car Day at 8 p. M. Opens Saturday Thereafter 10 A. M. to 10.30 P. M. ADMISSION 50c. AdmissionWed., Mar. 8...$1.00 DIRECTION CHESTER I. CAMPBELL NEW BOSTON A Chronicle of Progress in Developing a Greater and Finer City — Under the Auspices of the Boston-1915 Movement VOL. I MARCH, 1911 No. 11 CONTENTS FROM THE STATE HOUSE, LOOKING OUT THE " MILL DAM," NOW BEACON STREET. IN 1858 , Frontis NOTE AND COMMENT 461 BOSTON-1915 PROGRAM FOR 1911 461 1911 PROGRAM 461 CHARITIES CONFERENCES PROPOSE CIVIC BUILDING 462 CIVIC AUDITORIUM AND CIVIC BUILDING 462 ANNUAL MEETING OF CIVIC CONFERENCE 462 CONVENIENCE STATIONS AND DRINKING FOUNTAINS 463 HEALTH CONFERENCE DISCUSSES MEDICAL INSPECTION 463 EDUCATION CONFERENCE 463 TO INVESTIGATE MOVING PICTURE SHOWS 463 THE BILLBOARD NUISANCE 464 THIS MONTH'S NEW BOSTON 464 PUBLIC SPIRIT AND THE TRAMP 464 THE CO-OPERATIVE INFORMATION BUREAU 465 THE CHAMBER'S EUROPEAN TOUR 466 NEW FIELD FOR DR. COPP 466 LEGISLATION WHICH BOSTON-1915 WANTS 467 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHARLES RIVER ESTUARY.. Dr. Henry O. Marcy 471 DOES CITY PLANNING PAY? John Nolen 480 BRINGING THE WIFE DESERTER TO TERMS C. C. Carstens 482 MAKING WIFE DESERTION UNPOPULAR William H. De Lacy 484 A GOOD CITIZENS' FACTORY Rev. R. J. Floody, D. D 486 SCHOOLHOUSES AS NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS Fannie Fern Andrews 490 DISCOVERING THE PUBLIC SCHOOL Edward J. Ward 493 TACOMA'S HIGH SCHOOL STADIUM Frederick W. Heath 494 SYLLABUS OF CHARITIES AND CORRECTION CONFERENCE 497 PUBLICATION COMMITTEE Mr.s. Fannie Fern Andrews, Civic Conference Arthur Burnham, Fine and Industrial Arts Con- ference Dr. Richard C. Cabot, Health Conference John H. Fahey, Charter member George B. Gallup, Contributing Member Irving T. Guild, City Plan Conference Mrs. Emma S. Gulliver, Education Conference Solomon Lewenberg, Contributing Member William E. Litchfield, Business Conference Frank S. Mason, Youth Conference WilliamH. O'Brien, Industrial RelationsConfercnce Miss Mary Boyle O'Reilly, Charities and Cor- rection Conference William H. Pear, Charities and Correction Con- ference George E. Roewer, Railroad Brotherhoods Leonard J. Ross, Industrial Relations Conference Mrs. John B. Suckling, Youth Conference Mrs. May Alden Ward, Women's Clubs Miss Mary C. Wiggin, Co-operative Conference Myron E. Pierce Entered as second-class matter at the Boston Post Office JAMES P. MUNROE, Editor-in-Chief LEWIS E. PALMER, Managing Editor RAYMOND P. EMMONS. Advertising Manager 6a ^±;W BUbTU^ BAR HARBOR, MAINE LYNAM HOUSE s..X^.^^ FOR THE SEASON. N. Y. OFFICE 111 E. .j9TH STREET, NEW YORK, N. Y. G. M. E. LIND, Prop CUPOLAR HOUSE LAKE WARREN NEW HAMPSH I RE Beautifully Located. Terms Moderate. Address MRS. NETTIE M. MESSER EAST ALSTEAD, N. H. TO RENT For the Summer Season of 1911 Beautiful New Hampshire Farm Overlooking Green Mountains and beautiful Lake Warren. Scenery Unequalled. For Terms Address MISS C. L. PARTRIDGE 126 Harvard Street Brookline, Mass. lincoln^s Island Camp LAKE WINNEPESAUKEE, MOULTONBORO, N. H. WRITE FOR BOOK- LET AT ONCE. ACCOM MOD AT ION S LIMITED. •Address- Edward C. Lincoln, 136 Huntington Ave., Boston, - - - Mass. Outdoors in New England "But when the voice of Nature speaks to me From all her hills, and all her beauteous woods, Bidding my heart rejoice, and when I see The grandeur of her ever-varying moods, The trees uplifting mighty arms of green, — The clouds that float, lace-like across the blue; The softly flowing river, and the sheen Of flowers in every beauteous form and hue; Or when the voice of thunder rolls along, Reverberating 'mongst the ancient hills — And lightning lances dart the clouds among, My soul forgets its petty cares and ills." — — Mary Cosier. New Boston MARCH, 1911 NOTE AND COMMENT BOSTON-1915 PROGRAM FOR 1911 AFTER a year of organization and investigation, the conferences of I. Boston-1915 have staked out a program for accomplishment in 1911. The development of this program has meant weeks and months of study by the various conferences and their execu- tive committees, by the executive com- mittee of Boston-1915 and by the 1915 directorate. In itself and as a program we believe that it is comprehensive and that it represents some of the greatest needs as worked out by those par- ticular groups of experts that have been active in its preparation. If it is to become more than a program, if Boston is to realize on this civic in- vestment, every organization in Boston- 1915 must help us get down to business and push through these plans for a better city in 1911. There is no reason to doubt that such accomplishments can be secured; for the interest in the conference was never so strong as now. These groups have long since proved their worth as clearing houses of infor- mation. The conference syllabi, show- ing the civic and social needs of the city, are examples of what can be brought about through co-operative study and investigation. But now the preliminary stages of study and investigation have passed, a definite program of work is laid out, and Boston-1915 and its affilia- ted organizations have their first big opportunity of showing the real value of their organization. That opportunity is open to every one of the 1200 allied organizations that has registered its belief in the movement by identifying itself with a conference group. The success of the year's work depends upon the active interest of these organiza- tions, working through Boston-1915. The following program gives in brief outline the projects which the conferences have thus far named, and which the directors of Boston-1915 have accepted, for accomplishment in 1911. Although not final, for a few other items may be added later, the programme as it stands involves plenty of work that it is worth while to do. A pamphlet has been printed explaining each proposition more in detail. These pamphlets are being mailed to every conference member and every subscriber to NEW BOSTON. 1911 Program Establish a proper public authority to plan and provide for the comprehensive develop- ment of the city. (Initiated by the Chamber of Commerce, the City Planning Conference and the Housing Committee of Hoston- 1915.) The City Plan Syllabus of the Boston-1915 City Planning Conference was published in the February number of New Boston. In connection with the syllabus, Arthur A. Shurtlcfi", chairman of the con- ferences, contributed an article entitled "Planning for the Metropolitan District." In the current number of New Boston an article by John Nolen entitled "Does City Planning Pay?" is of special interest in con- nection with this first proposition of the 1911 program. Federate the cities and towns of the Metropoli- tan district. (Initiated by the Chamber of Commerce.) House Bill 715, providing for 461 462 NEW BOSTON the creation of a federation of Metropolitan Boston, is outlined in the article "Legislation Which Boston-1915 Wants," appearing in this issue of New Boston. 3. Organize a larger use of schoolhouses. (Initi- ated by the Boston Home and School Association and the Women's Municipal League.) Two articles in this issue are on this subject — one by Mrs. Fannie Fern Andrews, secretary of the Boston Home and School Association, and another by Edward J. Ward, the founder of the Rochester social centers. 4. Secure a larger and better use of playgrounds and other recreational facilities. (Initiated by the Youth Conference of Boston-1915.) 5. Create a central civic building. (Initiated by the Charities and Correction Conference of Boston-1915.) This proposition of the Charities and Correction Conference is outlined briefly on page 462 of this issue of New Boston. 6. Establish more convenience stations and drink- ing fountains. (Initiated by the United Improvement Association and Neighbor- hood Work Conference, Boston-1915.) The suggestions of the Neighborhood Conference for the establishment of convenience stations and drinking fountains may be found on page 463 of the current issue of New Boston. The provisions of House bill No. 1327, call- ing for the construction of more convenience stations, appears on page 470. 7. Investigate the part-time schooling problem. (Initiated by the Child Welfare Committee.) 8. Create a central library for teachers. (Initi- ated by the Education Conference, Boston- 1915.) 9. Secure laws for enforcing parental responsi- bility. (Initiated by the Charities and Correction Conference, Boston-1915.) The articles by Mr. Carstens and Judge DeLacy on other pages of this number of New Boston are based on this proposition of the Charities and Correction Conference. The bill now before the Legislature in Massachusetts, to make more strict the non-support law, is summarized on page 468. 10. Make definite provision for better sidewalks. (Initiated by the United Improvement Association.) See outline of House Bill No. 563 on page 469 of this issue. 11. Secure a prompt return of births. (Initiated by the Health Conference, Boston-1915.) A bill to bring about an effective system of birth returns is summarized on page 470 of this number of New Boston. In the Oc- tober issue of the magazine. Dr. Richard C. Cabot contributed an article on "Prompt Birth Returns, the Prime Need and Founda- tion of Public Health Work." 12. Secure more practical examinations for licenses to practice medicine. (Initiated by the Health Conference, Boston-1915.) Dr. Richard C. Cabot is the author of an article on the "Need for More Practical Medical Examinations," appearing in the February number of New Boston. 13. Extend free art exhibitions. (Initiated by the Fine and Industrial Arts Conference, Boston- 1915.) Charities Conference Proposes Civic Building The Charities and Correction Confer- ence of Boston-1915 has voted that the securing of a Civic Building shall be the general "long time" subject for which it shall work with 1915 as a goal of achieve- ment. Such a building would house the numerous charitable, social and civic agencies in Boston which are now scat- tered over the city. The practical advan- tages of such a building are well illus- trated in the United Charities Building in New York where many similar activities are located to the great advantage of each. This proposition of the Charities and Correction Conference is included in the 1911 program of Boston-1915. Civic Auditorium and Civic Building The Fine and Industrial Arts Con- ference has named as a great need in its field a civic auditorium that would offer adequate accommodations to the nu- merous conventions, expositions and con- ferences that come to Boston. These two propositions — a civic building and a civic auditorium — present so many points in common that the two con- ferences are working on a joint plan. At present the Fine and Industrial Arts Conference is making further inquiries as to the need of an auditorium in Boston. Annual Meeting of Civic Conference Prof. W. B. Munro of Harvard Uni- versity has been elected chairman of the Civic Conference in place of W. S. Appleton, resigned. The annual con- ference meeting was held on February 20. Among the year's accomplishments are the inauguration of a saner Fourth for Boston, a study of the status of the alien element in the Boston elementary day schools, the establishing of a Re- search Bureau, which is now engaged in gathering information regarding research work in and around Boston and nu- merous conferences on timely subjects. At present the conference is drawing up a syllabus of the civic needs of Boston. NOTE AND COMMENT 463 Convenience Stations and Drink- ing Fountains The directors and executive committee of the Neighborhood Conference met on February 17 and reported on the subject of pubhc convenience stations and drink- ing fountains — topics which that con- ference has chosen for particular atten- tion in 1911. The United Improvement Association has already made a thorough study of the need for more convenience stations and the Neighborhood Con- ference will co-operate with that associa- tion in pushing plans for the adoption of additional stations. The executive com- mittee of the conference voted that a recommendation be sent to the City Council to the effect that as much money as may be needed for the purpose be appropriated from the Parkman Fund to establish drinking fountains and con- venience stations wherever they are needed in the small parks of the city. The committee approves the estab- lishment of convenience stations and drinking fountains at the following points : North End: Haymarket Square and North Square. West End: Bowdoin Square and near West Boston Bridge, at the corner of Cambridge and Charles streets. The committee further suggests con- struction at these points in the South End: Castle Square; Dover Street and Washington Street (in yard of ward room); Northampton Street and Wash- ington Street or near there ; and Roxbury Crossing. It makes no recommendations regard- ing outlying districts, as the business districts are of primary importance. Health Conference Discusses Medical Inspection Boston's system of medical inspection of school children was the subject of a Health Conference meeting in the Twen- tieth Century Club on February 20. Dr. Silas Hibbard Ayer, former chief medical inspector of the city, credited the Boston Board of Health with estab- lishing the first system of medical inspection under Dr. Samuel H. Durgin. He stated, however, that there had been little improvement in the methods of inspection during the sixteen years since the work was started and that Boston had already fallen behind a score of cities. Dr. Ayer believes that medical inspectors should be appointed through civil service, that salaries of inspectors should be raised and that school nurses and medical examiners should be under the supervision of the Health Depart- ment. At present the School Com- mittee has charge of the school nurses. Increased efficiency would result, he thinks, by a re-organization of the Board of Health and by making it a permanent body not governed by ad- ministration changes. Other speakers who discussed the inspection system were: Dr. William B. Coues, a school medical inspector; Dr. Horace E. Marion; Dr. Cleveland Floyd, and Dr. Durgin, chairman of the Board of Health. ( Dr. Durgin stated that an additional appropriation is to be granted to the Board of Health which will result in more adequate medical inspection. Through this appropriation he said that it would be possible, in addition to the present work, to make thorough, individual examina- tions of all the pupils in Boston. The salaries of medical inspectors will be raised from $200 to $500 a year. Education Conference At a meeting of the directors and executive committee of the Education Conference, it was voted that in the opinion of the conference "the School Committee shall be so far as possible the final authority in the disposition of the funds of city schools." A meeting of the Education Conference was held on February 24 at 4 P. M., to discuss "Some Provisions for the Children not Adapted to the Present High Schools." A report of the meeting will appear in the April number of NEW BOSTON. To Investigate Moving Picture Shows At a meeting of the directors and execu- tive committee of the Youth Conference held on February 16, it was voted that a committee on the licensing of moving picture shows "visit at least a dozen such places and report upon the conditions 464 NEW BOSTON observed there, especially with reference to light, order, character of pictures, attendance of children under sixteen unaccompanied, and loitering of men around the entrances." Experiments recently made seem to show that moving pictures can be ex- hibited satisfactorily in a comparatively well-lighted room. The Billboard Nuisance If a neighbor offends my ear with revelling, drumbeating or even too much graphophone, I have recourse to law. If he offends my nose with rotting garbage or other noisome things, I can hale him into court. But if he offends my eye and shuts off my view by erecting a large billboard glaringly setting forth the virtues of some quack medicine, I must grin and bear it, though an offensive noise or smell must, in the very nature of things be transitory, while a billboard, if from the advertiser's standpoint well placed, is an increasing offence. This Month's New Boston The 1911 program of Boston-1915 is closely linked with a number of bills now before the Legislature. The bills are described briefly on another page in the article "Legislation Which Boston- 1915 Wants." Among the measures outlined is House Bill No. 1109, calling for the creation of a coinmission to con- sider the general question of compre- hensive city planning, the lack of which, to quote from Mr. Nolen's article, causes "almost incalculable waste due to haphazard, unskillful and short-sighted procedure." In connection with Mr. Nolen's description of what a metro- politan city plan would mean in dollars and cents saved, it is interesting to turn to Dr. Marcy's story of the development of the Charles River Estuary and see what Boston has actually accomplished in the way of great public improvements. If much has been done in this hit-or-miss fashion, how much more could be brought about through a carefully worked out program, similar to that drawn up by the City Planning Conference. The non-support law which went into effect in Washington, D. C, in 1906, turned $23,584.40 into the district treas- ury in the first seven months of the last fiscal year. This money was collected by the Juvenile Court from men under suspended sentences and prisoners in the workhouse. A bill before the legis- lature aims to revise the non-support law in Massachusetts and force the de- serting husband to contribute to the expenses of his dependent family. Mr. Carstens tells of Massachusetts' failure to bring the wife deserter to terms. This work of enforcing parental responsi- bility has been taken up by the Charities and Correction Conference of Boston- 1915 and is a part of the 1911 program. The article by Mr. DeBruyn in the February number of NEW BOSTON told about the work of the Boston Home and School Association in bringing par- ents into closer relation to neighborhood problems through schoolhouse meetings. The further use of school buildings has been named by the directorate of Boston- 1915 as of primary importance and con- stitues a portion of the 1911 program. The articles by Mrs. Andrews and Mr. Ward in this number tell what is being done in Boston to make the school- houses of real service to adults and what a "social center" means in community life. The description of Tacoma's High School Stadium is of particular interest because of the suggested plans for a similar structure for the high schools of this city. Preliminary plans have been drawn up for a Boston stadium at the request of Mayor Fitzgerald, and a special committee of the Youth Con- ference of Boston-1915 has endorsed the idea. Members of the Youth Con- ference will be especially interested in Dr. Floody's description of the Worcester Garden Cities which have proved so successful as "citizen factories." PubKc Spirit and the Tramp The state of Massachusetts has during the past half-dozen years been putting into effect, with unique success, a series of laws designed to hamper the move- ment of tramps through the state. The cardinal point in this legislation is the requirement laid upon every town which provides any sort of public shelter for wayfarers that it shall also provide a work test. The news of the provision of this work test soon passes from house- NOTE AND COMMENT 4G5 hold to household in each town, leading the people of the town to cease giving to beggars and to refer them to the head- quarters for wayfarers provided by the towns. As this system now covers all the groups of populous towns in the state, it is next to impossible for the tramp to get through or around these blocks of towns without work. The result is that the tramp does not come in that direction. Unfortunately, the marked decrease in the number of tramps in the state at large has not yet come about in Boston. One reason for this has been that in the past the Wayfarers' Lodge, maintained by the city, has not been open to way- farers on sufficiently generous terms to satisfy the good-hearted citizen. Under present arrangements, however, the same man can be taken in at the Lodge night after night for a reasonable period and given his lodging and breakfast on condition of doing a certain amount of work in the morning. This work in no way prevents him from finding other work during the day as he is discharged early, if need be, and his stay at the Wayfarers' Lodge is determined largely by the energy which he shows in looking for work. The chief reason, however, for the failure of Boston in this matter, is in the fact that the co-operation of citizens which is secured in the towns through the avenues of gossip, cannot be brought about in that way for a large city. An organized and persistent plan of publicity is required, and such a plan is being devised by the joint board connected with the Associated Charities and the Boston Provident Society. When this publicity undertaking is fully worked out, the fact will be brought to the atten- tion of every person in Boston that the city provides a suitable shelter with food, subject to a' reasonable amount of labor, to which every homeless man asking aid on the street or at the door of one's home should in all cases be sent. As soon as the average, well-intentioned citizen can be brought to see that the thoughtless handing out of a nickel or a dime, or of food, to the unknown wandering mendicant, isj simply doing so much to rivet down upon the city the physical and moral curse and danger of tlie tramp — so soon the number of tramps will be reduced to a minimum. This does not mean, of course, that the cause of vagrancy will be reached and eliminated. It does mean that the roving pauper can be abolished, — so that only the resident pauper will be left, and he remains where the com- munity can put its finger on him. An important feature of this proposed system is that it is just and considerate to the wayfarer who is honestly seeking work. It gives him the opportunity of shelter and food without being forced to begging. * The Co-operative Information Bureau In the February issue of NEW BOSTON appeared a description of the Co-opera- tive Information Bureau, a local enter- prise conducted by the Special Libraries Association in conjunction with Boston- 1915. Briefly, the purpose of the bureau is the registration (through the Boston- 1915 office) of topics upon which various individuals, business houses, libraries, etc., stand ready to furnish information, sug- gest ways of getting at sources, and, in some instances, to loan literature. .The article in the February number of New Boston contained a list of topics on which information was avail- able, together with the names of those volunteering to supply literature. Since that time the following additions have been made to that list: Alcohol, see also Liquor; Books old and rare, 65; Capital, add 63; Chambers of commerce reports, add 56; Efficiency engineering, add 63; Electroplat- ing (sponsors wanted); Engineering, see also Elec- trical; Industrial; Mechanical; Production; etc.; Industrial engineering, 63; statistics, add 63; Labor, add 63; Liquor problem, add 67; Money market, 66; Money and banking, see Banking; Plumbing en- gineering, 6!^; Production engineering, (iS; Statistics, see also Industrial; Typewriting, see Volunteers; Volunteers (typewriting, etc.) -il; Wage systems, add 63. W. C. Brackett, (Sanitas Mfg. Co.), 54 Union St. Richmond idl; Gunn, Richards & Co. (J. N. Gunn), State Mutual Bldg., Haymarket 191; Havana Line (E. II. Downing, Traffic Mgr.), 2£1 Board of Trade Bldg., E. H. ^2390; C. E. Libbie & Co., 597 Washington St., Oxford -20-Z6; Erederic J. Whiting, 117 Milk St., Main 1660; Scientific Temperance Eederation (C. F. Stoddard, Sec), 23 Trull St. There is to be a general meeting of the participants in the Co-operative 466 NEW BOSTON Information Bureau on Wednesday, March 8, at 4 P.M., Room 320, Tremont Building. A report of progress will be made and plans for the future considered. All who may be interested are invited to attend. In its present form this bureau is not organized primarily to supply such miscellaneous questions as come to the information bureau of a world's fair, but we are glad to quote from the Bulletin of the Boston Young Men's Christian Union, February 1, 1911, the scope of the inquiries for which that organization stands sponsor: Get in Touch with Things Inquire at the desk for all sorts of information. Are you in search of a lodging-room.'' What time does your next train go? Who is the president of the Chamber of Com- merce.'' Who are the senators from Massachusetts? When does the next mail leave for Portland, Maine? What is going on tonight? All the above and hundreds of other questions gladly answered at the desk. The Chamber's European Tour The Boston Chamber of Commerce has outlined the preliminary program of a European touring party for the summer of 1911, to be composed of members of commercial and industrial associations, national, state, country, and municipal officials and experts in commercial, industrial and civic affairs, together with members of their families. A trip of about sixty days is planned. which will comprise visits to London, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Vienna, and possibly other cities, including excursions en route and in the neighborhood of the principal stopping places. The plan is to organize a representative delega- tion similar in its purposes to the foreign delegations which have recently visited this country. The Chamber of Commerce News of February 13 contains a list of the cities which may be included in the tour. A trip of the kind planned would be of immense value to persons wishing to secure a broad knowledge of industrial, civic and social conditions in European cities. New Field for Dr. Copp Dr. Owen Copp, for the past twelve years executive officer of the Massa- chusetts State Board of Insanity, has resigned to take charge of the Pennsyl- vania Hospital for the Insane at Phila- delphia. Dr, Copp has been a leader in the preventive treatment of feeble- minded and defective children. Ten years ago there was accommodation in Massachusetts for about 800 feeble- minded and epileptic patients. At present the state at Waverley, Wrentham and the State Hospital for Epileptics has accommodations for 2,650. The Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane was chartered in 1751. It cares for 450 patients. Dr. Copp was graduated from Dart- mouth in 1881 and from Harvard Medical School in 1884. For generations the schoolhouses have been monuments oj neglected opportimity. The policy of closing them to the people outside of regidar school hours has retarded the development of that higher type of citizenship which makes for better government. It matters not where it is located, whether in a congested city district, or in a hamlet, or on a prairie among scattered farmhouses, a public school building is a potential center of civic activity, a potential neighborhood civic club house. — Henry C. Camp- bell, Mihvaukee. 'LEGISLATION WHICH BOSTON-1915 WANTS A SUMMARY OF THE BILLS THAT THE DIRECTORS OF BOSTON-1915 HAVE VOTED TO SUPPORT IN spite of the fact that the Great and General Court of Massachusetts meets every year, while the legisla- tures of almost all the other States con- vene only biennially, there are brought before it, on an average, some two thou- sand bills each session. By long-estab- lished custom, moreover, every one of these bills, no matter how freakish, re- ceives patient consideration. However zealous and painstaking a Massachusetts senator or representative may be, it is evident that he can familiarize himself with the merits of only a very small proportion of this huge grist of bills. Consequently legislators are driven to measure all bills, excepting the few with which they are most closely concerned, not upon their merits, but by the charac- ter and extent of the backing which they receive. It is of the highest conse- quence, therefore, that really important legislation should receive the active endorsement of a large body of substantial citizens. Fifteen bills have been selected, out of the many hundreds at the State House, for special backing by Boston-1915, an organization made up, as is well known, of more than twelve hundred bodies meeting in conference and represented in a central directorate officially em- powered to speak for the constituent organizations. Each of these fifteen measures has had careful consideration by at least one of the thirteen confer- ences of Boston-1915, and then of the directorate, or of the executive committee of the directors. Consequently all the bills have been considered from the many points of view of those who constitute Boston-1915. In having the formal support, there- fore, of Boston-1915, the following meas- ures possess the backing of a great proportion of those fifteen hundred organizations in and around Boston which are working in one way or another to make Boston a greater, finer and in every way a better city: Hearing before Date of Room Bill No 1. committee hearing No. Senate 154 Education 441 " 176 Legal Affairs (Hearings closed) 249 " 197 Metropolitan Affairs 240 House 118 Education (Hearings closed) 441 " 420 Public Utilities 446 " 444 Cities (Hearings closed) 240 " 454 Education (Hearings closed) 441 " 472 Labor March 1—10.30 426 " 473 Legal Affairs (Hearings closed) " 563 Cities March 7—10.30 240 " 666 Legal Affairs (Hearings closed 249 " 715 Metropolitan Affairs 240 " 1109 " 240 " 1327 Public Health March 16—10.30 436 " 1331 436 f A [resume of each of the bills follows, and it is hoped that every reader of New Boston not only will study the bill itself but will also make every effort to impress upon his representatives at the State House, either by appearing at the hearing or by direct communica- tion with his senator or house member, the importance to the community of these measures. Senate No. 154: To Authorize School Committees to Establish Self-sujp'porting Evening Classes. Empowers school com- mittees to organize self-supporting even- ing classes in subjects not already re- quired to be taught in the free evening schools, and to levy tuition not to exceed the cost of instruction and supplies. School committees are further empowered to require of all students in free classes, not bound by law to attend, an advance payment to cover the term cost of books and supplies. The receipts from such tuition may be turned into the town treasurer or at the end of the term may be given back to those students whose attendance, demeanor, and use of sup- plies justify the expense. 467 468 NEW BOSTON Senate No. 176; That Advertising Signs may be Abated as a Public Nui- sance. Empowers any city or town to regulate outdoor advertising signs by such ordinances as it may judge most conducive to the "safety, health, peace, order, morals, comfort, and general welfare of its inhabitants." The term "sign" is given a liberal interpretation and includes billboard advertising, signs on buildings, fences, trees, rocks, etc. For violation of the act penalties may be fixed and recovered as already pro- vided under existing laws. Senate No. 197; Relative to the Number of Police Officers which may be Detailed by the Police Commissioner of the City of Boston for Service under the Direc- tion of the Board of Health of Said City. Introduced by Mayor Fitzgerald at the request of the Boston Board of Health and of the Housing Committee of Boston- 1915. It provides for an increase from five to ten of the number of police officers who "shall upon requisition by the Board of Health be detailed to the exclusive service and direction of said Board for enforcing the laws and ordinances re- lating to the conservation of health and to tenement and lodging houses." It is obvious that five such officers are quite insufficient to carry out the work of the Board of Health in enforcing existing ordinances. House No. 118; To Enable Cities and Towns to Establish Art Commissions. This bill empowers any city or town which has not already a charter provi- sion to that effect, to establish an art commission which shall approve the designs for any municipal structure or any work of art or object of utility, which is to be located on the public ways or lands, except the cemeteries, and any ornament or decoration which is to be placed in any public or municipal build- ing. House 473; To Make Desertion of Wife or Minor Children a Crime. This bill is in furtherance of the work of the Charities and Correction Conference of Boston-1915 to bring about a more rigid enforcement of parental responsi- bility. It provides that whoever deserts his wife or minor child by going into another state shall be liable to fine or imprisonment. Such fines shall be paid to the probation officer to be used for the support of the wife and minor child or children. If placed upon probation, the court may require that he shall pay to the probation officer certain sums to be used in the same way. If confined in any jail or reformatory on account of sentence under this law, the superintendent of the jail or reforma- tory shall pay to the family a sum equal to fifty cents for each day's hard labor. Such a law is in effect in the District of Columbia, with excellent results, as shown elsewhere in NEW BOSTON. House No. 420; Provides for a Com- mission to Investigate the Laws Relative to Public Service Corporations. This bill, put in by the United Improvement Association, calls for the appointment of an unpaid commission of five to investi- gate the laws of other states and countries relative to public-service corporations and especially to report upon the ad- visability of reorganizing present state boards and commissions. The com- mission is to report by January 1, 1912. It may expend $15,000 for clerical and expert assistance and may summon witnesses. Since there are widely divergent opinions as to the effectiveness of exist- ing commissions in other states it is for the best interests of Massachusetts that accurate information and expert advice be obtained before creating a similar agency in the Commonwealth. House No. 444; Relative to Tenement Houses in the City of Boston. This bill was also introduced by Mayor Fitzgerald at the request of the Board of Health and the Housing Committee of Boston- 1915. It revises the definition of a tene- ment house so that the term shall apply to three-family buildings. As the law now stands a building must house four families in order to be classed as a tene- ment. Since most of the new structures of a tenement character being erected in Boston are of the three-family type, it is vital that they should be brought within the existing tenement house law. As the matter now stands there is no LEGISLATION WHICH BOSTON-1915 WANTS 469 &dequate inspection of the so-called **three-deckers." House No. 454; To Provide Jordan Investigation into the Needs and Pos- sibilities of Part Time Schooling for Working Children. Introduced by the Massachusetts Child Welfare Committee, and provides that the Board of Educa- tion be authorized and directed to make an investigation into the needs and possibilities of part time schooling, voca- tional and otherwise for working children between the ages of fourteen and seven- teen years. The board is empowered to employ such agents as may be neces- sary and must report to the General Court of 1912, Such an investigation js fundamental to the industrial and educational welfare of the state. House No. 472; Relative to Eni'ploy- ment in the Night Messenger Service. Provides that no person under the age of twenty-one years shall be permitted to work as a messenger before five o'clock in the morning or after ten o'clock in the evening. Such a law is already in force in New York. In the January number of NEW BOSTON R. K. Conant, secretary of the Massachusetts Child Labor Committee and author of the bill, points out "that the service is used to its greatest extent by prostitutes, gamblers, illicit saloons, places of assigna- tion, hotels of shady reputations, and drug stores with doubtful reputation, and the pity of the situation lies in the attractiveness of the work in the eyes of the boy. The physical havoc wrought by the unnatural hours of work, irregular hours of sleep, lack of health recreation, the character and irregularity of the )meals and exposure to all kinds of \weather is equalled by the wrecking of ithe mental faculties and the industrial tdestruction of the worker. Industrially ithe work leads to the grave of the dis- isolute unemployable." House No. 563; Providing for the iBuHding of Ten Miles of Granolithic, 'Concrete or Brick Sideivalk Every Year Jor tJie Next Ten Years in the City of Boston. Filed by the United Improve- iment Association. Under this bill the ^superintendent of streets is each year to select ten miles of streets upon which sidewalks shall be constructed. Side- walks shall be paid for, fifty per cent by the city and fifty per cent by the abutter, the latter having ten years in which to pay his share. In this way the cost does not become a burden to even the poorest property holder. The bill was drawn by the Committee on Streets of the United Improvement Association after nearly a year's study of methods of sidewalk construction in the biggest American cities — in every one of which the abutter pays the total cost of sidewalk construction. House No. 666; Relative to Prompt Birth Returns. Such returns, as stated by Dr. Richard C. Cabot, the author of the bill, are "the prime need and foundation of public health work." At present, births may be reported in Massachusetts as late as six weeks after their occurrence. Dr. Cabot says in New Boston for October: "The pre- cious days for public health work are the first two or three after the child's birth. It is by getting in touch with the family at that time that health officers and private agencies can accomplish results in preventing infant mortality and loss of sight." By this bill physicians and midwives must, under penalty, report births with- in forty-eight hours in cities, and within five days in towns. The person signing the certificate personally must also state whether or not he attended the birth and whether or not he used a prophylactic for the prevention of infantile blindness. Experience with a thirty-six hour birth return law in New York state shows that prompt birth returns mean fuller birth returns. It will accordingly be possible in more instances than at present to prevent children under four- teen from working in factories. The statement as to whether the person signing the birth certificate personally attended the birth will throw much light on the midwife problem. The question as to a preventive for ophthalmia neonatorum will bring this precaution to the attention of physicians. The prompt birth returns will make it possible to give mothers instructions as to the care of their children earlier than at 470 NEW BOSTON present, and will insure warnings of the danger of ophthahnia neonatoruvi reach- ing the parents in time to prevent blind- House No. 715; To Create a Federa- tion of Metropolitan Boston and an Ad- visory Representative Council therefor. Provides for a metropolitan council consisting of the mayors of the cities and the chairmen of the boards of select- ment of the towns of the Metropolitan District, who shall serve without com- pensation. All legislative matters affect- ing the cities and towns of this district shall be considered and a report of the decision of the council sent to the General Court. Each city and town shall have one vote except that in passing upon proposed legislation only those munici- palities which have a financial interest in a question shall be entitled to vote. It is believed that this loose federa- tion of the cities and towns of the metro- politan district will result in a better understanding of the needs and re- sources of the community as a whole, and in fuller co-operation in develop- ing the units of "Real Boston," not only locally, but with regard to the industrial and social growth of the metropolitan area. House No. 1109; To Develop the Resources and Improve the Conditions in the Metropolitan District. Designed to provide the city of Boston and the Metropolitan District with a city plan, which shall enable it to develop along sound industrial, social and moral lines. It creates a commission of three members to consider such large improvements in the so-called Metropolitan District as have to do with the securing of better homes, the structural and sanitary safety of building, the prevention of congestion, the control of fire hazard, the proper distribution of buildings for purposes of residence, manufacturing, trade and transportation, the extension of water supply and sewerage, the reservation of lands for public uses, and the co- ordination of transportation of passengers and freight, whether by railroads, rail- ways, highways, or water. A city plan is fundamental to the right development of Boston, and for that reason has the active support of Boston- 1915, the conferences of which realize that a well-planned city is a necessary basis for all their work. House No. 1327; Provides for the Construction of One or More Sanitary Stations for the Use of Both Sexes in Cities and Toivns of over 8,000 Inhabitants. It is common knowledge that there is no more effective temperance work which can be undertaken than the placing of convenience stations in every congested center. The Neighborhood Conference of Boston-1915 has already voted to work for an increase of such stations in the city of Boston, and the project is one which Boston-1915 believes to be of high importance to the public welfare. House No. 1331; Extends the Power of the Board of Health in Regard to the Number of Occupants of Buildings. This bill is put in by Mayor Fitzgerald at the request of the Board of Health and the Housing Committee of Boston-1915. Under it over-crowding is made a mis- demeanor; and its passage is believed fundamental to the work for prevention of congestion. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHARLES RIVER ESTUARY DR. HENRY O. MARCY In the efforts for sound metropolitan development based upon a scientific city plan, ivhich the Chamber of Covimerce, Boston-1i)\5 and other agencies are mak- ing, it is both instructive and encouraging to remind our citizens as in the following article, hoio much Boston has already accomplished in giving value to waste lands, in developing bridges and other arteries of travel and in promoting civic health and beauty. If she has been able to do all this in a more or less haphazard fashion how much more might be accomplished by united effort guided by a definite and compre- hensive plan. — Editor. WE often fail to appreciate the magnitude of the work neces- sitated in the building of a city. The problems presented must necessarily vary greatly. Of these Boston has had her full share. Within the memory of men yet living, more than two thousand acres have been redeemed from the surrounding watery waste and are already, for the most part, developed into highly productive property. Greater Boston, destined at an early date to be one in corporate existence, is growing at a rate that is hardly surpassed by any other city on the continent. In the area measured on the basis of that of Philadel])hia and Chicago, Boston already has a population in excess of 1,500,000. Measured by the wider radius of her places of amusement and great depart- ment stores, Boston is the geographic center of quite 3,000,000 people, repre- senting wealth in excess of any equal number on the continent. At present we may rate ourselves as third in the list of cities, as second in commerce and wealth and as first in education, learning and refinement. Verily the labors of the fathers have found fruition, although from the view- point of the Western citizen. New Eng- land is sidetracked geographically. Those who have criticised Boston as a "state of mind" as well as those who take just pride in the city's development, will be interested in an outline of some of the great public improvements that have been made since William Black- stone built his little cabin upon the western declivity of Beacon Hill. The first map giving any evidence of approximate accuracy of detail was by William Wood in 1634. Wood wrote: "Boston is two miles northeast from Roxberry: His situation is very pleasant, being a peninsula hem'd in on the south side with the Bay of Rox- berry, on the north side with Charles River, the marshes on the back side, being not half a quarter of a mile over; so that a little fencing will secure their cattle from the wollves. Their greatest wants be wood and medow-ground which never were in that place, being constrayned to fetch their building timber and fire wood from the land in Boates, and their Hay in Loyters. It being a necke and bare of wood, they are not troubled with three great annoyances of Woolves, Rattle- snakes and iNIusketoes." The famous map of Bonner, published in ll'i'i, states that the entire Boston Peninsula comprises about l2,700 acres of land above the tides. It is interest- ing to note Long Wharf and the reason for its name, projecting, as it did over the mud flats, nearly 5,000 feet, in order to reach water of a depth sufficient to accommodate the light draft vessels of nearly two centuries ago. The filling of these flats was one of the first sub- stantial improvements of our harbor front . Long after the Revolution, the high tiflcs washed over the narrow neck of land between Boston and Roxbury, con- verting Boston into an island. By a slow process of growth the "South End" was developed, and a generation ago a 471 472 NEW BOSTON considerable portion of it, more notably Chester Park, became the most desirable residential section of the city. General Gage sent reinforcements to his dis- tressed soldiers at Lexington, in boats from the foot of the Common, The waters of the Bay covered uninter- ruptedly the great stretches to the south of the Brookline shores. The wide crescent-shaped area lying south of the old North Church was slowly redeemed from the sea and the broad acres bisected by Canal Street were built over and given largely to business. Men yet living speak of the excellent duck shooting in this locality. On the western shore of the harbor and bay. East Boston, Chelsea, Charles- town and Cambridge have all taken wide areas by the filling in of the shallow margins, adding materially to the de- velopment of their area and value of the adjacent property. The surveying department of Boston in 1893 reports thus: "The commercial problem alone, the great mainstay of a seaport community, has for years been allowed to drift unaided by any fostering action on the part of the municipality to provide for present needs and the future growth of a port of the position and prominence of Boston. The total area reclaimed from the sea up to the year 1894 amounted to 2,245 acres. None, however, can deny the fact that all these reclamations of flats and marsh- lands have been lucrative investments, but that the ground thus created has been invaluable to the growth and evo- lution of the whole city into a commercial center or metropolis. The value of the filled lands in the Back Bay alone, ac- cording to the assessors' figures, is $200,000,000." In the eighteen years since the above report was issued it is a conservative estimate that the values have increased not less than $50,000,000. The Charles River Bridge Company was incorporated in 1785. The bridge was completed in about one year, being open for travel with elaborate ceremony on the seventeenth of June. It was 1,503 feet long and forty-two feet wide, with seventy-five piers. On each side was a walk six feet wide, railed in for safety. The bridge was lighted by forty lanterns, mounted on posts. Fifteen thousand Pounds were subscribed for construction. This first Charles River Bridge proved to be an exceedingly profitable venture, and it is stated that in 1826 an original owner of a single share had received principal with interest and a surplus of $7,000. The financial success of this undertaking naturally stimulated bridge building between Cambridge and Boston. The Charlestown Bridge was pur- chased in 1846 for $60,000, and in 1858 it was freed from tolls. In 1894 the Charlestown Bridge was ordered rebuilt, and construction began in 1896. The bridge was open for travel on November 27, 1899. It has a maximum grade of three per cent. It is 1,900 feet in length and 100 feet wide. The total cost was $1,570,197.98. In March, 1792, a company was formed to build the West Boston Bridge, which was opened for travel on the twenty-third of November of that year, having been built in seven and one-half months. The bridge proper was 3,483 feet long and was supported upon 180 piers. The causeway over the marsh on the Cambridge side was 3,340 feet long and extended to the junction of Main Street and Massachusetts Avenue. Retaining walls were built upon either side of the roadway, and a canal thirty feet wide was dug on each side of the bridge. The cost of the West Boston Bridge was $76,700. In 1846 it was purchased by the city for $75,000 and was freed from tolls in 1858. For years the necessity had been felt for replacing the old West Boston Bridge with a more commodious structure. This work was authorized on May 26, 1896, and construction was begun in July, 1900. The new bridge was opened for travel on August 12, 1906. Its length between abutments is 1,767 feet. The cost of $2,654,895.66 was shared by the Boston Elevated Railroad to the amount of $477,000. The cost of the approaches to the West Boston Bridge was about $500,000 additional. The River Street Bridge was built for the advantage of the West Boston Bridge proprietors and the owners of real estate. Until 1832 the bridge and road were THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHARLES RIVER ESTUARY 473 474 NEW BOSTON j^,^iii< -£;ouAXJi£ Jii J^3:y Copyright by C. E. Goodapad maintained by the original proprietors. At that time it came under the control of the town. The Canal Bridge Company was in- corporated in 1807, and Craigie's Bridge, 2,796 feet in length, was opened for travel on the thirtieth of August, 1809. The Craigie Bridge was made free to the public on January 30, 1858. The shares for this bridge were subscribed within three hours. The Western Avenue Bridge was erected by the proprietors of the West Boston Bridge under authority granted in June, 18*24. This made a new com- mimicating link between Central Square, Cambridge, and Watertown. An act of April 25, 1850, authorized the construction of the Brookline Bridge, which was l^uilt for the lienefit of persons owning real estate in its immediate vicinity. It was transferred to the city and became a free bridge in 1869, since which time Cambridge has been free from toll bridges. The authority to rebuild the Brookline Street Bridge, with a separation of grades, was granted in 1905. The bridge is sixty feet wade with a clear space over the railroad tracks of sixteen and one-half feet. It was constructed by the city of Boston, Cambridge paying only the cost of the grading upon the Cambridge side of the bridge. The Boston and Albany Rail- road paid $50,000; the Commonwealth, $25,000 and the Boston Elevated Rail- way Company, $7,500. the Warren Bridge, 1,390 feet in length and forty-four feet wide, leading from Haverhill Street to Charlestown, was built in 1828 and was also freed from tolls in 1858. At present we rarely think how com- paratively recently communication and transportation with and to the back country was limited to draft animals. Before the building of the Brookline and West Boston bridges the only me- thod of land transportation was by the first bridge built across the Charles River near the present Stadium. This high road of travel made the circuit through Roxbury to Long Wharf, for all the bulky and heavy articles for use as far westward as the Connecticut River. In 1848, Isaac Livermore, Charles Davenport and Newell Bent of Cam- bridge were the incorporators of the Union Railroad Company. The road did not prove successful from a financial standpoint and was abandoned in 1860. The franchise was acquired by the Boston and Albany Railroad and the road was reconstructed and opened as the Grand Junction Railroad in 1866. Through this railway, which became a necessary adjunct to the developing rail- way system, the Boston and Albany Rail- road could send its freight to the wharves in East Boston for European shipment. Cambridge welcomed the passage of this road through her neglected marshes. For a long time it added little to the de- velopment of business interests of Cam- bridge and even now many consider it of doubtful value, since its long trains cross at grade and interrupt the thorough- fares connecting Boston with the west- THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHARLES RIVER ESTUARY 475 "NEW BOSTON AND CHARLES RIVER BASIN" From the Davenport Plan of about 1885 "Within a distance of about two miles from the State House, and westerly from the Public Garden there was, in 1860, a large, vacant and unsightly territory of little value. Now it is largely covered with magnificent and costly buildings and in 188.5 had a total valuation of .$101,229,300, including the valuation of churches and institutions of science. Within this distance is the Common, Public Garden, Commonwealth Avenue, Back Bay Park, and the beautiful and priceless Charles River Basin. These together will giv-e an open area of water and pleasure ground of about 800 acres, equal in size to the New York Central Park. Being located in the centre of a large and growing population and with the completion of the embankments on said basin, there will be reserved a beautiful inland sea of about 500 acres, an ornamental esplanade 200 feet wide which will contain 110 acres (giving houses here on Beacon Street two fronts) allowing fine facilities for boating and other pleasant and healthy exercises in the open air; also a delightful drive around said basin of over five miles, making it the most beautiful water park in the world, and a cause of pride to all citizens. Boston, when her other splendid system of parks and parkways are completed, and with her numerous institutions of science, and her many advantages as a commercial city, she will be the most attractive and desirable city on the continent to reside in." From the original Davenport plan. 476 NEW BOSTON ward. Large business enterprises in great variety are now springing up on the line of the road and add very largely to the manufacturing interests and popu- lation of a widespread community. One of the most important measures inaugurated for the improvement of the Charles River Basin on the Boston side was the extension of Beacon Street to Brookline. Beacon Street was then called Western Avenue. It was laid out by the Boston and Roxbury Mill Corporation, under a charter granted in 1814, but it was not opened for travel until 1821, and the road was not com- pleted until 1826. Tolls were collected until 1868 when the "mill dam" or Beacon Street extension became a public highway. In 1837 the Public Garden was pro- vided by the city. This section was to be devoted forever to park purposes with the exception of the possible build- ing of a city hall. Although it was under state supervision the state was never required to furnish money for the de- velopment. As early as 1814 the general court granted a charter to the Boston and Roxbury Mill Corporation. This cor- poration had little thought of reclaim- ing the Back Bay from the Charles River for building purposes. Building room was ample at that time for what seemed to be the future needs of Boston. Out of the efforts of the Mill Corpora- tion there grew, years after the mill dam, or Beacon Street Extension, had been utilized for commercial purposes, a grand scheme of filling in the entire territory. In 1831 the Boston and Providence and the Boston and Worcester Railroad Companies were incorporated. The line of each road was laid out across the low basins of the water power company. It was foreseen that the construction of these railroads would greatly diminish the supply of water for mill purposes and there was in consequence a depreciation of one-half in the value of the stock of both the mill corporation and the water power company. It will be readily perceived that at this stage of development the whole Back Bay was a filthy area which was described in 1849 as "an open cesspool, receiving the sewage of a large com- munity, making itself a nuisance, offen- sive and injurious to a very large number of people." A commission was appointed by the state in 1852 and the principal portions of their findings in regard to filling in the Back Bay are summarized as follows: 1. The corporations should be permitted to hold and use their property for land purposes, and aban- don their business as mill and water-power owners. 2. All filling within the tide-water basin should be done with clean gravel. 3. Provision should be made for perfect drainage. 4. The streets to be laid out on the made-land should be wide and ample. 5. The Mill Dam, or Western Avenue, and all other roads within the territory, should eventually be made free highways. 6. The filling should be done in such a manner that the scouring force of the water should not be diminished, and the harbor not be injured. 7. The flats north of the mill dam should be included in the improvement. 8. The receiving basin should be filled up and laid out, and so disposed of as 'to secure for it a healthy and thrifty population, and, by inherent and permanent causes, forever to prevent this territory from becoming the abode of filth and disease.' 9. All this should be done by authority and under direction of the state. In 1856 the work of filling in the Back Bay was actually begun. Charles Daven- port, while on a business engagement in Cuba, saw the embankment on the bay of Havana and its uses by the public. He conceived the idea of chang- ing the unsightly marshes bordering upon the Charles River, and of construct- ing a beautiful water park in the center of a great city. In furthering this pur- pose he purchased much the larger portion of the marshes between the West Boston and Brookline bridges. His beautiful plan was elaborated in 1873 by the aid of Albert L. Coolidge, and the present development is a worthy monument to the memory of one of Boston's most enterprising citizens. He predicted, as an apparent forecast of the present Boston-1915 movement, that at this date the population of Greater Boston should be about 2,000,000, basing his prophecy on the fact that the popu- lation of the district since 1830 had doubled. The Charles River Embankment Com- pany was organized in 1881. In 1878 the Legislature granted to the owners of [THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHARLES RIVER ESTUARY 477 Copyright Boston Photo News Co. LAND RECLAIMED BY CHARLES RIVER DAM CONSTRUCTION marshes and flats the privilege of fiUing their lands to grade. The city on its part agreed that for the ensuing ten years the taxation for the land thus filled should be on a nominally assessed valuation. The work of filling flats to grade was done by the late Charles S. Souther, by means of a hydraulic dredge, which was brought from Washington for this purpose. The dredge served the double purpose of deepening and clean- ing the river bed and transporting the debris through a fifteen-inch pipe by means of a very powerful pump. In the matter thus carried off were tons of oyster and clam shells and a few deeply oxidized twelve-pound cannon balls, sup- posed to have been used during the Revo- lution. Much of the larger portion of the filling was clean drift gravel over clay, which makes an excellent founda- tion for building. The Cambridge Park Department re- port of 1901 in. speaking of the progress of the Cambridge side of the river says: It will be remembered that the Charles Riv'er Embankment Company and others completed in 1893 a sea wall for a distance along the river on both sides of the Harvard Bridge of about 3,777 feet, and filled in the flats back of the wall to the Grand Junction tracks. There was left from the end of our sea wall to the railroad bridge, a dis- tance of about 2,500 feet, and an area of flats and marshes, mostly exposed at all except high tide, of about twenty-five and one-half acres running back to the Grand Junction Railroad, and divided into a num- ber of separate ownerships. The filling in of this tract is now finished. The work adds a redeemed area of about fifteen and one-half acres to the taxable property of the city. The filling of the flats between Main Street, Cambridge, and the eastern boimdary of the Charles River Embank- ment Company's property was comj^leted on April 1, 1899. This tract consisted of about fifty acres, and was filled with clean sandy gravel from the river bed at a cost of thirty cents a square foot. The development of the Back Bay territory of Boston and that section of Cambridge between Main Street and the Charles River naturally made it appar- ent that another avenue should be con- structed, connecting Cambridge with Boston. The West Boston Bridge was narrow and could not conveniently ac- commodate the great increase in travel. The distance from the West Boston Bridge to the Brookline Street Bridge made the intervening stretch of the river a barrier between important sections. In 1874', under the leadership of the late Henry O, Houghton, the construc- tion of a new bridge l)etween Putnam Avenue extended and St. Mary's Street in Boston was urgently advocated. Ow- ing to dift'erence of opinion nothing was accomplished. In 1880, Dr. Henry O. Marcy, Charles Raymond and a few 478 NEW BOSTON others investigated the movement for the construction of a new, broad avenue commencing at the junction of Main and Front streets in Cambridge, ex- tending through the territory redeemed from the river and the building of the Harvard bridge. Owing to a legal con- troversy with the Boston and Albany Railway, the bridge was not opened for travel until 1891. Harvard Bridge be- came the most important westerly thoroughfare from Boston, and its only criticism, which is a just one, is that a larger and better bridge should have been constructed. This was urged at the time, but the public failed to see its need. The Harvard Bridge cost $510,- 642. 8G. It is 2,164 feet nine inches in length and sixty-nine feet, four inches in width. At first seven cars an hour were thought ample, but now morning and evening this number exceeds a hundred cars an hour. One of the most recent decided im- provements was the construction of a new avenue connecting East Cambridge with Boston. This was built with a double purpose; to serve as a dam for retaining the waters of the Charles River at a uniform high level and to convert the basin into fresh water. The lock and the gates of this Charles River Dam are of the most expensive and im- proved pattern. The roadway is a hundred feet in width, and seven and one-half acres have been redeemed from the river bed and converted into a beau- tiful park. The Boston Elevated Rail- way is constructing alongside a roadway upon beautiful ornamental arches. The final cost of the elevated structure will be about $800,000. There will be eleven arches at a height of nineteen feet, four inches. In the final report of the Charles River Basin Commission the total cost of the improvements, including the dam, locks, marginal sewer ui:)on the Boston side, the embankment in the rear of Beacon Street, dredging the Basin, etc., is given as $3,992,552.91. Under the supervision of the commissioners there has been added nearly thirty-five acres of im- proved land to the park area, and con- stant water level has been established in the basin, having an area of 800 acres, CovVTight Boston Photo News Co. PILE DRIVING FOR COFFER DAM ALONG CHARLES RIVER BASIN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHARLES RIVER ESTUARY 479 and 175 acres of mud flats, formerly exposed at low tide, have been covered. A tidal estuary has been transformed into a fresh water basin, thus securing the permanent improvement of nearly eighteen miles of shore, dedicated al- most entirely to public uses. The last of the improvements of the Charles River Basin was the reclamation from the river bed of a stretch of land between the West Boston and Harvard Bridges. This section is 300 feet in width to the angle of the river from near Arlington Street and from this point extends in the rear of Beacon Street to the Fenway. It is much to be regretted that this portion of the reserva- tion is only one hundred feet wide. The work is now practically completed and converts the Boston side of the river, from an abomination of deso- lation, into one of the most beautiful sections of the entire district. The magnitude of great public works like those already outlined are rarely appreciated by the average citizen. From the wide marshy wastes of the muddy river, street after street was laid out and is now fully built upon. The Fens have been developed into a beautiful park around which alreadv cluster a nuu'ber of our great public buildings, costing many millions of dollars. An ugly tidal stream, little less than an open cesspool, has been converted into a beautiful water parkway extending nearly to Ja- maica Pond. Each side of this a most attractive boulevard has been con- structed, which encircles Jamaica Pond, traverses the Arnold Arboretum, and forms an attractive connecting link with Forest Hills Cemetery and our great Franklin Park reservation — an impor- tant part of Boston's park drives and reservations which has been constructed at an expense of $18,000,000. The Charles River Basin itself has been trans- formed into a stream of beauty, and its banks upon both sides for eleven miles are, for the most part, already a portion of our great Metropolitan Park System. The Cambridge side of Boston's central water park, unequaled by that of any city in the world, remains to be developed. It is owned, for the most part, by public-spirited citizens who are determined it shall receive a dignified development worthy of its superb loca- tion. It has been held for years in the belief that great public buildings would be erected to supply the demands of the "New Boston." ^ton Photo News Co. TWO COMPLETED SPANS IN CHARLES RIVER DAjVI DOES CITY PLANNING PAY? JOHN NOLEN The City Planning Conference of Bodo7i-1915 jpreaenied a comprehensiie report [in A^eiv Boston for February) covering Transportation, Water Snp)phj and Drainage, Public Lands and Building and Housing Bequirements and recommend- ing that the planning and executing of snch metropolitan improvements be entrusted to some permanent state or metropolitan authority. This report ivas endorsed by the Directors of Boston-lQ15 as one of the chief projects of that organization. — Editor. THE form of the civic awakening in which Metropohtan Boston, the "Eeal Boston," is now most interested, is the need of comprehensive planning. This is simply a conscious effort to use art and skill and foresight for what we have heretofore left to chance. It is an attempt to correct, to some extent at least, the mistakes of the past, to provide more intelligently for the present, and to forecast, as far as may be, the inevitable requirements of the future. One of the main pur- poses of such comprehensive planning is to prevent the extravagance of present methods, to save the almost incalculable waste due to haphazard, unskilful and shortsighted procedure. There are at least three ways in which metropolitan planning would thus pay the people of Boston and adjacent towns and cities. In the first place, certain things are indispensable for every city — for ex- ample, proper streets and thorough- fares, suitable public buildings, and an adequate number of playgrounds, parks, and open spaces. All these must be secured sooner or later. It is not a question of getting them or not getting them. It is merely a question of when they are to be secured. Now short- sighted people often deceive themselves with the view that they are saving money and avoiding expense, by postponing expenditure for these city necessities. But experience in such matters shows that this is a mistaken view. By such action they are merely increasing ex- pense, increasing the kind of burden from which Boston suffers today. Why? Simply because the most desirable land in cities steadily increases in value; because street widenings and the clear- ing of properties for playgrounds involve the destruction of more and more im- provements as the years go on, and because the constant rebuilding of public buildings costs more than a really good building, properly and permanently lo- cated, would have cost in the first in- stance. I could name specific illustra- tions from a dozen cities to illustrate each one of these points. But it is not necessary to go to other cities. Anyone who is familiar with Boston knows that many of the best illustrations can be had here, and that the present sad plight of Boston is largely the result of this same short-sighted policy which some misguided, though well-intentioned citizens now wish to continue. Secondly, it must be kept in mind that cities must choose usually between one form of expenditure or another. For example, the people of a city may choose to pay the direct and indirect cost of typhoid fever and other epidemics rather than increase the outlay for water and sewers and other forms of sanitation. They may prefer to pay the bills result- ing from a poor and inadequate street system for traffic, transportation, and circulation of people and goods, rather than make the loans and appropriations required by the adoption of a more thoughtful and up-to-date method of locating and improving streets and high- ways. But does it pay? These same half-blind and unreflecting people may prefer to lay out the money that they 480 DOES CITY PLANNING PAY? 481 must lay out for ignorant, inefficient, diseased and deformed children; for hospitals, asylums, reformatories, rather than pay the smaller cost of adequate schools, school-grounds and playgrounds. For example, it costs only $800 to educate a normal boy in the Boston schools for twelve years, or less than $70 a year. On the other hand, it costs $400 to take care of a bad boy in Boston for one year. Which is cheaper, to say nothing of better.^ It is time that we had the same kind of sanity in public expendi- tures that we have in private expendi- tures, for it ought to be plain to a thrifty citizen and tax-payer that the proposed method is not only a better method, it is a cheaper method. Finally, what does a true comparison of city finances of cities of the same class show\'' Where graft and corruption and unusual lack of efficiency do not enter, a comparison shows that cities that have carried out improvements on a broad scale, cities that are progressive in such matters — these cities have not a higher but a lower tax rate. This is already true of cities even in this country where there has not yet been ample oppor- tunity to test this principle. Most of our cities are sadly out-of-date. It is even more true, however, if we consider the cities of other countries, especially those of Germany, where large public improvements have been carried out liberally and consistently for more than forty years, w^here the tax rate for city expenses is lower, notwithstanding the excellence of all city constructions. Indeed, the wiser land policy and taxa- tion system of German cities, which identify cost and benefit, enable some of them to substitute dividends for taxes. But let me frankly confess how narrow and sordid all this line of reasoning is. Cities pay heavily for a mean and un- businesslike public policy in many ways that cannot be exactly described and located, but which every business man and city official ought to understand. On the other hand, no city that ever adopted the better and more progressive method of city improvement ever re- treated from it afterwards. On the con- trary, it always wondered why it hesi- tated, for it found the gains over-bal- anced many, many times the cost. As a well-known authority on cities has recently pointed out, the central and all- important problem of the great cities is the problem of the budget; how to spend honestly, liberally, efficiently and promptly for the protection of life, health and property and for the advance- ment of civilization — and how to levy for these expenditures upon the advan- tage fund created by the community life in such a manner that taxation shall not breed fresh inequality, injustice, and civic disloyalty. ''The forward movement in Boston is known as the "191.5" campaign, the in- tention being to have all the proposed improvements in working order by that year, when, it is likely, some sort of an exposition will be held to signalize the completion of the task. It is said that the various progressive elements in the community are working together as never before. The unifying effect of a common purpose has been mo,st inspiring, and members of the several organizations have come to knoir and understand each other better. This spirit of co-operation is counted one of the chief benefits that will result from the Boston-1915 movement. Certainly it is a necessary factor in the advancement of any community.'' — The Pittsburg Gazette Times. BRINGING THE WIFE DESERTER TO TERiMS C. C. CARSTENS Secretary of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children The Chanties and Correction Conference of Boston-1915 has chosen as its immediate work ''the enforcing of 'parental responsibility,'' as outlined in a hill to bring the wife deserter to terms, noiv before the Massachusetts Legislature. This article by Mr. Carstens as ivell as the one following by Judge De Lacy show what could be accomplished by a strict enforcement of the non-support law. — Editor. AMONG the cases of wife deser- tion recorded by the Massa- chusetts Society for the Preven- tion of Cruelty to Children is a story of a father who for months left his family without support. The mother had tried to maintain the household by her own work, and to bring up her children prop- erly. Several times her husband came home late at night and abused her, but he contributed nothing to the support of the family. When arrested for non- support a revolver was found on his person and he was sentenced to four months' imprisonment for carrying con- cealed weapons. The non-support charge was merely placed on file. Is it likely that this man, and for that matter all others who hear of such an occurrence, get the proper understand- ing of family responsibilities, where such methods prevail? There is now a bill before the Massa- chusetts Legislature, House No. 473, which aims to "make the deserter pay the piper." It is based on the successful law in the District of Columbia, which is described by Judge De Lacy on an- other page of this magazine, and out- lined briefly is as follows: According to this bill, if it shall be- come a law, whoever without lawful excuse deserts his wife or children, whether by going into some other part of this commonwealth or into another state without making reasonable pro- vision for their support, shall be punish- able by a fine of not more than $200 or by imprisonment of not more than one year or by both. An important section of the bill provides that the family of any person convicted under this act and sentenced to a penal institution shall receive fifty cents a day for every day's work per- formed while in confinement. To understand properly the present situation in Massachusetts, the results of a year's study of non-support cases made by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children is particularly valuable. A few actual instances which came under its observation are sub- mitted to show the type of cases under consideration. A is a German American tinsmith of about fifty who deserted his wife and two dependent children in 19UG. Addicted to drink, he yet did not lose his work on that account. First Providence sheltered him, and later he was definitely located on Long Island. The mother's statements were verified; the district-attorney agreed to extradite him if the Society would assume the expense; in this instance it was agreed to; he was indicted by the Grand Jury; extradition papers were issued which Gov. Hughes honored; he was brought back; his sentence suspended on condition that he would go to work and contribute toward the support of his family. The court ordered him to pay $3 a week out of .$9, which was his earning capacity for some time. Later on by agreement this was increased to $5, which he is now paying regularly through the Society. The wife has recently allowed him to get a divorce since she would not consent to live with him, the children remaining in her custody. He now earns $15 to $18 a week. C is a man of forty, of Irish extraction. When the case came to the Society his wife was in the hospital with a serious illness which soon caused her death. There were seven children, the oldest fifteen and the youngest two, whom the father has 482 BRINGING THE WIFE DESERTER TO TERMS 483 never adequately supported. He had been placed on probation on a previous occasion without the desired effect, but when he came into court on our complaint, he was again placed on probation, con- trary to our advice, the court explaining that it would not help the family to sentence him. He was soon defaulted and then appealed from the sentence. \^Tien convicted in the Superior Court he was again placed on probation and without making a single payment, he disappeared and has not been located since. Some of the children are dependent on relatives, some are with strangers, while others are in institutions. E is a colored man who was brought into court on the complaint of the wife for his failure to support her and their four children. He was ordered to pay $6 a week. He made one payment and then disappeared. He was traced to Providence where our agent, who visited him, and the agent of a local charitable society, succeeded in getting from him inadequate sums for some time. The mother was not equal to the task of supporting any of the children. She was reported to be syphilitic and to be associating with people of low repute, though the last was never definitely established. With her own consent the children were committed to the State Board of Charity. The father has made no payments since January, 1910, though he is probably still in Providence. His earnings are not large; the cost of extradition is considerable, and the value of extradition in this case is not clear. These are but four out of forty cases whose treatment and whose results we have carefully examined. Twenty of these forty were dealt with without court action; the other twenty have all been before one or more of the courts of the Commonwealth. The total amount collected during the twelve months of October 1, 1909, to September 30, 1910, from these forty cases was $1,936, about $61< of which came from those where no court action was taken. Twelve of the forty may be reckoned successes. The first two instances which I cited are examples of this group. Nineteen are clearly failures and nine are still uncertain — a report of a year's persistent following up which makes one ask the question: Is it worth while? In fact, one inclines to the opinion that non- support work with our present administra- tive machinery is still a failure in Massa- chusetts. Considering first the twenty cases that were taken to court, we find that the men earned on an average a minimum of $15 a week, and that the courts ordered these men to pay for the support of their wives and children on an average $4.60 a W'Cek, the minimum being $2, the maximum $35 a month. The total amount obtained from these men was $701.50, of which the Society collected $659.50 and various probation officers the rest, the largest sum obtained during the year from any one person being $200. Of these twenty court cases, three were successes, thirteen failures and four are still uncertain. Seven of the men have entirely disappeared. Turning now to the twenty cases where for a variety of reasons the Society under- took to collect money by persistent following up, by befriending the various members of the family, by bringing about reconciliation wherever advisable and possible, and by using various other social agencies for the re-establishment of the family, we learn that the average minimum earnings of the men was $13 a week, but that we collected and turned over to the families or other agencies who are taking care of the children $1,234.50, the largest sum from any one man during the year being $210. We count the results in nine instances suc- cesses, in six failures, and in five still uncertain; one father has gone to parts unknown; two families have been re- established. It may perhaps be suggested that the men from whom money was collected without court action had not sunk as low as the men of the group that were taken to court. This is, however, not borne out by the facts. When we com- pare the groups individually, man for man, we find that both groups contain all sorts. Two of the men were persuaded to increase substantially the payment ordered by the court, one of them doubling it. From the fact that so much more money was collected from those that were not taken to court and that so many more successes are reported from this group, one might be led to conclude that it would be better to dis- pense with court action in non-support cases. Experience leads one to believe, however, that it is not so desirable that court action should be dispensed with as that it should be modified and that the community should learn to utilize it at the proper time and in the proper way. It is always dangerous in an analysis of motives to say that one element rather than another is at the bottom of the trouble, and for this reason we have 484 NEW BOSTON grave doubts whether the study of causes of non-support has any particular value. From our knowledge of these families we find that in twenty-three instances intemperance seems to have been the most serious fault in the family, while in ten others the immorality of the husband and in two the immorality of the wife seemed to have caused the trouble. This accounts for thirty-five of the forty. In the others a variety of reasons, even with our knowledge, must be assigned. From this brief and imperfect analysis we must conclude that in the study of non-support we are not dealing with a simple phase of com- munity life, but a complex problem that will require a union of the social forces with the governmental agencies if suc- cess is to be attained. MAKING WIFE DESERTION UNPOPULAR The Working of the Non-Support Law of the District of Columbia WILLIAM H. Del AC Y Judge of the Juvenile Court, District of Columbia IF the children are fed in their homes there is little likelihood of their going into the streets to either beg or steal. If the father is housing and feeding his little flock, it almost in- variably happens that he is also meeting fairly his other obligation to educate and train the children to good citizen- ship, and, consequently, there is little probability that the children will be guilty of disorderly conduct. On the other hand, following the father's failure to support his family, we find much juvenile delinquency. So that in preventing juvenile crime, protecting the community from improper burdens, and relieving the necessities of wives and children, much benefit has been derived from an act of March 23, 1906, (34 Stat. L., 86), entitled: "An act making it a misdemeanor in the District of Columbia to abandon or willfully neglect to provide for the support and maintenance by any person of his wife or of his or her minor children in destitute or necessitous circumstances." According to the provisions of this act, it becomes a misdemeanor punish- able by a fine of not more than $500 or by imprisonment in the workhouse for not more than twelve months, for any person to desert or neglect his children under the age of sixteen years. In case a fine is imposed, the court may direct that it be paid in whole or in part to the wife or guardian of the deserted chil- dren. Before trial, with the consent of the defendant, or after conviction, the court has the power to put the deserter on probation and to direct him to pay a certain sum weekly for one year to the person or organization having his child in charge. If the court finds during the course of the year that the deserter has violated the terms of his agreement it may proceed with his trial under the original charge, or sentence him under the original conviction or enforce the original sentence as the case may be. In case the deserter is sentenced to the workhouse, the superintendent is authorized to pay fifty cents to the wife or guardian for each day's hard labor performed. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 1910, there were 537 cases of non-sup- port in the District of Columbia Juvenile Court. Most of these delinquents were released on probation, not under the oversight of the probation officers of MAKING WIFE DESERTION UNPOPULAR 485 the court, but of the Metropolitau police force. The usual conditions are that each Saturday night the deserters appear at the station house of the precinct where they reside and pay a stipulated sum for the support of their children, reform their vicious habits, and seek to do their duty as parents. They are cautioned that the desk sergeant will notice if they have been drinking and that the officers on the beat, who aid the court in the enforcement of the law, will see to it that they lead industrious and orderly lives. In this way, during the year indicated, $30,808.28 was earned and paid for the support of their families by these married probationers. Of course, where the payments were ordered to be made directly to the wife, there is no record of these amounts in the court, so that the actual financial returns are much larger. In addition, the fathers who were committed to the workhouse earned $1,69''2.50 under the fifty cents per diem provision of the act, for the support of their children, making the total payments for the past fiscal year $32,500.78. Since the organization of the court, a grand total of $125,074.48 has thus been paid to families by delinquent husbands through the Juvenile Court. Of this amount $0,430 was ])aid out of the public approjjriations under the fifty cents per diem provision. Not the least valuable feature of the act is the provision that the confinement be at hard labor and that fifty cents a day be paid for each day's work per- formed while in the workhouse. When a lazy, shiftless man is imprisoned, it is important, to attain the end in view, that his time be not spent in idleness. Hard labor should form a part of the remedy. Enforced labor has awakened not a few to a consciousness of their ability to work, and the training received in the workhouse usually results in willingness to do any work that wnll put bread in the mouths of dependents. These men are made to realize that there is no such thing as "unskilled labor," although there are many "unskilled laborers," and that it is just and proper for them to strive to earn an honest dollar to meet the moral and legal obligations to- ward their needy wives and little ones. STATEMENT OF MONEY EARNED BY DELINQUENT HUSBANDS AND PAID THROUGH THE JUVENILE COURT, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, WITHOUT ANY DEDUCTIONS FOR COSTS OR OTHERWISE TO FAMILIES 1 Collected by Court Appropriations for Paid to families for from men under sus- Fiscal year ended payments of earnings of men pended sentence and June 30 earnmgs under sentence paid to families TOTALS 1907 $£00.00 $200 . 00 $6,050.59 $6,250.59 1908 £00. 00 190.50 21,888.56 22,079.06 1909 i,WO . 00 2,340.00 38,319.65 40,659.65 1910 £,000 . 00 1,692.50 30,808.28 32,500.78 1911 2,000 . 00 Seven months to February 1, 1911 2,007 . 00 21,577.40 23,584.40 $6,800.00 $6,430.00 $118,644.48 $125,074.48 "./».s/ irln/ 1015 should be taken o.v the year uf cidminaiion, Jeu\ if any, know, but a determined combination of wit and energy is working zealously in Boston, to stir up enthusiasm to ignition pitch, with confident expectation of the proudest realization that any part of the East has yet attained."' — Worcester Gazette. THE CITY GOVERNMENT A GOOD CITIZENS' FACTORY REV. R. J. FLOODY, D.D. DEAD CAT DUMP," the Island District of Worcester, is no more. Seven acres of tin cans, pots, kettles, bricks, stones, and ashes — yes, and dead cats too — have become seven acres of tiny gardens with flowers and vegetable plots, marked out by miniature streets and boulevards. The transforma- tion of the "dead cat dumps" of a hun- dred cities can be brought about as it was in Worcester, and the story of this new garden city movement may be of suggestion to other communities that wish to utilize a little surplus juvenile energy, and turn it back to the soil. Four years ago under the direction of the Worcester social settlement, a small army of neighborhood children attacked Dead Cat Dump. The well- named "sticker bushes" disappeared be- fore the onslaught and without exaggera- tion, several carloads of rubbish were cleared away. One evening two hundred children came from the public school, and a little girl of ten years won a prize for carrying off !217 bricks from the dump. There was a good reason for all this ac- tivity on the part of the children for they were working with definite ends in view. Each boy and each girl were to have gardens of their own when the rubbish was carted oflf and the ground prepared for sowing. Street sweepings and clay from newly-dug cellars filled up the hollows left by the removal of the rub- bish. In four seasons over 2,000 loads were deposited on Island Garden City, where operations were commenced. When the ground was sufficiently level, it was staked off into gardens ten by twenty feet with streets on two sides of each garden. These streets were four feet wide, while the main streets were six feet wide. The central figure of the city of gardens was a flagstaff upon which "Old Glory" waved majestically. The ages of the gardeners ranged between six and sixteen years, although frequently those over and under these ages applied for gardens and received special permits. The children paid five cents for their lots, this fee including five packages of seeds. They were given a red card, 486 A (1()(^1) CITIZENS' FACTORY 487 as a kind of deed, which entitled tlieni to a numbered garden and the seeds. All that they raised belonged to them and they could sell it or take it home as they saw fit. One boy told the writer that he sold $5 worth of lettuce. That same little boy was from a very poor family and when he applied for a garden he did not have the necessary nickel. He was told to hustle around and get the money. So he picked up old junk and empty bottles, sold them and paid for his garden like a man. A most help- ful feature grew out of this idea of owner- ship; for it taught the boys and girls the value of property. Boys are not bad usually, but only bubbling over with animation which always seeks expres- sion; and they often take other's prop- erty because they do not know its value. When they own something themselves and it is stolen, then stealing becomes "mighty mean." After the crop began to appear, some- thing else dawned upon the thrifty little citizens. The gardens must be pro- tected from thieves. So the city govern- ment was organized with a mayor, city council of seven members, garden com- missioner, local commissioner, water com- missioner, flower commissioner, animal commissioner, and forty police officers. This was no play affair. It was serious business because stealing affected their own property. And just here a great element was brought into play, the great- est in the progress of the race, — the love of power. Apply this principle to the boy and it works like a charm. When he is put in office and sees his name in the paper, it awakens his self-respect, touches the springs of action and arouses all the elements of manhood. In every city of this country, so far as we know, the boy is the enemy of the police. This is a serious matter, for disrespect to officers of the law leads to disrespect to law and then to crime. But in our garden cities the boy is the friend of the police and works in harmony with them. Another interesting feature in connec- tion with the Garden City is the zoo. Cruelty to animals used to be quite common in the neighborhood. I person- ally know- a little boy of foreign parentage who took a cat, drove nails through its paws, and then stoned it until it died. Another boy cut a kitten's eyes out and filled the sockets with sand. This was considered sport. We secured several rabbits, guinea pigs, foxes, coons, pigeons, white rats, mice, and squirrels, and gave them to the children. They had no "DEAD CAT DUMP" BEFORE THE TRANSFORMATION 488 NEW BOSTON ^^- AFTER THE GARDENS WERE PLANTED sooner commenced to feed and care for them than the animals became the pets of the whole community. A band of mercy was started and has now a member- shi}) list of over 800, the largest in the world. We have not heard of a single case of cruelty for months, due largely to the influence of the little animals in our zoo. This last season we located another garden city in an Italian district called the Meadows. The Meadow Garden City also proved very satisfactory. We wish to refer to one feature among many that is worthy of mention. The writer, who was director, very seldom remained at the gardens after six o'clock in the evening. The children guarded and protected their 300 gardens, 5,000 flower plants, tent, animals and bees, from six to ten o'clock and very little property was molested. We were laughed at for planting flower beds along the sidewalks where the rough element of the neighbor- hood could destroy and steal. But we put confidence in the children, gave them responsibility with the feeling of self- interest, and they surprised us all. Scarcely anything was touched in a malicious way. There were in all over 700 gardens, operated by 800 children of twenty different nationalities. These children used 1,800 stakes to outline their gardens and planted 10,000 ])ackages of seeds. The judges estimate that the gardeners raised $2,400 worth of vegetables and increased the value of property in and around the gardens $40,000. Besides the vegetables they had about 8,000 flower plants. Prizes were awarded to the children for good gardens, good conduct, and good services. They were given three medals and 144 auto trips to Bunker Hill and other parts of Boston, besides 227 other prizes. There were twelve perfect gardens according to the estimate of the three juvenile judges. Summing up we have these results : Physical: The gardens af- forded a means of exercise and taught the children to work. This exercise not being too violent or exciting brought into normal action all the motor muscles of the body and built them up. Mental: This work added much to their stock of knowledge. The nature of seeds, their growth, shape of leaves, kind of flowers; enemies of the gardens such as bugs, worms, flies, weeds, etc.; the nature of the soil, the seeds best adapted to it, the designing of the gardens, and their ornamentation, calls for much mental work. Moral : It gave the children something to do and kept them off the streets, and consequently out of mischief. Chief of Police David A. Matthews stated recently that during the last year this work was instrumental in reducing juvenile crime ten per cent throughout the city. That is equivalent to fifty per cent in the locality in which we specially work. Sanitary : Malaria-breeding holes were filled up and rubbish cleaned away. Dr. M. G. Overlock, says: "Fifteen years ago when I was physician for the Metro- politan Insurance Company, this district was so sickly and unhealthful that every application for a policy was rejected. Now the air is sweet with the scent of vegetables and flowers. This exercise in the open air and sunlight is a great health invigorator. This alone is recom- mended for tuberculosis, particularly in its incipient stages." Financial: The gardens i)roduced $2,400 worth of vegetables this year, and increased property value $40,000. Aesthetic: The beauty of the gardens has been recognized by all. The flowers A GOOD CITIZENS' FACTORY 489 and pet animals were a c-t)n,stant inspira- tion to the gardeners. Bnsiness: Tlie yonngsters were tauglit to produce something, which is the spirit of bnsiness. Also they were taught the business of gardening and farming. They gained in self-reliauce, grit, courage, inde])endence, persistence, honesty, thrift and manliness — the elements of a success- ful business career. Political: The boys made the laws and enforced them well. They learned the best methods of government, and got a training in responsibility to a public trust. This experience fitted them for pos- itions in thecity of the future. The garden city is a veritable good c-itizens' factory. If social work of the character of the Worcester (larden Cities is to be perma- nent there are three elements which should enter into its makeup — |)roduc- tive activity, acquisition of ])roperty and love of power. To these three factors may be attributed, in large measure the success of the Worcester exi)eriment. THE ZOO "B()stou-l9\5 is a serious and (ilrcddj/ highli/ siiccrssfiil niorciiwitt fo get together the various civic forces and organizations of Greater Boston so as to de- velop the resources of the city to the utmost 6/y 1!)1.) — the date being set for the sake of dcfiniteness of aim. There is hardli/ any limit to what mat/ l>e accomplished ht/ such concerted efforts of the best brains of a given community in behalf of the general goody — Education for February. SCHOOLHOUSES AS NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS FANNIE FERN ANDREWS Secretary Boston Home and School Association The Boston Home and School Association has been closely identified uith Boston~l9l5 from its heginninc/. The executive director of Boston~\i)\5 is chair- man of the Committee on the Farther Use of School Buildings of the association; and at a recent meeting of the Directors of Boston~\9\5 it teas voted: " That Boston- 1915 regards the further use of school buildings throughout the city as one of the most important things to be brought about during 1911." — Editor. P PERHAPS no phase of the educa- tional system is more widely dis- cussed than the "further use of school buildings." Many cities have tried experiments in this direction; some have emphasized certain phases of ex- tended activity, while others have pur- sued wholly different policies. Those activities which are commonly desig- nated under the term, "further use of school buildings," may be divided into two general classes, recreational and educational, both these terms being in- terpreted in the broad sense. New^ York City offers a model in her efficiently organized recreation centres, and also in her extensive public lecture work. Rochester stands out prominently in her plan for the use of the schoolhouse as a "social center," which combines both recreational and educational activi- ties. The term "social center," which has come to be used to express a more general neighborhood use of the school plant, stands, by no means, for any uni- form program. Many so-called social center activities in one city are in another considered a part of the regular evening school curriculum; and in spite of the difference in terms, the general result seems to be the same. In all this discussion, there is a dif- ference of opinion on two points: first, whether the school buildings shoidd be open for both educational and recrea- tional activities; and second, as to the degree to which any one neighborhood may use its schoolhouse. The Committee on the Further Use of School Buildings of the Boston Home and School Association, acting in the capacity of the Advisory Committee on the Further Use of School Buildings, appointed by the Boston School Com- mittee, has formulated a plan, published in the July number of NEW BOSTON— which outlines seven kinds of educa- tional activities, and designates that these should begin simultaneously in several sections of the city. These are: first, Parents' Association meetings; second, vocational activities — vocational lectures to parents, vocational counsel- ling to parents and their children and vocational clubs of young men; third, junior civic clubs; fourth, reading circles or discussion clubs and mothers' classes in cooking and hygiene; fifth, popular lectures; sixth, exhibits and description of jihotographs of pictures in the Art Museum; seventh, choral classes. As stated in the article of last July, the committee has no intention to dis- parage the use of school buildings for recreational purposes. Its principal aim was to develop a program which could be carried out in the immediate future. For this reason it was thought best to confine the plan to the present accepted usages of school buildings, for the pursuance of which no changes in the present construction of schoolhouses would be necessary. In adopting a ])lan which covers practically the whole city, the committee emphasizes the policy of gradually developing an appreciative use of the school buildings outside of school hours, and in that way to answer the real needs of a community. These needs cannot l)e determined suddenly; the neighborhood must be studied carefully in all its phases; moreo\er, the peo])lc tluMuselves should constitute an impi)rtaut element in developing a jilan intended for neighborhood improvement. The people, not tlie schoolhouse, should be the first point of approach. 490 SCHOOLHOUSES AS NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS 491 EVENING RECREATION CENTER PUBLIC SCHOOL 188, NEW YORK The idea is not to use school buildings merely for the sake of utilizing unused public property, but to make this prop- erty lend its aid to the furtherance of activities which the people of a neigh- borhood wish to carry on. Of course, in the beginning, outside stimulation will be necessary in initiating activities which are necessary for the neighbor- hood's welfare; but as far as possible the lead should be taken by the people themselves. The plan which the committee offers provides for the building-up process, which is a fundamental principle in permanent, successful work. Boston, it must be noted, is peculiarly adapted to the carrying out of such a plan, inasmuch as it has local organizations in many districts which have already studied the needs of their respective neighbor- hoods and which, in fact, are now carry- ing on activities which come under the "further use of school buildings." In- deed, a development of these activities would meet the requirements of the proposed plan. The local Improvement and the Parents' Associations are very important factors in this development. Boston has much to learn from the successes and failures in other cities. Probably the first consideration is how to avoid developments which undoubt- edly have proved detrimental to the success of similar j^lans. But Boston must move, and in view of the careful study of the problem by those who are promoting the broader use of the school plant, the time is ripe for concentrated effort in this direction. The editorial in the February issue of The Independent on "The Schoolhouse for the People," points to the country- wide interest in this subject, and is well worth quoting in this connection. At the meeting of the National Municipal League, held in Buffalo a few weeks ago, the School Extension Committee laid great emphasis on the fact that our social organization is at present seriously lacking in economy. It pointed to the fact that we have all over the land a remarkable distribution of public school plants, capable of serving the people in a hundred ways, but allowed to serve them in only one. This topic is not at all new to The Independent, for we have been among the few to demand the wider use of these public buildings, and we are glad to see this sentiment growing. We are quite of a mind with the commit- tee when it points out that the public schools are at present the most easily available nuclei of such a well-considered country social organization as is demanded for both moral, physical and educa- tional purposes. In a paper on public school buildings as neighborhood and civic clubhouses, Henry C. Campbell, president of the Milwaukee Federation of Civic Societies, said at the Buffalo meeting: "It is no exaggeration to assert that making the schoolhouse the forum of the people is the chief hope of perj)etuating our re- public and ])erfecting its institutions." It was urged that the schoolhouse become our permanent polling places, not only for the convenience of the 492 NEW BOSTON EVENING RECREATION CENTER, NEW YORK Women's Literary Club, Public School 110 voters, but as an educational movement affecting the sentiment of the children. This would save a city of the size of Buffalo $7,500 annually. Ex-Governor Hughes, Mayor Gay nor of New York, and Mayor Seidel of Milwaukee, insisted that the public school building, utilized as suggested, would not only bring the parents and children into closer relation, but would tend largely to bring the children into closer contact with public affairs, and teach them the practical side of civic life. Dr. Goler, of Rochester, would make the public schoolhouse a base for carry- ing out a health program, while another advocate would require the town library and the school building to be one. Dr. Leipziger of New York would have a public school lecture system universal, such as he has been efficient in estab- lishing in New York City. There is, of course, nothing novel in demanding that our schoolhouses become centers of recreation, but when we pass by one that is locked and bolted out of school hours, as most of them are, we arejre- minded that the reform is very far as yet from completion. The relation between the social center and the home can be greatly intensified; in fact, the home and the school should be once more what they originally were, one thing, wuth one purpose. At the meeting of the National Municipal League Professor Reber, of the Univer- sity of Wisconsin, noted the ways in which various communities, using their schoolhouses, may take advantage of their colleges and State universities, in the way of lecturers and libraries; while Rev. Richard Edwards showed how the schoolhouse stood right in the line of a rebuilding of religious power throughout the rural districts. Jf^ HThe National Municipal League is not alone in demanding a wider and more liberal use of our schoolhouses. The Playground Association of America and the Federation of Civic Societies in many cities are calling attention to the opportunity which the public school plant affords for accomplishing far more than is now done. The larger use of the schoolhouses a7id the organization of social centers are not novelties. They are the twentieth-century revival and expression of that demo- cratic spirit which has been vital at intervals, for more than two thousand years. — Professor Charles Zueblin. DISCOVERING THE PUBLIC SCHOOL EDWARD J. WARD Cliairiuan, Atlvisor in Civic and Social Center Development, Extension Division, University of Wisconsin WE have the public school plants, l)tit most of us no more ap- preciate what it means to have these possessions than the ])eople in Europe before IMH appreciated what it meant to have the earth. There was a whole hemisphere of incalculable wealth and opportunity which they knew nothing about. And in the public school plant there is a whole hemisphere of value imrealized, undiscovered, by those w^ho think of the public school plant as simply a place for the education, the teaching of children, with the added use, as an occasional evening school. But while the majority of us see nothing more in the school plant than an educational institution for teaching children, leading sttidents of political, social, educational, economic and other public problems are alive to the tre- mendous imi)ortance of the undeveloped resource in the wider uses of the public school plant. The term social center is sometimes confused with civic center, but the term civic center has come to have a distinct meaning as the city center, the convenient and beautiful grouping of the municipal buildings and grounds in connection with the town or city hall, the focal point, in which is expressed the unity of the city. The same impulse toward economy and intelligent, orderly arrangement of the physical city, which is responsible for the civic center movement, aims toward the convenient and beautiful grotiping of ])ublic buildings and grounds in the smaller sections or divisions of the city. The term social center is aiJi)licable to these neighborhood focal jjoints and the public buildings and grounds there assembled because, being more intimately connected Avith the homes of the people, their use .includes social activities, re- creational and educational, as dis- tinguished from the more ])urely ad- ministrative uses of the buildings which make up the civic center. The social center is to the neighbor- hood, the district, the smaller section of the city, what the civic center is to the city as a whole. The ideal, complete civic center has not yet been realized in any city except perhaps on paper. The ideal, completely- equipped neighborhood social center has not yet been realized, even on ])aper. It is high time that the city-planning movement should emphasize from the point of view of economy in physical construction, the neighborhood social center idea, for in some cities, notably Chicago, common neighborhood needs are coming to be met not by the exten- sion of the normal nucleus of the neigh- borhood social center plant, which is the public school, but by the develo])- ment of separate recreation buildings. The wonderful small park and field- house development in Chicago had its beginning as a separate develo])ment simply because the school authorities in Chicago, a dozen years ago, lacked wider vision of the ])ossible social center development in connection with the school plant. But while the term civic center is already appropriated by the one common city center, tlie essential basis of social center development is in the civic use of the school buildings as a place for the free discussion by citizens of the problems of democracy, a ])lace wherein the true government, which is the citizenship, finds expression. ♦ From a paper read at tUe annual meeting of the National Municipal League. 493 THE TACOMA STADIUM ON THE OPENING DAY TACOMA'S HIGH SCHOOL STADIUM FREDERICK W. HEATH IN location, Tacoma's high school stadium is iineqiialed by any similar structure in the world. To the east across Tacoma harbor, teeming with the world's commerce, lie fir-clad hills. Beyond them rise the Cascade Mountains, snow-tipped. To the north- west are endless blue vistas of Puget Sound and wooded islands, and in the backgrovmd the rocky crags of the Olympic range. The high school grounds really form a promontory, and from the very seats of the stadium may be had more than 200 degrees sweep of vision. Three years ago the stadium site was known as "Old Woman's Gulch." Every incoming tide lapped up among a tangle of underbrush and fir logs. There, with their shanties clinging to the steep banks of the gulch, lived a number of old women, widows of longshore- men. Right on the brink of this un- sightly hole stood the high school build- ing, an imposing French chateau struc- ture. It was the utter incongruity of the two extremes, palace and jungle, that suggested the making of an athletic field in the gulch. At first the idea of building a stadium was considered impracticable. The gulch would make a good playground, but nothing more, so some men were set at work sluicing down the sides of the gulch, gradually forming a level field. In this way a fairly broad playground was made. After plans had been drawn for the stadium, several business men took up the proposition of building. It was largely due to their efforts that Tacoma now has the stadium. They planned to build it but public clamor forced them to give up their work. Finally the city took up the matter. The pro- moters generously [turned over their l)lans to the School Board, and some- what altered, those plans stand now 494 TACOMA'S HIGH SCHOOL STADIUM 495 FOLK DANCING IN THE TACOMA STADIUM in the completed stadium. The cam- paign by which the school children raised $"25,000 of the required money themselves, and business men $25,000, was intensely exciting, and showed what an aroused public interest can do toward securing public improvements. As soon as financial support was assured work was resumed on the gulch. The problem was then to compute the exact amount of earth to be moved. The stadium would be of certain dimen- sions. It must fit the excavations in the sides of the gulch, and the field must be level. With a steam shovel and with the sluicing pipes this was done, more than 180,000 yards of dirt being moved. Next came actual construction. Great concrete pillars were sunk to hard-pan. On these were built strongly reinforced beams around the horseshoe-shaped gulch. Then, supported by these concrete beams, were placed latticed steel girders, crossed with wire fabric. Over this material as reinforcement, the seats were molded in concrete. Thirtj-one tiers high they rise, and the top seat is fifty-two feet above the level of the field. Two broad stairways, also of reinforced concrete, connect the promenade with the level of the street, forty-three feet higher. The whole structure, after the concrete was poured, and the forms removed, was smoothed and given a cement wash with stippled finish. This softens the glare of concrete finish, as well as covering form marks. As a piece of monolithic concrete the stadium is one of the most remarkable structures ever built. From many other standpoints beside the purely mechanical, Tacoma Stadium is without a parallel. The seating capacitj' of 32,000 is eclipsed only by that at Harvard. No stadium in the world aft'ords such a view of the field. This is due to its flaring construction. Instead of making the opposite sides parallel, it was built 250 feet wide at the narrowest point next to the curve, and 400 feet wide at the open end. This gives each s])ectator an unobstructed view of every point in the field. The promenade, between waist-high parapet walls, follows the upper rim of the stadium. In the outside wall are eight gateways. These open to the two great stairways in the curve and to three paths on each of the sides. The inner wall has twenty-nine narrow gateways opening to as many narrow stairways 496 NEW BOSTON down the seat terraces. By building the openings and stairways narrow, crowd- ing in the promenade is avoided. With a capacity crowd, under ordinary con- ditions the stadium should be emptied of its 32,000 people in twenty minutes. The field itself is ample, containing three and six-tenths acres. A running track one-fifth of a mile long follows the outer wall of the field. A regulation football field and baseball diamond are laid out inside the running track. A feature of the running track is the 400 foot straight course across the open end of the field. There the 100 yard dash is run, and both start and finish of the spectacular quarter-mile run. The curves of the track are easily taken at the fastest speed, and record time has been made on running events in recent meets. The baseball diamond is laid out with home- plate thirty-five feet from the inner end. It is then 362 feet by the most direct line from home-plate to the fence at the open end of the stadium. Little more could be desired of a field for mixed athletic sports. At night the whole stadium can be brilliantly lighted. Twenty-eight orna- mental iron poles placed about the inner parapet wall carry as many flaming torch lamps with powerful reflectors. On cables stretched above the field are twelve more lamps of the same type. All together they light up the big amphi- theater with almost the vividness of sunshine. Last of all, the Tacoma Stadium is in the very heart of the city. It is only nine blocks from the main business section. It is easily reached by four car lines, and crowds of 25,000 attending the dedication exercises were easily handled. Tacoma Stadium is comparable to nothing in the world unless it be the old Grecian Stadium. An ideal of the Greeks was harmonious development of the youth, and the stadium was their gath- ering place for healthful athletic contests. So Tacoma Stadium is Tacoma's ideal place for the physical development of her school children. It has the majesty of great size and symmetry. It has the subtle influence of superb natural beauty all around it. Such largeness in con- ception reflects the spirit of those who live about it, and justifies calling Tacoma Stadium a poem in masonry, an epic of the West. THE OUTLOOK ON PUGET SOUND SYLLABUS OF CHARITIES AND COR- RECTION CONFERENCE The Charities and Correction Conference of Boston-lOlo has chosen for its immediate work the "enforcing of j)arental responsibihty." Mr. Carstens' article on another page of this magazine tells how a strict non-support law would help bring the wife deserter to terms and eventually result in decreased juvenile delin(iuency. The broad program which follows indicates that the activities of the Charities and Correction Conference will not be confined to this one proi)osition of non-support, now before the Legislature in House Bill, No. 473. I. Feeble-mindedness, insanity and epilepsy. 1. Adequate accommodations for the custodial care of the feeble-minded. 2. A study to be made by medical and social experts, whether by some existing body or by a new state commission, of the problems relating to the physical and mental conditions of the inmates of the prisons and almshouses, such as social diseases, alcoholism, insanity, epilepsy and feeble-mindedness, and suggestions to be made by them in regard to this subject. 3. A central registry of the feeble-minded who are at large in the community and of such individuals as are classed by medical authority as irresponsible or border line cases and who are not suitable to commit to existing institu- tions. 4. Field research officers for the various institutions to investigate the causes of insanity, epilepsy and feeble-mindedness, including the social conditions previously surrounding the inmates and their family history.^ 5. More adequate instruction in the medical schools on the subject of feeble- mindedness. 6. A school registry of feeble-minded children not later than the end of the second year of school. 7. A law making carnal knowledge of the feeble-minded girl a felony. II. Correction. 1. More probation work and more effective probation work. a. More probation officers. b. Probation officers appointed only on approval of the State Probation Commission. c. A longer period of probation. d. Standardization of the kind of cases that should be put on probation or given a suspended fine. 2. Adequate provision for identification of persons under arrest. 3. Greater use of specialists in insanity and feeble-mindedness in court in de- tecting offenders' insanity or feeble-mindedness before sentence or commit- ment. 4. More discriminating use of short sentences. 5. More and different occupation for prisoners. 6. More effective parole work. a. More parole officers. b. Adequate provision for securing work for discharged prisoners. c. A longer period of parole. 7. State administration of county jails. a. Training schools for prison officers. b. Civic service examination for prison officers, including an oral test. 8. More general use of suspended sentences in cases of fines under Chapter 'i'iO of the Revised Laws as amended by Chapter 338 of the Acts of 1905. 497 498 NEW BOSTON III. More effective methods of enforcing parental responsibility. 1. Enforcement of greater parental responsibility. 2. When a man is convicted of non-support he should be forced to labor in or out of prison to help support his family. 3. Parents whenever able to do so should be forced to support their truant, wayward and delinquent children who are receiving public care. IV. Intemperance. 1. Working out of the plan outlined by the trustees of the Foxborough State Hospital, i. e.: a. Curable cases to be placed on probation and sent to the State Hospital. b. Worthy but chronic drunkards to be sent to a detention colony. c. Vicious or criminal cases to be sent to the State Farm. d. Observation wards under the jurisdiction of the State Hospital and the detention colony to serve as centers for observation and segregation of cases. 2. Better education of public opinion regarding the facts relating to intemperance. V. Illegitimacy. 1. Extension of the use of non-support law to apply to illegitimate children. 2. Better laws to place the responsibility on the father and to safeguard to the child its right of inheritance and support. 3. Adequate resources and opportunities for the care of mothers and infants so that they may be kept together. 4. Training for the mother so that she can support herself and keep her child with her. 5. Social work in the general^and lying-in hospitals to awaken a greater sense of responsibility in the prospective mother. VI. Recreation. 1. More real opportunities of inexpensive but desirable amusement. 2. A municipal department of recreation. a. Extended use of schoolhouses. 6. More extended use of the esplanade and the Charles River Basin, {. e., more seats, band concerts, refreshment places, provision for boating and swimming. c. Adequately supervised dancing platforms, music by the city band. d. Supervision of dance halls. e. Supervision of the theaters, moving picture shows, etc., and a better class of entertainment. VII. Teaching of cooking and hygiene in the home by visiting teachers. VIII. Employment for those who are physically, mentally and socially handicapped. 1. Registration of the handicapped and study of the causes and methods of prevention. 2. Employment bureau for the handicapped. 3. Municipal training schools and industrial education, 4. Workmen's compensation for industrial injuries. IX. A more comprehensive plan for dealing with the wayfaring man in this com- munity, including better and more effective co-operation among the agencies dealing with such men. X. Immigrants. 1, Extended use of public schools in the evening for education. 2, Education for adult immigrants in separate classes, 3, Creation of evening courts for naturalization, 4, More distribution of immigrants away from congested centers. XI. A civic building for the offices of public and private social agencies of the city. AMERICANIZING THE IMMIGRANT POPULARIZING THE PLAYGROUNDS ^ .f."^- VyOJTON OL. 1 P\JBUv5MED BYBOvSTOAI J915liNC- 6 B£AC07^ ^T- DO^TOAI >\AvSJUv5A- CENTsS A COPY- ONJL DOLLAR. A APRIL, 1911 NO. 12 PREPARE FOR WARM WEATHER The All-Gas Kitchen Steam Heat by Gas Gas Comfort all the Year The Cabinet Gas Range The Gas Water Heater Now is the time to install the ALL-GAS KITCHEN in your home. By the use of the Gas Range and the Gas Water Heater the COAL STOVE with its attendant DIRT, DISCOMFORT AND WASTE of time and energy is ELIMINATED. The kitchen may be heated either direct from the furnace or the steam heater or may be provided with the GAS STEAM RADIATOR for use in cold weather. Thus, the coal stove is no longer needed for heat during the winter, and tlie COMFORT and CONVENIENCE of gas service are available all the year around. We particularly recommend the installation of the Cabinet Gas Range, which is so constructed that the oven and broiling closet are raised to a con- venient height above the floor. Some types have roomv warming closets as well. The Gas Water Heater supplies steaming hot water at a moment's notice, using 1 cubic foot of gas per gallon of hot water. On exhibition at the Boston Gas Appliance Exchange, 16 West Street, Boston. BOSTON CONSOLIDATED GAS COMPANY 24 WEST STREET TELEPHONE COMMERCIAL DEPT., OXFORD 1690 NEW BOSTON A Chronicle of Progress in Developing a Greater and Finer City — Under the Auspices of the Boston-1915 Movement VOL. I APRIL, 1911 No. 12 CONTENTS NOTE AND COMMENT 499 "GETTING TOGETHER" FOR 1911 499 PROGRESS OF 1911 PROGRAM 499 PRACTICAL EXAMINATIONS FOR MEDICAL LICENSES 500 PLANS FOR BOYS' GAMES 501 PLAYGROUND POSSIBILITIES IN BOSTON 501 "MISFITS" IN HIGH SCHOOLS 502 ALBERT P. WALKER 502 BOSTON'S "UNGRADED" PUPILS 503 BOSTON'S INFORMATION COUNTER 503 THE FORSYTH DENTAL INFIRMARY 504 CITY PLANNING BEFORE CITY COUNCIL 504 PROPOSED LAWS FOR CONTROLLING THE FIRE HAZARD 505 "AMERICANIZING" OUR IMMIGRANT CHILDREN Eleanor M. Colleton.. 507 GIVING THE IMMIGRANT A FAIR START Daniel Chauncey Brewer. 511 EUROPEAN CITY PLANNING Cornelius Gurlitt 514 RECREATION ADVANCE IN MILWAUKEE Everett B. Mero 520 MAKING BOSTON'S RECREATION SERVICE EFFECTIVE 524 WHAT FEDERATION COULD DO FOR METROPOLITAN BOSTON .. .March G. Bennett 526 SCHOOL CENTERS AS "MELTING POTS" Livy S. Richard 529 THE BOSTON MUSIC SCHOOL SETTLEMENT Daniel Bloomfield 531 BOOKS AS TOOLS OF BUSINESS G. W. Lee 533 NEWSPAPER COMMENT ON THE 1911 PROGRAM 536 BOSTON-1915 CONFERENCE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES 538 PUBLICATION COMMITTEE WilliamH. O'Brien, TndustrialRelationsConfcrence Miss Mary Boyle O'Reilly, Charities and Cor- rection Conference William H. Pear, Charities and Correction Con- ference George E. Roewer, Railroad Brotherhoods Leonard J. Ross. Indnstrial Relations Conference INIrs. .Tohn B. Suckliiifr. Youth Conference Mrs. May Alden Ward, Women's Clubs Miss Mary C. Wiggin, Co-operative Conference Myron E. Pierce Fred J. McLaughlin Entered as second-class mailer al the Boston Post Office JAMES P. MUNROE, Editor-in-Chief LEWIS E. PALMER, Managing Editor RAYMOND P. EMMONS. Advertising Manager Mrs. Fannie Fern Andrews, Civic Conference Arthur Burnham, Fine and Industrial Arts Con- ference Dr. Richard C. Cabot, Health Conference .John H. Fahey, Charter member George B. Gallup, Contributing Member Irving T. Guild, City Plan Conference Mrs. Emma S. Gulliver, Education Conference Solomon Lewenberg, Contributing Member AYilliam E. Litchfield, Business Conference Frank S. Mason, Youth Conference NEW ENGLAND SCHOOL DIRECTORY /^NE of the largest assets of the ^^ modern civiHzed state or na- tion is to be found in its concep- tions, ideals and practices of public education. New England, from the early days of settlement, led the nation in its patronage of the schoolmaster, its devotion to schools, its educational legislation and its study of educational problems. NEW ENGLAND Published by the Boston Chamber of Commerce POSSE GYMNASIUM 206 Mass. Ave., Boston draining School Department Two years' course for teachers of physical training and athletics. Massage Department Courses of two years, one year, and special private course with hospital work. Gymnasium Department Classes for men, women and children in all forms of gymnastics and athletics. ADDRESS REGISTRAR, Posse Gymnasium Franklin Academy 136 Boylston Street BOSTON The Special Training School for Girls, where individual training is given in whatever studies the student needs. PER MONTH Grammar Grade . . $10.00 (Arithmetic, geography, spelling, writing, reading, history and gram- mar.) Stenographic Course $ 1 5.00 (Shorthand, typewriting, spelling, commercial geography.) Secretary's Course . $15.00 (Stenographic and book-keeping grammar and literature.) All ages from 12 to 50 admitted day or evening. EMERSON COLLEGE OF ORATORY T?()R 30 years has been a strong -^ factor in the educational life of this country, as hundreds of teachers in colleges, normal and high schools can testify. Strong courses in Personal Development, English, Elo- cution, Physical and Voice Culture. No age limit. Send for catalogue. Harry Seymour Ross, Dean Chickering Hall, Huntington Avenue, Boston New Boston APRIL, 1911 /^//////////////////////////////^////////////////////////////y//y//-/^/////r/////////r//^y///////y/////////////////////r////////////////^^ NOTE AND COMMENT "Getting Together" for 1911 THE subscribers to NEW BOSTON are receiving through the mail a small pamphlet setting forth the program of Boston-1915 for 1911. Thousands of these little booklets have been prepared for general distribution and the readers of New Boston are urged to do their share in pushing this "get together" campaign by writing to Boston-1915 for additional copies to distribute among their friends and in the organization to which they belong. The pamphlet explains the projects included in the program for 1911 and, in summing up, says: "Of the projects brought forward at this time, some of them can be done this year, some can be begun this year, and all of them can be carried a long way forward by 1915. But none of these things can be done or can even be begun unless everybody takes hold and helps. Some of these improvements can be brought about by legislation, others by ordinances, others by organized good-will, provided that behind the legislature and the city or town government and the good-will there is strong and definite public opinion. Public opinion does not grow of itself; it has to be created by those who have opinions themselves, who express and explain them, and who take pains to see that others understand. Every member of every organization in every conference of Boston-1915 can be, and ought to be a centre of public opinion for those around him or her, and during this year, 1911, public opinion should be mainly focused upon the thirteen projects which Boston-1915 has endorsed and is bound to help in carrying forward to success. The projects are important; organized public opinion can put them through; you as a citizen can help to create and organize public opinion; courage, persistence and determination will do the rest." Progress of 1911 Program SIMULTANEOUSLY with the issue of the March number of this magazine, the announcement of Boston-1915's pro- gram for 1911 appeared in the columns of the daily press. Less than thirty days have elapsed since; yet in that time al- most every one of the thirteen projects therein announced has either been promi- nently before the public or has made, more quietly, distinct progress towards definite results. Suggestions, schemes and plans get along very comfortably so long as they remain on paper. It takes courage, persistency and faith, however, to con- vert them into actualities. Above all, it requires co-operative effort to convince people in a relatively short time of the value of new ideas. It is the work of Boston-1915 to do that; and its success or failure this year will be the test of its efficiency. The project fundamental to most of those which the conferences of Boston- 1915 have in mind, is the creation of a definite city plan towards which all agencies, whether dealing with commerce, industry, transportation, health, educa- tion or recreation, may bend their efforts in order to produce the best results with the least expenditure of money and effort. Con,se(|uently, the first plank in the 1911 program is for the creation of a city ])lanning commission. This re- (juires legislation by the General Court; but whether or not that body is this year ready to take favorable action, the con- ception of a city plan as the foundation 499 500 NEW BOSTON of the city's growth is so impressing itself upon the people that important steps of some sort towards a city plan for Boston are certain to be made within the next twelve months. A city plan for political Boston cannot be made without full consideration of the needs and opportunities of the sur- rounding cities and towns. Therefore, as is made clear in the article by Mr. Bennett on another page, the demand for a city plan must go hand in hand with the demand, so vigorously advo- cated by the Boston Chamber of Com- merce, for a federation of the Metro- politan area. Opposition to such a fed- eration is to be expected, but it is not new and is due to fears which are wholly unjustified. The really significant fact is that the sentiment for the measure has increased each year and has grown, moreover, rapidly. For the Legislature to refuse to pass the bill presented this year is simply to postpone the inevitable. One of the chief advantages of a plan of federation would be to develop local civic interest not only within the com- munities outside Boston proper but also in the various sections of the city itself. To encourage such local interest, and at the same time to provide opportunity for its expression, Boston-1915 believes that the school buildings should be used as centers for most of the civic and educational activities in their several communities. The School Committee and City Hall both heartily coincide with this view; the communities them- selves are ready; it is therefore merely a question of mutual agreement as to ways and means. Such agreement seems to be rapidly coming about. Closely associated with the further use of school buildings is the project embodied in the fourth plank of the 1911 program, that of securing a larger and better use of playgrounds and other recreational facilities. The Youth Con- ference has retained the services of a special agent, and is already conducting an investigation of the use already made of existing playgrounds, etc., for the smaller neighborhood play centers, both as to methods of securing greater pub- licity for the parks and thereby increasing their use; and also as to the efficiency of the supervisors and persons in charge. This investigation will supplement the study now being made by the Finance Commission by securing information from responsible organizations and individuals right on the ground — the sort of an in- vestigation that a conference of Boston- 1915 is peculiarly able to make. Another essential development, closely correlated with that of a fuller use of existing educational and recreational facilities, is that of promoting the effic- iency of boys and girls by giving them opportunity to secure schooling while earning, in large measure, their own living. For this reason, Boston-1915 is profoundly interested in the bill to di- rect the State Board of Education to make an investigation of the needs and possibilities of part-time schooling. It has been favorably reported to the legislature by the Committee on Educa- tion and seems in a fair way to be enacted at this session. Considerable pressure was brought to bear on the legislative committee, and the influence of repre- sentatives of some twenty or thirty organizations in the city interested in this problem probably saved the bill. Space forbids taking up at this time the other planks of the 1911 program; but it is interesting to note that the bill presented by Representative Grafton D. Cushing, backed by the Charities Conference and endorsed by Boston- 1915 was heard by the Committee on Legal Affairs at about the same time that the Joint Judiciary Committee was hear- ing a bill with practically the same pur- pose, presented by the Committee on Uniform Legislation. The duplication was discovered, a compromise that did not disturb the essential features was effected, and when this article appears the measure is likely to be under con- sideration in the House, with reasonable assurance of passage. Practical Examinations for Medi- cal Licenses EVERY medical school in the vicinity of Boston put itself on record at the annual meeting of the Health Con- ference of Boston-1915 as favoring an extension of the system of giving more practical examinations to applicants for licenses to practice medicine. Repre- NOTE AND COMMENT 501 sentatives of the State Board of Registra- tion, including Dr. Samuel H. Calder- wood, Dr. W. P. Bowers and Dr. Charles H. Cook, stated that the Board is doing all that it can, with its present facilities, to conduct practical tests for applicants; but until an additional appropriation is granted, the examples of Ohio, Nebraska, Minnesota and Colorado cannot be followed. In those states medical stu- dents seeking licenses must correctly diagnose cases of actual disease before they are allowed to practice on the com- munity. The ignorance of some of the students who come before the Massa- chusetts board was brought out by Dr. Cook, who told about a number of appli- cants who could not give the names of common surgical instruments or explain the use of ordinary splints. Dean John T. Sutherland of the Boston University School of Medicine, Prof. F. M. Briggs of the Tufts Medical School, Prof. T. M. Crothers and Dr. G. F. Gilbert of the College of Physicians and Surgeons spoke in favor of more practical examinations. A letter of approval w^as read from Dr. Henry A. Christian, dean of the Harvard Medical School. This question of extending the powers of the State Board of Registration is a part of the 1911 program of Boston-1915, in- troduced by the Health Conference. Plans for Boys' Games THE summer games conducted in 1909 and 1910 by the Boys' Games Committee of Boston-1915 proved such a success that the newly organized committee has decided to broaden its program for the coming year. At a meeting held in the City Club on March 10, it was voted to include baseball and winter games and sports in the schedule for 1911; and to endeavor to form a permanent athletic organization in Boston "for the purpose of furthering legitimate athletics and gymnastic games among the boys of the city from ten to eighteen years of age." The new features in the boys' games program require the direction and ad- vice of athletic experts and the make- up of the various committees having the work in charge constitutes a most important element in the success of the plans. These committees are: Executive Committee: Chairman, A. E. Garland. Athletic Committee: Chairman, Hon. J. B. Mac- cabe, E. E. Babb, Hugh McGrath, F. S. Mason, T. H. Russell, 2(1, N. G. Young, Col. G. B. Billings, Mitchell Freiman, H. A. Gidney, A. E. Garland. Summer Games Committee: Chairman, Col. G. B. Billings, N. G. Young, C. H. Carter, F. S. Mason, A. P. Keith, Don S. Gates, James B. Shea. Baseball Committee: Chairman, Frank A. Good- win. Indoor Games Committee: Chairman, Hugh McGrath, Carl Schraeder. A finance committee will be appointed soon. Athletic meets, games and swimming events will be conducted as during the past two summers. The Baseball Com- mittee will arrange a schedule between all teams that send in a written entry, and trophies will be awarded to winners. The Committee on Winter Games and Sports will organize indoor meets and arrange ice hockey schedules. Group contests wall be organized where possible, and a general group contest will be ar- ranged if desirable. This committee will also encourage gymnastic contests, indoor athletics and exhibitions by offer- ing prizes for the best exhibitions of gymnastics and calisthenics. Perhaps the most important part of the Boys' Games program is the pro- posed work on a permanent athletic organization designed to further legiti- mate athletics the year round among the boys of Boston. Other cities, notably Baltimore, have succeeded in forming such organizations, and definite results have appeared in stronger bodies, less delinquency and a better use of play- grounds. Playground Possibilities in Boston THE greater use of playgrounds and other public recreation facilities" will be the work of the Youth Conference as a part of the general program for 1915. At the annual meeting of the conference held on February 27 it was voted that for the present the conference devote itself to an investigation of the present use of playgrounds with a view to a judgment on the ])ropo.scd consolidation of the park, bath, playground, and music departments of the city. The Nominating Committee of the Youth Conference met on March 1 and elected the following officers for the coming year: 502 NEW BOSTON Directors: George W. Mehaffey, Rev. Maurice J. O'Connor, Miss Lilian V. Robinson. Executive Committee: Mit- chell Freiman, Frank L. Locke, Frank S. Mason, Miss Josephine Bleakie, Mrs. A. R. Marsh, Miss E. D. Adams, Mrs. Elizabeth R. White. "Misfits" in High Schools A GOOD share of the pupils in the high schools of Boston are not fitted for the work, and their pres- ence in the classes often hinders the progress of students who are studying conscientiously to complete a four year course. What provision to make for these "misfits" was the general subject of the last two meetings of the Educa- tion Conference of Boston-1915. The trouble seems to lie, in large part, in the grammar school courses which turn out graduates unprepared for high school work. At a meeting of the conference held on February 24, Seth Sears reported that of 5,191 pupils who would graduate from the grammar schools in June, 763 would profit greatly if they could re- main another year and 515 are unsuited for high school courses. These figures were gathered from forty-eight of the sixty-five grammar schools of Boston. It was with the cases of those unprepared for high schools that the conference was particularly interested. George W. Evans, head master of the Charlestown High School, believes that the present system of instruction in our elementary schools is about as effective a method as could be adopted to dull a child's ambition. It was the opinion of Principal Albert P. Walker of the Girls' High School that a post-graduate gram- mar school would, to a certain degree, remedy the difficulty. Prof. Walker said that during his connection with the high schools of Boston he had seen hundreds of students ruined because they were called upon to do work for which they were entirely unfitted. This idea of a post-graduate grammar school was further discussed at a meeting of the conference on March 16 when George E. Murphy, head master of the Hugh O'Brien School, outlined the course that such a school should cover. Mr. Murphy's idea is the development of the present work of the elementary schools, laying particular stress on those features which may prove of direct assistance in the future employment of the pupil. Prof. Walker, on the other hand, believed that such a school should depart as far as possible from the routine work of the ordinary grades and devote itself very largely to the more concrete problems of every day life. A committee will be appointed from the Education Conference to make a definite proposition regarding the care of high school "misfits." The Education Conference has elected the following officers for the coming year: Directors, Mrs. Ella L. Cabot, Prof. Carroll W. Doten, Pres. A. Law- rence Lowell, Albert P. Walker,* Miss Mary E. Robbins, Oscar C. Gallagher. Executive Committee: Miss Caroline D. Aborn, Alvin E. Dodd, Mrs. Emma S. Gulliver, C. K. Bolton, Mrs. John T. Prince, Prof. James H. Ropes, Frank P. Speare, Theodore C. Williams, Carl Faelten, Prof. Charles F. Park, Miss Nellie J. Breed, Miss Frances Lee. Albert P. Walker IN the sudden death of Albert P. Walker, Boston-1915 has sustained a very considerable loss. Mr. Walker was one of the type of men that does not go into a thing until satisfied that it is of use to the community, and that through it the community can be helped. But when once convinced, he was a most earnest, conscientious and energetic worker. Early in the history of the Education Conference, Mr. Walker became its chairman, and at all the meetings of the Executive Committee, which he attended with the utmost faithfulness, his strict attention to the business before the meet- ing, and his quiet perseverance in bringing about definite conclusions, helped that committee to do some of the best work that was done by any part of Boston- 1915 during the year. In a conference marked by wide diversity of interests and opinion on very live subjects, Mr. Walker maintained a judicial impartiality which succeeded in welding these diverse elements into a strongly unified body. *Deceased. NOTE AND COMMENT 503 He found in this conference a possi- bility of service wliich he was eagerly seizing upon; consequently his loss will be felt not only by the conference itself, but by the city at large. There is some com- pensation, however, in the knowledge that his administration of his office as chairman of the conference set a standard and an ideal which, upheld by his suc- cessors, will really continue his work in- definitely. Mr. Walker was born in Alton Bay, N. H. He was educated at Wesley an and previous to becoming a Boston master had taught in the Mitchell Boys' school at Billerica and in the high school at Grafton. He was an organist of ability, and had served in that capacity in churches in Middletown, Ct., Grafton and Newton for thirty years. He had also written books on English and edited other similar works. He was fortv-eight vears old. Boston's "Ungraded" Pupils THE problem of the "ungraded classes" in the schools of Boston becomes more and more acute with the growth in our immigrant population. Miss Colleton brings out this fact in her article on another page, where she shows that where once the pupils of ungraded classes were made up wholly of foreign born, today we find numbers of Boston born children, unable to keep up with the regular work, in the same classes with the children of non-English speaking immigrants. The possibility of separating these backward children from immigrant children was discussed at a meeting of the Institute for Un- graded Classes, held in the Quincy School on March 24. ]\Iiss Alice M. Roche of the Quincy School told of the teachers' difficulty in getting results from a class made up of half a dozen nationalities, some with no knowledge of English whatever and all with totally different standards. According to the present regulations of the School Committee, the number of pupils in ungraded classes is supposed to be limited to thirty-five, although as a matter of fact some such classes often have fifty ])upils and more. This overcrowding alone causes in- effective work, and the hundred teachers at the Institute meeting voted to recom- mend to the Board of Superintendents that the minimum number of ])upils in ungraded classes be twenty-five and that backward and mentally deficient children be eliminated from the ungraded classes. Boston's Information Counter HOW far is it from Maiden to Lexing- ton? Where can I find cross-section plans of the East Boston Tunnel? I want a bibliography on trade marks. Give me what information you can on the subject of efficiency engineering. These questions indicate the varieties of curiosity and faith which come through the telephone and the mails to the In- quiry Department of the Special Li- braries Association in the office of Boston-1915 at 6 Beacon Street. For the most part the department seems to be used for information on scientific and social work, but there is now and then a question put to it for definite use on a business proposition. There is one particular difficulty ex- perienced in supplying information, and that is the question of how much or how little to tell the applicant. Involved with this is the desire to refer the person to a sponsor from whom he can be reasonably certain of obtaining the ma- terial he is seeking. For example, we know of typewritten bibliographies on certain subjects which are available with certain restrictions. Sponsors pos- sessing such resources deserve to be guarded with some discrimination. Ac- cordingly, if a request comes for references upon a general subject without any indication as to the present knowledge of the applicant it has been the policy of the office to refer him only to one or two sponsors with a request to come again if the information is not satis- factory or information in more detail is wished. About twenty of the sponsors met March 8th in the Committee rooms of the Tremont Building to talk over the use of the bureau the previous month and to discuss plans for its development. These meetings occur about once a month, and henceforth they will be open 504 NEW BOSTON to anyone interested, whether connected with a library or not. The next meeting will be held in Room 320 of the Tremont Building, April 12 at 4 P. M. The Forsyth Dental Infirmary ANEW form of philanthropy, coupled with a significant advance in the standard of bodily care, appears in an important public institution recently founded in Boston, — the For- syth Dental Infirmary for Children. Two brothers, John Hamilton Forsyth and Thomas Alexander Forsyth, estab- lishing this institution as a memorial to their brothers, James Bennett Forsyth and George Henry Forsyth, have pur- chased a valuable site, given about $250,000 for the erection and equip- ment of a suitable building, and endowed the corporation with a maintenance fund of about $1,000,000. Much thought has recently been given to the subject of dental hygiene for children. A feature of the new regime in the Boston public schools has been the attention given to the physical con- dition of the pupils. A physician of high standing is director of physical training, a corps of school nurses gives close attention to the health of the chil- dren. The school authorities realize that mental development is largely de- pendent upon commensurate physical development, and in organizing a system of school hygiene it was found that de- fective teeth were the rule among pupils. Of something like 200,000 children in the schools of greater Boston, at least 70 per cent need dental care. Of these, probably about 100,000 are unable to pay for the attention that they need. It appears that neglect of the teeth is responsible for the greater part of mal- nutrition and anaemia among school children, and that much disease is due to this cause. Moral and mental defects are thus induced. The Forsyth Dental Infirmary, offer- ing expert advice and care, free of cost to all deserving children from five to sixteen years old, aims to correct these evils. A strikingly fine building will house the institution. The Fenway district has for some years been the great educational center of Boston. Among the prominent in- stitutions there located are the Museum of Fine Arts, Simmons College, the Harvard Medical School, Mrs. Gardner's Museum in the Fenway, the New Eng- land Conservatory of Music, the Medical School of Tufts College, Symphony Hall, Horticultural Hall, and the Emer- son School of Oratory. More recently this district has been enriched by the admirably equipped Opera House and the new Harvard Dental School. Op- posite the Museum of Fine Arts will stand the important group, now build- ing, for the Boston Young Men's Chris- tian Association. The latest addition is the monumental edifice planned for the Dental Infirmary by the architect, Edward T. P. Graham. Standing in park-like grounds, it faces the pleasant Fenway landscape with wings that enclose a sunken garden where children can play while waiting their turn for treatment. A museum will be devoted to collections useful for instruction, and a lecture-room is designed for educating the public in dental hygiene. A founders' room will contain memorials of the Forsyth family and the library of one of the benefactors, Thomas A. Forsyth. There will be a consulting staff, a visiting staff of volun- teering dentists, and a permanent staff of selected graduates from the dental schools giving all their time to the work. City Planning before City Council A N order was introduced by Mathew ■^ Hale in the Boston City Council on March 20, that the Finance Commission be requested to prepare and submit to the council a plan for the comprehensive development of the city to January 1, 1920. The following lines of work were suggested: 1. A determination of the permanent improve- ments which should be made on or before January 1, 1920, in order that the city may keep up with the progress of the nation and of other cities. 2. A determination of the approximate cost of each of such permanent improvements. 3. A determination of the approximate amount of money which can be borrowed each year down to 1920 inside of the debt limit. 4. A determination of the amount of money inside the debt limit which should not be considered in this plan, but should be left as a reserve to meet emergencies or unexpected needs of the city. 5. A determination as to which if any of these NOTE AND COMMENT 505 permanent improvements should be properly made outside the debt limit. 6. Arrangement of the improvements determined under paragraph 1, at the costs determined under paragraph 2, into a tentative budget divided be- tween the years 1911-1919, inclusive, in accordance with the figures returned under paragraphs 3, 4 and 5. In presenting this proposition INIr. Hale contended that it is poor economy for Boston to delay improvements which would have to be made eventually — improvements that would cost more if continually put off. "It is really not economy to save money but to spend money wisely. I don't believe any city can advance without spending a great deal of money. I think the thing we want to avoid is the spending of money for purposes that are not wise or neces- sary, and that we should try to get our money's worth for the money we spend; but I am sure that the members will agree with me that we cannot have any real advance in the city of Boston unless we spend money." Proposed Laws for Controlling the Fire Hazard IN a brief discussion of the proposed laws* for controlling the fire hazard in Boston, it will be better to confine ourselves mainly to the objections raised against the draft bill presented by the Mayor's Commission. It was objected that the lathing per- mits required by Section 1 of the draft would retard building operations and impose a hardship upon builders. The facts are almost exactly contrary to this. At present a building inspector may have to go daily to a piece of work in order to see that improper construc- tion is not covered up by lathing, sheet metal and other material. Were such a permit required as has been suggested, the inspector w^oidd go when the depart- ment was notified that a building was ready and there would be no further difficulty about it. The importance of these permits from the fire standpoint is great. The "fire stops" called for in the present law are often omitted. These stops are as important in brick build- ings as in wooden buildings and there is no single method of preventing the * These laws are designed to guard against the dangers of conflagrration which are emphasized, in many cases, by- present methods of construction. In the North and West Ends the rear wooden buildings, combined with the dilapi- dated condition of buildings generally, constitutes a serious hazard. Large areas of wooden buildings in other districts are also a menace. spread of fire which is at once so inex- pensive and effective as this. The.se stops are often omitted by careless builders. Many objections were raised to Sec- tion 2 — that is, in regard to roofing material. The main objections were as to the cost which, on the whole, seems to be the weakest objection. The cost of some kinds of incombustible roofing is lower than the cost of shingles, while these same incombustible roofings are much more durable than shingles. The cost of slate, which was so much dwelt upon, is, generally speaking, not over fifty per cent more than shingles (this is a generous allowance) and slate will last a life-time while the best shingles are practically worthless after fifteen years. In this same connection it was ob- jected that it would be a serious hard- ship to require all shingled roofs to be replaced with non-inflammable material after 19l25. As has already been stated, the life of a shingled roof is practically never in excess of fifteen years. All present roofs will have to be replaced anyway before or by 1925. It will injure no one to replace them with a non-in- flammable roof. The newspapers have given a great deal of attention to the foundations re- quired by the Commission. They have apparently overlooked the fact that not the slightest change has been made in the present law and that mention of the foundations was made only when completed sections were quoted as amended by the recommendations of the Commission. In Section 3, which amends Section 39 of the present law, the only change made was to cut out the words "or with a balloon frame." This does not seem to seriously interfere with the foundation, the newspapers to the con- trary notwithstanding. The balloon frame was not permitted under the law before 1907 and it is not exactly under- stood why it was inserted in 1907. A properly constructed balloon frame is strong enough for all purposes, but it tends to spread fire. Careless builders often construct weak frames and this adds to the menace in case of fire. Througliout the objections to Section 4 of the bill, which amends Section 40 of the present law, the point was raised that builders would lose the land re- 506 NEW BOSTON quired for the additional set-back and that they would have to pay the in- creased cost for slow-burning construc- tion. This is not in accordance with the facts. If a building is set five feet from its lot line, slow-burning construction is not required and the cost of such con- struction is not made necessary. If the building is set within three feet of the lot line slow-burning construction is required, but the land between three and five feet is not lost. Five feet from the lot line is a very narrow limit from the fire hazard point of view for build- ings constructed entirely of wood. It is, moreover, no hardship to require slow-burning construction or even brick, as the rapid increase in the cost of lumber has already brought it pretty close to the cost of brick or concrete; and the added life of brick or concrete makes either form of construction more economical than wood in the end. The rather absurd objection was raised that Boston should stand for no such changes until they were made to apply to the entire Metropolitan district. In other words, Boston has just as much right to burn up as any other city or town. Looking at it from another point of view it was argued that the passage of such a law for Boston would create unfair competition and builders would operate outside of Boston. It is easily understood that building operations in a district like Metropolitan Boston are no more restricted by city or town boundaries than by ward boundaries. Building operations are naturally affected by laws and there is a possibility that some might suffer for a short time. The competition, however, tends as much to forcing the cheapest forms of construction, regardless of desirability, as anything else, and this is a distinct disadvantage. The speculative builder and the land speculator benefit by such an operation, but future owners suffer. Builders would not abandon Boston to such an extent as seems to be thought, because of the increased cost of transpor- tation. That will always tend to place outside districts under unfair competi- tion with Boston. It cannot be reasonably expected, moreover, that Boston would in the end suffer as much as was suggested. It is reasonable to emphasize the fact that the passage of the suggested laws will injure outside places and benefit Boston, — another instance of the need for metropolitan action. To whatever extent land speculators and speculative builders move outside of Boston, outside districts would be injured by the cheap form of construction and the undesirable condi- tions which always accompany them. While the approach of the land speculator and the speculative builder increases the value of farm lands it depreciates the value of urban lands. This was conceded by the remonstrants, who even went so far as to try to blame legislation similar to that proposed for the fact that land values in Dorchester are today about fifty per cent of what they were some years back. Such a law as has been proposed for Boston will protect ultimate property valua- tions in Boston. The objections raised were charac- teristic of all Boston objections to such measures as the one proposed. The community point of view is too often overlooked. As soon as some individual is touched in the pocket book (the pocket book represents all the vital parts of the anatomy of too many of our citizens) he commences to object. Ex- Congressman McNary made this clear in an address delivered by him some weeks back. If Bostonians are going to be absolutely unwilling to accept the community point of view we may as well make up our minds to stand pat and remain forever where we are. It is not pleasant to have to say it, but this is pretty close to the actual facts in regard to the opposition to the proposed measure. "AMERICANIZING" OUR IMMIGRANT CHILDREN* ELEANOR M. C OLLETON In accordance with the request of the joint committee from the Civic and Educa- tion Conferences, the Directors of Boston-Wlo voted to ask the State Board of Education to take into special consideration the needs of- immigrant children in the public schools. Miss Colleton s article points out the educational problem thai the immigrant brings with him. — Editor. ANEW and important educational problem was presented to the pub- lic schools of Boston some years ago, when a group of mothers with children clinging to their hands, — neither mothers nor children able to understand Eng- lish, — clamored for entrance at the doors of Boston's North End schools. Here was the first phase of the city's new task of educating the non-English speaking immigrants. To meet the insistent demand, the masters of the two districts in which the schools are located, under the direction of the School Committee, opened special classes for these children of immigrants, taught them English objectively and prepared them for the regular grammar grades. "Ungraded classes" the special classes were called, but, as a matter of fact, the children in these "ungraded" classes were normal and sometimes far above the average in intelligence. Their great handicap was their lack of knowledge of the language of the country, of its point of view and its traditions. Then, too, there were the home cares; for the early years of an immigrant's life, es- pecially of a non-English speaking im- migrant, whether adult or child, are filled with struggle and sacrifice, — with economy strained to the point of priva- tion and often of absolute need. In- deed, it has not been unusual to see babies in the ungraded classes, in charge of girls who were permitted to bring their small charges to school in order that these "little mothers" might not be obliged to remain at home too frequently. * Condensed by the editor of NEW BOSTON from a paper read before a meeting of the teachers of imgraded classes. The teachers in the so-called ungraded classes were unusual. A poor teacher would create havoc among these non- English speaking pupils. It takes no small degree of intelligence and ingenuity to teach our language in a limited period to immigrant children, for there was, and is even yet, no fixed source to which the teacher may turn for advice and direction. The problem was new and no preparation to meet it was given in the Normal School. To her own ini- tiative and the encouraging word of her principal was such a teacher left almost entirely. Nor was the teaching of English the only problem she had to meet. Family confidences were poured into her ear, — often pathetic, sometimes heart-rending, always interesting. Sym- pathy and counsel were expected from her. The subjects taught in these classes ordinarily corresponded to the course of study in the three primary grades. As the children progressed they were sent to the lower grammar grades, there to meet children of English-speaking families and to take up with them the regular American school life. As immigration increased, and it has grown greatly in the last eight or ten years, the number of special ungraded classes increased, until today there are fourteen such classes in the North End and thirteen in the West End. The immigration problem has also extended to the South End and East Boston. During the evolution of these special classes, one group arrived at the dignity of a specially, descriptive name, — the "steamer class," because its pupils were admitted shortly after their arrival in 507 508 NEW BOSTON THE "STEAMER CLASS" AT THE HANCOCK SCHOOL Every pupil arrived after the opening of the present school year. None of the parents can speak English the city. In these "steamer classes" the method of teaching is largely ob- jective, and the progress of the children in speaking English is rapid and satisfy- ing, but the solution of the problem of preparing them for assimilation in our American life, of "Americanizing" them, has not yet been found. Where once the pupils of these un- graded classes were made up wholly of foreign born, now we find in them Boston born children. In fact, in the North End today, as a result of immigra- tion, we find that every grade from the first to the eighth, as well as the un- graded classes, is made up almost entirely of children who come from homes where English is not spoken except by the children. American ideals, traditions and standards are an unknown quantity in the homes; and consequently these children are absolutely dependent on the training they receive in the schools for all that will make them progressive parts of our civic and social life. Further- more, a great number of the children leave school to work at the age allowed by law and their training in consequence is very limited. In these later years, Boston has tried not only to continue hospitable to its new comers, but has become insistent in offering educational advantages to them. Today through the efforts of the Truant Officer Department, the superintendent of schools has on file a list of all immigrant children of school age arriving at the port of Boston, to- gether with an account of the endeavor made to locate each at the address given on the ship's manifest. For years, great numbers of those above the legal age of day school attend- ance have clamored at the doors of the evening schools, desirous above all things of learning English. Much has been done for them, but the greatest possible progress has not been reached by any "AMERICANIZING" OUR IMMIGRANT CHILDREN 509 means. There are two considerations which must be taken into account to bring about the best results. All non- English speaking adults are not alike in their needs and abilities. There are the more or less educated, and the illiterate, each desirous of speaking Eng- lish; but when writing and reading are added, without classification of pupils, discouragement is bound to result for both classes. And further, most of the teachers of the evening elementary schools are recent graduates of the Normal School and have no prepara- tion for the problems of these non-Eng- lish speaking schools, — day or evening. Now that the School Board and the Board of Superintendents have pro- vided institutes for the discussion of different phases of the educational prob- lems of non-English speaking immi- grants, it is appropriate to offer some suggestions for further work. 1. Would it not be well to consider the districts, in which the homes are non-English speaking, as special districts, and to consider modifying our present provisional course of study for the schools in general, so that it will meet the existing condi- tions, making it still more provisional, at least for the present generation? 2. Would it not be practical to hold the Insti- tutes for all the teachers of these districts, rather than limit them to the ungraded class teachers? With the exception of the steamer classes, the problem of all the teachers is the same, differing only in degree. 3. Would it not be practical and helpful in solv- ing the problem, both for the day and evening schools, if the master and selected teachers of the Normal School were asked to participate in these institutes? 4. Would it not be practical also to consider at this time the opening of a special department in the Boston Normal School — partly sociological — which would provide a course, obligatory for all graduates, by which they might learn, at least in theory, something of the problems, educational and sociological, which they must meet in their teaching career and which must be solved if Boston is to get any adequate return for the money spent in elementary education? THE PAUL REVERE SCHOOL Built solely to accommodate immigrant children 510 NEW BOSTON 5. Would it not be feasible, also, to consider the utility of the school nurse in these districts, as an invaluable co-operating force between the school and home, and increase the number to two, where one is now asked to work miracles in even approxi- mating the work she knows .is' waiting ready to her hand? ....:/,. , . While we have achieved . much in th€ past, the problem of public sichool edu- cation as related to the' cliildreii of lion- English speaking parents has grown in size and gravity. Many of the pupils of our elementary schools, even those in the lower grades, will soon be heads of families; for these people marry young. The solution of giving these pupils the best of American life and ideals is still in the initial stage, — the children are still in a foreign atmosphere at home, permeated as that home may be with high moral ideals and traditions of the old countries. The family point of view is not American, in fact the knowledge of American standards is so warped, through lack of personal contact, that it is sometimes regarded as a thing to be avoided. In such homes to say that one is "Americanized" means that he has deteriorated. To the School Committee, the superin- tendent and assistant superintendents, who have recognized the size and serious- ness of the problem which large and increasing immigration has created in our school system, and who have pro- vided the institute as a means of help- ing in its solution, we owe thanks. I think I voice the sentiment of every teacher in these special districts, when I say that the individual wish of each is to do her part in the most efficient and loyal manner toward giving these foreign children a knowledge of the best there is in American life, so that when they shall have grown to adult age, their appreciation may be thus sincerely ex- pressed: "God save the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and its far famed capital, the historic old^city of ^Boston." THE SCHOOL NURSE AT THE HANCOCK SCHOOL This nurse also acts as a social worker among the families of school children GIVING THE IMMIGRANT A FAIR START DANIEL CHAUNCEY BREWER At the last meeting of the Board of Directors of Boston- 1915 it was voted that the question of making the evening schools more attractive to adult immigrants he referred to each of the conferences for approval or disapproval. Mr. Brewer's article describes the machineri/ cdready at work for educating adult immigrants and shows how it could he Inoadened effectively. — Editor. A CITY like Boston, a great entry port for immigrants, must see that its newcomers are given an opportunity to acquit themselves in a manner that will throw credit upon the municipality; for the general stand- ing of a city reflects the character of its population. Too much credit cannot be given to the Boston School Committee, the even- ing school directors and the very efficient evening schools for the efforts which they have expended in meeting the needs of Boston's immigrants,^both .children, and adults who are still teachable. As a result of these efforts the average at- tendance at the Boston evening schools compares favorably with the full returns from certain other states into which immigrants are crowding. But in the meanwhile it. is unfortunately true that the work is circumscribed because of inadequate funds. In fact, with proper financial support, there is reason to believe that the evening school, activities df the city might readily be trebled. The desirability of such an extension of work is apparent to anyone who compares the total number of non-English speak- ing people in the city with the number of those registered in our evening schools. The fact of -the matter is that newly ajrived immigrants are suspicious of ajiy enterprise conducted by the city authorities arid their interest must be stimulated. .This has been proved by the North American Civic League for Immi- grants with which Boston-1915 is co- operating. The league has developed a successful scheme for drawing immi- grants into the public schools,^a scheme that has been adopted by Philadelphia and Jersey City and experimented with by New York and other municipalities. It is an interesting story, — how the Civic League works with Boston's new citizens; and the success of its efforts are apparent enough to attract the at- tention of Bostonians to a practicable means for the first instruction of that part of our new city residents who will ultimately become citizens. The plan provides for entertainment through illustrated lectures in the public school buildings, — perhaps supplemented by music, followed by a ten-minute "Messages to Newcomers." Eight of these messages have been printed in English, Yiddish, Italian and Hungarian, on the following subjects: The United States, Its People and Its Laws. The Need of Learning English and the Ad- vantages of an Education. The Story of the American People. Abraham Lincoln, the Great Citizen. Naturalization. The New Home Land and Opportunities Offered in Various Sections. Washington. A Primer for the Alien Desirous of Becoming a Citizen. These little talks include suggestions to newcomers as to the manner in which they must conduct themselves if they wish to reap the advantages which their new residences offer, an earnest appeal to familiarize themselves with English and to secure for themselves or their children the educational benefits that the city provides, hints in regard to the preliminary requirements of citizenship, etc. When it is borne in mind that because of limited resources the municipality has been able to do but little in bearing the cost of these lectures and that the burden has fallen upon the League, al- 511 IMMIGRANTS IN ELIOT NIGHT SCHOOL GIVING THE IMMIGRANT A FAIR START 513 ready embarrassed financially in its effort to guard well-meaning immigrants against imposition, there is cause for congratulation that results have been abundant. With the returns that are in hand it is not unreasonable to ask the public to put the School Committee in a posi- tion to make a modest appropriation for the purpose of popularizing its even- ing schools and thus take full advantage of the League's voluntary service. This is the wish of the Immigrant Education Committee of Boston-1915 as appears by its recent recommendations. While facts speak for themselves, the testimony of experts is of value to those who have had no opportunity for ob- servation. Of the Boston work Maurice J. O'Brien, Director of Evening Schools in 1909- 1910, writes: "The interest was so manifest that the lectures were a success from the very beginning and have proved to be attractive and instructive ever since. If I may illustrate, last year in the Bigelow School in South Boston, the series of lectures for the Lithuanians were so interesting that the large hall could not accommodate the number who were present on Monday evenings. Besides the educa- tional features, the Lithuanians themselves sup- plied music, both vocal and instrumental; and the instruction that they have received has made them better acquainted not only with civic duties but also with the social conditions that surround our American life. What has been said of the Lithu- anians proves equally true with reference to the Italian, the Jew, the Greek, the Pole and other races. The whole plan is a very important factor in the training of the foreigner when he first lands upon our shores. It has been the object of the North American Civic League for Immigrants to impress upon the foreigner that under the law here, all men are equal, and that the equality springs from a prompt and willing obedience to the law." Of the Philadelphia work Dr. Corn- man, Associate Superintendent of the Philadelpiiia schools, writes: "The lectures given with the co-operation of the North American Civic League for Immigrants are going very well indeed. The lecturers seem to be able to adapt themselves to the audiences and have created an interest that has materially' stimu- lated the evening school attendance. From some of the principals I have received especially en- thusiastic reports. Miss Agnes Kelly, having charge of the evening school in the Italian district and of social centre work in the same locality, writes that as a result of the most recent lecture, the one upon 'The Primer of Citizenship,' four classes in natural- ization have been started. On the whole I think we have made a very good beginning and regret that the limitations of our appropriation for this work precludes undertaking this lecture work upon a more extensiA'e scale." Many of the later steps taken by the immigrant before he is assimilated and has a full opportunity to serve the city of his choice, must be on his own initia- tive. None of them equals in importance the earlier ones which shape his course. If we have discovered ways and means by which we may get the stranger started rightly on his way toward civic useful- ness, let us make the machinery at hand effective. "That enlightened governments only endure by making adeqvate prorision for the education of those who exercise the franchise icill he admitted by all informed Americans. i "It might he well if the negative of this proposition were championed. Then more thought would he given the reasons underlying the assertion. As it is, many on this side of the North Atlantic must believe in schools without appreciating their full significance. If such people under.s-tood that cherished political institutions could only be perpetuated by educating the public, they would provide schools not only for children but for the unnumbered adult immigrants who are crou-ding into their communities." — From the report of the North American Civic League for Immigrants. PLACE DE L'ETOILE, PARIS Example of wholesale cutting through of new streets in direct lines under the Third Napoleon ' EUROPEAN CITY PLANNING* CORNELIUS GURLITT Translated by Sylvester Baxter Modern city planning ha,s reached its hic/he.st development in Germany and Mr. GurlitVs article gives a good general idea of the broad field covered by the Euro- pean city planner. It shoirs the opportunity for development that aicoits a com- mission like the one proposed by the City Planning Conference of Boston-l9\5. — Editor. GERMAN city planning in the first half of the nineteenth cen- tury, and well into the seventies, had regard principally to Vienna and Paris. Those cities gave two standard ideas: — the development of a circum- ferential street and the cutting through of new streets on a great scale. In both cases Paris stood first; Vienna with its Ringstras.se followed the example of what, in Paris, had already been carried out under Colbert. The boulevards of Paris were regarded in the nineteenth century as the ideal streets of the cos- moj)olitan city — and they are that in a certain sense today. With the Third Napoleon, Paris entered upon the epoch of a wholesale cutting * Excerpts from a paper by Cornelius Gurlitt included in "Der Deutsche St'adte" published in Leipsic by Friedrich Brandstotter. through of new streets in direct lines. Baron Haussmann began his powerful transforming activity, — the renovation of the city from within outwards. Bold architects had planned similar work, even in the eighteenth century. But not until Haussmann's time did all of those aims become realized; thencefor- ward new plans were contimially develop- ing. Since then, the cutting through of new streets on a great scale has been an essential character of modern French cities. These have been laid out either in the heart of the city, or directly throuiih it. The artistic system through which the new Paris ottered comiicnsation for so much that was destroyed, is that of the termination of streets by means of build- ings of special importance. This s^^stem 514 EUROPEAN CITY PLANNING 515 at first was slowly developed. Its realization by no means succeeded every- where, and in many cases the ideas were an inheritance from the eighteenth century. The artistic service of Parisian street planning shows itself at its best in the Avenue de I'Opera. This is 1,100 metres long, of a stately width, and its vistas are terminated by the Louvre and the Opera House, — indeed, a cold but distinguished work of art, a pompously genuine expression of the Third Empire. How much more cheery and less tedious are the old boulevards with their crooked lines of seldom very expensive buildings! Street reformation often destroys much more than it serves. It should, therefore, be carried out wath the greatest foresight. The idea that for a handsome street rectilinear and parallel margins are a requisite should never more be the stand- ard. Some vigorous words of Mayor Adickes of Frankfort against the wish of several members of the City Council to reform the Trierische Strasse in that city in rectilinear fashion may here be cited: "The entire old city, admired by all friends of art, would be ruined should we set to work to revise it in rectilinear fashion," he said in 1898. "Such a procedure would be nothing less than barbarous!" In many another city the local authorities have not yet advanced to that stage of knowledge. Desires for the preservation of ancient city scenes are increasing. The growing love for what has become historical draws streams of tourists to picturesque old cities. The new buildings attract few strangers; the old cities invite them. Our modern hosts of pilgrims turn their steps toward Heidelberg, Rothenburg, Nuremburg, Hildesheim; not to the rapidly growing new cities. Hence, when we destroy the old quarters of cities, it is a transgression against self-interest, as well as against history and against good taste. The excuse which is made by friends of such street reformations is mostly one of doubt as to the value of the old buildings, — first, the practical value; then, also, the aesthetic. When the owner of an old house has the intention to build a new building adapted to his purposes, upon a valuable lot, it is difficult to hinder him. The proposed reforma- tion, however, incites him to such pro- cedure, and for that there is seldom a correspondingly strong incentive. Who assists the legal authority with advice RINGSTRASSE, VIENNA Shows circumferential street developmeht of the city, on the site of the ancient bulwarks 516 NEW BOSTON as to whether a certain building is worth preserving on aesthetic grounds? The answer can cahnly be given, — this may not come from the residents of the city itself. They almost always under-estim- ate the value of picturesque parts of their city, — just as the peasant is not sensitive to the landscape charm of the region in which he dwells. Persons capable of judgment nuist be sought for in other cities, for their vision is clear. And, above all, one thing should be borne in mind, — something new can be made any day, but it requires hundreds of years to produce something old! Therefore the old, even when it is in- conspicuous, has more distinction than the new, notwithstanding that the latter may be ever so splendid — and then, although for hundreds of years people have had the good sense to preserve an ancient structure, the folly of a moment is sufficient to destroy it. Antagonism to the unbearable tedious- ness of the systematically laid out cities has gradually gained in force. The words of Moltke, in which he celebrated the quaint ramifications of Vienna in contrast to the regularity of Berlin, became celebrated. It was in the same utterance that he further attributed inferior patriotism to the rectilinear cities of France than to those with crooked streets. No less quoted are the words of the great humorist, Oberlander, who com- pared the regular cities with the struc- ture of the lower animals, and the old cities with the forms of richly organized beings permeated with intelligence. New systems began to be sought after with- out much success in finding something better; hence, salvation was again sought in the blending of various systems. Thus there arose further city plans of the "handsome plan-picture" type. Up to today these are still in favor. A fundamental condition for such planning is regular topography. This was frequently overlooked. Thus the Dresden suburb, Plauen, develoj)ed a "handsome plan picture" for the region about the Bismark Tower, erected ui)on a height, but with the transfer of the geometric plan lines to the ground itself, horribly discordant conditions showed themselves. Nevertheless, the plan was carried out. The streets have grades as high as ten per cent. In winter, with glare ice, they are hardly jjassable. But since the plan has been authoritatively adopted there is no power to reject it. The planning of the "handsome pic- ture" led to j)eculiarly involved street relations. One might almost believe that considerations of arabesque orna- ment had influenced the city planner. He endeavored to bring together many lines on one spot, to create crossing points through which the lacework of streets was artistically worked up. The beauty of a city quarter proceeds not from the fact that one repeatedly observes the same scene, but from the greatest possible reception of diversified impressions. The finding of one's way in a city quarter is made easier by a di- versity in streets and open spaces, while two similar open spaces in one city re- mind one of those practical jokes that were characteristic of garden designs in the eighteenth century. How shall the stranger make it clear to himself whether he is in one place or another? It may be that when a later generation comes to build, the fundamental idea of a uniformity of open spaces, and therel)y of their artistic purpose, will be intelli- gently contradicted by means of intro- ducing the greatest possible variety in the surrounding buildings. Of the symmetry of design which con- stitutes the beauty of the plan picture one is not at all conscious when on the spot. Slight as its practical service is, equally small is its aesthetic. This "plan picture" is only too often nothing but a vain, and, for the most part, very expensive anuisement, not noticed at all when passing through the streets, but only while looking at the city j)lan as it ap})ears on ])aper! A quite different aspect is that of those city plans which, so to speak, are composed into the natural site with all its irregularities. And indeed it is getting to be more and more recognized that tlic decisive means to protect the city ])laii from monotony consists in seeking out the proper street lines upon this natural site. That is to say, the city planner may not force upon the site a previously EUROPEAN CITY PLANNING 517 Tl v^n •vMIC R ;"^^b.li From'Jhe ArchUeklonische Rundschau STUTTGART An old residential section of the city rebuilt on the most advanced lines of German city planning conceived "plan picture," nitended to be transferred to the ground surface in question, but should allow hunselt to be led along in his ijlanning by the natural irregularities and i)eculiarities ot this problem. In the case of hilly sites the plan-picture is necessarily condi- tioned by circumstances difficult to be overcome. Modern city planning distinguishes itself from the older practice through the prominence given the artistic motive. That is to say: Just as an artist is able STUTTGART Modern Imsiness street 'showing pleasing effect of a curved thoroughfare EUROPEAN CITY PLANNING 519 to create the plan of a church or palace that is perfectly adapted to its purposes; just as, in such cases, it is his task to work with a conscientious regard for all demands imposed by necessity, and directly to give his work a worthy de- velopment — so artistic city planning is to be understood as that which does not work according to systems, but according to the specific conditions of the case in hand. Not artistry, but the appropriate development of all the ad- vantages that may be, with due regard to the specific problem, is the aim. The artistically creative city planner should seek out all peculiarities of the site, and emjjhasize them according to their in- dividuality; thereby, whenever possible, reconciling every contradiction between his planning and the aspects of nature. He should take into question the ir- regularities of the surface, the existing streets and ways in their natural con- figuration, the property lines and the single natural configuration, even if nothing but several old trees. Not- withstanding this, he should impart all practical advantages to trafl^c, to circumstances of habitation, and to the administration of individual properties, and finally he should offer the architect opportunities for interesting solutions of his problem. He should allow the conditions of the site to inspire him to achieve the most individual and di- versified solutions imaginable. Then again it nnist always be borne in mind: Diversity in the disposition of the plan gives to the architect opportunity to develop his ground i)lan and his facades in interesting fashion, thereby embellish- ing the city internally and externally. In the meanwhile, it should very easily be possible to introduce irregulari- ties in the conformation of the individual blocks without thereby diminishing the value of the same. Under certain cir- cumstances, one may thereby even furnish municipal architecture with significant motives for development and for artistic achievement. There are two fundamental ideas in relation to a fai--sighted and careful planning with regard to the width of streets. To remember that streets that have been designed too narrow will later on not be adequate for traffic when the city gains in population; and to remember that the city treasury should not be burdened unnecessarily by the acquirement of unrentable ground, thus increasing the cost of street construc- tion and maintenance. The means for solving this problem on the part of modern city planning lies in the most distinct separation possible of streets according to the manner of their use. HAMBURG A modern radial thoroughfare with freely disposed curves 520 NEW BOSTON And the solution is accomplished by means of the clear, and, in case of need, remorseless, laying-out of various main lines through the district to be developed and the dividing-up of the great blocks thus formed by means of streets whose situation is so chosen that a large traffic cannot come to them. It follows from all this that no system maj' claim sole j)reeminence; that here- with the task of the city i)laniier must be directed to setting himself free from the schematic systems that now prevail, and handle his work as that which it really is, — a branch of architecture. It is the business of architecture to solve the tasks presented to it in practical fashion, giving them the shape that corresponds to their nature. Whatever is artistic about them is developed from the problem. Whatever is coutradictory to the purpose, or which neglects it cannot work artistically to the puri)ose. Hence only that which is practicable can be truly artistic, truly beautiful, and only the beautiful can be practicable. Hitherto only too often have city planning and art been in opposition and thereby art has suffered heavy losses. Still heavier, however, were the losses of city planning, for it degenerated into an impractical and deadening schema- tism. Art, however, is always multi- formed life! RECREATION ADVANCE IN MILWAUKEE EVERETT B. MERO The Youth Conference of Boston-1915 has made the qnohlems of recreation a chief interest. One of the earliest committees of Boston-ldl5 to be appointed was on "Boys' Games" and by its efforts a very snccessfid series of athletic meets was held in the summer of 1909 and again in 1910. See NEW BOS TO N for September, 1910. A more extensive and comprehensive plan for using the parks and playgrounds is now under consideration as described on another page of this number. — Editor. IN Milwaukee the problem of muni- cipal recreation is being worked out according to methods suggestive to Boston. There, as here, two funda- mental questions to be answered are: how to secure greater returns to the people from the facilities that exist; and how to secure efficient, centralized administration of the various facilities now in the hands of different departments. The Boston proposition to create a Department of Parks and Public Recre- ation which shall consolidate the exist- ing departments of parks, public grounds, baths and gymnasia, music and the public celebrations division of the mayor's office is discussed in the present issue of New Boston. Milwaukee is not un- dertaking to consolidate existing depart- ments, but has a plan for a Board of Public Recreation and Social Education to be made up of representatives of existing departments that have to do with recreation. The plan before the Milwaukee Council, at the time of writing, provides that the new board "shall have charge of the work of develop- ing the civic, social and recreational resources of the city through promoting, organizing and directing the wider use of existing i)ublic buildings and grounds, such as school houses and grounds, park buildings and grounds, public market places and squares, and other public buildings and grounds which may be more widely used to the public advantage for civic, social and recrea- tional activities, during such times as these ])ublic buildings and grounds may be made available for such wider use RECREATION ADVANCE IN MILWAUKEE 521 ;*||^^ 'f^M i>p*, j^'' 1 a^ ^1 MILWAUKEE'S FIRST MUNICIPAL DANCE through the co-operation of the various existing city departments which have charge." The board is also to "advise in the further equipment of existing recrea- tion buildings and playgrounds, and in the planning and permanent equip- ment of such recreational buildings and playgrounds as may, in the future, be ac- quired by the city ; and to have charge of the civic, social and recreational activities which may be carried on in such buildings and upon such grounds." The proposed board is to consist of nine members, to serve, after the first year, for three years each. The mayor is to be a member, as representative of the Auditorium Board, and the com- missioner of the Department of Public Works is to be another. The remaining seven are to be appointed by the mayor, one each from the membership of the school directors, park commissioners, library and museum boards, fire and police commissioners, and three from the citizenshrj) at large. The board is to recommend to the council the appoint- ment of a superintendent and such other employees as may be necessary to carry on the work of the department, viz.: Promoting the beneficial use of public buildings and grounds in developing intelligent public spirit and intelligent interest in the common welfare through meetings of neighborhood civic organiza- tions for the presentation and discussion of public questions and such other civic activities as these bodies may care to undertake. Promoting, organizing and directing such social use of existing public property as shall tend to increase the spirit of neighborliness and good will among the people throughout the city. Promoting, organizing and directing the use of public property for recreational purposes, including playground activities, dramatic and musical ex- pression, dancing and other forms of gymnastic and play activity. Promoting, organizing and directing public holiday and festival celebration, and in such other work as, in the opinion of the Board, will tend to benefit the people of Milwaukee through the de- velopment of the civic, social and recreational re- sources of the city. Prior to the present administration in Milwaukee, that city's government had done practically nothing in public recreation development except to pro- vide parks and three natatoriums, which are claimed to be the first public indoor swimming and bathing places to be conducted by any American city. Right here is a marked difference between Boston and Milwaukee. Boston has provided municipal gymnasiums and associated baths not surpassed in intent by any in the country, and has purchased hundreds of acres of land for playgrounds and open air gymnaisums. Boston started both municipal playgrounds and gymnasiums in America; her weakness has been in development, rather than in creation. Milwaukee has not only to lay out a plan, get an organization to administer it, but she has to create the facilities, or take them over from private philanthropy. Several school 522 NEW BOSTON buildings in Milwaukee have also been opened with opportunities for recreation and social activities. A free lecture system using the school buildings was also begun. Still more recently one of the Milwaukee daily papers has con- ducted a series of free motion-picture shows in school l)uildings, to prove that the people will readily use the school plants when given an opportunity. But these scattered beginnings have existetl independent of any systematic organization of provision for public recreation. Early in September E. J. Ward, for- merly of the Rochester, N. Y., social centers, assumed his duties at the Uni- versity of Wisconsin and gave half of his time to developing the social possibili- ties of Milwaukee. Soon- after he recom- mended the establishment of a depart- ment of public recreation similar to the plan just reported to the council. His ideas. are that there shall be, under this department organization,, a superin- tendent or director of recreation for the city, under whom will be district directors, each with several assistants in charge of-cliib organizations for men and boys, club organizations for women and girls, gymnasium activities for men -and for women, playgrounds for chil- dren, musical organizations, etc. ■ : This force of directors will have charge not only of playground and other work in vacation . time, and in hours after school, but also of school buildings for social and recreational purposes. They will also. arrange for holiday and. festival celebrations, the .developinent of public musical and dramatic expression. As a beginning, a' force of twenty-five people is .ex^jeqted to be employed, all the year roUnd, so.that the systemmay be worked out aiid carried on economically. When this plan was first outlined it w^as submitted to the mayor and members of the city government, and to heads of departments concerned, who ga\'^ it their api)roval. It was seen '.that this arrangement would avoid . duplication and also do away with" the difficulty arising from use of ])ark property for school activities or from the use of property within the jurisdiction of any two departments. It w^as also recognized that by this means a body of people whose prime interest is in public recrea- tion, would be secured, instead of plac- ing this work as an added burden upon a board or boards whose prime interest is in education, or park administration, or paving the streets. And it was seen, moreover, that this new board, made up of representatives from the different boards in the city, would furnish a con- necting link between all these depart- ments — a progressive stej) which in itself would be advantageous. So much for theory, practical as the theory seemed to be. When the financial side was considered, it was found that a substantial appropriation would be necessary to carry out this plan. Pro- gressive as Milwaukee has shown herself in most things, it was a question whether the people were awake to the needs of such supervision of public recreation as the plan :prop6sed. It .was apparent that a campaignof education was neces- sary. To carry this on, the Milwaukee Association for Public Play and Social -Education was organized, with the ])rime purpose of i)ronioting such action on -the part of the city as w^ould furnish adequate, well-equipped,: well-super- -vi^ed playgrounds for alltlie children, and develop the social Bud ■ recreational resources of the city, not only. in the use of public buildings, but also in that of the streets and public places for festivals and holiday celebrations. . At present, the assocfation has a com- mittee working out pjans for a sane Fourth of July celebration. ;The tenta- tive plan includes a pageant represent- ing some historical event," physical con- tests for prizesv folk songs ' and xlances by different nationalities -in .-the parks, band music, singhig of patriotic songs by choru.ses, aud the utilization of various -sectional playgrounds.. _ ... To attract public attention^ it. ."was decided by the .association to. hold a -series of three 'Saturday -evening dances -in the Auditorium, in which- the city ow^ns half the shares." ' The • first dance, - :hekl oh November '20', drew 1, GOO people. The niaVor ^Vas })rc'sent and the president of the association told the assembled people that tins wa.s simply the beginning of a movement to develop the recreation of the city on a worthy scale. Every- body was enthusiastic over its success. RECREATION ADVANCE IN MILWAUKEE 523 The second "party" drew 2,250 people. When it came time for the third as- sembly, the great arena or central hall of the Auditorium had to be opened to accommodate the 4,500 persons ad- mitted. The public dances attracted national attention and caused much misrepresenta- tion in the newspapers, which saw the spectacular aspect, but not the real significance of what was being done. It has been stated that on account of a loss of nearly $1,000 from the dances, the Milwaukee people were "sore at the administration." "There is no better illustration of the way that reports from Milwaukee are garbled and twisted," writes Secretary Ward to NEW BOSTON concerning this incident. "The fact is that it was not the intention to make money, but the committee in charge found themselves $650 to the good after the third party, and the people in Mil- waukee, with practically no exceptions, are not only in favor of but enthusiastic- ally for the public recreation movement." A little illustration of what organiza- tion and supervision or intelligent leader- ship may mean to a city in holiday cele- bration was given in Milwaukee last Hallowe'en. This is a time when a disorderly, boisterous celebration has been customary. A "sane Hallowe'en" affair was arranged, which resulted in what an observer calls "the quietest, sanest Hallowe'en ever spent in the city." The event centered in Lapham Park, which used to be Schiltz Park- — a beer garden that has helped "to make Mil- waukee famous." The park is now a recreation center that forms part of the system under development. Here, in the afternoon, the children of the neighborhood gathered, attired them- .selves in witches' caps, capes and gro- tesque masks and enjoyed games and pastimes until evening. Then they formed a parade, and led by a band marched to the Old Haymarket where an immense bonfire was built. Some such plan as this will be worked out for the coming Fourth of July. One feature under consideration may have been inspired by Boston's new voters' meetings. It aims at making the central feature of the Fourth a great banquet at which all the new voters will be guests, whether they have become citizens by naturalization or by coming of age. The hosts will be all those who are willing to pay for two dinners — his own and that of one new citizen. The representative of the Milwaukee park commissioners on the new board says: "We shall attempt to give the citizens of Milwaukee and their children better forms of entertainment than they have hitherto had. ■ We are going to offer the public better amusements than the five-cent theater which they now patronize." The representative of the school di- rectors says: "It is aimed to havethe public feel an ownership in public parks and buildings and to have it also feel a responsibility." • Isn't this a worthy spirit for city of- ficials to show toward such a movement — in Milwaukee.' There will be a wel- come quite as hearty for the same pro- gressive conception of the fuik-tions of a Boston department of i)ublic recrea- tion — when there is an understanding of what it would mean to this city. If all the people who waul Boston to be the most progressive citi/, the best regu- lated city, the city with the largest number of really successful )nen a)id women, would get together and work to make it so, the job ivould soon be done. TENNIS IN FRANKLIN PARK MAKING BOSTON'S RECREATION SERVICE EFFECTIVE PLANS for a recreation department to consolidate the Parks, Public Grounds, Bath and Music De- partments of Boston were described in the January number of NEW BOSTON. Since those plans were announced, the City Council passed an ordinance estab- lishing such a department. This ordin- ance was vetoed by Mayor Fitzgerald. "What I had hoped," said the Mayor, "in recommending the whole subject to your consideration in a communica- tion of an earlier date, was the forming of an ordinance which should not merely consolidate but reorganize the entire recreation service of the city." Since the ordinance was vetoed another draft has been prei)ared, designed to meet the mayor's objections, — to re-organize as well as centralize the facilities for recreation that have l)een so well provided by Boston; but which have, in the opinion of intelligent experts, been developed incompletely and only used partially. The general tone of the new draft suggests service to the people rather than a mere mechanical combination of the machinery of administration. The suggested ordinance embodies many of the ideas adopted in other cities through- out the country for the same purpose of recreation service. The plans and ex- periences of New York, Chicago, Mil- waukee, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Colum- bus, and several other cities have been drawn upon, and the desirable features in the methods of each city are incor- porated so far as they seem to meet Boston's needs and conditions. It is projjosed that the department of public recreation shall include two divisions to be called bureaus, and such other divisions as may be necessary. A single paid commissioner fpialified for the duties of the ])ositi()n, to be appointed by the Mayor, would receive a salary of not more than $.5, ()()() a year and give his entire time to the work of the depart- ment. One of the new features is the provision that there be an advisory board of seven members to serve without compensation. This board would con- sider matters affecting the policy and general conduct of the department and make recommendations for the guidance of the commissioner, but his decision 524 MAKING BOSTON'S RECREATION SERVK E EFFECTIVE 525 would be final on all mattei's, except on the question of taking land for public uses, when the commissioner and the advisory board would constitute a joint board on park land wdiose procedure would be the same as through the present Board of Park Commissioners. The Department of Public Recreation would administer, supervise and regu- late "parks, public grounds, playgrounds, gymnasiums, baths and all other means for recreation now existing and in charge of the departments hereby consolidated, and of all means for recreation hereafter created in and by the City of Boston." The department would have the care and supervision of such parks or other non-taxable property or means for recrea- tion as might be placed in its charge by the city or by any department, organiza- tion or individual in Boston. There is a provision that the advisory board shall be appointed by the mayor for periods of one, two and three years, and that "so far as possible the mayor shall select appointees from nominations made for the purpose by educational, recreational, social, civic, patriotic and kindred organizations in Boston, who shall be invited by the mayor to make group nominations for membership in the advisory board, in order that there may be co-operation between municipal and volunteer recreational interests." A general superintendent, qualified for the duties of the position, may be appointed by the commissioner of public recreation to act as the executive of the department. The two divisions of the department woukl be the Bureau of Parks and Public (Grounds and the Bureau of Recreation and Physical Welfare, each in charge of a superintendent. The superintendent of recreation and physical welfare would have charge of the use of playgrounds, gymnasiums, baths, parks, water facilities and other means for recreation, including celebrations for which money is appropriated by the City Council or otherwise j)rovi(led. The Superintendent of Parks and Public Grounds would have charge of the con- struction and maintenance of all grounds, buildings and other property in charge of the department. It is provided that for each playground, athletic field, gymnasium, bath, beach and other institution for recreation, "there shall be appointed a person quali- fied for the duties of such position to 526 NEW BOSTON supervise and direct and promote the activities and usefulness there conducted according to the pohcy adopted for the department." A Director of Pubhc Music woukl have charge of indoor and open air music for parades, concerts, pubhc cele- brations, festivals and other purposes, and generally perform the duties now devolving upon the Music Trus- tees. A study by the department of the city's further needs for public recreation and associated matters is called for by Section 8 of the proposed ordinance. This investigation would cover not only recreation matters but social, civic and other forms of community welfare or betterment, including the further use of existing public buildings and grounds. A report would be made within three months to the Mayor and City Council with recommendations and a plan for the work of the department. For the purposes of the ordinance the term "recreation" is interpreted to mean the public service referred to in Municipal Bulletin No. 1 of the Massa- chusetts Bureau of Statistics, which is also the classification adopted by the United States Census Office at Washing- ton. These two authorities include under "recreation" parks, gardens, playgrounds, gymnasia, bath houses, beaches, cele- brations, entertainments, observances of public holidays, band concerts, etc. The ideas embodied in the proposed ordinance are in some instances radically different from those in the ordinance that passed the City Council in February and later vetoed by the Mayor. But the differences are mainly that here are suggestions of human interest rather than of routine combination. WHAT FEDERATION COULD DO FOR METROPOLITAN BOSTON MARCH G. BENNETT Project 2 of the 1911 Program of Boston-1915 endorses the Real Boston plan described by Mr. Bennett in the folloiving article. A federation of the forty cities and towns of the Metropolitan District would residt in mutual understanding and agreement and would prove most effective in carrying out the recommendations of expert bodies like the proposed City Planning Commission. — ^"''-■'— TO those familiar with modern com- mercial or municipal affairs, it is only necessary to describe the present situation in Metropolitan Boston in order to vividly impress upon them the many benefits to be derived by any form of co-operative and united action upon the numerous important matters which are of common interest to the whole community as a whole. If a great business organization were composed of forty separate departments, and each department had a separate system of control and regulations, and the heads of these departments never met to com- pare their views upon the business as a whole, or to compare methods of ad- ministration of their own departments -Editor. with the others, no sensible man would expect that business to succeed, unless it were an absolute monopoly that would grow in spite of itself. In Metropolitan Boston there are forty cities and towns that have numerous interests in common, and each city and town has a different set of ordinances or bj'-laws and other regulations. There are no meetings, and there is no provision for meetings, of the heads of these cities and towns, either for the purpose of discussing matters of common interest, or of comparing the many local regula- tions for the ])urpose of securing uni- formity and of ado])ting in the other towns such improved methods of ad- ministration that may have been de- WHAT FEDERATION COULD DO FOR METROIOLITAN BOSTON 527 veloped by the experience of certain of the forty communities. The situa- tion is so absurd from an economic point of view that any argument against the co-operative movement must be based upon other reasons. Federation ah-eady exists in a peculiar way upon three municipal functions — sewers, water supply and parks; but co- operation between the cities and towns is utterly lacking even in these respects, because the departments are entirely in the hands of the state. The local officials have nothing to do with their administration, even in an advisory way, although the total amount which their municipalities will be called upon to pay eventually for these functions already provided for, will be approxi- mately $80,000,000. Is it possible that sewers, water supply and parks are the only functions in which Metropolitan Boston has a common interest and for which the co-operative action of the local officials would be valuable? Transit Facilities : The transit facilities of Metropolitan Boston have no one to look after them at present, and yet the matter of rapid transit is perhaps more important to the outlying towns and cities than it is to Boston proper. The Boston Transit Commission has no au- thority beyond the city limits. If Metro- politan Boston had a representative council, such as is provided by the Metro- politan Boston Bill, would they not find it imperative to take up the question of transit in a comprehensive way for the whole community? Industrial Education: When we speak of education, our opponents at once cry out that we are infringing upon home rule, but the Metropolitan Boston Coun- cil could easily co-operate to establish a system of industrial high schools, (which only three or four places in the district can afford to maintain inde- pendently) on a plan which would not encroach upon the independence of any town, and yet w^ould give to the boj's and girls of that town the kind of edu- cation that the future is sure to demand. Such a plan would give to the future Boston the trained men and women which it must have if it maintains its position as a manufacturing center. Factory Development : It is impossible now to work up a proper and systematic plan for the general development of our manufacturing possibilities because there are forty patches to cover and there is no official body whatever before whom the plans can be laid to be co-ordinated and made into a working scheme. The Metropolitan Boston Council would be such a body, and it could not overlook the opportimities in this direction, nor the demands upon it for such action. Direct Highways: There is not one direct highway leading out of Boston, and the only one that approximates it is Washington Street. There should be straight, broad, level highways extend- ing in all directions from the business center. They are urgently needed now, and with the rapid development of the auto-truck they will be indispensable in the near future. Their construction requires co-operative action, and the Metropolitan Boston Council could and would be called upon to take such action and make and lay plans before the legis- lature for such highways. Dock Development : The development of our water front is as important for Lynn and Weymouth as it is for Boston city, and in order to bring about such development in a comprehensive way it must be considered co-operatively. Industrial Railways: This is a question which is linked with the factory develop- ment and the dock questions, and it re- quires the united action of all of the cities and towns as a matter of common interest to all. Uniform Building Laws: The evils of our present building laws cannot be solved by any one city or town acting independently. If any one adopts more sti'ingent precautions against fires, it will increase the cost of building and the investor will be obliged to put his money mto the development of the neighboring town which has not put its standard so high. No investor can afi'ord to pay from twenty-five per cent to one hundred per cent more for building when he has to compete in rents with the lower cost a few blocks away in another city. Act- ing together, through the council, reason- ably uniform laws can be passed, and the whole community safeguarded against the future disastrous conflagrations which 528 NEW BOSTON are sure to come under present conditions. Improved housing for the poor is in the same situation. When you destroy the bad tenement in one place, it appears across tlie Hue. Uniform Health Regulations: There is great dissimilarity in this respect now, and by a simple process of comparison, the council, without interfering with the rights of any place, could accom- plish substantial uniformity. Uniform Police Regulations: There are forty different sets of police regula- tions in Metropolitan Boston. Men are petty criminals in one city for acts which are perfectly lawful in others just across an arbitrary and invisible line. The same improvement could be made here as in the health regulations, and in addition the very important improve- ment of establishing efficient co-opera- tion by the police through the whole district, without in any w^ay affecting local control. Co-operative Fire Departments: Some co-operation already exists in this direc- tion, but it is far from general or effective, and by means of the meetings of the council great improvements could be made for the benefit of all connnunities and the injury of none. There are many minor matters in which the council may, by co-operation, do much to advance the interests of the whole citj% and several important matters, like the generally planning of the city for future development, but enough instances have been cited to show the great benefits that would flow from this representative assembly of the executive heads of the forty cities and towns which makeup "Real" Boston. These benefits are all concrete and definite, and there is another of a less tangible, but no less important character. This is to correct, as far as possible, the injustice of allowing Boston to stand as the fifth city of the United States and the twenty -sixth city of the world, when she is really the fourth city of the United States (more than twice as large as St. Louis, now ranked fourth) and the tenth city of the world. As an advertising pro})osition alone, this would be worth more to Boston than a million dollars spent in newspaper space and circu- lars. The answer that the opponents make to this is that they are afraid that if co-operation is begun, annexation will follow. It will not. The state will not annex against the will of the com- munities, and the chief executives of the forty cities and towns of Metropolitan Boston will be the last men in the whole district to advocate or consent to annexa- tion. They will therefore strive to accom- plish by co-operation all of the benefits that could be produced under consolida- tion; and it will be possible for them to do this without infringing upon the local autonomy of any city or town in "Real" Boston. There are so many things that Boston ought to do in order to place itself in line with the powerful, growing commercial centers of the world, that it is startling to enumerate them, and yet there are a few people who are so fearful of co-operating and working together with their neighbors, because they are afraid that this contact will lead to a closer bond between them, that they are willing to let things remain undone that are of such great conse- quence to us now and hereafter, rather than consent to this plan of federation in which there is no threat of loss of identity or autonomy to their towns. No city has more latent energy and good ivill than Boston. It possesses more than sixteen hundred organizations v^orlcing in rarions directions for the city's good, but most of them irere carrying on their activities individually irithout regard to the others and often at cross purposes tcith them. They needed to he brought to- gether and to have a clearing house through vhich their good-u-ill might be co-ordinated and made effective. This co-operation is ivhat Boston-1915 has organized during the past year. SCHOOL CENTERS AS "MELTING POTS" LIVY S. RICHARD The school buildings in the city of Boston have cost more than $20,000,000, and they are used about a quarter of time. To organize a larger nse of schonlhoitses is one of the most important portions of the Boston~\9\5 program for 1011. Mr. Richard tells how other cities are putting their schoolhouses to day-round use. — Editor. TWO reasons prompt the move- ment for a larger use of public school buildings — economy and efficiency. The first is obvious. The school plant is one of the public's largest investments, and it lies idle during most evenings and always on Sundays. The problem is to find the way to the most efficient additional use. In New York evening lectures have proved attractive and useful. Con- ducted as a regular feature of the edu- cational service, they draw in many adults ambitious for widened mental horizons. Boston, however, is lecture- tired. Existing opportunities to hear many of the best equipped lecturers are so abundant that to open the school houses for conventional lecture courses might suggest superfluity. A practice in Milwaukee offers a larger appeal. There moving pictures have been intro- duced, almost always to "standing room only." Fittingly chosen and interi)reted, they afford much wholesome entertain- ment with instruction. That this plan introduces competition with a host of cheap theaters, some not over careful in their choice of films, constitutes no serious objection. In Rochester, N. Y., a broader experi- ment has been in progress. The Roch- ester "social center" is more easily de- scribed than understood. What it does in detail gives an imperfect picture of the spirit which it tends to develop, — the spirit of real democracy. Imagine in one assembly room on a Saturday night a capacity audience of 1,200 persons — shop girls, mill and factory workers, university professors with wives and children, settlement enthusiasts, new- ly arrived immigrants and a sprinkling of the endowed from homes of wealth — singing together with the zeal of school children hymns of brotherhood, after- ward listening intently to a speaker with some vital message — it may be Dr. Woods Hutchinson, with a broad- side of medical insurgency, or Mayor Brand Whitlock of Toledo, O., telling why he believes in a clubless police, or Dr. Goler, with pictured samples of bad housing and an appeal for a slumless future, or Joseph Fels preaching the single tax; but it is always someone who offers a new angle of thought and an outpouring of special knowledge, — and at the end looking on with sympathy or merrily participating with the younger folk in the dance with which these Satur- day evening meetings at "No. 9 Social Center" come to a close; and you can possibly realize something of the at- mosphere. These school centers are melting pots in which the distinctions that elsewhere separate men and women dissolve. Their activities are various. There are gn)ui)s for gymnastic drill, followed usually by plunges in the swimming ])aol or visits to tlie shower baths— for in Rochester the newer grade school buildings have nuich of the i)arai)hernalia of club houses. There are reading groups making use of the school and circulating library. There are groups at table gan;es. There are debating clul)s of young women and de- bating clubs of young men^the latter often transformed street "gangs," once sources of anxiety to the neighborhood. There are the federated civic clubs, meet- ing at frequent intervals for the freest discussion of public questions, lyceum 529 530 NEW BOSTON WHAT A "CIVIC CLUB" MEANS IN ROCHESTER fashion, but without dues and open on terms of exact equahty to all who may care to attend. And there are art clubs and volunteer orchestras and free dental clinics and traveling art exhibits, and it has been proposed to have, also, free legal aid offices and sub-stations of the Board of Health and even the use of the school basements as polling places; but these are possibilities not yet established. The centers have social interchanges. One time it is triangular debate for a trophy; another a challenge game of indoor baseball; or a reception, with special program and light refreshments. The federated civic clubs, which re- semble Boston's Improvement Associa- tions, send delegates to a monthly con- gress where standing committees closely scrutinize the progress of municipal legis- lation and, by their rei)orts, as endorsed by the delegated body, exert some in- fluence upon local government. Care was taken in Rochester to organize on a non-partisan and non-sectarian basis. The president of the League of Civic Clubs was a respected judge; among the officers were Protestants, Catholics and Jews, and IJie delegales reflected every phase of political opinion and included two representatives of the negro race. Discussions in these clubs were often animated but, subject to parliamentary rules, there was complete freedom of speech; and it was wonderful how much alike the human nature of ordinarily separated attendants was when once they came together on a footing of equality and in good will stared each other in the face. We have in Boston a wide gap between "high brows" and "low brows"; between the tradition-encumbered ])osterity of the occupants of the "Mayflower" and the more recent — and numerous — immi- grants via the steerage. It is desirable that these extremes should get better acquainted. In a democracy they must either work together or mutually suffer in consequence of misunderstandings. I am not sure that the establishment in the public schools of Boston of centers of democracy for adults would do much to T Americanize the native and alien unassimilated of this generation, but it would be a fine thing for the rest of us; and in time it might prove the salvation of our democratic experiment, beset as it is by j)rejudices of sect, race and class. I>raTHE MOZART CLUB THE BOSTON MUSIC SCHOOL SETTLEMENT DANIEL BLOOMFIELD The Syllabus of the Fine and Industrial Arts Conference of Boston-1915 recommends an investigation of the Music School Settlement ivith a view to ex- tending its influence. Although less than six months old the Music School Settle- ment has already found its place as a practical civic and social organization. — Editor. IN the remodelled rooms of an old tenement house at 110 Salem Street, there has grown up in the past five months a miniature "conservatory of music," known as the Music School Settlement. The idea of giving chil- dren of limited means an opportunty to secure a musical education and of bringing good music to homes which would otherwise be without it, originated in New York about ten years ago in the Music School Settlement which was established in that city. The New York settlement proved so successful that a number of musicians and social workers of Boston felt that the North End, the most congested and most cosmopolitan district of Boston, might well benefit by the organization of a similar movement there. Through the courtesy of the Civic Service House, the Boston Music School Settlement, when it was organized in November, 1910, at 110 Salem Street, had the use of three pianos and twelve rooms. The work grew so rapidly2_that it became necessary to increase the working and teaching equipment. Steinert and Sons generously loaned the school four pianos and the number 531 532 NEW BOSTON of teachers was increased to twenty- one. A nominal fee is charged for in- struction, but provision is made also for those whose circumstances do not permit their paying anything. The school gives instruction in music, but, at the same time, does not lose sight of the ultimate ideal — better citizenship. Besides its instructors, there are a mmiber of social workers whose efforts lie with the parents as well as with the children. The workers believe that through the Parents' Association and through personal visiting, they will be able to bring about that co-operation which will unify the work of the school and so aid it in fulfilling its objects. It is interesting to note that the nations represented in the school are the United States, Russia, Italy, Portugal, Ireland, England and Sweden. The instruction offered is in voice (for adults), piano, violin, 'cello, and various orchestral instruments as well as solfeggio, theory and histor^^ of music. The committee which supervises the instruction consists of Felix Fox, chairman, Mrs. Bertha Gushing Child, Samuel W. Cole, Jacques Hoffman and Professor Walter R. Spalding, who is director of the school and is also chairman of the Division of Music at Harvard. Instruction is individual. There are two classes in solfeggio, and music history is taught by means of the Mozart Club to which the children belong. Monthly concerts of special interest to children are being arranged. For adults there is the instruction in voice, a choral class on Sunday afternoons and an Opera Club to promote an intimate acquaint- ance with the operas. Through public lectures on music and a series of j)ublic concerts in which the settlement is assisted by prominent artists, the school attempts to develop a better apprecia- tion of good music. The work is now beyond the experi- mental stage and the first step was taken recently toward establishing a fund which would enable the school to carry on its work permanently. A MUSIC SCHOOL TRIO BOOKS AS TOOLS OF BUSINESS G. W. LEE The Special Library for Teachers, proposed by the Edvcatio7i Conference of Boston-1915, would meet a portion of the needs of the book hunting public which, according to Mr. Lee's article, finds difficulty in locating certain volumes in public libraries. The teachers' library proposition is a part of the Bosto7i-l9l5 program for 1911.— Editor. THESE are days of intensive farm- ing, intensive manufacturing, in- tensive importing, exporting, bank- ing, shop-keeping, in fact, intensive busi- ness of every description. Not only is the product to be considered, but the by- product; not only does the druggist dispense drugs, but incidentals — tonics in the shape of soft drinks, candies, clothes brushes, daily papers and maga- zines; not only does the insurance man deal in plain policies which can be readily vmderstood, but in others that cannot; the dry-goodsman not only has his regu- lar stock, but his mark downs; the book- seller not only his new books, but his standard authors at give-away prices. All strive to reach the buyer through new methods within circumscribed con- ditions. This means that they are study- ing whether to get more crops from the same acreage, or to turn out more pro- duct from the same factory, or to realize a larger market through appealing to the imagination of customers. liut in all this how much do they study books, or even use them for reference purposes? Exceedingly little, except among the professional classes, doctors, lawyers, ministers, engineers and scientists in general. And yet we know there is much written upon nearly every human activity. There are farm journals and general treatises or monographs covering the refinements of agriculture; there are trade journals of every description, and there are books covering substantially every form of manufacture; there are publications devoted to business methods, to system in advertising and to system in office management: all pointing to the probability that in the near future — call it 1915, if you please — scholarship and research will play such part in mercantile affairs as to render every branch of busi- ness a profession. By way of illustrating the usefulness of some familiar books, let me cite first the Boston Directory, which most of us refer to so often, yet most of us fail to appreciate in its many details. The Smiths are there, with and without middle initials, and so are the Zyboras, the latter as rare as the first are common. But what else besides the names and ad- dresses? Most of us know the business directory, that forms Part 2, as it were, of this thick volume. But look at the table of contents and see what else you find. You find that the banks and trust com- panies, with their officers, are listed; the Boston Stock Exchange with its ojfficers; the calendar; the census of the state; the churches and ministers; the city and state government, wnth their re- spective officials; the congressmen of Massachusetts; the consuls representing all parts of the world; the courts, municipal, state and federal; the ex- presses, local, suburban and for all New England; the hack and taxicab fares; the halls, blocks and buildings; an index to advertisements; the popu- lation of Rhode Island; postal regula- tions and rates; hundreds of societies and institutions as widely different as the Animal Rescue League, the Bank Presidents' Association and the Daugh- ters of the Revolution — all this and much else, not to mention the street directory and the insert map of Boston, which, by the way, is often extracted before the directory has lived many days. The volume is valuable, but its value is as unsuspected as is the true value of many a friend whom we meet every day. The Telephone Directory is another obvious convenience for looking people up. Their street address is usually given, if in Boston, and their district address, if out of town; while "Informa- tion" has the facilities for giving you the 533 534 NEW BOSTON suburban street numbers. Did you ever think of obtaining the Telephone Di- rectory from^ New York, from Phila- delphia, and elsewhere, for a similar ])urpose? They are often available at the mere trans])ortation cost, and they have their place in a large mercantile house. Another directory, which it has been my experience to find far more useful than the public would suspect, is "Who's Wlio in America." Vain it may sound to want to know what this person or that has achieved, yet we rightly de- sire to know what title to give our ad- dressee— Dr., Prof., Rev., or Hon. — as well as his residence or place of business. Such information is in "Who's Who," though "The Honorable" may have to be deduced from the office a man holds or has held. The dictionary, up-to-date, is of vital consequence to some of us, for it tells what's what in the language world. And it can be used for more than definitions, derivations and the spelling of approved words. Look for yourself into Webster's New International. "Aeroplane" and pictures of aeroplanes are there, as also a host of new or newly familiar technical terms. These and the colloquials we rightly expect, but the lower sections of the pages, a new feature, give in finer print minor words, foreign words, and obvious derivatives, besides such ephem- eral slang as is likely never to reach the stage of good usage. "Graft" and "cinch" in their colloquial uses fall into the body of the work, the upper section, l)ut "rubber neck" and its contracted form, "rubber," are inserted in the lower section as slang. This lower sec- tion is, however, of considerable conse- quence, for it tells when a word is not a})proved, to know which fact is often of much use; while to the foreigner, who may have learned our vernacular from text books of pure English, this when- in-doubt section must be a delight, lint there are other features that we often overlook: the i)ages of signs and abbreviations and the gazetteer; besides a well-indexed reference history, wherein we nuiy find statements and chronological data of commercial importance regarding localities, domestic and foreign, with, also, some general maps. Another useful publication, almost too young to be fully realized, is the per- petual Loose-Leaf Encyclopedia. The subscribers for these twelve volumes are entitled, for a term of years, to research information, without additional expense; also, from time to time they receive special sheets on topics of immediate importance, besides the annual set of some 600 sheets, which are to be inserted throughout where they belong. In last year's set, for instance, are articles on conservation, the cost of living, an ac- count of the Paris flood of 1910, with revision of articles on concrete, the Tariff, and the Panama Canal. Another publication familiar to many a mercantile house is the Rand-McNally Business Atlas. We rightly assume that it has indexed maps of the different states; but looking at it with more scrutiny, we find, also, its alphabetical list of our steam railroads and of our electric interurbans, the electrics as well as the steam being also indicated on the state maps. It lists the principal steamboat lines, too; it has the not un- familiar world map, on Mercator's pro- jection, showing the international steam- boat routes; it has a map of the standard time divisions; it has diagrams of railway mileage and of income from tariffs; an industrial map, showing where the re- spective staple products come from; maps of some of our larger cities, with inser- tions from year to year of some of the lesser ones; and, as of popular interest, it has a map of the United States with dates of discovery, and another of the polar regions. While probably no one business man has need for all the in- formation in the atlas, yet probably no one has need for none of it; a statement that is, of course, true of substantially every book of reference. The World Almanac typifies a class of familiar publications that are as little a])preciated as they are familiar. What does this almanac contain? The calen- dar, of course, and the times of the rising and setting of the sun and moon; the tide tables; the holidays, and the church year. Wliat else? Look into the ten i)age index of the 1910 edition, which has upwards of 2,000 entries re- ferring to much that is of mercantile importance, as well as of conversational interest: a half i)age on Halley's comet; BOOKS AS TOOLS OF BUSINESS 535 twenty pages on population; two and a half pages on Marathon and long distance running; fifty pages on election returns; three pages on college cheers; and fifty pages giving information about New York City. For the temperance worker it has alcohol statistics. It tells the author how to obtain a copyright and the in- ventor how to obtain a patent. It has banking statistics for the financier, and the 1909 highest and lowest prices of the leading stocks for the investor. It gives the importer the customs duties on leading articles, and the corporation tax it gives for whom it may concern. Every one is likely to have occasion to consult its tables of weights and measures, its values of foreign coins, while all should know that in it is the Constitu- tion of the United States. To exploit the riches of its 752 pages would be stupendous; but if we simply peruse its pages once a year, we shall do much toward appreciating this twenty-five cent annual, whose trifling cost may lead some to doubt its true value. There are many other publications for the business man, but few of which can even be mentioned within the limits of this article. Do you know Poole's Index and the Readers' Guide, which list for you what has appeared in the leading magazines.'' Do you know the Monthly Catalogue (and price list) of United States Public Documents and the (recent) Monthly List of State Publications, which will advise you of the documents issued by the nation and by the states? Do you know the A. L. A. Guide to Reference Books? They are all worth knowing. Quite likely you have seen or heard of the Statesman's Yearbook, Hazell's Annual, and Whitaker's Almanack, which mean so much to the Englishman. Perhaps, however, you have not heard of the more recent Pitman's "Where to Look," which aims "to provide an index to the more familiar annual books of reference and to a few specified standard works." This, like the three preceding, is English; hence its limitations for our local use. But it points to what doubtless will be brought out in this country by 1915, a book on sources of information. The workmen's compensation act is much talked of in these days. Consulting "Where to Look," we are referred to three publications, one of which is "Hazell's Annual." Consulting "Hazell's Annual," we find the act explained in a column on "Master and Servant." Recently issued is the American Year Book intended for "searchers of every kind." It promises to be exceedingly valuable. See it at your public library. How shall all these useful works be introduced to those who unwittingly need them? One means may be the Special Libraries Association. This asso- ciation was organized about two years ago "to promote the interests of the commercial, industrial, technical, civic, municipal and legislative reference li- braries, welfare associations, and busi- ness organizations." Do you consider that your business is organized? If so, you come within the scope of the Special Libraries Association. Its organ is called "Special Libraries." One subject that needs to be con- sidered is that of keeping in touch with new books. Does any one know a royal road to making sure that he will see the latest books that are of interest to him? The Public Library adds many, and so do the libraries of the Technology, and so do various minor libraries. If you go to the Public Library at the right time and have luck, you can see many new books; but other people go, so that the book you most need to see may be borrowed before you arrive, and it has been my experience to have to try many times before seeing a particular book that I thought would be of interest to me. Not infrequently after several trials the message has come that it is missing. Most of the new books are reviewed in the newspapers or the week- lies or monthlies that are kindred; but it is a hopless undertaking to find all the reviews, even if we know just wliere to look them up. We need a museum of new books — a book buyers' library, if you please — where the publishers will be glad to send one copy of each new publication, and whence the copies must not be taken, except from the closing hours of one day to the opening hours of the next, unless, perchance, one wished to pay a price that would be prohibitory were the book not seriously needed at once. How shall such a book depository 536 NEW BOSTON be effected? I leave it as a problem of the Special Libraries Association, of the Chamber of Commerce, and of Boston-1915. The work of the Co-opera- tive Information Bureau, maintained by the Special Iyil)raries Association in co-op- eration with Boston-1015, is described on another page of this magazine. NEWSPAPER COMMENT ON THE 1911 PROGRAM A Definite, Direct, Feasible Program THE list of "thirteen things to be done in 1911" offered by the Boston-1915 organization, repre- sents the practical force of this move- ment toward the perfection of Greater Boston. The value in setting the year 1915 as a boundary was in the definite- ness of aim and exactness of purpose so given. Now, with a specific list of thirteen necessary items of progress, all practicable and all indicated, the move- ment's progress is strikingly marked. All of these items are public concerns. The benefits are comprehensive and inclusive. The ways are plainly marked. Co-operation, the key to the problem, is already obtained. The programme offered represents the serious work of more than 1,200 associations, organiza- tions and clubs, and planning through more than 250 meetings in the year past. It is the largest co-operative undertaking of the sort in the history of American communities. Public sup- port will carry this programme through because it is a definite, direct, feasible programme. These thirteen things can be done, and will be done, in 1911. — Boston AdvertLser. "Planning to Some Purpose" "Boston-1915" is now ready for busi- ness. Preliminary plans have been per- fected. The foundation has been laid, and the superstructure of a new and better Boston may be reared without delay or mistakes. The leaders of the ni<)\emoiit have been criticized now and then during the past year on the ground that they were wasting time in theoretical dis- cussions, over-organization and excess of detail. The recommendations made today, however, show that the planning has been to some purpose. Thirteen definite suggestions are offered for the present year, and they should result in effective progress. Foremost among the Boston-1915 recommendations, and incorporated in bills already introduced in the Legisla- ture, are the federation plan for a Greater Boston; a comprehensive scheme of city planning that includes transporta- tion, tenements and other big problems; the more complete use of schoolhouses in educational and social work, and the development of an adequate playground system. Other proposals call for a permanent plan of sidewalk improvement, more convenience stations in public places, a civic building for the use of charitable organizations, full and prompt registra- tion of births, more thorough regula- tion of medical examinations, the en- forcement of j)arental responsibility, and the extension of popular art exhibitions. Boston-1915, started less than two years ago, is now in good working order and knows the things it wants to accom- plish and how to accomplish them. There are nearly four years left for action. Those years should be fruitful — and they will be. The Boston of the year 1915 will be a great, l)eautiful, efficient and admirable city, because of the labors of the public-spirited men and women who see visions and try to make them real. — Boston Traveler. "Fit Subjects for Discussion and Work" That the promoters of the Boston-1915 movement are not waiting for some magical agency to accomi)Hsh all the things desired for the city at one sweep NEWSPAPER COMMENT ON THE 1911 PROGRAM 537 several years from now is evidenced by the completeness and wisdom of the published programme of the work they wish to accomplish during 1911. In the list of the "Thirteen Things to Be Done" this year not one is without interest and advantage to all our citizens. The comprehensive development of Boston, the federation of the metropolitan district, the creation of a central library for teachers, the better and more in- telligent use of playgrounds, the provid- ing of finer sidewalks, the extension of free art exhibitions — all these are fit subjects not only for discussion, but for work, energetic, tireless and persuasive. If a quarter of them can be carried through to success, we may congratulate the city, ourselves and the laborers in the vineyard of Boston-1915. The criticism is sometimes made — and not without cause — that Boston is a wonderful city for the passing of resolu- tions that fail to have any tangible result. It is cheering, therefore, to find the "1915" movers mapping out a good deal of actual endeavor.^ — Boston Post. 'A Comprehensive List Reforms" of For the year 1911 thirteen tasks are scheduled by the 1915 movement — 11, 13, 15 — and it is a comprehensive list of reforms. — Boston Herald. "An Ambitious Program" The practicality of the committee must appeal to every one. An ambitious programme has been laid out and its saneness and comprehensiveness com- mend better than anything else the calibre of the men "behind." It is a pleasure to note the cheery, hopeful spirit that fairly exudes from the report and with united action success will crown the work. — Greenwich (R. I.) Pendulum. "Wise Tactics to Establish Firm Coherence" The Boston-1915 movement (after which was patterned the Albany-1916 movement), has succeeded, it is an- nounced, in banding together 1,200 civic organizations in Boston and its environs in such a way as to facilitate co-opera- tion. As a working programme for the present calendar year, the projectors of Boston-1915 have laid out thirteen projects for 1911. The Boston Globe remarks that "since there can scarcely be any division of intelligent opinion as to the necessity of most of those rather mild construc- tive reforms, the efforts to put them through ought not to encounter great opposition." Reading between the lines, one suspects a gentle satire here; but it is to be said that sometimes it is the wisest tactics to establish firm coherence and co-operation for minor reforms, before attempting greater ones. In this way, a team spirit may be developed such as will prove requisite to the greater undertakings; whereas, were they to be essayed at the outset, the movement might fall apart and prove wholly abortive, through lack of famili- arity between team, harness and drivers. — Albany Argus. "An Example Worth Following" While the rest of the country has heard a good deal concerning Boston- 1915, its idea of the various projects embraced by that movement is not very clear. It has been understood in a general way that Boston was entering upon a series of extensive improvements to be completed by 1915. Now the promoters of the movement have issued a programme of the projects that are to engage their attention during 1911, forming a part of the general scheme of progress. This programme represents the common agreement and combined study of more than l,'-200 different or- ganizations in the city of Boston. Boston's enthusiasm for improvement is in refreshing contrast to the apathy displayed by some American com- munities, and the co-operation mani- fested by her army of civic organiza- tions is inspiring, but is she wise in under- taking so much to be accomplished in such a comparatively brief time? It looks like an immensity even for a town the size of Boston. No doubt, however, a considerable portion of the work cut out will be brought to completion, and even if the performance is not quite equal to the promise, Boston will have set an example worth following by some of her more sluggish sisters. — Pittsburg Gazette Times. BOSTON-! 91 5 CONFERENCE EXECU TI\ E COMMITTEES Fine and Industrial Arts: Arthur Burnham, Chairman. Miss Rose Lainl). Malcolm Lang. Mrs. Josephine Peabody Marks. Henry G. Pickering. Charities and Correction: C. C. Carstens, Chairman. Miss Mary W. Dewson, Secretary. Col. Adam Gifl'ord. James McMurry. Rabbi Eichler. Rev. Francis H. Rowley. Dr. Charles P. Putnam. Sara E. Wiltse. Lucy Wright. City Planning: Arthur A. ShurtleflF, Chairman. Robert P. Bellows, Secretary. Richards M. Bradley. F. E. Cabot. Edward T. Hartman. Civic : Prof. William B. Munro, Chairman. Edward T. Hartman. Mrs. Charles H. Nevons. Walter Gilman Page. Mrs. Louis Prang. Addison L. Winship. Co-operative : William E. Butler, Chairman. L. T. McMahon, Secretary. Arthur T. Cummings. William P. French. W. M. Magoun. Education : Miss Caroline D. Aborn. C. K. Bolton. Miss Nellie J. Breed. Alvin E. Dodd. Carl Faelten. Mrs. Emma S. Gulliver, Secretary. Miss Frances Lee. Prof. Charles F. Park. Mrs. John T. Prince. Prof. James H. Ropes, Frank P. Speare. Theodore C. Williams. Health: Dr. Richard C. Cabot, Chairman. Miss Ida M. Cannon, Secretary. Dr. John T. Bottomley. Sidney S. Conrad. Dr. Simon F. Cox. Dr. Thomas F. Harrington. Miss Isabel F. Hyams. Neighborhood Work: John D. Adams, Chairman. William B. Esselen, Secretary. Miss Emily A. Babb. Augustine L. Rafter. Mrs. Eva Whiting White. Railroad Brotherhoods: Leonard J. Ross, Chairman. George E. Roewer, Jr., Secretary. Women's Clubs: Mrs. May Alden Ward, Chairman. Mrs. George F. Salisbury, Secretary Mrs. William C. Appleton. Mrs. Charles ¥. Gettemy. Mrs. E. S. Goulston. Miss Gertrude F. Ogilvie. Mrs. Ellen A. Stone. Youth: Frank S. Mason, Chairman. Miss E. D. Adams. Miss M. Josephine Bleakie. Mitchell F'reiman. F'rank L. Locke. Mrs. A. R. Marsh. Mrs. Elizabeth R. White. 538 DIRECTORY OF DIRECTORS OF BOSTON-1915 HENRY ABRAHAMS, 11 Appleton St., Boston, Secretary, Boston Central Labor Union. {Charter) RT. REV. JOSEPH G. ANDERSON, 29 Magnolia St., Dorchester, Auxiliary Bishop of Boston, Vicar-General of Archdiocese of Boston, Diocesan Director of Catholic Charities. {Charities and Correction) MRS. FANNIE FERN ANDREWS, 405 Marlborough St., Boston, Secretary, Boston Home and School Association, Secretary, American School Peace League. {Civic) MR. J. WARREN BAILEY, State House, Boston, President, Mass. Co-operative Bank League, President, West Somerville Co-operative Bank, Secretary, Massachusetts Prison Commission. {Co-operative) PROF. GEORGE P. BAKER, 195 Brattle St., Cambridge, Professor of English, Harvard University. {Fine and Industrial Arts) MR. GEORGE BARRY, 386 Harrison Ave., Boston, President, Building Trades Council. {Labor) LOUIS D. BRANDEIS, ESQ., 161 Devonshire St., Boston, Senior partner, Brandeis, Dunbar & Nutter, Founder, Savings Insurance League. (Charter) D. CHAUNCEY BREWER, ESQ., 113 Devonshire St., Boston, President, North American Civic League for Immigrants, Chairman, Industrial Education Department, Boston Y. M. C. A. {Civic) MR. WILLIAM E. BUTLER, 90 Tremont St., Boston, President and Treasurer, Wm. S. Butler & Co., Treasurer, Wm. H. Brine Co., Director, Gilchrist Co. {Co-operative) MR. PHILIP CABOT, 18 Tremont St., Boston, Treasurer, Improved Dwellings Association, Member, Executive Board, National Housing Association. {City Planning and Housing) DR. RICHARD C. CABOT, 190 Marlborough St., Boston, Physician to Out-Patients, Mass. General Hospital. {Charter) MRS. RICHARD C. CABOT, 190 Marlborough St., Boston, Member of Mass. State Board of Education, Chairman, Department of Education, Women's Municipal League, Member of Radcliffe College Council. {Educarion) MISS M. JOSEPHINE BLEAKIE, 93 Perry St., Brookline, Mass., Secretary, Guild of St. Elizabeth. ( Neighborhood Welfare) MR. MEYER BLOOMFIELD, 112 Salem St., Boston, Director, Civic Service House, Vice-President, Boston Social Union, Director, Vocation Bureau. ( Neighborhood Welfare) MISS IDA M. CANNON, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. Head Worker, Social Service Department, Massa- chusetts General Hospital. {Health) MR. HARVEY S. CHASE, 84 State St., Boston, Senior partner, Harvey S. Chase & Co., Public Accountants. Executive Committee National Municipal League. Treasurer Economic Club of Boston. {Business) DIRECTORS OF BOSTON-1915 MISS ELLEN W. COOLIDGE, 81 Marlborough St., Boston, Secretary, Boston Social Union. ( Neighborhood Welfare) MR. RALPH A. CRAM, 15 Beacon St., Boston, Senior partner. Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson, Architects. {City Planning and Housing) MR. FRANK A. DAY, S5 Congress St., Boston, Member of firm of R. L. Day & Co., Bankers, Director in many educational and philanthropic enterprises. (Charter) DR. BLANCHE A. DENIG, 541 Boylston St., Boston, Attending Medical Physician, New England Hos- pital for Women and Children, Secretary, Public Health Education Committee. ( Health) REV. JOHN HOPKINS DENISON, 8 Newbury St., Boston, Pastor, Central Congregational Church. {Charter) PROF. CARROLL W. DOTEN, 491 Boylston St., Boston, Professor of Economics, Mass. Inst, of Technology, Adviser in Research, Boston School for Social Workers, Secretary, American Statistical Association. ( Education) MR. JOHN H. FAHEY, 76 Summer St., Boston, Publisher, Boston Traveler, Director, Boston Chamber of Commerce. {Charter) MR. ARTHUR FAIRBANKS, Museum of Fine Arts, Huntington Ave., Boston, Director of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. {Fine and Industrial Arts) MR. EDWARD A. FILENE, 453 Washington St., Boston, Presi lent, Wm. Filene's Sons Co., Director, Boston Chamber of Commerce. {Charter) MR. OSCAR M. FISHER, 28 Lincoln St., Boston, Treasurer, M. A. Packard Shoe Co., President, Hunneweil Club of Newton. {Contributing) MR. GEORGE B. GALLUP, Hemenway Chambers, Boston, Vice-President, Pilgrim Publicity Association, Publicity Committee, Chamber of Commerce, Vice-President, National Federation of Alen's Church Organizations. {Contributing) REV. THOMAS I. GASSON, S. J., 761 Harrison Ave., Boston, President, Boston College. {Charter) MR. WILLIAM GILMOUR, 114 Water St., Boston, Member of the firm of Gilmour & Coolidge, Ins. {Contributing) J. MOTT HALLOWELL, ESQ., 50 State St., Boston, Member of the firm of Hallowell & Hammond, Attorneys, Ex-Assistant District Attorney-General of Massa- chusetts. Trustee of Atlanta University. {Contributing) MISS ALICE L. HIGGINS, 43 Hawkins St., Boston, General Secretary, Associated Charities. {Charities and Correction ) MISS EDITH M. HOWES, 1070 Beacon St., Brookline, Mass., President, Mass. Association of Women Workers, President, Girls' Trade Educational League. ( Youth) MR. ARTHUR M. HUDDELL, 386 Harrison Ave., Boston, Vice-President, International Union of Steam Engineers, General Agent Building Trades Dept. Member of State Commission on Old Age Pensions, etc. {Charter) MR. JAMES H. HUSTIS, South Station, Boston, Assistant General Manager, Boston & Albany R.R. {City Planning and Housing) MR. DELCEVARE KING, Equitable Bldg., Boston, Treasurer, Quincy Real Estate Trust, Chairman, Massachusetts No-License League, V'ice-Chairman, New England Watch and Ward Society. {Contributing) MR. JOHN KOREN, Barristers' Hall, Boston, Expert Special Agent, U. S. Bureau of the Census. {Health) MRS. EMERY D. LEIGHTON, 63 Monmouth St., East Boston. {J]'omen's Clubs) JUDGE F. L. LEVERONL 32 Hull St., Boston, Judge of the Juvenile Court, President, Italian Committee of St. Vincent de Paul Society. {Contributing) DIRECTORS OF BOSTON-1915 (Contributing) {Business) SOLOMON LEWENBERG, ESQ., Tremont Bldg., Boston, Attorney, WILLIAM E. LITCHFIELD, 70 Kilby St., Boston, Lumber Merchant, Director, Chamber of Commerce. DR. A. LAWRENCE LOWELL, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., President, Harvard University, Trustee of the Lowell Institute. (Education) DR. JOHN H. McCULLOM, 818 Harrison Ave., Boston, Superintendent and Medical Director, Boston City Hospital, Professor, Contagious Diseases, Harvard Medical School. ( Health) MR. DANIEL F. MAGUIRE, 17 Worcester St., Boston, President, Mass. Catholic Order of Foresters. (Co-operative) MR. FRANK S. MASON, 3 Dexter Row, Charlestown, Mass., Treasurer, Buildings Repairing Co., Secretary, Bunker Hill Boys' Club. (Neighborhood Welfare) MR. GEORGE W. MEHAFFEY, 2 Ashburton Place, Boston, General Secretary, Boston Y. M. C. A., Secretary, Boston Federation of Men's Church Organizations. ( Youth) MISS MARY C. MELLYJf, School Committee Rooms, Mason St., Boston, Supervisor of Substitutes, President, Guild of St. Catherine. (Education) MR. EMIL MOLLENHAUER, 189 Huntington Ave., Boston, Conductor, Handel & Haydn Society, Conductor of Apollo Club. (Fine and Industrial Arts) MISS MARY MORISON, 3 Louisburg Square, Boston, Chairman, Library Committee, Women's Educa- tion Association, Chairman I Fiction Committee, Boston Public Library. (Education) MR. EDWIN MULREADY, Court House, Pemberton Square, Boston, Deputy Commissioner of Probation Commission. (Charities and Correction) MR. JAMES F. MULROY, 53 Marshfield St., Roxbury, Director of the Roxbury League of Boys' Clubs, Athletic Secretary, Boston Society Union. (Contributing) PROF. WILLIAM B. MUNRO, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., Professor of Government, Harvard University, President, Harvard Co-operative Society. (Contributing) MR. JAMES P. MUNROE, 6 Beacon St., Boston, Chairman, Mass. Commission for the Blind. (Charter) MR. MICHAEL A. MURPHY, 11 Appleton St., Boston, President, Central Labor Union. MR. CHARLES A. MURRAY, 30 Hanover St., Boston, Vice-President, Building Trades Council. HON. WILLIAM H. O'BRIEN, 60 State St., Boston, Vice-President, Central Labor Union, President, Telegraphers' Union. (Labor) (Labor) (Labor) REV. MAURICE J. O'CONNOR, 43 Tremont St., Boston, Director, Catholic Charitable Bureau, Spiritual Director, Total Abstinence Society of the Archdiocese of Boston. ( Youth) FRANCIS P. O'CONNOR, 157 Tremont St., Boston, Treasurer F. P. O'Connor Company, Director Retail Board, Chamber of Commerce. (Business) MR. MICHAEL O'MEARA, Roughan Bldg., Charlestown, District Secretary and Treasurer, Longshoremen's Union. (Labor) MISS MARY BOYLE O'REILLY, 30 Tremont St., Boston, Trustee, Children's Institutions Department. (Charities and Correction) ROBERT TREAT PAINE, JR., ESQ., 16 State St., Boston, Treasurer and Director, Workingmen's Loan Association, Treasurer, Boston Home and School Association. (Cine) MR. WILLIAM H. PEAR, 43 Hawkins St., Boston, General Agent, Boston Provident Association, Chairman, Paine Fund Committee, Cambridge. (Charities and Correction) DIRECTORS OF BOSTON-1915 MR. LEHMAN PICKERT, 16 New St., East Boston, Ex-President and Director, Federated Jewish Charities, Treasurer, Mass. State Conference of Charities. {Charities and Correction) MR. OTTO J. PIEIILER, 3ofi Hoylston St., Boston. President, Retail Trade Hoard, Bo.ston Chamber of Commerce. {Business) MR. JAMES L. RICHARDS, 24 West St., Boston, President, Boston ConsoHihiled Gas Co. {Charter) DR. MELVILLE F. ROGERS, 419 Boylston St., Boston, President, Savin Hill Improvement Association, Vice-President of United Improvement Association. {Neighborhood Welfare) DR. MILTON J. ROSENAU, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene, Harvard Medical School. {Health) MR. LEONARD J. ROSS, 14 De Loss St., South Framingham, Mass., President, Railroad Telegraphers' Union, No. 89. {Labor) MR. BERNARD J. ROTHWELL, Chamber of Commerce Bldg., Boston, President, Boston Chamber of Commerce. {Charter) MR. GEORGE S. SMITH, 100 Chauncy St., Boston, Vice-President, National Clothiers' Association, Director, Boston Chamber of Commerce. {Charter) MR. WILLIAM W. STALL, 113 Devonshire St., Boston, President and Manager, Factory Exchange, President, Faneuil Improvement Association, Member of Executive Committee, United Im- provement Association. {Neighborhood Welfare) JUDGE M. H. SULLR'AN, 34 School St., Boston, Assistant Justice, District Court, President, United Improvement Association. {Charter) MR. WILLIAM Q. WALES. ()9 Purchase St., Boston, President, Brown-Wales Co., President, Boston Credit Men's Association, Treasurer, Boston Children's Friend Society. {Business) MR. ALBERT P. WALKER, Girls' High School, West Newton St., Boston, Vice-President, Mass. Schoolmasters' Club. {Education) MRS. MAY ALDEN WARD, 112 Newbury St., Boston, President, Federation Bulletin Publishing Co., First Vice-President, New England Women's Club. {Women s Clubs) HENRY E. WARNER, 84 State Street, Warner, Warner & Stackpole. {Business) HON. CLARENCE A. WARREN, Chelsea, Mass., Ex-Mayor of Chelsea, Director of the Chelsea Board of Trade. President Winnisimmet Trust Inc. Director Chelsea Y. M. C. A. {Contributing) MISS ANNA F. WELLINGTON, 420 Beacon St., Boston, Secretary, Girls' Trade Educational League, Member of Executive Committee, Women's Edu- cation Association. {Contributing) MRS. MARIA D. WHITCHER, 17 jNIelville Ave., Dorchester, Vice-President, State Federation of Women's Clubs. {Women s Clubs) MR. ROBERT A. WOODS, 20 Union Park, Boston, Head Worker, South End House, Director, Pittsburg Survey. {Charter) By-Laws of Boston-1915 ARTICLE I Name and Object. Section 1. The name of this corporation shall be Hoston-IOIT), Inc. Section 2. Its object shall be to promote the co-oi)eration of all organizations engaged in work- ing for the progress of greater Boston or the people living within that area; to promote by all lawful means the social, material, moral, and intellectual welfare of greater Boston and its inhabitants, and the improvement of this area; to promote the establishing of lectures and the furnishing of other instruction on public and municipal affairs in greater Boston; to collect and disseminate information as to the resources of and civic conditions in greater Boston; and to promote improved relations between employers and employees in greater Boston. ARTICLE II Members of the Corporation. Section 1. — Classification. The membership of Boston— 1915, Inc., shall include: (a) Charter members (6) Association members (c) Contributing members Charter members shall consist of the incorporators. Association viembers shall in each calendar year consist of those organizations for the physical, educational, economic, social, religious or civic betterment of Boston, which have accepted assign- ment by the Executive Committee to one of the conference sections hereinafter mentioned, and which have appointed during or for that year, one or more delegates to represent them at the meetings of such section. Contributing viembers shall in each calendar year consist of all persons who support the work of the corporation by paying into its treasury fifty cents or more per annum, or by paying into its treasury not less than fifty cents and subscribing to its monthly periodical at the club rate of fifty cents per annmn. ARTICLE III Conference Sections. Section 1. — Classification. Boston-1915, Inc., shall have thirteen conference sections made up of association members grouped as follows: Busi- ness, Charitable and Correctional, City Planning and Housing, Civic, Co-operative, Educational, Fine and Industrial Arts, Health, Labor, Neighbor- hood Welfare, Religious, Women's Clubs, and Organizations Working with Youth. Section 2. — Delegate Representation. Each or- ganization participating shall appoint yearly one delegate to each conference section in the field it is doing active work, to represent it at the meetings of those sections. Each such delegate shall be entitled to one vote at the annual and other meetings of the conference section to which he or .she is appointed, except that in the matter of the election of directors from the sections, no organization may vote except in that section to which it has been assigned by the Execu- tive Committee. Section 3. — Organization of Conference Sections and Contributing Members. Each conference sec- tion and the body of contributing members shall elect annually a chairman, a secretary, and an executive committee. These officers shall have such powers and responsibilities as the conference shall confer upon them. ARTICLE IV Directors and Officers. Section A. —Board of Directors. The Board of Directors of Boston— 1915, Inc., shall consist of the charter members, ten representatives elected annually by the contributing members, and sixty representatives elected annually from the confer- ence sections, apportioned as follows: Business 6 Charities and Correctional 6 Educational 6 Health 6 Labor 6 Neighborhood Welfare 6 Religious 6 Fine and Industrial Arts 3 Civic '3 City Planning and Housing '3 Co-operative Associations 3 Women's Clubs 3 Organizations Working with Youth 3 Section 2.— Officers. The officers of the board and of the corporation shall be an executive director, a treasurer, and a secretary, elected from their own number or otherwise; and an executive committee elected annually, composed of the executive director, treasurer and secretary ex officio, five members elected from their own number by the charter members of the board, two representatives elected from their own number by the directors represent- ing the contributing members, and one representa- tive from each conference section, elected from their own number by the directors representing that section. The executive director shall hold office at the pleasure of the board. All other officers shall be elected annually at the annual meeting of the Board of Directors, and shall hold office until their suc- cessors are appointed and qualify. Section 3. — Vacancies. Vacancies occurring dur- ing the year may be filled as follows: Vacancies affecting representatives of conference sections or contributing members may be filled by the executive conunittee of such group; or, in case no executive committee has been appointed, by the officers of the group together with their representatives on the board of directors. Vacancies in offices of the board other than the office of director, may be filled at any meeting of the board, provided written notice of such action is given to those whose duty it is to fill the office not less than three (3) days before the time fixed for such meeting. BY-LAWS OF BOSTON-1915, INC. ARTICLE V Powers of Officers. Section 1. — The Board of Directors. The powers oi the corporation are vested in the board of direc- tors. Section 2. — Execvtive Director. The executive director, if present, shall preside at all meetings of the loard of directors. In his absence a chair- man i>ro tevi may be chosen. The executive director shall, except when special authority is given by vote of the directors to some other officer, sign all contracts and other instruments in behalf of the corporation and affix the seal of the corporation thereto, and shall have general power, subject to such limitations as the Board of Directors or Execu- tive Committee impose, to direct and manage the affairs of the corporation. Section 3. — Treasurer. The treasurer shall have the custody of all funds and valuable papers of the corporation, and of the corporate seal. He shall keep books of account, showing all moneys received and disbursements made. He shall sign in the name of the corporation all checks drawn for disburse- ments of money belonging to the corporation. He shall have no authority to make any note or other negotiable instrument, except checks drawn against funds actually on deposit, except by express au- thority of the board of directors. He shall present annually at the annual meeting of the board a report showing the financial condition of the cor- poration and all receipts and disbursements for the year ending September 30. The Board of Directors may from time to time by vote delegate to any person authority to act for the treasurer in his absence or to perform any of the duties of the treasurer as his assistant. Section 4. — Secretary. The secretary shall be the recording officer of the corporation. He shall keep records of all the meetings of the board of directors and of the executive committee, and shall perform such other duties as the board may from time to time prescribe. The board may from time to time choose an assistant secretary. Section 5. — Executive Committee. The Execu- tive Committee shall exercise the powers of the board of directors when the latter is not in session. The committee may adopt its own rules for meetings and the transaction of business, subject to any rules prescribed for it by the board of directors. Seven members shall constitute a quorum. \\'ithin the limits of the adopted budget it shall have power to engage such staff and office workers as are neces- sary.; ARTICLE VI Meetings. Section ^. — Annual Meeting. The Board of Directors shall meet annually on the second Mon- day of October, at such hour and place in the city of Boston as the board may determine, or in the absence of such determination as the executive director may by notice calling such meeting direct. The Executive Committee of the board shall meet each week, at such time and place as it may determine. Section 2.— Stated Meetings. The Board of Directors shall also meet on the second Monday of each month, from September to Jun(>, at the es- tablished oflBce of the corporation or at such other place in the city of Boston as it may determine. Any stated meeting may be adjourned from time to time as the board may think fit. Section 3. — Special Meetings. A special meet- ing of the Board of Directors shall be called by the secretary whenever requested by the executive director or by three or more members of the board. If the secretary wli(>n so requested refuses or neglects for twenty-four lioiu-s to call s\ich special meeting, the executive director or such three or more members of the board of directors may in the name of the secretary call such meeting, by notice in writing as hereinafter provided. Section 4. — Quorum. At any meeting of the board of directors a quorum for the transaction of business shall consist of twentj'-one members. A smaller number may make reasonable adjourn- ments of any meeting until a quorum is present. Section 5. — Notices of Meetings. Notice of the annual and of every stated and special meet- ing of the Board of Directors shall be given by the secretary by mailing to such members at his address as registered on the books of the corporation, postage prepaid, not less than three days before the time fixed for such meeting, a written notice of the time and place of such meeting, and of the purpose for which the meeting is called, or such notice may be delivered in person to any member not less than two days before the time fixed for such meeting. Section 6. — Order of Business at Stated Meetings. 1. Minutes of preceding meeting. 2. Unfinished business. 3. Executive committee's report. 4. Executive director's report. 5. Minutes of conference sections. 6. Minutes of committees, and action thereon. 7. Miscellaneous business. Section 7. — Public Meeting. Following the annual meeting of the board of directors, and during the first half of November in each year, a public meeting, the program of which shall be arranged by the Executive Committee for the year preceding, shall, unless otherwise voted, be held at such time and place as the Executive Committee may select. To this meeting the appointed delegates of all association members and all contributing members together with the board of directors, shall be in- vited. ARTICLE VII Expenditures. No committee, officer, or agent shall incur ex- pense without the authorization of the board of directors. ARTICLE VIII Seal. The seal of the corporation shall be circular, having the inscription Boston- 1915, Massa- chusetts, arranged in such form as the Executive Committee may approve. ARTICLE IX Amendments. These by-laws may be amended at any annual or sj)ecial meeting of the board of directors, in the call for which notice is given that an amendment of the by-laws will be presented, if a majority of all the directors for the time being vote in favor of such amendment. NEW BOSTON Notes from the Wide Field Abington— 1912 Among the smaller towns to adopt the Boston-1915 idea is Abington, Mass. In 1912 that town will celebrate its two hundredth anniversary and so two years ahead has been set as a goal for the "city beautiful." The program of the Village Improvement Committee which has the work in charge suggests numerous simple plans for the citizens to follow out in enhancing the town's attractiveness. The committee itself will look after the public grounds and buildings. Cincinnati Playgrounds The Board of Education of Cincinnati has opened thirteen playgrounds for the summer months. They are located in the crowded quarters of the city and will be kept open during regular school hours. The Cincinnati Indudrial Magazine says: "The opening of the playgrounds marks a new era in the work of Cin- cinnati's public schools. The playgrounds are in charge of instructors who have been engaged to look after the children. "Apparatus of different kinds has been placed in the yards and regu- lar gymnasium work will be conducted. Games will be devised and both boys and girls given plenty of opportunity to vent their youthful enthusiasm in some sort of outdoor amusement." The Grove City Republic There is a new George Junior Republic at Grove City, Pa., near Pittsburgh. The republic was founded through the efforts of Leonard S. Levin of Pittsburgh. The farm consists of 110 acres and it is the purpose of the founder to make men from the Juvenile Court boys of his city. Harris G. Leroy. a former citizen of the George Junior Republic at Freeville, is superintendent. The original colony was sent out from Freeville some eighteen months ago, and the republic has grown steadily since that time. The constitu- tion of the Grove City republic — its legal name is the George Junior Republic of Western Pennsylvania — is based on the successful work of the New York state institutions. To Set You Thinking Weather conditions this spring in New England have caused a great deal of complaint from the retail trade be- cause of poor business. This indicates that local conditions have very much to do with the sale of goods. Recently in a window display of a large department store showing dress fabrics, it developed that the patterns that had been made into dresses and shown on forms in the windows were the patterns that sold the quickest, in fact, sold out the first day. This indi- cates again that a local condition has to do with the sale. In other words, the window display was local to the counter and had its influence on the sales. Another instance, in the sale of an axe a local condition was brought about by a wood-chopping contest which in a period of two years doubled and tripled the sale of the axe, at a very much greater price than any other axe in the field. Now the point I wish to make is that there are a thousand and one conditions that arise after the goods have left the manufacturer that influence the pur- chase of his products by the consumer. If you are a manufacturer and would like to increase and influence the sale of your goods, there is little doubt that you can do it if you have an article of merit, and will adopt a carefully laid out adver- tising plan to tell the people about the goods, and an equally well-balanced selling plan worked systematically in conjunction with the advertising. It is right at this point that the services of a skillful advertising agent should be of assistance to you. As his experi- ence is varied and his viewpoint entirely different, he instinctively sees and recog- nizes conditions. He is in a place to advise you and show you your i)roblem from a different angle. If we have succeeded in setting you to thinking, consult any good adver- tising agent. It may mean renewed life and energy to your business, and perhaps a tremendous increase in volume. A. W. Ellis Agency, 10 High Street, Boston, Mass. NEAV BOSTON Corrugated Fibre Board Boxes to carry safely most all commodities. Taken by transportation companies at same rate as wood packages, and weigh much less. Corrugated paper in its many forms. Send for new catalogue, "IIo2u to Pack It" The Hinde & Dauch Paper Co. BOSTON OFFICE 43 TREMONT STREET Phone Haymarket 1389 < •■<, '^ •v •>. < •v •v . < •v K < ■ ». <> - ^"^ i p m ■ NEW YORK OFFICE 165 DUANE ST. EXECUTIVE OFFICES SANDUSKY, OHIO X" 'J. ;l' I'"- ■"'w'"- ■"'w'"- •"'w'"- •''' ■j. X' 'j'Ti-' ■-ir?L" 'jT^l' "jt Hub EnqiRavincj Co. half-tone engravers 173 SUMMER ST, BOSTON TE.L. OXFORD £.02, .L J. .L J. .L J. !■"■ •"'vl'"- ■''vJ'"- •"'vj'"- ■''v.i'"- •''vi'"- .L' ■-!. ?L' 'jT^L' '-ir.L' '-iTTl' '-J.Tl' '-ir.L' ■_!? See samples of our work in this magazine •liiiK a. A comnnniity which .seeks to i)rovide an opportunity for its young peoi)le of both sexes to meet together under a wholesome, social and moral environ- ment is working for good citizenship. ESTABLISHED 1846 Cream and all Dairy Products Milk for Nursery, Table and Kitchen ( rililicd. lldod F;irm. Modified for Biihics Buttermilk Put up in Soalod Gla.ss Jars Daily ddivrrios on regular Hood trams in (ircalcr IJoston. North Shore Resorts, Lawrence, ISIanchester, X. II. Delivered l»y express to any address. 494 Rutherford Avenue, Boston, Mass. Tho EiirSest IniU-pondcnt Dnir.v c:onipiin.v In New Enfiliind. NEW BOSTON To Set You Thinking When you begin to advertise for the first time under the guidance of a reputable advertising agency, not the least of the many benefits you will derive from your experiment will be your greatly increased pride and faith in your own product. Of course you have always considered your product good enough to hold its own against similar goods in the market, and have perhaps let it go at that, preferring to do your hardest thinking with respect to the purchasing of raw materials, your expense account, your annual sales, etc. However, you begin to advertise, and your publicity expert urges you first of all to look to your product — to make sure that it is at least as good as any of its kind, and the best of its kind, if possible — and emphasizing the fact that if the pro- duct and, of course, the price are right, the rest will be pretty smooth sailing. The impression such talk makes on your mind is further deepened when your first adver- tising copy appears in the newspapers or magazines. If it is skilfully written, its claims for the superlative merits of your goods will not only make the public believe, just as the public must believe if you are to sell your product, but it will stir within you a desire to always produce an article in which you, yourself, can have pride and faith. If it is just good enough to "get by," and no more, you will soon find your- self impelled by the new light of truth that has crept into you to keep overhauling your equipment until you have got your product inferior to none. If this product is already high grade, you will be bound to keep it up to a rigid standard of su- periority. There's no use talking, good adver- tising not only sells goods, but it does pull manufacturers out of the ruts into which the best of them sometimes get. Think it over. A. W. Ellis Agency, 10 High St., Boston, Mass. POSSE GYMNASIUM 206 Mass. Ave., Boston draining School Department Two years' course for teachers of physical training and athletics. Massage Department Courses of two years, one year, and special private course with hospital work. Gymnasium Department Classes for men, women and children in all forms of gymnastics and athletics. ADDRESS REGISTRAR, Posse Gymnasium Charles H. Perry ADVERTISING SYSTEM 4a Irvington Street ^Hue"*"' Telephone 1504 Back Bay Boston, Mass. NEW BOSTON The Mechan'cs' Exposition The largest mechanics' exposition ever held in Boston Avill occupy the Mechanics building on Huntington Avenue from Monday morning, Oct. 3 to Saturday night, Oct. 29, from 10 o'clock A. M., to 10 o'clock P. M. It will be an old- time Mechanics Fair, showing ])ractical working exhibits such as an elaborate and detailed demonstration of the mak- ing of shoes from the flat leather to the finished product of the highest class shoes; a splendid exhibit of the very latest inventions of Thomas A. Edison, and all sorts of lighting and labor saving devices; a model printing plant showing the various processes of publishing a daily newspaper from the news gather- ing and "coj)y" to the folded product of the press ready for distribution. In keeping with the educational plan of the exposition there will be an art loan ex- hibit of paintings, bric-a-brac, cathedral stained-glass, and models, mainly by American artists. The whole of Talbot and Music halls will be devoted to this exhibit. Music will be one of the big features of the exposition and the high character of the concerts can be known from the fact that by special permission of President Taft the United States Marine Band Avill play every afternoon and evening for the first two weeks; for the last two weeks, the band of the 75th regiment of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia will play in Grand Hall and every morn- ing, afternoon and evening in Exhibition Hall, the Edna Frances Simmons Ladies Orchestra will give concerts. Open Air Schoolrooms in Pawtucket The gospel of fresh air in school build- ings for children with weak lungs has reached Pawtucket, R. I., where the Board of Education has decided that there shall be one open-air room in every new school building. Already, Pawtucket has one such room, opened last May. The children selected for the open-air room were chosen from those families with the worst health histories. While school is in session the children are weighed once a month and their blood is tested monthly. Special attention is given diet, and treatment is also pro- vided for poor eye-sight, enlarged tonsils, adenoids and decayed teeth. NEW BOSTON Corrugated Fibre Board Boxes to carry safely most all commodities. Taken by transportation companies at same rate as wood packages, and weigh much less. ) Corrugated paper / in its many forms. r:-t^ <. V ^ • < • ■^ *^ '^"'^ K HIM Send for new catalogue, "How to Pack It" The Hinde & Dauch Paper Co. BOSTON OFFICE 43 TREMONT STREET Phone Haymarket 1389 NEW YORK OFFICE 165 DUANE ST. EXECUTIVE OFFICES SANDUSKY, OHIO ESTABLISHED31845 Cream and all Dairy Products Milk for Nursery, Table and Kitchen Certified, Hood Farm, Modified for Babies Buttermilk Put up in Sealed Glass Jars Daily deliveries on regular Hood teams in Greater Boston, North Shore Resorts, Lawrence, Manchester, N. H. Delivered by express to any address. 494 Rutherford Avenue, Boston, Mass. The Largest Independent Dairy Company In New England. " I always use Sawyer's Crystal Ammonia and Borax for washing dolly's lace dress, as it does away with the rubbing. I then rinse and use Sawyer's Crystal Blue." SAWYER CRYSTAL BLUE CO., 88 Broad Street, Boston, Mutt- In answering advertisements please tnention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON A BENCH for Home or Shop or Garage will not cost much and prove to be a good investment. We are headquar- ters for benches, tools and supplies for manual training. Mechanics' tools at bottom prices. General— HARDWARE— Builders' CHANDLER & BARBER 122 SUMMER ST.. BOSTON 1915 "The Year of Jubilee" TTie Stirring New Patriotic Song by Samuel Richards Gaines Everyone interested in the great 1915 movement — in fact all truly patriotic citizens of Boston and New England should have a copy of this great song. Besides being a splendid song for the home, and for use on all political and patriotic occasions, it is already being in- troduced into the public schools. The words are dignified and convincing, and the music an inspiring march. Published by C. W. Thompson & Co. A and B Park Street - Boston, Mass. Full sheet music size (with special cover design), 25 cents net Smaller octavo edition (for school use, etc.), 5 cents each, $4.50 per 100 VACANT LOT GARDENING IN PHILADELPHIA JAMES H. DIX The work of the Philadelphia Vacant Lot Cultivation As.sociation has been carried on for about twelve years under this general plan: We borrow tracts of idle land, within the city limits, and sign an agreement to vacate the land upon notice (prob- ably ten days) that the owner desires to use it for other purposes. We pay nothing for the land, and while we take it on this uncertain tenure, yet the per- centage which we have had to vacate has been so very small that it has not been a serious drawback. Of course, if you could borrow land on more definite or longer terms, so much the better. We try to secure as large tracts as pos- sible, near thickly built-up sections, as this makes the work more economical and easily managed. After securing the land, we clear it up, fertilize it, plow and harrow it. We maintain some teams of our own. which do a large portion of the plowing and harrowing, in addition to hauling manure (largely during the fall and winter) from various stables to the gardens. By this process, we are able to get nearly all the manure we need, free of charge, except our cost of hauling. When the land is prepared for plant- ing, we divide it into gardens generally ranging in size from one-fourth to one- eighth of an acre. These are then as- signed to families from whom applica- tions have been received. We then distribute seeds and plants to these families about as follows: One bushel seed potatoes, one quart peas, one (|uart onion sets, about two ounces each of lettuce, cabbage, beets and radish seeds. Tomato and cabbage plants are also given in quantities governed by the number we have been successful in raising for distribution. We sometimes furnish a few egg plants and pepper j)laiits. This outfit of seeds enables the gardeners to make a good start and with proper cultivation they will provide a good crop. But we encourage the far- mers to buy additional seeds, including other kinds and varieties, according to their personal desires and success. The families, including the children in most cases, plant and cultivate, re- ceiving encouragement, direction and NEW BOSTON BOSTON NEW YOKK PHILADELPHIA CHICAGO ST. LOUIS ALL KINDS OF TAGS GUMMED LABELS, SEALS. GUMMED PAPER, GLUE, PASTE, MUCILAGE, WAX, JEWELERS' BOXES, CASES, TRAYS, CREPE PAPEK, PAPER NAPKINS. TISSUE Unique devices for business and home life fill every Dennison Store. The best and most original of paper decorations are found in the Dennison Art Departments The combination is interesting and satisfying PROVE IT FOPv YOURSELF | lhi»»IUI.-« U-riJ: > JSt->..,'»4>\l i ^.l»' T™ "»mipwt— IJ.'*] I m 1 1 . instruction from us. When any of, the crops are matured, these families , use whatever portion of the crop they need for their own food and sell any surplus they may have. They can generally get pretty good prices for the vegetables fresh from the gardens. x\t the end of the season, we request them to give us a report of the crops raised. The fertilizing, plowing, harrowing, seeds and plants, which we furnish, cost the association, on an average, about $5.00 a garden. W^e charge the garden- ers $1.00 towards this expense the first season. If they cultivate their garden well we assign it to them the second season, if they desire, and charge them $'■2.00 towards the expenses and so on until they have paid $5.00 towards the fifth season's expenses. This is our general rule, but in a few cases where the third season is reached, and the gardener on account of having saved his seed, or for some other reasons, desires to furnish it himself, we make a charge of $2.50, which about paj's for the plowing and fertilizer. We assign no seed to such gardeners or families. The gardens are located in various parts of the city. There is a small di- vision of our work, the emergency farm, where we give temporary employment to applicants who are in serious need of immediate relief. We pay them fifteen cents an hour for their work and when the crops are matured, we dispose of them to reimburse our treasury. W'e never charge anything for the gardens, as they do not cost us anything and we believe that in their present idle condition such lands should be a natural opportunity for these families to support their families and improve their living conditions. Educational Moving Picture Programs Peter MacQueen, explorer, traveler, war correspondent and lecturer, will ap- pear at B. F. Keith's Bijou Theatre for the four wrecks beginning October 3, presenting illustrated talks on Russia and Tolstoi, the Danube, Egypt and the Nile, and the British Isles. Dr. Mac- Queen's appearance on the Bijou stage affords an interesting instance of the Bijou's policy of adding numbers of some educational interest to the usual program of motion pictures and music. 276 NEW BOSTON '^^^■^^^^^^^ -^^^ ^;^-r_ .n;:r. .-i;;r. .-i;jr. .-i;;r. .-i;j ...y.vi'wVt to Uteri MUB ENQRAVINQi Co. HALF-TONE ENGRAVERS 173 SUMMER ST. BOSTON TELL. OXFORD £02, ;t^; I"-, --i;:'-. .x:r. n;:""- •'';:'"• •■';:^- ■'•wr- -xj^- -^vr- -^x."^- -^^ !V?^;t.. .>>.. .><.- -,'\- •.'\- ■,'^,- •,'\- ■,'^■ ■r\- ■,'\- -j' : L" ■-! . ;l" u .^ L"^ ■-] ^ ;.'-,<-'.:, c^V'^-i ;•'■'■.»'"'• .L' U. .L" ■-!. .L" "-J. .L' 'r. ."T V If' -/ ■>". .1' jr. :,-|^ :-:-5i^:23«SSS2S:^:^:^SS^^^---"---"---'-'- ::-;:S5M:! ;!|^ See samples of our work in this magazine Mr. Greene of the Massachusetts Com- mission for the Bhnd is shortly to pre- pare for the Bijou a lecture on The Blind at Work and Play. Boston City Club Notes The season of 1910-11 of the Boston City Club will open with a musical night. Several changes and improvements have been made at the club, and will be completed at that time, for the in- spection of the members. One of the important announcements for October is an evening devoted to Public Baths, Playgrounds and Recre- ation. Thursday evening, October '-20, Mr. Joseph Lee, of the Boston School I5oard, will preside and make an address. Mr. .7. Leonard Mason, Director of the Gymnasium and Baths at Brookline, will deliver an illustrated lecture on the question. Mr. ^Lison has been a deep student of this subject, and his utter- ances in public are awaited with much interest. Other gentlemen prominently connected with these dei)artments in Boston have been invited to speak. The committee of the club would be glad to have any gentlemen interested in this question attend. I91I! indorsed By Physicians Physicians say Felt's Foot Soap is healing, soothinfi and antiseptic, and does for the feet what no other soap can do. Sold at all drug and department stores. FELT CHEMICAL COMPANY Boston, Mass. NEW BOSTON F. H. PRINCE & CO. BANKERS 28 State Street = Boston, Mass. liigh=Grade Investments Hembers of New York and Boston Stock Exchanges In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON 12 NEW BOSTON The Civic League's Housing Program The Massachusetts Civic League is sending out a circular outlining a plan for a housing campaign in each munici- pality. It is sent at this time because of the great interest which is being shown in housing reform throughout the country. Housing reform is one of the most important items in the social pro- gram of every community and it ought to receive the active support of the best citizens. The league asks each ])lace to first organize a strong local group to lead the work. This should be such a group as can command the respect of the people and be able to do things. The compo- sition of the group is important. It is urged that it contain three or four people of strongly developed social in- stincts, a number of strong business men and men active in local politics. This will make it possible to meet opposition and push matters along. Several lines of work are suggested. First, perhaps, should be the enactment of a law making it impossible to con- struct homes not ])roperly lighted and ventilated. Along with this should be taken up the question of maintenance. This has to do with the use of buildings after they are constructed. The re- quisite powers are generally lodged with the boards of health, and their proper enforcement is of the utmost importance. In this connection the local committee should ascertain what are the powers in regard to occupancy, overcrowding, clean- liness, safety and any other ])oints af- fecting the public health. It should learn the method of enforcing these powers and how fully they are enforced. If there is not proper enforcement the committee should learn tlie causes and remove them. If new powers are needed the committee should help to secure them. A standard should be established below which no room may be occupied. All rooms so occupied should be vacated and in this way the present bad con- ditions may be removed. CHARLES M. CONANT Boston, Suburban and Seashore Real Estate Fire, Liability, Automobile and Disability Insurance This cut gives a glimpse of our Home-sites, at Atlantic-By-The-Sea, only 5 1-2 miles from State House and only 10 minutes from South Station. For full particulars regarding this beautiful place, see us at 640-642 OLD SOUTH BUILDING, BOSTON lowering advii tisciiitiits please mention NEW IJOSTOX NEW BOSTON A general campaign of education must be established. Tenants do not under- stand the evil results of keeping their homes in an unclean condition. The flies which breed in filth crawl over their food and scatter disease. It must be shown that it is dangerous to permit flies to breed and to live with the people in their homes. The importance of pure air should be taught, and that night air is as safe as any other. It is difficult to outline a plan of edu- cation for landlords, but they can be shown that badly lighted and ventilated homes become slum homes, that slum property is not a good investment and that it deteriorates the value of property as a whole. From the economic point of view bad housing is a poor investment. The importance of more constructive work should be brought before social workers. The efficiency of the social worker will be much increased when pre- vention is considered at least as important as alleviation. It is important to show people that if their authorities do not properly enforce reasonable regulations every one will suffer. Much of the poverty, sickness and immorality we are trying to cure is caused by bad housing. It is better for the community to remove the cause than to salve over the superficial diffi- culty. People in the better homes should learn that so long as pest centers are permitted to exist they are not safe. Flies go into the homes of the rich and the poor alike. The fly travels far and he is seldom empty-footed. Proper planning should be considered. Many of the present bad conditions are due to the lack of planning. There is probably no town in Massa- chusetts in which bad conditions may not be found, surely no city, and the campaign should be started at once. The Massachusetts Civic League offers to send a representative to meet such local groups as have been suggested and to help in any way it can in securing proper laws and in getting the movement started. In the end, however, it is a problem for each community to work out for itself. Through the Boston-1915 committee on housing, work is already under way in Boston. Several organizations have offered assistance and there is promise that public opinion will support local authorities in a more extensive use of their powers and in securing greater appropriations for their work. BOSTON Insurance Company CAPITAL, $1,000,000 SURPLUS, 3,000,000 fivCf jVIarine^ Hutomobilc and Hourist floaters PRINCIPAL OFFICES: 137 Milk Street Bo^on 66 Beaver Street .... New York Chamber of Commerce . . Baltimore H ENRY W. SAVA6 BOSTON I BROOKLINE 7 Petnberton Sq Coolidge't Corner E Alltton Office— Commonwealth and Harvard Aves. 2050 Haymarket — TELEPHONES — 1508 Brookline 670 Brighton REAL ESTATE Boston and Suburban Properties for Homes and Investment Farms, Seashore and Country Estates MORTGAGES -INSURANCE Collection of Rents and Care of Property See Me for Anything Pertaining to Real Estate F. H. PURINGTON, Manager NEW BOSTON The Power to Grasp the Future The ability to project one's self beyond today, even beyond this life, to reach forward a few years or many years and suc- cessfully grapple with events far distant— THIS IS THE POWER for which mankind is constantly seeking, and HERE IT IS— The Power to Provide a Sheltering Home for Loved Ones. The Power to Leave a Good Bank Account for Your Wife. The Power to Protect the Younger Ones Depending upon You. The Power to Give Your Daughter a Complete Education. The Power to Start Your Son upon a Business Career. The Power to Secure an Old Age Free from Worry. THE SURE, SAFE WAY of properly providing for the Pres- ent and thereby acquiring the POWER TO GRASP THE FUTURE is obtained through the Liberal Policy Contracts of this Companj^ DO IT TODAY and in 1915 you will have added greatly to your estate. Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company HERBERT O. EDGERTON, President JX Kilby Street, Boston, Mass. "A Young, Strong, Safe and Growing Company" In answLiiiig ailvt i liscnunts please iiienlion XICW Ii()Sr(>X NEW BOSTON THE Home Insurance Company NEW YORK Surplus to Policy-holders, $15,382,836 FIRE, LIGHTNING, WINDSTORM, TOURIST, TRANSPORTATION AND AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE BOSTON OFFICE, 92 WATER STREET FREDERIC A. WETHERBEE CHARLES F. SIMMONS WETHERBEE AND SIMMONS GENERAL AGENTS 1825 NEW ENGLAND DEPARTMENT 1910 THE PENNSYLVANIA FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY Surplus over $2,000,000 EDWARD C. BRUSH, Manager »7q VIU Cj. D ^ FRANK H. BATTILANA, Asst. Manager « i^ l\.llDy Ot., tSOStOIl School Children and Clean Streets The following letter was addressed by Mayor Fitzgerald to the schoolboys and schoolgirls of Boston in an effort to secure their co-operation in keeping the streets clean: "I wonder if you know how much it cost last year to keep the streets of Boston clean. The exact amount was $660,617.38— almost a dollar for every man, woman and child in the city. In ten years this would make over six and a half million dollars, and still the streets are not so clean as they ought to be. Whose fault is this.^ Nearly every- body's, more or less. So many persons seem to think the street, which is prop- erly the opening between the houses through which we walk or ride, is also intended as a great receptacle or dump- ing place for rubbish. Walk along and notice, especially in the channel near the curbstone, the torn fraguients of paper blowing about, the apple cores, banana skins, corn husks, peanut shells and house refuse and then notice the same street after it has been swept. How smooth and clean and almost new it looks! Doctors tell us that all this NEW BOSTON CHAS. C. PATTERSON ALLAN McKISSOCK JOHN WYLDE G. HERBERT WINDELER Patterson, Wylde & Windeler MARINE FIRE LIABILITY Insurance 1 06 Chamber of Commerce Bldg., Boston, Mass. TEL. 742, 743 & 3133 MAIN The Cow Barn — T. D. Cook Catering Farm — Norfolk, INTass. urn tmm. , P" ^HhIm ii in MS^^Sf ^ ■ ^ i*^. i -..^ «( ^^Hi 1 We safeguard our Patrons by production of milk and cream on our Farm under sanitary conditions T,D, Cooli & Co., Caterers 88 Boyhton Street, Boston Ice Cream Ice Cream suitable for your use deserves all the protection that the best regulations for milk hygiene have suggested. Cream shipped fresh from farm every morning. In answering advertisements |)leasc mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON rubbish lying in the dust carries germs of disease and makes people sick. A good doctor wants to keep people well. He tries to prevent sickness even if, when he has done so, fewer patients come to seek his services. So all the doctors are asking for cleaner streets and the city government is also eager to have them because it costs so much every year to collect and remove the rubbish. But what can the doctor do and what can the city government do if the people themselves continue to treat the open street as if it were a dumping ground.? "We are told that the people in Europe do not use the streets in this way. In Germany, for example, they would re- gard some of our habits as most un- cleanly, and when you come to think of it, are they not quite right? The street is in one sense the floor of the city, and no person who is well brought up would throw decayed fruit or soiled papers *on the floor of his home or of a schoolroom. The waste baskets are there for just that purpose. So why not let us all agree for the next year, when we'are^tempted to use the streets in this way, to refrain from doing so and to hunt^up a suitable barrel or receptacle in which the rubbish may be placed. This may cost us a little trouble, but most 'things that are valuable have to be paid for. "I wish the pupils in the schools might^be the leaders in a movement of thistkind. They are doing it in other cities, andlBoston ought not to be behind in so excellent a work. There are more than one hundred thousand of you studying in the schools and if all the litter you cast away in a whole year were heaped up in some open field next Fourth of July morning, I think it would make the biggest and brightest bonfire Boston ever saw. Let us keep the streets clean and be all so much the healthier, happier and perhaps richer for it. After we have tried this for a whole year I am sure the results will be so satisfactory and we shall be so proud of our new- looking streets and so happy in our improved health that we shall be glad to continue the practice, until some time our city will present as neat an appear- ance as the cities of Europe do. I ask -every boy and girl in the schools of Boston to contribute his or her share toward Jmaking our city the cleanest city in America. John F. Fitzgerald, Mayor." We have striven to main- tain and increase the splendid reputation for quality held by ''Boston" goods everywhere. That reputation has been a great help to us. We are glad that our one hun- dredth birthday comes in "1915 99 Stickney & Poor Spice Co. FOUNDED 1815 BOSTON MASS. NOBSCOT MT. SPRING,^ .WATER: From the Spring Direct to You The purest spring water you can obtain is none too good. Quality (not price) is an absolute neces- sity and should be considered. Analysis on application. Prompt delivery. Nobscot Mt. Spring Co. 14 Sears Street From 64 India Street to 199 Milk Street BOSTON, MASS. Telephone, Fort Hill 860-861 In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON 1851 UNITED FOR CHARACTER AND SERVICE 1910 LIBRARY EVENING CLASSES GYMNASIUM SOCIAL SERVICE MORAL TRAINING COMRADESHIP ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP ONE DOLLAR Small Extra Fees for Gymnasium, for Classes, and Special Entertainments BOSTON YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN UNION 48 BOYLSTON STREET ROOMS OPEN DAILY 8 A. M. TO 10 P. M. OFFICERS FRANK L. LOCKE, Pres't GEORGE S. BALDWIN, Vice-Pres't CHARLES L. BURRILL, Sec"y EDWARD A. CHURCH. Treas. TRUSTEES WILLIAM ENDICOTT EDWIN L. SPRAGUE WILLIAM L. RICHARDSON WALTER HUNNEWELL GEORGE G. CROCKER DIRECTORS WALTER H. DUGAN JOHN R. AINSLEY W. RODMAN PEABODY HORACE MORISON WILLIAM H. BROWN ROBERT W. FROST HERBERT D. HEATHFIELD WILLARD W. DOW In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTO A BENCH for Home or Shop or Garage will not cost much and prove to be a good investment. We are headquar- ters for benches, tools and supplies for manual training. Mechanics' tools at bottom prices. General— HARDWARE— Builder*' CHANDLER & BARBER 122 SUMMER ST.. BOSTON Multigraph Letters THAT ARE IN A CLASS BY THEMSELVES Our workroom is equipped with the latest motor-driven machinery, producing letters ex- actly duplicating typewriting, printed by type- writer action, through a typewriter ribbon, with typewriter type and from left to right like a standard typewriter. We maintain a full corps of typewritists who do perfect filling in, if desired. Promptness, accuracy and the good quality of our work has won for us a class of patronage that could not be excelled — and the kind that stays. We will be glad to submit samples, or give quotations at any time on any quantity. We refer to one of our patrons, the BOSTON- 1915. HOYT & DEWELL SUITE 92 1 Beacon St. Boston Tel. Hay. 2004 TR N TY COURT 175 DARTMOUTH STREET • Modern non-housekeeping apartments. Suites of two and three rooms with bath. Central location, near electrics and railroads. For terms apply to W. J. MOOR, Manager DINING-ROOM AND PETIT LUNCH UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON Lectures on Social Service The Bureau of Social Research of Rhode Island announces a course of ten lectures on social welfare to be delivered by James Minnick, manager of the So- ciety for Organizing Charities; Wallace Hatch, Secretary of the Rhode Island Anti-tuberculosis Association; Rev. Tal- madge E. Root, secretary of the Rhode Island Federation of Churches; Miss Mary Gardner, superintendent of the District Nursing Association, and Mr. Aronovici, director of the Bureau of Social Research. The first ten lectures are announced as follows : ISIr. Aronovici: Heredity in the Light of Social Betterment; The Character of the Poor and their Environment; Social Conditions and Social Control; Social Reform and the Public. Mr. Hatch: The Health Problem a Social Problem; The Health Problem an Industrial Problem; The Newer Social Hygiene Ideals. Mr. Minnick: Causes of Poverty; Problem of the Individual Poor; Pre- ventive Charity. The charges for the first set of ten lectures will be $2. UNIVERSITY TRAVEL We offer tours to the Orient sailing in January and February under scholarly leadership and with a special Nile steamer and a yacht of our own in the Mediterranean. We offer lours to Europe sailing in April, May and June, visiting Greece, Italy, Central and Northern Europe. As a preparation for travel in Europe or for I)rivate study, we offer the UNIVERSITY PRINTS — 2,000 subjects at one penny each — reproduc- tions of masterpieces of European galleries. Send for announcements BUREAU OF UNIVERSITY TRAVEL TELEPHONE BACK BAY 2620 TRINITY PLACE, BOSTON, MASS. "NECESSARY AS SOAP" KILLS GERMS CARBONOL is a necessity in every home. It will keep it germ-free as well as dirt-free. And what is more important than keeping out disease? Put CARBONOL in the water when washing doors, woodwork, dishes, etc. It will not only clean better than anything else you ever used, but it kills all germs, drives away flies, ants, roaches, moths, etc., and purifies the air. CARBONOL is perfectly harmless. lOc and 25c a bottle. Sample free on request. BARRETT MANUFACTURING CO. 297 Franklin Street, Boston, Mass. In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON For Information Concerning BROOKLINE BoSon's Moft Attractive Suburb CONSULT FRANK A. RUSSELL OFFICES BROOKLINE BOSTON How to Abolish the "Pick Up Man" "Individual responsibility for clean streets" is thus expressed in verse in The Municipality for July, through the overworked Mary and her lamb. Mary had a little lamb Between her bread and butter, She didn't like its flavor, so She threw it in the gutter. Mary had a paper wrapped About her luncheon neat, She didn't need it any more So she threw it in the street. Mary dropped her orange peel. She thought it was no harm, Just where poor I might slip on it And nearly break my arm. Mary gaily tripped away. On pleasure she was bound. And, oh, it was so long before. The "pick-up" man came 'round. Mary did not look about To see the refuse can, For, if she had, there wouldn't be Any need of a "pick-up" man. Multigraph Typewriting Miss Keith has added to her equipment for producing all kinds of circular matter, a de\'ice which will print letter heads in various styles of type, thus eliminating the time and trouble entailed in dealing with the printer. Miss Keith refers to themanagementof Boston-1915 for endorsement of both quality and delivery of multi- graph work, which she is executing for its organization. You are invited to call at Room 428 — same floor as Boston-1915 — to see samples of this work and obtain quotations. STENOGRAPHY AND TYPEWRITING Scientific and Technical Manuscripts a Specialty MISS INA A. KEITH Room 428 6 Beacon St., Boston Workroom 1126 In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON BROWN BROTHERS & CO. pantos^ 60 STATE STREET - - BOSTON Members of New York, Boston and Philadelphia Stock Exchanges Investment Securities Foreign Exchange International Cheques Letters of Credit BROWN, SHIPLEY & CO., London FOUNDERS COURT, LOTHBURY, E. C. AND West End Office for the special convenience of Travellers AT 123 PALL MALL, S. W. In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON TO SET YOU THINKING Here is a clipping that hits the nail on the head. It was written by Mr. Robert Frothingham, and if ever he told the truth, he told it here. "The mere size of an advertising agency cuts mighty httle figure. The reputation it bears is all-important. Treat the matter just as you would the selection of a physician or a lawyer. "And if you can only spend $5,000 or less — all the more reason why you should seek the ablest agency in the field and fay unstintingUj for the highest type of service, because you of all men, with your small ap- propriation, cant afford to lose. "It's easy to spend a big appropriation. So much can be accomplished with a lot of money. But the agent who can make a 'dent' with a small outlay — he's the fellow to line up with. He's looking to make a healthy, growing advertiser of you. If he can in- crease your sales in proportion to the amount of your money he spends in advertising, that's all you can ask. Find out what he has done for others — and form your own judgment. "If you'll tackle the advertising proposition in this way, most kind and gentle reader, you won't say its 'a gamble.' You'll say it's the running mate of suc- cessful manufacturing and merchandising." Let us add that the whole principle of compensation to the advertising agent for his work is wrong. The manufacturer to- day thinks he can buy brains as he can buy merchandi.se. He does not stop to think that when he pays the advertising agent a commission on the expense created by his advertising, it is hinnan nature for the adver- tising agent to create all the expense possible in order to increa.se his own compensation. Neither does the manufacturer stop to think that when he crowds that adver- tising agent down to a lower percentage of commission just that minute he crowds him all the more to make his advertising expense bigger. That same manufacturer looks aghast at the agent when he presumes to suggest that he get a little one, two or three per cent on the increase in the business from the time the agent begins to work with him; and never for a moment thinks that the agent is like any other man and wants an incentive to work. If through expert judgment on the part of the agent that manufactiu'cr is enabled to get a new viev.'point and increase his business the agent is entitled to one or two per cent of that increase, but as a ride the manu- factiu'er wants it all — not a hog from choice but from ignorance. V\\\o is to blame? No one but the advertising agent, who almost turns himself inside out for the privilege of doing business with this manu- facturer on almost any commission the manufacturer is willing to allow on the i&xpense the agent will create. Is it any wonder that advertising agents are hy some considered "sharpers"? Just think this over, j\Ir. INIanufacturer and Mr. Advertising Man. A. W. ELLIS AGENCY 10 High Street Boston, Mass. Among the Fashionable Shops Call at Ward's For Christmas Stationery Fine Papers and Envelopes in Fancy Boxes. Monogram and Initial Paper. Unique and Imported Brass Goods. Fine Leather Goods, Bags, Purses, etc. Fountain Pens of every description. Samuel Ward Co. r)7-(_).'> Franklin St., Boston Maynard & Co. Incorporated Jewellers and Silversmiths HOLIDA Y GIFTS 4i6 Boylston St. PInkham & Smith Company Prescription Opticians Manufacturers, Importers and Dealers in OPTICAL GOODS, CAMERAS AND PHOTOGRAPHIC SUPPLIES Two (288-290 Boylston St / Boston StoresjlSi BromfieldSt. I Mass. E. J. STATES Art Embroideries Stamping and Designing 328 Boylston Street Opposite Arlington St. BOSTON O.Cujuroaipo Flore ntine Arts m m Terra Cotta and Majolica Wares Tlie Only .Store of its Kind in New England 292 Boylston Street Boston, Mass. Superior Fabrics DAVIS East India House 373 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON IRVING AND CASSON Custom Furniture, Interior Finish, Wood Mantels Decorations and Upholstery Church Furniture 1 50 Boylston Street, Boston RUGS HKI-AIKK!) ( LKANSKII STUAICIITKXKK KK.nollKI.KII UlSIM'EtTKU, K«e. Oriental Process Rug Renovating Co. K. M. GIRAGOSIAX, Mgr. Office, 128a Tremont Street Works, 19 Scotia St., Back Bay Oxford 1025— Tel.— Back [Jay 3963-R John J. Stevens & Co. 300 Boylston Street Ladies', Misses' and Children's FURNISHINGS Custom Work a Specialty ARTHUR W. W OODEST (Formerly with R. M. Lilley) UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS Covered and Repaired The Umbrella Hospital CANES MOUNTED in Any Style 73 Cornhill, Boston, Mass. M arceau 160 Tremont St. BOSTON The name signifies best results in portrait photography C. Lothrop Higgins Millinery 406 Boylston Street Boston, Mass. Established Twenty-one Years NEW BOSTON Just Delicious "THE SPRING MAID" Christie MacDonald in "The Spring Maid" is the attraction at the Tremont Theatre. "The Spring Maid" was secured for pnMkiction in this country through the efforts of Andreas Dippel. For three seasons it has been sung on the continent and is now playing in St. Petersburg. A large cast of artists assists Miss MacDonald, including Elgie Bowcn, William Burress, Lawrence Rea, Ralph Errolle, Jessie Bradbury, Charles Meyers, Otto Hoffman, Blanche Sherwood, Arthur Thalasso, Edward Met calf, Beth Stone, Paid Chute and Tom MacXaughton. An augmented orchestra of thirty pieces under the personal direction of Max Bendix, late con- ductor of the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, is a prominent feature. "KATIE-DID' For the fourth time Joseph M. Gaites has selected Karl Hoschna to compose the music for his latest musical production, which he has given the odd but pleasing title of "Katie-Did." "Katie-Did" is a musical version of the famous farce of a few years back, called "My Friend From India." The lyrics and incidental dialogue neces- sary in transposing the piece from three acts to two, has been done^by W. C.^Duncan''and[Frank Smithson. The first performance of "Katie-Did" took place at the Boston Theater on November 28. A BENCH with a set of good tools cannot fail to be a good invest- ment from any point of vitw — health, convenience, saving of cash outlay. ^ The cost may be $7.00 to $25.00 or more. A "Handy" Tool Box may be bought for $1.25. Cab- inets and Chests of Tools $5.00 to $25.00. q Photographic Goods, Cutlery, Skates, etc., all of which make Useful Holiday Gifts CHANDLER & BARBER 124 SUMMER ST., BOSTON In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON Copyright f'v Li"ic Caswell Smith, London FORBES-ROBERTSON in "The Passing^of the Third Floor^Back." NEW BOSTON CHANGE OF PRICE We have decided to take an important step. We shall raise tlie subscription price to 15 ct-nts a copy; $1.50 a year, on January 1, I'Jll. We shall materially increase the si/.c cf the magazine, add new departments, and strcngtlien it in every way ixjssible. Electrician and Meclianic believes m a fair deal, and we shall give every reader a fair opportunity to have the magazine as long as he wants at the old price. Vou may subscribe now for as many years as you want. Next year you will pay for twelve numbers at is cents each, $1.80, so that you will save about half by subscril)ing now. Hand the subscription to your newsdealer, it you prefer, but do it before you forget it. We want every rcadei to lake full advantage of this. Send in your subscription at $1.00 a year now, for after January 1, I'Jll, it will cost you $1.50 PER YEAR To be frank with you, we would like to have every reader send us a money order for five years' subscription. ]f \ou cant do that, order it for three years, for $3.00, two, or c\cn one year but don't neglect to take the opportunity. You will g I a better and bigger magazine, more articles, more pic- lures, more departments. Don't delay, don't forget. 1.00 SUBSCRIBE NOW $ ^r THE OLD PRICE 11 you will get three of your friends to subscribe, we will give )ou >our own subscription free. That's worth while, too. SAMPSON PUPLISHING COMPANY 1214 POPE BUILDING : BOSION, MASS. FRANCIS WILSON Mollis Street Theatre jams 1^. BOSTON ''Hot Point'' Capell Gas Iron Percolators Chafing Dishes Table Cutlery Bath Room Fixtures Useful Household Hardware at Reasonable Prices 4 HIGH 3T. (Cor. Summer) TELEPHONE, FORT HILL, 592 ^\ Stone & Forsyth 67 Kingston Street BOSTON] _ Telephone Oxford 2754 OF ALL KINDS For Mill Store and Family Use IN ANY QUANTITY Specialities in High Grade and Xorel ]f' rapping Paper and Twine Bags and Envelopes Mode to Order Manufacturers of Folding Paper Boxes Jlygicnic Paper Goods Cuspidors and Sputum Cups Factory at Stoneham Paper Totvels In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON C "-i: ;l" "-j. :c "j. .l" 'j. .l" u. .l' u. .l" • «- •:'_^ ■.< ■^^' y. :i-t'.y. y.-'.^l. y.-y.y. y.y.y. :: y. y. .'. : . y. S Hub EnciRavinci Co. ^ HALF-TONE ENGRAVERS | r. ."!■ ;;■ L' '-] r ' ,C: l&ll 173 SUMMER ST. BOSTON l-JBwfi^ * -li TtL OXFORD aoa |P;;:l-u:; __^ ^...,^^...,.....^.,, ..... Wt^\'y- ^'j/- ^vs- K's- ■x:^- ■■'wf- •■'w^- ^^T- ■x:^- ■x:'"- •■ i^^' ; V "-li V '-;' \\^,y.; \^^'A; I.'-",,."-'.' Ij-'i^-"-' c>-",^'-'.' li-'^f-^-v N^',f'-'- V ?.'-",,- I jr. .1^ ^^.-^l^^i^^^-^^-^^-^^^^^^?;:^-?;^;^;^ (T>mfiKVT>ortfi>fl)fi>(i>wfl>r>i See samples of our work in this magazine "SEVEN DAYS" "Seven Days," now playing at the Park Theatre after a long run in New York, is one of the most successful of a number of farce comedies that have recently been put on the American stage. Mary Roberts llinehart and Avery Hapgood are the authors of this story of a week's quarantine of a dozen people, brought about because "a Japanese butler had red spots." The situations arc intensely amusing and the whole play is clean and whole- some. "- FRANCIS WILSON, IN "THE BACHELOR'S HAin ' At the IloUis Street Theater Francis Wilson is presenting his successful comedy, "The Hachelor's Baby." Mr. Wilson, for the first time in his career^ is appearing in a double (•ai)a(ity, that of author as well as that of principal player, mikI Ik- is ex- ceptionally well suited in both roles. The comedy- farce is a delicious blend of humor and pathos, there being just enough of the latter to bring the former into stronger relief. The plot concerns a bachelor and a baby and tells in three acts how the former, who hates children generally, is made to love them by a delightful little miss he at first refuses to see. Mr. Wilson and "The Bachelor's Baby" will remain at the Hollis until the week before Christmas. CHRISTIE ^LvcDONALD Tremont Theatre NEW BOSTON ESTABLISHED:1846 Cream and all Dairy Products Milk for Nursery, Table and Kitchen Certified, Hood Farm, Modified for Babies Buttermilk Put up in Sealed Glass Jars Daily deliveries on regular Hood teams iii Greater Boston, North Shore Resorts, Lawrence, Manchester, N. H. Delivered by express to any address. 494 Rutherford Avenue, Boston, Mass. The Largest Independent Dairy Company In New England. Multigraph Letters THAT ARE IN A CLASS BY THEMSELVES Our workroom is equipped with the latest motor-driven machinery, producing letters ex- actly duplicating typewriting, printed by type- writer action, through a typewriter ribbon, with typewriter type and from left to right like a standard typewriter. We maintain a full corps of typewritists who do perfect filling in, if desired. Promptness, accuracy and the good quality of our work has won for us a class of patronage that could not be excelled — and the kind that stays. We will be glad to submit samples, or give quotations at any time on any quantity. We refer to one of our patrons, the BOSTON- 1915. HOYT & DEWELL SUITE 92 1 Beacon St. Boston Tel. Hay. 2004 The Cow Barn — T. D. Cook Catering Farm — Norfolk, ]Mass. We safeguard our Patrons by production of milk and cream on our Farm under sanitary conditions T. D. Cooli & Co., Caterers 88 Boylston Street, Boston Ice Cream Ice Cream suitable for your use deserves all the protection that the best regulations for milk hygiene have suggested. Cream shipped fresh from farm every morning. In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON "THE YANKEE GIRL" The attraction announced for the week of De- cember 5 at the Majestic Theatre is Blanche Ring, in the second and hist week of her Boston engage- ment. Miss Rings present vehicle is a nuisical play, "The Yankee (lirl,"" the work of (icorge \. Ilohart and Sylvio Ilein. Mr. llohart's book ditt'ers radically from the usual so-called "plot" injecteil into long-sutfering musical comedy, since it con- tains a plausible and coherent story, consistently carried out. The company with which Ia'w Fields and Frederic McKay have surrounded Miss Ring is one of more than usual merit. It is headed by Harry (lilfoil, the mimic and comedian so long identified with the Hoyt farces. Others in the cast include Bertha Shalek, William P. Carleton, Marguerite Wright, Halliday and Curley, Juan Willasana, Paul Porter, Cyril Ring, Margaret Malcolm, J. E. Caldwell, William De Ball and Fannie Kidston. "THE PASSING OF THE THIRD FLOOR BACK" Forbes-Robertson has opened a four weeks en- gagement at the Shubert Theatre in "The Passing of the Third Floor Back." The well-known ability of Mr. Robertson in combination with the renuirk- able production in which he appears, assures the success of this short run at the Shubert. For thirty-six years Mr. Robertson has been well known in the English and American stage. At no time has he received more favorable commenda- tion, however, than in his connection with "The Passing of the Third Floor Back." NOBSCOT MT. SPRING WATER From the Spring Direct to You The purest spring water you can obtain is none too good. Quality (not price) is an absolute neces- sity and should be considered. Analysis on application. Prompt delivery. Nobscot Mt. Spring Co. 14 Sears Street From 64 India Street to 199 Milk Street BOSTON, MASS. Telephone, Fort Hill 860-861 L u n d i n Turkish Baths 20-22 CARVER STREET Next to Park Square In our specially constructed building are combined two separate and complete establishments with accommodations for men and women PHONE OXFORD 2068 " I always use Sawyer's Crystal Ammonia and Borax for washing dolly's lace dress, as it does away with the rubbing. I then rinse and use Sawyer's Crystal Blue." SAWYER CRYSTAL BLUE CO., 88 Broad Street, Boston, Maas. In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON To Set You Thinking A man representing hirge mill interests recently said to the writer that he had been thinking some about this matter of advertising, but could not seem to apply it to his business, because he made many different grades of the same kind of goods, which were sold through selling agents and jobbers before they reached the retailer. While he believed that in some way or other he could attach his business to this great power of publicity, he did not know where to begin. Here was my answer. "Have you in your mill a row of machines making a $1.00 article, and next to it a row of machines making a $1.50 article, and next to it a row of machines making a $3.00 article.'" To which he replied, "Yes, practically so." I asked him, "Is there any difference in the cost of these machines, any difference in the labor expense of these machines, or any difference in the selling expense of the product from these machines.'" He said, "No. In fact, one man operates all three machines, and the only differ- ence is in the cost of the material." I then asked him which row paid him the greatest amount of profit, and he replied, "Of course, the $3.00 one." "Now this $3.00 article of yours is one that can be generally consumed by the masses, and your energies should be devoted to the end that all three rows of machines may be employed making the $3.00 article. This is where advertising applies to your business. The effect that this will have upon your business will be the saving along all lines. You will not have to buy from so many people. You will not have to buy so many lines. You will not have the detail in any avenue of manufacture that you have now, and every day you will be reaching toward making this $3.00 product standard for your line of merchandise. "The increase of your consumption of the one kind of material will have a tendency to reduce the cost of that material, and as time goes on possibly would give you the preference in the market; a few things will grow out of this concentrated effort that at present you and I are unable to see. Furthermore, you will have not only an asset in the name of your product, but you will have an absolute assurance of the sale of your product." Now then, Mr. Reader, I have said enough to set you thinking. It set this man thinking, and I am to have another interview with him in the near future. Advertising with wisdom behind goods with merit is an irresistible power. Study your business and con- sult any first-class advertising agent as to where you can connect it, with this force about which you now know little or nothing. A. W. ELLIS AGENCY, 10 High Street, Boston, Mass. BOSTON "Hot Point" Capell Gas Iron Percolators Chafing Dishes Table Cutlery Bath Room Fixtures Useful Household Hardware at Reasonable Prices 4 HIGH ^T. (Cor. Summer) TELEPHONE, FORT HILL, 592 ESTABLISHED 1846 ^lUl^ rsAOG w- Cream and all Dairy Products Milk for Nursery, Table and Kitchen Certified, Hood Farm, Modified for Babies Buttermilk Put up in Sealed Glass Jars Daily deliveries on regular Hood teams in Greater Boston, North Shore Resorts, Lawrence, Manchester, N. H. Delivered by express to any address. 494 Rutherford Avenue, Boston, Mass. The Laritest Independent Dairy Company in New England. Among the Fashionable Shops STATIONERY, CALENDARS and DIARIES For Business and Home Use ^ - V Account Books 1911 1 Iff 1 Loose Leaf Systems III for all businesses W grri' 0^7-63 Franklin T ▼ diU Street, Boston E. J. STATES Art Embroideries Stamping and Designing 328 Boylston Street Opposite Arlington St. BOSTON IRVING AND CASSON Custom Furniture, Interior Finish, Wood Mantels Decorations and Upholstery Church Furniture 1 50 Boylston Street, Boston PIANOS Boston's Great Art Product 492 Boylston Street O.Cu5Urr)2^i70 Florentine Arts Terra Cotta and Majolica Wares The Only Store of Its Kind In New England 292 Boylston Street Boston, Mass. n 1 1 I" «i'':ANsh:i> ■# ■ I ■_ % STltAKlHTKNKU n 11 11 _« ItKIIOIIKLKI) 1 ■ \0 %M \0 IIISINFKCTKI), Etc. Oriental Process Rug Renovating Co. K. M. GIRAGOSIAN, Mgr. Office, 128a Tremont Street Works, 19 Scotia St., Back Bay Oxford 1025 — Tel.— Back Bay 3963-R Pinkham & Smith Company Prescription Opticians Manufacturers, Importers and Dealers in OPTICAL GOODS, CAMERAS AND PHOTOGRAPHIC SUPPLIES Two ^ 288-290 Boylston St. ) Boston Stores ^33 Bromfield St. ) Mass. Superior Fabrics DAVIS East India House 373 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON John J. Stevens & Co. 300 Boyl$ton Street Ladies', Misses' and Children's FURNISHINGS Custom Work a Specialty ARTHUR W. WOODEST (Formerly with R. M. Lllley) UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS Covered and Repaired The Umbrella Hospital CANES MOUNTED in Any Style 73 Cornhill, Boston, Mass. Marceau 1 60 Tremont St. BOSTON The name signifies best results in portrait photography Reduced Prices for balance of season on all our trimmed Millinery C. Lothrop Higgins 406 Boylston Street Among the Fashionable Shops A. L. La Vers Co. Telephone. Back Bay 1344 190-192 Boylston St. 32-34 Park Square Boston, Mass. Specialty Shop FURS. MILLINERY GOWNS. DRESSES WAISTS and COATS ^'^""■^^ m^.J^ ^^ Maynard & Co. Incorporated DEALERS IN GOLD, SILVER AND PRECIOUS GEMS Gifts for All Occasions $5.00 to $500.00 416 BOYLSTON ST. DECORATOR WALL PAPERS — Latest de- sign, foreign and domestic, with materials to match. Hangings, Laces, Rugs and Furniture. Agent for WOOD-KRUSTA a perfect wood-panel effect H. C. MUNROE 29 Temple Place, Boston, Mass. Established 1858 Edw. F. Kakas & Sons FURS 364 BOYLSTON STREET The Delft Lunch and Tea Room 429 Boylston Street NEAR BERKELEY LUNCHEON AFTERNOON TEA TABLE D'HOTE DINNER 5.30 TO 8 FIFTY CENTS EXCLUSIVE MODELS Corsets, Waists and Neckwear CHANDLER'S CORSET STORE MRS. GEORGE CHANDLER 12-14 Winter St., & 422 Boylston St. May we demonstrate to you the New Hallet & Davis Player- Piano? Plays the whole key-board Hallet & Davis Piano Co. 146 Boylston St., Boston, Mass. Burleigh & Martin (Incorporated) CA TERERS Telephone, Back Bay 3940 Berkeley Street and St. James Avenue Back Bay, Boston, Mass. WALSH jfHilliner Correct Fashions in Even- ing Hats. New Crush Models in Fur. 276 Boylston Street BOSTON HENRY F. MILLER & SONS PIANO COMPANY 395 BOYLSTON ST., BOSTON Lusbus Cbocolaites "The Sign of the Kind" The Aldrich-Clisbee Co. BOSTON NEW BOSTON New Boston 191 1 Calendar AN ARTISTIC. HANDSOMELY MOUNTED REMINDER OF A FUTURE CITY Showing the new cover design on this issue of NEW BOSTON will be forwarded on the receipt of ten cents in stamps. Anyone sending us $1.00 for a year's subscription to NEW BOSTON will receive the calendar without extra charge. Publishers NEW BOSTON, 6 Beacon St., Boston. Mass. Health in Chicago's Slums Chicago has a new ward superintend- ent, Miss Annie Murphj^ who is leading a "baby saving crusade" recently put under way by Superintendent of Streets Cochrane. Miss Murphy has been de- tailed "back of the yards" by the street superintendent. She has drawn up this set of rules for housewives which has been i)rinted in Polish, Lithuanian and English. Miss Murphy thinks that those who live in crowded parts of Chicago often fail to keep the city ordinances merely because they do not understand them. These rules will clear up the situation, she thinks : Do you want to keep your children well? Do you want to save doctor bills? Then mind these rules: You must have two cans for garbage and ashes. Put all garbage in one. Put all ashes, tin cans, papers and waste in the other one. Put papers in bundles on top of ash cans. Keep these cans near the alley. You must not throw garbage into the yard or alley. You must not throw mattresses into yard or vacant alley. Do not pay the driver. No driver is permitted to receive money. The city pays him. Penalty: If you do not keep these rules you will be fined. If your cans are not emptied twice a week, send a postal card to R. M. Coch- rane, superintendent of streets. City Hall. SCENE FROM "ARSENE LUPIN" NKW BOSTON Mellin's Food Babies are Strong and Healthy Would you have your hiihy strong and healthy? Then you must follow Nature's principles in feeding him. If your baby cannot be nursed, lie viust have food that isfresli. You cannot take away from him the fresh, life-giving mother's milk and give him dried or cooked milk and expect that he will grow as he should. But you can give him freah emo's milk modified by Mellin's Food to exactly suit his individual needs. When you do this your baby will get the fresh, wonderful, life-giving element that Nature demands. Start your baby on Mellin's Food today, and put him in the class with the thousands upon thou- sands of other healthy and happy Mellin's Food babies. We have a very helpful book, "The Care and Feeding of Infants," which tells just the things you ought to know about feeding and caring for your baby. We shall be glad to send it to you, together with a Trial Size bottle of Mellin's Food, if you will write us. MELLIN'S FOOD COMPANY BOSTON, MASS. ' - ' ^:i3 SHAWMUT RUBBERS ■# NOT MADE BY A TRUST FOR SALE BY ALL GOOD DEALERS In answering advertisements please mention NliVV BOSTON NEW BOSTON Architects and Tuberculosis The Boston Association for the Relief and Control of Tuberculosis is endeavor- ing to enlist the architects of the city in its campaign of ])revention. A letter sent to every Boston architect makes the following suggestions: OITDOOU SLEEPING There is an inereasing doinand for open sleeping porches, halconies and roof spaces, and the possi- bilities of these lu'alth-fji\'ing (ie\'ices should he brought to the attention of all thos(> planning to build homes. NOON DAY RESTS In constructing stores, shops and mercantile establishments owners should be persuaded to provide open air acconnnodations for noon lunch- eons and recreation. The roof is the most available spot for these resting places, and is especially desirable in the congested sections of the city. Many flat roofs now in existence could easily be turned into such rests at little ex|)ense and with their wide commanding views they should be very popular as well as beneficial for several months in the year. These open air rests should eventually pay for themselves in the increased efficiency of the force using them. SCHOOLS Following close upon the remarkable results obtained in open air schools for anaemic and tubercular children comes a demand for open air rooms, with at least one end that can be thrown entirely open. Here again in constructing new school buildings the roof may be used to advantage for both teaching and recrt'ation purposes, removed as it is from the dusty, dirty and noisy streets. The Notman Photographic Co. 3 and 4 Park Street Boston Makers of Artistic Photographs Portraits and Flash Light Groups of all sorts On January 2d, 1911, we shall reduce our prices to the 1908 level, maintaining the high standard for which this house is favorably known. The cost of supplies is somewhat lower, and with an enlarged steam plant and bakery, re- cently installed, thereby cutting the cost of pro- duction, we look for an increased patronage that will justify us in taking this action. MARSTON'S Restaurant 25 Brattle St. 17 Hanover St. " I always use Sawyer's Crystal Ammonia and Borax for washing dolly's lace dress, as it does away with the rubbing. 1 then rinse and use Sawyer's Crystal Blue." SAWYER CRYSTAL BLUE CO., 88 Broad Street, Boston, Maa*. In answering advertisementi please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON DAVID WARFIELD IN "THE RETURN OF PETER GRIMM" The production of a new Belasco play is always an ovcnt of first importance to the theater world. The appearance of David Warfield, the foremost of American actors, never fails to arouse an intense interest surpassing all other theatrical events, in its artistic and dramatic importance. That Boston is to have the rare privilege of wit- nessing the consummation of this artistic union is the promise held forth to our theatergoers for New Year's week. On Monday, January 2, at the Hollis Street Theater, David Warfield will ap- pear in a new play by David Belasco, the occasion marking its first performance on any stage. "The Return of Peter Grimm" is the title se- lected and promises to be far and away the most remarkable of all Mr. Belasco's dramas. Immediately under the title line, Mr. Belasco has indicated the nature of sub-theme by two sentences which stand as a foreword, and which, conjoined with the title itself, gives a more com- prehensive idea of the nature of "The Return of Peter Grimm," as a literary and dramatic work than anything else he might say. The foreword reads : "Only one thing really counts — only one thing — love. It is the only thing that tells in the long run, nothing else endures to the end." David Warfield will enact the role of Peter Grimm, whose return to earth constitutes the action of the play. The supporting cast will include: Marie Bates, Janet Dunbar, Marie Reichardt, John Sainpolis, Thomas Meighan, Joseph Brennan, William Boag, John F. Webber, Percy Helton and Tonv Bevan. "ARSENE LUPIN" Boston has heard much concerning the tri- umphs of "Arsene Lupin" in New York, following its sensation in Paris, but as yet there has been no opportunity of seeing it uj)on the local stage. That chance will come on Monday, January 2. Charles Frohman will present the play at the Park Theater with the actors who were identified with the run at the Lyceum Theater in New York. It is the work of Francis de Croisset and Maurice Le Blank. "Arsene Lupin" depicts a type of polished criminal baffling in every respect and absorbing in all his undertakings. The plot is one of the greatest mystery, and carries one along in the closest of fascination. "THE ECHO" Miss Bessie McCoy in Charles Dillingham's "The Echo," inaugurated a brief engagement at the Colonial Theater on Monday, December 20. Miss McCoy comes to Boston with the reputation of having scored a success at Mr. Dillingham's Globe Theater in New York. Miss McCoy in- troduces five different dances, in as many at- tractive costumes. John E. Hazzard has the chief comedy role, while Mrs. Annie Yeamans, the veteran comedienne, appears as the hotel sten- ographer. Insurance Offices Recommended to Readers of NEW BOSTON Gilmour & Coolidge Insurance Telephone Main 4800 114 Water Street BOSTON PATTERSON, WYLDE & WINDELER MARINE FIRE LIABILITY INSURANCE 106 Chamber of Commerce Building Boston, Mass. Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company A YOUNG. STRONG, SAFE AND GROWING COMPANY 77 Kilby Street, Boston Protection to owners and to those who lend on Real Estate MASSACHUSETTS TITLE INSURANCE CO. 70 State St., Boston Send for information Name Address Leading Banking Concerns OF BOSTON FITZGERALD^ HUBBARD & CO. Members New York and Boston Stock Exchange 95 Milk Street BOSTON R. L DAY & CO. BANKERS 35 Congress Street 37 Wall Street BOSTON NEW YORK NEW BOSTON ^. >j-f**^j^'^^ "\\ ii ;r^j>* ix.- , . DOROTHY DONNELLY IN "MADAME X" "MADAME X" At the Majestic Theater, opening December 26, Henry W. Savage will offer for the first time in Boston, the most intense drama of modern times, Madame X, fresh from its long runs at the New Amsterdam and Lyric Theaters, New York, with the original prodnction and cast. This drama, which has created as profonnd an impression in this country as in Europe, was originally presented at the Porte Ste Martin Theater, Paris, and is from the pen of Alexandre IJisson, who up to the time of this play has been known only as a writer of farces. Madame X was put forward rather cautiously by its author. It is declared that the play of Madame X is a liberal education in the drama. It is clean cut and cameo like. There is not a useless word or syllable and the action moves forward to the final denouement with a sureness that^carries the spectator along, cau.ses him to forget that he is not witnessing real life but a rejjre- sentation of it. In the great court rooui scene which constitutes the last act over one hundred people are employed. The cast includes Dorothy Donnelly, who created the role of the unhappy heroine in English, achieving one of the most re- markable succes.ses of recent years. She is assisted l)y Williiim Elliott, as the yotmg lawyer; Malcolm Williams, W. H. Dennv and Robert Paton (Jibbs. Dorchester Awning Company (INC.) Manufacturers of all kinds of Canvas Goods Awnings, Tents, Etc. WEDDING CANDPIES AND LARGE TENTS TO LET PIAZZAS FITTED UP FOR SLEEPING OUT 1548-1558 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester, Mass. In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON To Set You Thinking If you are a man witli interests in large manufacturing corporations, it is quite probable that at times you find j^ourself puzzling over this problem of advertising. It is at just such times that you can well afford to call in any good advertising agent and let him in on your thoughts. You know this agent has a different view- point than yours. He knows for sure what the other fellow has been writing on the outside of your fence while you have been absorbed with what was going on inside. Then too, he hasn't had a chance to go stale on your problem. This same agent has rubbed elbows with many selling problems. He has learned to dive for the cause of every effect; he has learned to pick the vital points in a man's manufacturing problem as well as in the selling problem right out of the very words of the manufacturer's own mouth, when the latter did not recognize the vital factors because he had been staring them in the face too long. If your goods have real merit, wake up, come to, rouse. New England Conservative, make the merits of your products known. Then the demand for them will be strong enough to straighten crooked freight rates, build steamboat lines to Texas, surmount every obstacle that now lies in the way of supplying genuine intelligent demand for honest goods honestly sold. The world's great press is at your dis- posal, its power is almost limitless, and yet as a power in your business you pass it by. Get in touch with advertising men! A. W. ELLIS AGENCY, 10 High Street, Boston, Mass. Boston Garte excels in wearval Fully guaranteed— a new pair free if you find an imperfedion Easy to buy because all dealers have it. Sample Pair. Cotton, 25c. Silk. 50c GEORGE FROST CO Boston, U.S.A. Fits smoothly and k up the sock with neatness and security. It is com fortable because its wearer doesn't feel it. The Bo^on Garter keeps its ^renglh and ESTABLISHED 1846 Cream and all Dairy Products Milk for Nursery, Table and Kitchen Certified, Hood Farm, Modified for Babies Buttermilk Put up in Sealed Glass Jars Daily deliveries on regular Hood teams iii Greater Boston, North Shore Resorts, Lawrence, Manchester, N. H. Delivered by express to any address. 494 Rutherford Avenue, Boston, Mass. The Largest Independent Dairy Company in New England. Among the Fashionable Shops WARD'S I ,FAK NOT FOUNTAIN PEN M ^ May be curried in any pos- M W Hioii In the Pocket, BaK or ^V . M| Trunk and it I nt CANNOT LEAK I la 1 SulinierKcil pen point al- ■ W ■ ways ready for instant use. ■ Ml "on't fail to see these pens. ■ aL m .\sk your slalioner orcall at W orH' 0^7-63 Franklin T ▼ dIU Street, Boston E. J. STATES Art Embroideries Stamping and Designing 328 Boylston Street Opposite Arlington St. BOSTON IRVING AND CASSON Custom Furniture, Interior Finish, Wood Mantels Decorations and Upholstery Church Furniture 1 50 Boylston Street, Boston fctm^l|am(nt PIANOS Boston's Great Art Product 492 Boylston Street O.Cu5Urr)2ir70 Florentine Arts Annual Mark Down Sale Terra Cotta and Majolica Wares The Only Store of its Kind In New England 292 Boylston Street Boston, Mass. ■^ ■ ■ ^^ ^^ ItKI'AIICK!) DIIP "^^''^" mf m ■ ■_ ^ M IIAHMITKNKII ■1 U 11 J| KKMOI.KI.KI. ■ 1 %0 VI \0 l(ISI.\FK(TKII, Kte. Oriental Process Rug Renovating Co. K. M. GIRAGOSIAN. Mgr. Office, 128a Tremont Street Works, 19 Scotia St., Back Bay Oxford 1025— Tel.— Back Bay 3963-R Pinkham & Smith Company Prescription Opticians f* Manufacturers, Importers i' TL— and Dealers in OPTICAL GOODS, CAMERAS AND PHOTOGRAPHIC SUPPLIES Two \ 288-290 Boylston St. } Boston Stores / I3i Bromfield St. (Mass. Superior Fabrics DAVIS East India House 373 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON John J. Stevens & Co. 300 Boylston Street Ladies', Misses' and Children's FURNISHINGS Custom Work a Specialty ARTHUR W. WOODEST (Formerly with R. M. Lllley) UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS Covered and Repaired The Umbrella Hospital CANES MOUNTED in Any Style 73 Cornhill, Boston, Mass. Marceau 160 Tremont St. BOSTON The name signifies best results in portrait photography Reduced Prices for balance of season on all our trimmed iMillinery C. Lothrop Higgins 406 Boylston Street NEW BOSTON ^i^W^^m Old Colony ! Trust Company | ^ "'>>' Protect Your Valuables WHETHER you have stocks or bonds to protect, you have at home or in your office papers and vahi- ables which, if lost or damaged, could be replaced only at great inconvenience and b}^ the expenditure of time and money. Their safety is a matter of serious consideration. Wouldn't it be worth the cost of a safe deposit box to know that these things were secure beyond any possible loss or damage from theft, fire or flood? The vault at our Court Street building or the one at our Temple Place Branch is sure to be readily accessible and we shall appreciate an opportunity to explain the many features of this department. TKMPLE PLACE ^^^ *w^ ^==-JI ^ In antwering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON "THE DOJ>LAR PRINCESS" The success of "Tlic Dollar Priiu-ess" reached Boston lt)iig l)efore Cliarles Frohnian's compiiny's arrival at tin; (Colonial. First, occasional whispers from Vienna, Berlin, London and Paris reached the ear. Then "The Dollar Princess" reached Xew York and a verdict of cnipliatic ajjpmval follo\veraceful composititm. \Yillner and (Jrunhanm and (leorge (irossmith, Jr., in contril)ntinf>- the hook have l)een a bit more consistent than is usual in nuisical jilays and func- tion. Donald Brian, who won laurels as tlic oriffinal Prince Danilo in "The Merry Widow," covers himself with g'ory in "The Dollar Princess," an Mellin's Food will Solve Your Problem Your baby is a new ])r()bleiTi ill iiifciiit feeding. He is iiuli\ id- iiul in his requirements. If he is to develop us he should he must hu\e ji food that not only con- tains all the elements required for his ])roper nourishment but one that may be readily adapted to his needs. JMellin's Food is such a food. Mellin's Food is to be used with fresh cow's milk. Ijv simply varj - ing the ])roportions of JNIellin's Food, milk and water, according to our carefully ])repared direc- tions, you can exactly meet the individual needs of your baby. Why then should your baby worry along on a food that is not suited to him!' He fair with yoin* baby; start him on INlellin's l'\)od — today. Wc have a very helpful book, "The Care and Feeding; of Infants." ^^'e shall be glad to scud it to you, together with a Trial Size bottle of Mellin's Food, if you will write us. MELLIN'S FOOD CO., Hostt.n, Mass. <( (f •A In answering adveiliscnients please mention NEW IJOSTGN NEW BOSTON la. To Set You Thinking About a year ago, a large and wealthy textile firm decided that they would sj)end a little money to push an old-time fabric of merit that had been a staple in New Eng- land for many years. This decision was really made against what they felt might be their better judgment, and in fact was ridiculed by some of the meml^ers of the firm. Three months ago it seemed wise to con- sider and plan the work for this year. Re- sults did not in their mind warrant spend- ing more than one-third of the first year's appropriation, and so one-third was the decision. Today, the results have been so striking that the firm has decided to increase the appropriation to that of the first year. It is only one year from the time they started advertising, and the demand for the goods is very rapidly increasing. This demand is coming from sources they little dreamed of. They are now taking their hats off to the advertising campaign that has called the attention of the public to these goods of merit sufficiently to create a demand from every part of the country. We have not said a word about the wonderful improvement that this work has brought about in the fabric itself. This firm did not realize advertising would lead them to do anything on the production end. These facts should say to you that if you manufacture an article of absolute merit, publicity will increase the sale. But don't expect to take a few thousand dollars and with it plant the merit of your goods in the minds of the people and expect that you can get a return crop in a few months, for you cannot. It takes time. When you consider advertising, you have a mighty important undertaking on hand, and for that reason you should lay out a carefully planned policy, and be prepared to stand by it for a period of at least three to five years. In matters of this kind, consult any ad- vertising man who has sufficient gauge to look at your problem as a whole. Get his viewpoint. It is worth money to you. A. W. Ellis Agency, 10 High Street, Boston, Mass. Boston Garter is higher grade— not only fits the leg, but will wear well in every part — the clasp ^ays se- c u r e ly in ace until released. See that HOSTON <; ARTKIl is st;iiii|peil on the chisj). Sample Pair, Cotton, 26c., Silk, BOc. Milled OH reccil>t of Price, GEORGE Frost Co., makers Boston, U.S.A. When ordering Milk, Cream, Butter or Buttermilk, be sure to ask for and insist on getting HOOD'S ACKNOWLEDGED THE BEST Cream and All Dairy Products General Offices and Chemical and Bacteriological Laboratory 494 Rutherford Avenue. Boston, Mass. The Largest Independent Dairy Company In New England. In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON Among the Fashionable Shops CAN'T LEAK Ward's Leaknot ^ ^ FOUNTAIN PEN will ^M ^^ not soil your fini^crs or ^■^^Vl clothes. It cannot leak ■ ^^t ■ no matter how carried. 1 ■ ■ ■ Submerged Pen Point I ■■ I makes it ready for in- 1 V 1 stant use. ■ HI Ask vour dealer or senil ■ Mi c.-rU at VVard's 57-63 Franklin Street, Boston E. J. STATES Ant Embroideries Stamping and Designing 328 Boylston Street Opposite Arlington St. BOSTON IRVING AND CASSON Custom Furniture, Interior Finish, Wood Mantels Decorations and Upholstery Church Furniture 1 50 Boylston Street, Boston PIANOS Boston's Great Art Product 492 Boylston Street O.Cu5urr)apo Florentine Arts ■^ ■ ■ 4^ ^^ ItKPAIKI':!) n 1 1 n O O'^ANSKII mf 1 I ■_ % STKAKillTKM':!) ■ ■ 1 1 11 J\ liKMODKI.KI) 11 V %A V lllSINI'KCrKII. Ktr. M m. Annual Mark Down Sale Terra Cotta and Majolica Wares The Only Store oflts Kind In New England 292 Boylston Street Boston, Mass Oriental Process Rug Renovating Co. K. M. GIRAGOSIAN. Mgr. Office, 128a Tremont Street Works, 19 Scotia St., Back Bay Oxford 1025— Tel.— Back Bay 3963-R Pinkham & Smith Company Prescription Opticians Manufacturers, Importers and Dealers in OPTICAL GOODS, CAMERAS AND PHOTOGRAPHIC SUPPLIES Two ( 288-290 Boylston St. ) Boston Stores M3-^ Bromfield St. \ Mass. Superior Fabrics DAVIS East India House 373 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON John J. Stevens & Co. 300 Boylston Street Ladies', Misses' and Children's FURNISHINGS Custom Work a Specialty ARTHUR W. WOODEST (Formerly with R. M. LlUey) UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS Covered and Repaired The Umbrella Hospital CANES MOUNTED in Any Style 73 Cornhill, Boston, Mass. Marceau 160 Tremont St. BOSTON The name signifies best results in portrait photography Reduced Prices for balance of season on all our trimmed Millinery C. Lothrop Higgins 406 Boylston Street Among the Fashionable Shops A. L. La Vers Co. Telephone, Back Bay 1344 190-192 Boylston St. 32-34 Park Square Boston, Mass. Specialty Shop FURS, MILLINERY GOWNS, DRESSES WAISTS and COATS Established 1858 Edw. F. Kakas & Sons FURS 364 BOYLSTON STREET EXCLUSIVE MODELS Corsets, Waists and Neckwear CHANDLER'S CORSET STORE MRS. GEORGE CHANDLER 12-14 Winter St., & 422 Boylston St. WALSH 276 BOYLSTON STREET Importers and Makers of ^mart Hats ^and Frocks Attractive Novelties in Hair Bands and Ornaments WOOD-KRUSTA A perfect wood-panel eti'ect. Suitable for Dining Room, Hall, Library, Wainscoting and very effective in Bun- galows. WALL PAPER Latest foreign and domestic designs. H. C. MONROE DECORATOR 29 Temple Place, Boston Maynard & Co. Incorporated DEALERS IN GOLD, SILVER AND PRECIOUS GEMS Gifts for All Occasions $5.00 to $500.00 41G BOYLSTON ST. May we demonstrate to you the New Hallet & Davis Player- Piano ? Plays the whole key-board Hallet & Davis Piano Co. 146 Boylston St., Boston, Mass. HENRY F. MILLER & SONS PIANO COMPANY 395 BOYLSTON ST.. BOSTON 9a 100 BOYLSTON ST. TeL Ox. 651 Entertainments furnished for all occasions. Any number of artists sup- plied. Special programs arranged for Societies and children. Refined vaude- ville a specialty. TENTS, SEATS AND LIGHTS for all kinds of outdoor entertainments TO RENT Burleigh & Martin (Incorporated) CA TERERS Telephone, Back Bay 3940 Berkeley Street and St. James Avenue Back Bay, Boston, Mass. Lusbus Cbocola^tes "The Sign of the Kind • The Aldrich-Clisbee Co. 21 Portland St.. BOSTON 10a NEW BOSTON BOSTON THEATRES At the Colonial Theiilri', coinnu'iicing Monday evening, February 27, Jose|)li M. (iaites will present his new musical play "The (iirl of My Dreams" with John llyanis and Leila Mclntyre in the lead- ing roles. This new musical play which had its initial presentation in Chicago, enjoying a run of ten weeks, is said to be one of the most delightful and refined musical productions seen in years and a worthy successor to Gaites' famous "Three Twins." The book is by Wilbur K. Xesbit of the Chicaijn Evening Post. Otto Ihiuerbach is responsible for the lyrics and the music is by Karl Hoschna, com- poser of "Bright Eyes," "Three Twins," "Kaly- Did" and "Mme. Sherry." The story of the piece tells of a bachelor's down- fall before the charms of a demure little Quaker Girl. These roles will be those of the principals, John Hyams and Leila Mclntyre. The bachelor is much of a clubman and has the cynical attitude of his class toward the feminine sex. A habit of breaking village speed ordinances leads him into a bad motor accident. He is carried, much injured, into a Quaker household where he is nursed back to health by the Girl. By the time he is able to look about from an arm-chair, his ideals of bachelor- hood are shattered. The Quakeress and her father later go to the city to see the bachelor and the young woman is much shocked by her prospective husband's friends. She doesn't know whether she loves him or not, but the sky is clear in time for a happy ending just before the drop of the final curtain. The piece is chuck full of catchy musical numbers. The principal ones being "Dr. Tinkle Tinker," "Quaker Talk," "I'm Ready to Quit and be Good," "Dear Little Games of Guessing" and "The Girl of My Dreams." THE FASCINATING WIDOW When Julian Eltinge, the star of "The Fascinat- ing Widow," made his first appearance as an im- personator of women with the Boston Cadets, he was so successful in deceiving his audiences that he once made a bet with his college mates that hf could get a job as a chorus girl. They took him up, confident that, in street clothes, he could not make good the impersonation. {Continued on page 1 2a) Dorchester Awning Company (INC.) Manufacturers of all kinds of Canvas Goods Awnings, Tents, Etc. WEDDING CANOPIES AND LARGE TENTS TO LET PIAZZAS FITTED UP FOR SLEEPING OUT 1548-1558 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester, Mass. Willard Welsh Real Estate 5 EXCHANGE STREET BOSTON. MASS. TELEPHONE MAIN 1196 HOWARD Dustless Duster (25 Cents Prepaid) Makes possible a dustless home. / Write for our Dust Book "A" and small free sample. It will show you how to make dusting a pleasure, how to dry clean a silk skirt in five minutes, how to clean windows in a "'^° ^" '° ^°''" twinkling, to polish pianos and highly finished furniture, to make cut glass sparkle like dia- monds, to make an old derby look like new. Money hack if "ot tatisfaclorij HOWARD DUSTLESS DUSTER CO. 164-12 Federal Street, Boston, Mass. In answering adv.ertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON lla — '-ir tm !■ iti" I I iT^^^^ ' Old Colony Trust Company -•■^^^ t: 1*i.? Protect Your Valuables WHETHER you have stocks or bonds to protect, you have at home or in your office papers and vahi- ables which, if lost or damaged, could be replaced only at great inconvenience and by the expenditure of time and money. Their safety is a matter of serious consideration. Wouldn't it be worth the'cost of a safe deposit box to know that these things were secure beyond any possible loss or damage from theft, fire or flood? The vault at our Court Street building or the one at our Temple Place Branch is sure to be readily accessible and we shall appreciate an opportunity to explain the many features of this department. ■m In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON T2a NEW liOSTON "We are advertised by our lovinfif friends" Our hdhy is now fifteen months She has had eoxv\s lullk modified ill Mellin's Food since she ivas two 'eh's old. She is now a strong; aiihij child. " ' 'liis is an extract from one of the many ers we receive every day. It simply \es aaain that Mellin's Food is the Ideal Milk Modifier a A\'hen you prepare the food for your baby be sure that the basis of it is pure, fresh milk. Fresh milk alone is too stront? for baby's little stomach, but fresh milk modified with Mellin's Food is readily digested by the 1/oimg'e.st infiinf, and it has all the life- giving vitality that baby needs. The IVIellin's Food method of modify- ing milk is the most practical, and at the same time the most scientific, method that has ever been devised. Thousands and thousands of babies have thrived on Mellin's Food. So will your baby. Get a bottle for him today. We have a very helpful book, " The Care and Feeding of Infants." We shall be glad to send you a copy, together with a Trial Size bottle of Mellin's Food, if you will write us. MELLIN'S FOOD COMPANY, Boston, Mass. i3 It turned out that Mr. Manager was delighted. He thought he had a new find. The applieant sang for liim, and even indulged in a few coy looks. When the (juestion of salary came up for discussion, Eltinge insisted upon $4.5 a week. He couldn't possibly live on $18.50. No girl could. There was considerable haggling, but finally the manager agreed. Eltinge returned to his club with a signed contract. He was engaged as a show girl. THE COMMUTERS Tiie current attraction at the Park Theatre is .lames Forbes' latest comedy, "The Commuters," a tale of suburban life, as it is lived in the vicinity of any large American city, Boston included. The story of "The Commuters" centers about Larry and Hetty Brice, a young couple who reside in a sul)url) of New York. Tiie husband's boon companion is Sammy Fletcher, a bachelor, with a strong distaste for life in the suburbs. Possess- ing the intuitive qualities common to a great many wives, Mrs. Brice assumes that her husband's occasional annoying but innocent divergencies from the slraigiit and narrow path are due to the influence of Sanuny. Mr. Brice, wishing to over- come tliese wifely prejudices, invites Sanuny to spend a day at his suljurban home. The bachelor's unexpected advent in the Brice household causes a temporary breach between the yoimg people. In his atteni])! to rejjair the ^ is to give your preference in doing business, all things being equal, to articles of Boston or New England production. There is a moral duty resting upon }-our shoulders and mine by reason of our mem- bership in either the Chamber or the Pub- licity Association. Arc you and I living up to it or is our protestation of loyalty noth- ing but empty words? A man said to me the other day, "I wonder if this boasted New England loyalty is any more than skin-deep after all." Now, let us get right down to cases. I can hear you say, "Well, what are you driving at?" Let me give you a concrete example. Recently some of you had an opjjortunity at the rooms of the Chamber to see a dis- play of cigars, every one of which was made in IBoston. You must admit that it was a Boston, February IS, HM 1. creditable showing. But let me ask >-ou, frankly, if it accomplished its purpose. Here is, at least, part of the answer. Go into any first-class hotel in Boston; go into any of the better known clubs and look in the cigar case, or, still better, ask for the tray. Will you see any Boston-made goods? Go one step further and ask for one of the better known brands of Boston-made goods. Will you get it? Possibly. But if so, is it not dug up from underneath the case or out of some dark corner? Are you aware that the snubbed nose, thick-butted cigar is not the only kind made in Boston, but that certain Boston makers are selling, outside of Boston, cigars of as graceful shapes and attractive shades as are made in any factory inside or outside of Havana? Furthermore, isn't assurance that the cigars you ])ut in your mouth arc made properly imder hygienic conditions worth .something to >-ou? The Massachusetts laws regulating the matter of ventilation and sanitation in cigar factories are specific and adequate, and State inspection is rigid. My business is to assist manufacturers in the distribution and sale of their jiroducts. In this particular case, I represent H. Traiser & Co., Inc., the largest individual In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON 15a manufacturer of cigars in New England, and one of the largest in the country. This firm is putting out splendid goods — a line of cigars under the name Traico. This manu- facturer's problem, and mine, is to intro- duce Traico to the men of Boston who smoke the better grades of cigars; and we are up against just this proposition: The hotels, the clubs, and some of the first-class cigarists, seem to be strongly op- posed to handling Boston-made goods, and it is almost impossible to make any head- way with them, even on this new proposi- tion. Among the reasons given for this attitude is that most of the generally known "popu- lar" ten-cent goods, are made only in the straight "Londres" shape and are sold at cut prices. If such conditions are acknowledged to demoralize the trade in a particular line, should it be allowed to stand in the way of marketing a new home product that actu- ally has all the merits for which a smoker can ask? It is sold for, and is actually worth, ten and fifteen cents. It is made in other shapes than the usual "Londres," which you personally may not care for. You may say when you read this : "This man is grinding an ax." Yes, I am grinding an ax, but here is a case in which when I grind my ax, that is, when I benefit Traico cigars, I am benefitting any other cigars made in Boston that are of sufficiently high grade to be in the same category with Traico. You, the individual reader of this letter, are probably a member of one or more clubs. You are, if you smoke, buying what you consider a good grade of cigars. Does it ever enter your head to ask for the Boston goods at your club or hotel? If you say "No, because Boston-made cigars are not what I want," let me tell you that you are very likely to chapge your mind if you will give Traico a trial. But admitting that you may be willing to smoke Traico, how are we going to overcome the difficulty that is in your way in getting it ? You cannot expect the cigar retailer or the man behind hotel or club stand to wax enthusiastic over a brand unless it sells well, but, on the other hand, if Traico and other Boston goods are discriminated against by the buyers in clubs and hotels, they are cut off from the very channels through which they should attain favor. If you ask for Traico once or twice at such places, failing to get them, you will tire of asking. The situation then sifts itself right down to this: You must bring some pres- sure to bear that is stronger than an occa- sional demand for a cigar. You might do it this way : Go to the chairman of your house committee at the club and say to him: "This club is a Boston institution., A repre- sentative line of Boston cigars in three or four different shapes ought to be in the cigar tray so that they will get before the members of the club along with other brands." I could name to you offhand a number of cigars on which a penny was never spent for advertising that have acquired considerable vogue among smokers in just this way, and in many cases these cigars were goods in- ferior to Traico in every way of which you can think. Not only that, but I could point out, in more than one cigar case, or tray, in Boston clubs, goods not made in New England, but offered as high grade, that in some other parts of the country are not even considered legitimate goods. Why are such goods displayed in show cases and sold to the detriment of Boston goods of actual merit that are made under guaranteed conditions of factory sanitation and cleanliness ? Is it not in order for me at this particular time to remind you that your membership in the Boston Chamber of Commerce or the Pilgrim Publicity Association, places you in a position to do good Avork on behalf of a New England manufactured product? If you are a smoker, begin with Traico cigars, and remember this one thing, if this appeal of mine looks to you like a special pleading, which, in a sense, it is, any considerable re- sponse to it will result to the lasting benefit not alone of Traico, but of other high grade cigars made in Boston. H. B. HUMPHREY Preside}! t, II. B. Humphrey Company, Boston. In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON 16a NEW BOSTON MARGARET ANGLIN On Monday evening, March 6, the appearance of tlie distinguished actress, Margaret AngHn, is scheduled at the Treinont Theatre in a new i)lay written by A. K. W. INIason and George Fleming, entitled "Green Stockings," under the dircctidii of Liebler & Co. The i)lay is in three acts and the scenes are laid in rural England at Lumley Park. The story is evolved out of an English custom, well known and closely followed also in Ireland, by which green stockings arc invarialily worn by the eldest unmar- ried and not betrothed daughter of the family at her j'ounger sister's marriage ceremony. Celis Faraday, the role to be assumed by Miss .\nglin, having worn green stockings at two weddings and being threatened with the necessity of donning a third pair, resorts to a plan by which she hopes to exempt herself from the distinguishing mark of spinsterhood. Obviously, "Green Stockings" is a comedy, with the brilliant actress as the central 6gure of an admiralilc plot with plenty of fun. It is the first comedy projected with Margaret Anglin as the star, and her advent conveys there- fore the flavor of a distinct novelty. Included in her support may be mentioned the following well-known players: H. Reeves-Smith, George Woodward, Ivan Simpson, Walter Howe, Charles Garry, Maude Granger, Ruth Holt Bouci- cault, Ruth Rose and others. THAIS MAGRANE In "The Spendthrift" CunN SECTIONAL BOOKCASES For The Home Preserves the books, free from dust and dirt. Can be added to, one section at a time as the library increases. Made in a variety of woods and finishes. The Ladies Desk Section Provides places for writting mater- ials, pigeon holes for correspon- dence, receipts, etc. — file boxes for papers, etc. Can be added to any stack the same as a bookcase section. Don't fail to see this charming arrange- ment. ALLEN PAISLEY CO. 133-137 Portland Street Near North Station BOSTON, MASS. 25^^^ discount from catalogue if you will send this ad or bring it with you. In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON 7a To Set You Thinking From day to day as I come into touch with different business problems with the end in view of helping each man to better see his own individual problem as a whole, I am firmly convinced that a fresh eye and a new viewpoint can be of decided value toward efficiency and increased profits. P'or instance, you are going to put a product on the market in package form, and immediately get up your package after your own ideas, something that you think is pretty and attractive. But it never enters your head that the most im- portant thing that that package should carry is a selling value. Do you know^ what that means? Let me tell you. Can you go back in your mind and see the pic- ture of a whale with a white spot on it? Do you know what it said on that spot? Of course you do, "Soapine Did it." Now it is quite probable that this picture was imprinted or photographed on your mind at least twenty or twenty -five years ago. It had a selling value, and it was worth money. Are you putting out a package that is ear-marked, that can be described in as few words, that can imprint itself on the mind as quickly as this? If you are, it has got selling value; but if you have a lot of fuss and feathers with nothing distinctive, nothing convincing, you haven't a package that has selling value, and consequently it will take very much more money to pro- mote it than it would one that did have the character and quality of the above illustra- tion. The man who can take hold of your sell- ing problem with you, who can see these really simple truths, is worth all the money that he will ask, if he does no more than get you started right. He can see whether or not "April Fool" is pinned on your back, and he is dead sure of it. Perhaps you have been so engrossed in the details on the inside that it has not occurred to you that there is any outside viewpoint to your problem whatever, so you go on fooling yourself without thinking or realizing that a bright advertising man has a viewpoint and the brains that can bring you money. New England Manufacturer, you believe in life insurance and fire insurance, now why don't you believe in business insurance? Begin now and insure a demand for your quality product from the generation that is yet unborn. Insure the education_of Boston Garter is higher grade— not only fits the leg, but will wear well in every part — the clasp ^ays se- curely in place until released. Sfp that BOSTON OAKTEIl is staiiiiieil on the clasp. Sample Pair, Cotton, 25c., Silk, BOc. M'ulcii on rt-ceipt of Price. George frost Co., makers Bostou. U.S.A. Dorchester Awning Company (INC.) Manufacturers of all kinds of Canvas Goods Awnings, Tents, Etc. WEDDING CANOPIES AND LARGE TENTS TO LET PIAZZAS FITTED UP FOR SLEEPING OUT 1548-1558 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester, Mass. your grandchildren, perhaps yet unborn. Get in touch with a live advertising man who can look at your j)roblem as he would look at an apj)le and see the worm holes. Don't think tlie worm won't get into the heart of the aj^ple because it will. If this publicity bee is buzzing in your bonnet, talk with any good, bright advertis- ing man. Be glad to put your time against his. It is worth as much as yours, and perhaps you will both profit by it. A. W. Ellis Agency, 10 High Street, Boston, Mass. Among the Fashionable Shops CAN'T LEAK Ward's Leaknot ^ ^ FOUNTAIN PEN will ^m ^^ not soil your fingers or ^■^^■1 clothes. It cannot leak ■ ^^1 ■ "o matter how carried. ■ ■■ ■ Submerged Pen Point ■ ■■ 1 makes it ready for in- ■ M 1 Ask your dealer or send W A R D ' S 57-63 Franklin Street, Boston E. J. STATES Ant Embroideries Stamping and Designing 328 Boylston Street Opposite Arlington St. BOSTON IRVING AND CASSON Custom Furniture, Interior Finish, Wood Mantels Decorations and Upholstery Church Furniture 1 50 Boylston Street, Boston PIANOS Boston's Great Art Product 492 Boylston Street O.Cu5Unr)ar?o Florentine Arts m m Annual Mark Down Sale Terra Cotta and Majolica Wares The Only Store of Its Kind In New England 292 Boylston Street Boston, Mass. n 1 1 1" H 1 1 Is % STKAKIIITKNKII Is li 11 ■■ KKMOIIKLKI) !■ \0 \A %^ UISINFK(TKI>. Ktr. Oriental Process Rug Renovating Co. K. M. GIRAGOSIAN. Mgr. Office, 128a Tremont Street Works, 19 Scotia St., Back Bay Oxford 1025 — Tel.— Back Bay 3963-R Wall Papers Artistic ami serviceable paper at reasonable prices. 10 per cent, off on presenting this adver- tisement at time of pur- cliasc. THOMAS SWAN 24 Cornhill Superior Fabrics DAVIS East India House 373 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON Pinkham & Smith Company Prescription Opticians Manufacturers, Importers and Dealers in OPTICAL GOODS, CAMERAS AND PHOTOGRAPHIC SUPPLIES Two \ 288-290 Boylston St. | Boston Stores i 1 3 i Bromfield St. ) Mass. ARTHUR W. WOODEST (Formerly wltb R. M. LIUey) UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS Covered and Repaired The Umbrella Hospital CANES MOUNTED in Any Style LOOK FOR THE BLUE SIGN 73 Cornhill, Boston, Mass. Marceau 160 Tremont St. BOSTON The name signifies best results in portrait photography C. LOTHROP HIGGINS 406 BOYLSTON STREET All the latest models in Street and Dress Hats now ready for inspection NEW BOSTON lla THE WORLD IN BOSTON FRANK W. HAROLD THERE are food shows and horse shows, tuberculosis, automobile and airship exhibitions, but the latest show of all is the missionary expo- sition. Boston has taken the lead in organizing one. It will be the first great missionary exposition to be held in America, and it is called "The World in Boston." The opening date is April 22, 1911, and the place is the Mechanics Building, famous for its exhibitions and great demonstrations of all kinds. "The World in Boston" will occupy the entire building. Boston men subscribed to a guarantee fund of $60,000 before a single step was taken toward the Exposition, and all of this and considerably more will be expended before the doors are opened on April 22. The president of "The World in Boston," which is an incor- porated company, is Samuel B. Capen, LL.D., who, for many years, has been president of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. The man who organized "The Orient in London," one of the greatest of the English expositions, Rev. A. M. Gardner, is the general secretary of "The World in Boston." The fact that the Exposition will make its appeal to the eye will attract many who otherwise would be indifferent. Thousands, both in the churches and out, who through ignorance are now indifferent to missions, will respond to the announcement of the exposition because it is something to see. The scope of the Exposition is indi- cated by its name, "The World in Boston." The whole world is included. There will be scenes and exliibits of the most representative character, from every land where the work of missions is carried on. ' Before the visitor will be a Japanese street, with stores and shops upon either side, leading into a large garden domi- nated by a Buddhist Temple. From this, way may be made into almost any country of the world. On one side of the entrance various jNIohammedan lands will be represented — I'alestine, Turkey, Persia, xVrabia, and others; on the other (to emphasize the essential oneness of home and foreign missions) will be a {Conliiiued on page 12a) GET THE 1915 IDEA "CENTRAL NEEDLEISM" Sitting position lot oidlnary sidv iiteaie machinej THE WRONG WAY THE RIGHT WAY ^ "Central Needleism" simply means placing the sewing machine needle directly in front of the operator, thus doing away with back-aches, unstrung nerves, and that "tired feeling" caused by the ordinary side needle sewing machine. The "central needle" machine makes sewing a pleasure, a healthy exercise, the family sewing an enjoyment. ^ "Central Needleism" is found only on the New Standard Central Needle Hy- gienic Sewing Machine. It is one of the many advantages which the Standard Sew- ing Machine has over all other makes. ^ "Central Needleism" is highly recommended by your doctor, for the idea originated with physicians. By li)1.5 the New Standard Central Needle Hygienic Sewing Machine will be the only sewing niachine that sensible, intelligent people will buy. Hundreds use it now. How about you ? ^ Write for booklet "NB" now or better call to see this wonderful invention today, while you think of it. SHEPARD NORWELL CO. BOSTON In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON 12a NEW BOSTON section representing work among North American Indians. This latter leads into the Negro section, and this again into an African viUage with its honses, shops, mosqne, church and Yoruba Com- pound. By way of the Japanese street we shall come to Chinatown, with its tall, central pagoda, its joss house, and other struc- tures. Nearby will be sections devoted to medical, educational, and industrial missions, and to work among lepers in various lands. Further along, may be seen an India Village, including among other exhibits the Towers of Silence, a Kashmir house, a Bengali Zenana, a Hindu Temple, and a wayside shrine. Beyond these will be various depart- ments representing home missionary work among the immigrants at Ellis Island, on the frontier, and in Hawaii, Cuba and Porto Rico. On the same floor a Hall of Religions will bring before the eyes of visitors the world's multi- tudinous forms of worship, pagan rites, and heathen superstitions, and a large number of courts, or booths, will be filled with interesting objects from all the non-Christian countries of the world. The gallery or second floor of the main exhibition hall will be devoted to a comprehensive illustration of educa- tional work in non-Christian lands, con- trasting the native schools with the mission schools, and showing models of typical buildings. In a smaller hall the life of children in heathen lands will be illustrated in dialogues, sketches, and brief scenes in which children will play the parts. In another small hall there will be tableaux and costume lectures. The tableaux will be given at frequent intervals. At one hour visitors may see a representation of a Chinese wedding, and at another time, a funeral in India. A moving picture exhibition is to be given in a third small hall. Thousands of feet of film are being collected from all parts of the world for this particular department of "The World in Boston." There will be shown, at frequent intervals, the native life in great cities of the non- Christian lands. There will also be pictures of missionaries actually at work. All these scenes in the Exjxjsition and many of the courts or booths will be in charge of young men and young women from the churches of Boston and vicinity. They will wear the native {Continued on page 14a) HOWARD Dustless Duster (25 Cents Prepaid) Makes possible a dustless home. Write for our Dust Book "A" and small free sample. It will show you how to make dusting a pleasure, how to dry clean a silk skirt in five minutes, how to " ^^ ' '^ clean windows in a "^° O'' '" ■^°''" twinkling, to polish pianos and highly finished furniture, to make cut glass sparkle like dia- monds, to make an old derby look like new. Money back if ftot salisfaclory HOWARD DUSTLESS DUSTER CO. 164-12 Federal Street, Boston, Mass. L When ordering Milk, Cream, Butter or Buttermilk, be sure to ask for and insist on getting HOOD'S ACKNOWLEDGED THE BEST Cream and All Dairy Products General Offices and Chemical and Bacteriological Laboratory 494 Rutherford Avenue, Boston, Mass. The Largest Independent Dairy Company In New England. In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON 13a From Maine to California, from Washington to Florida, the country is covered with Mellin's Food Babies There are Mellin's Food Babies in every city, town and hamlet, and wherever they are, they are the sturdiest, healthiest babies in the community. In your own neighbor- hood you will find that the babies whom you most admire for their sturdy health and rosy cheeks were brought up on Mellin's Food. These thousands of sturdy, rosy-cheeked Mellin's Food babies and children are the best possible proof that Mellin's Food is an adequate and absolutely dependable substitute for mother's milk. » If you would have your baby sturdy and healthy and happy start him on Mellin's Food. He will thrive on it. Get a bottle at your Druggist's today. We have a valuable book, " The Care and Feeding of Infants," which tells just the thing;s you ought to know about feeding and caring for your baby, We shall be very glad to send you a copy of this book, together with a Trial Size Bottle of Mellin's Food, if you will write us. MELLIN'S FOOD COMPANY, BOSTON, MASS. In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON 14a NEW BOSTON dress of the scenes or country to which they are attached, and will give to the whole Exposition an intimate touch of human life and activity. These volun- teer attendants are called stewards, and more than 10, 000 have been enrolled. All have studied the history of the coun- try to wliicii they have been assigned. They have familiarized themselves with the work of missions in the same lands, the native customs and the changes and results which Christian influence has brought about. In the Pageant of Darkness and Light there will be nearly ,5, 000 choristers and participants. Most of these will wear a costume, either of some foreign land or a special chorister's dress. The cos- tumes used at the presentation of the Pageant at "The Orient in London" Missionary Exposition, held in the Eng- lish capital in 1908, have been sent to the United States and are to be used at the Boston presentation. Unusual preparations are being made for the pageant, which will be a spec- tacular representation of great historical events in the history of missions. There are five episodes or scenes, in each of which about two hundred persons will UNIVERSin TRAVEL We offer tours to the Orient sailing in January and February under scholarly leadership and with a special Nile steamer and a yacht of our own in the Mediterranean. We offer tours to Europe sailing in April, May and June, visiting Greece, Italy, Central and Northern Europe. As a preparation for travel in Europe or for private study, we offer the UNIVERSITY PRINTS — 2,000 subjects at one penny each — reproduc- tions of masterpieces of European galleries. Send for announcements BUREAU OF UNIVERSITY TRAVEL TRINITY PLACE, BOSTON, MASS. TELEPHONE BACK BAY 2620 CunM SECTIONAL BOOKCASES For The Home Preserves the books, free from dust and dirt. Can be added to, one section at a time as the library increases. Made in a variety of woods and finishes. The Ladies Desk Section Provides places for writting mater- ials, pigeon holes for correspon- dence, receipts, etc. — file boxes for papers, etc. Can be added to any stack the same as a bookcase section. Don't fail to see this charming arrange- ment. ALLEN PAISLEY CO. 133-137 Portland Street Near North Station BOSTON, MASS. 25'/(j discount from catalogue if you will send this ad or bring it with you. In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON 15a To Smokers of Fine Cigars: Here is a cigar made in New England by an old established New England house. It is a cigar of very fine quality, and is sold at the exclusive clubs and the best hotels where the ordinary " popular 10-cent brands (so-calledj are NOT considered suitable. Look for this band TRAICO The Cigar of the Hour" 10 Cents 15 Cents has achieved a wonderful success — it satisfies men who are not pleased with common cigars. Its most enthusiastic smokers are among those who usually pick the better grades of clear Havana goods. In flavor it excels many of the Havana brands. Ask at your club, hotel, or favorite dealer's. The band aids you to identify the goods in the case. The trade- mark also appears on the box and stands for those qualities that will lead you to continue to call for Traico. H. TRAISER & CO., Inc., Makers Boston Made in Fine up to date Shapes participate. The pageant is to be given in the Pageant Hall or Grand Hall of Mechanics Building every afternoon and every evening during the four weeks of the Exposition. It is not the purpose of "The World in Boston" to make a financial profit. The missionary cause, both Home and Foreign, has come to be so connected in the })ublic mind with appeals for money and with devices for raising money, that it may be difficult to per- suade people that this great effort has no such immediate end in view. Its promoters will be fully satisfied if it pays its own way and enables the treasurer to refund to the guarantors tiie money which they have advanced. Should there be any profit, it will be turned over to the Young People's Missionarv ISrovemeut. Important to You or Your Friends Who Are DEAF or Hard of Hearing You can hear and enjoy life like others with the new adjustable Glob ar Ph one The most efficient and refined aid to hearing ever produced THE Globe Ear-Phone received the highest award at tlie Brussels Exposition and also at the Sealth- Exposition in li)0!) as the best aid for defective hearing. It is the only hearing instriuiient that can l)e adjusted to any degree of di'afness. You are invited ro call at our office and have a practical demonstration, or write at once for home trial particulars; also for booklet describing Church Ear-Phone #lotie €ar=^})one Co. 740 Tremont Temple Boston In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON 16a NEW BOSTON 'BOND OF BOSTON 16 CENTRAL STREET ADVERTISING Of THe RigHt Kind My service covers all proper publicity needed for the successful and profitable marketing of representative products. Multigraph Typewriting Miss Keith has added to her equipment for producing all kinds of circular matter, a device which will print letter heads in various styles of type, thus eliminating the time and trouble entailed in dealing with the printer. Miss Keith refers to the management of Boston-1915 for endorsement of both quality and delivery of multi- graph work, which she is executing for its organization. You are invited to call at Room 428 — same floor as Boston-1915 — to see samples of this work and obtain quotations. STENOGRAPHY AND TYPEWRITING Scientific and Technical Manuscripts a Specialty MISS INA A. KEITH Room 428 6 Beacon St., Boston Workroom 1126 CHARLES M. CONANT Boston, Suburban and Seashore Real Estate Fire, Liability, Automobile and Disability Insurance Ji lifiiY j? This cut gives a glimpse of our Home-sites, at Atlantic-By-The-Sea, only 5 1-2 miles from State House and only 10 minutes from South Station For full f)articulars regarding this beautiful place, see us at 640-642 OLD SOUTH BUILDING, BOSTON In answerinc advertisements olcase mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON 19a BOSTON THEATRES ROBERT BILLIARD IN "A FOOL THERE WAS" Robert Hilliard comes to the Boston Theatre for two weeks commencing April 3, in "A Fool There Was." It is significant of the compelling power of Mr. Hilliard's acting, as well as the very wide appeal of the drama, that "A Fool There Was" has had twelve distinct revivals in less than two years, in the theatres of New York and Brooklyn; three in Washington, three in Philadelphia, three in Chicago, and two each in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Buffalo. "A Fool There Was" makes vital the story of a distinguished American dip- lomat dragged down to disaster through the spell of a hypnotic woman. Its basic theme is found in Kipling's ruggedly powerful and grimly satirical poem of the vampire woman, who was only "a rag and a bone and a hank of hair." One of the vividly realistic stage pictures is the deck of a crowded ocean liner at the sailing hour. MME. SCHEFF IN A NEW OPERA "M'Ue Rosita" is the title of the new opera which Victor Herbert has composed for Fritzi Scheff and which will have its premier at the Shubert Theatre next Monday night, March 27th. It is a modern piece with the scenes laid in Paris and Mme. Scheff appears as Rosita Boutonniere, daugh- (Contimied on page Ha) MRS. LESLIE CARTER in "Two Women" INDIVIDUAL Sanitary Paper Drinking Cups ^It Kinds Communion, Dental, Household, School, Factory, Hospital, Bankers and Brokers, Soda, and Theatre Cup Brackets, holding 25 or 100 cups, are dust proof and are very neat and convenient Cup Cabinets for Schools and Factories "Those who have charge of pub- lic places where water is served can do no greater service to mankind than by adopting such a simple means as this cup." — Editorial Ladies Home Journal. Folding Cup ^ SAVING IN FIRST COST— 40^ SAVING IN OPERATING EXPENSE — UNINTERRUPTED SERVICE UNDER ALL CONDITIONS. That's what we offer — that's what we guarantee in all Palmer-Singer Six Cylinder, Sixty Horse Power, Four Speed Forward and Reverse, Touring Cats. PALMER-SINGER stands for STANDARD construction even to the minutest detail— built in New York City along the very highest lines known to modern automobile requirements- free from mechanical imperfection of any kind, it possesses many points of superiority to be found in no other car. We mean this — we mean every word of it — the specifications of the PALMER-SINGER confirm it. Our guarantee of uninterrupted service means something — it is sincere — it takes effect the moment a car leaves our factory and is continuous — it is backed by men of unquestionable integrity, men whose word is their bond. Our literature is most interesting and instructive; a postal will bring it to your address. FRANCIS DIKE, Inc. 47 Fairfield St., Boston, Mass. In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON Ideals in Merchandise THERE is character building in merchandise, just as there is in men. We learn to know and to appraise goods by much the same standards that we apply to people, although perhaps merchandise represents a double standard, for interwoven with its own character, good or bad, there is also the impress of the character of the maker. We recognize the value of goods by appearance, quality of material, workmanship, finish and fitness; and frecjuently by something else in concrete form the maker ; and the value of the This is especiall}' generations have — a trade mark, a name — representing the character, quality, and fitness of when this is present it establishes goods more definitely than all else. the case in older communities, where labored toward the perfection of a product, and where this process has gone hand in hand with a determination that the goods, as well as the manner of their marketing, shall bear the impress of their build- ers, and represent their highest ideals in manufacture and their truest conceptions of the integrity of traffic. Generations continuing the same line of manufacture present striking instances of goods so perfectly developed, so thor- oughl}' known and accepted, that they have become a standard of excellence and value everywhere. Competition has devised no force potent enough to crowd these goods out of a market to which they have proved a supreme right through unnumbered days of steadfastness to honest value and to honest dealing. For nearly three centuries of manufacturing, New England has been developing to a high plane these ideals of merchan- dise. Not in her cities alone but in unexpected places among her hills and beside her swift-i^mning streams are found factories and mills out of which come goods known throughout the world ; and the trade mark and ' ' New England Made" stamped upon them, and the character for which they stand, make these goods, like the king's seal, pass current wherever there are civilized men. Pilgrim Publicity Association, Boston [Copyrigrht, 1910] a ^ C^ ,^TTTxrrTf]ll P ^ In answci-iiig adverliscnicnts please menlion XKW UOSTOX NEW BOSTON American Jfurniture Cxcfjange Incorporated Office and Commercial Furniture NEW AND SECOND HAND Rilentsalesman and Counter Show Cases, Cash Registers, Safes, Lunch Stools, etc. Phone Ljr— — . Haymarket flJ?^=s 1824 NEW AND SECOND HAND Roll Top, Flat Top, Bookkeepers' and Typewriters' Desks Office and Salesroom Nos. 6 and 8 Aiden Street Filing Cal)inets, Sectional Bookcases, Etc. Off Sudbury Street Boston, MasS. A Subscription to New Boston will keep you in touch with every branch of the 1915 movement. That means that by becoming a reader you will have first hand knowledge of Boston's civic, social and industrial activities. The blank below, filled out and sent to us with a dollar bill will make you a subscriber for a year. NEW BOSTON, 6 Beacon Street Please send me NEW BOSTON for one year. Date Name Address In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW JBOSTON I Romance in Merchandise I N THE building of every great merchandise success there is a story of absorbing human interest, a storv fused from the lives and characters of its builders. A great business appears to be almost automatic in its development. In the full swing of its success it absorbs moun- tains of raw material and pours out unending rivers of finished merchandise ; and it seems as if such an institution must al- ways have been in operation and its product always in demand. Yet back of this success, a hundred or even two hundred years, there was an insignificant beginning, compassed verv likely by a single brain and two labor-scarred hands ; followed by many heart-breaking Aears of experiment, of error, and of desperate chances when it vvas a daily fight for even the primitive right to exist. With this right established, there came such imperative need of expansion as taxed every resource of the mind, drained dry the uttermost springs of credit, and tested the very marrow of courage. During all these years of struggle the merchandise and its makers have grown into a closer harmony, each becoming more nearly representative of the other; for nothing is more true than that goods or businesses which are the concrete result of years of study and effort, of days of tireless toil and nights of sleepless thought, come at last to represent and to stand for the character, ambitions, and ideals of their builders. And merchandise so built has upon it the very finger prints, the intimate touch and fiber, of those whose lives have entered into its moulding. No wonder then that where such businesses are established, and ^here such goods are made, there has developed a pride of production, a perfection of workman- ship, an unswerving loyalty to the highest business ideals. It is these almost intangible things, these romances of mer- chandise, that have determined New England's destiny as a great manufacturing center, teeming with millions of skilled laborers and dotted with thousands of mills and factories. Pilgrim Publicity Association, Boston [Copyright, 1910] m m In answering advertisements please mention K'^W BOSTON NEW BOSTON CHOOSING A PROFESSION AT THE iifjo of (ii'liH'ii a buy coiiinioncos to roalizc he may not be President of the United States, althoufjh he has thouplit all along he would be. A girl of the same age knows that the fairies will not present her \\ith all that slie desires. It is the awakening age, the time for each child to know the value of life, to be made to understand that they are in this world to be helpers, and will possess a share in the great natural resources if their eyes, ears and hands are used. Train your diildren to DO I-()METH1NG and BE SOMEBODY. Study their traits and inclina- tions and choose tliat A\hich they are adapted to, for tlieir destiny depends, in a great measure, upon the channel to which they are guided. If you would ha\-e them successful do not cast them adrift and make them shift for themselves and encounter all kinds of hardships but do the best you can for the lives intrusted to your care, never giving up their guardianship until you know they are well launched on the way to success. Every one loves success and the key to success is the schoolhouse. Years ago we heard of "Tlie Three Learned Professions" — Theology, Law and Medicine. Now we know there are about sixty professions and the most important of these is BUSINESS, for without business ability even clergymen, lawyers and doctors are not very successful. Every girl and boy, rich and i)oor, should learn the value of money and know how to use it. Such a training means a safeguard all through life. How many wealthy widows are cheated out of their inheritance — how many girls make hasty, unfortunate marriages.'' Why.'' Because their early training was deficient and did not include a way toward self-support. There is a school in Boston that has been teaching this method of self-support for about eight years. It costs something, but so does everything worth having. Is it not worth a great deal to know that your daughter is in a safe place.'' Where the aim is to teach all that whatever broadens the mind ennobles the character; where girls are taught to understand their bodies as well as their minds, and to realize the only way to be happy and make others happy is by improving physically, mentally and morally. Such are the principles instilled in the girls at the Boston branch of the Eranklin Academy, 13(5 Boylston St., where the instruction is individual; girls from ten to forty years of age, who through sickness or neglect have not finished the Grammar grade, are instructed in the branches they need until they receive a diploma. Those who can afl^ord a more finished education enter for the high school studies, while others prepare for bookkeepers, stenographers, secretaries and teachers. If you liave a daughter you will not regret your decision by placing her in this special training school for girls, where all learn to be successful. L u n d i n Turkish Baths 20-22 CARVER STREET Next to Park Square /// our specially constructed building are combined two separate and complete establishments with accommodations for men and women PHONE OXFORD 2068 The New England News Company 93-101 Arch Street BOSTON Wholesale Distributors of All'ifNew-JUp-to-Date Stationery Fancy Goods Book* Post Cards and Periodicals In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON izoo tollHllllllllll||||||^nn#^^5IIM^^ A Competition in Excellence THERE is a kind of competition that has materially im- proved manufacturing conditions, raised the wages of Am- erican Avorkmen, made more cheerful and convenient the American home, increased the demand for merchandise of real worth, and created a higher standard of business ethics. A competition in excellence — that is what American manufac- turing is rapidly becoming ! For nowadays no manufacturer can be certain of success whose product in its character and pur- pose fails to minister to some genuine desire or need of its users. The deeper we delve into the methods of successful industries the more certain are we to discover that they are builded on the basic ideal of an excellence maintained at an}^ cost. Such methods had their rise in the days of the Pilgrims. "New England Made" thus early became a synonym for materials that were not skimped, inspection that was thorough, and methods of making that were conscientiously exact — and these ideals of quality have dominated the mighty developments which followed the success of those earh' efforts. Nearly three centuries have come and gone since American manufacturing was established on the only lasting foundation — quality. JVIany new industries have come, and some have gone — perhaps because their product did not measure up to these standards of excellence. But dotted all over this great section stand the growing plants of sturdy old New England industries, where grandsons and great-grandsons still uphold the policy of excellence set by the founders — where a just pride in the product animates every member of the great organization, from the president to the unskilled workman — and that is why in the face of the ever-present competition of new recruits in the same field of manufacture, these goods have triumphed in every conflict and weathered every storm. Such cases afford abundant proof that the only way }ou can long compete with a good article is to make a still better one — and it is the recognition of this necessity which is crea- ting a new and higher competition — a competition in excellence. i a s In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON To the Readers of New Boston : Boston-1915 takes pleasure in endors- ing the advertisers who have assisted in making possible this number of "New BOSTON" These advertisers represent Boston's best concerns and most public-spirited citizens. As such they deserve your pat- ronage. Please mention i New Boston in purchasing. Publishers of New Boston In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON MEDALS AND OTHER HONORS MAKER. COLLECTOR and CUSTODIAN AWARDED FOR EXCELLENCE „ ...■ ...^r,.^... . ■-■-•iiNv-t Qp. pQj^^pj^i^ PHOTOGRAPHS FOR IN AMERICAN AND FOREIGN — PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITIONS PUBLICITY BUREAU OF BOSTON-1915 CHARLES WESLEY HEARN PORTRAITS BY PHOTOGRAPHY AT STUDIO OR AT RESIDENCE ONLY OFFICIAL BOSTON-1915 PHOTOGRAPHER 561 BOYLSTON STREET TELEPHONE 2598-2 B.B. BOSTON, MASS. MAGAZINES CATALOGUES THE CHAPPLE PRESS PRINTERS AND PUBLISHERS BOSTON ISAAC H. MORTON 170 Summer Street REPRESENTATIVE PHONE. FORT HILL 2474 BOOKLETS COMMERCIAL WORK In answering advertisements please mention NEW BOSTON NEW BOSTON y i. rr jrr^WiT^iiiiiiiiiiiiiiifh^^p^iiiiiiiiiiMMr The"OpenDoor"to Opportunity STUDENTS of industrial development tell us that in the ea<>erncs.s to build up newer territories, the opportu- nities of older sections are frecpiently lost sight of. A^' hatever is at a distance seems to be imbued with greater attracti^'eness and value than that which is near at hand. Thus as imagination pictured the unexplored deserts and mountains, the vast, uncultivated stretches of rich prairie, the unharnessed waterfjills, the unconquered kingdoms of virgin forest and undeveloped industries of the mighty, un- known West, there wakened again the old adventurous spirit of the Pilgrims. And out from many a town and farm poured for many a day the flower of New Eng- land's youth, while out from many a bank and counting room flowed a golden stream that seemed to have no end. A half centuiy roUed by, and the prospector and the settler had conquered Nature's vast western domain — the capital of older sections performed miracles of development. The South and West were rapidly becoming rich and well-settled communities — and the investor in his search for undeveloped possibilities came to realize that he had looked far afield and neglected the opportunities at his very doorstep, and with this realization a new day dawned for New England. And now the tide has definitely turned, and is flowing back — back to New England and her undeveloped opportunities, back to the wealth of field and stream, of mountain and seashore, uncanvassed and uncounted, waiting lo these many 3'ears for their turn to set the giant wheels of com- merce in motion, that they too might fulfil their destiny. New England's greatest glories are not of the past, but in the future — a future yet but dimly realized, wherein every field and stream and forest and hill shall contribute its quota toward a mightier empire of organized agriculture, in- dustry, and commerce, employing to the full the un- limited resources of New England capital, and the brains, skill, and energy of all her diversified population. In answering adveiliscnicnis please nieniion i\liVV JiUti 1 ON THE CHAPPLE PRESS. BOSTON NEW SUBURBAN Telephone ^ates ¥N order to supply the requirements of such Suburban * Telephone Users as are not fully provided for by the New Rate Schedule, it has been decided to add One- Party and Two- Party Unlimited Residence Service, covering all Suburban Districts, as follows : — Unlimited One-Party Residence Line, $45. (Reduced from $54 in old schedule.! Unlimited Two-Party Residence Line, $36. (Reduced from $42 in old schedule.) *Two-Party Lines Equipped with Divided Ringing. Subscribers desiring these or other classes of service under the New Schedule are invited to call Fort Hill 7600 (free of charge) and consult the Rate Department, New England ifl^\ ^nd Telegraph Telephone *%©# Company First XationaV BanR. Boston TO FEDEK.71L STREET CAPITAL and SURPLUS - - $6,000,000 UNDIVIDED PROFITS - - - $3,000,000 STOCKHOLDERS' LIABILITY - $3,000,000 A TOTAL GUARANTY OF $12,000,000 FOR THE SECURITY AND SAFETY OF DEPOSITORS FURNISHES PRO- TECTION WHICH IS FURTHER INCREASED BY THE DIRECTING POLICIES OF A CONSERVATIVE AND CAREFUL BOARD OF WELL- KNOWN AND SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS MEN OF BOSTON. iBtrector£( CALVIN AUSTIN, President Eastern Steamship Company EDWARD E. BLODGETT, Blodgett, Jones & Burnham, Attorneys ROLAND W. BOYDEN, Ropes, Gray & Gorham, Attorneys CHARLES F. BROOKER, President American Brass Co., Waterbury, Conn. GEORGE W. BROWN, Vice President United Shoe Machinery Company JOHN CARR, President Eliot Five Cents Savings Bank GEORGE A. DRAPER, Treasurer Draper Company, Hopedale, Mass. ROBERT J. EDWARDS, Treasurer Edwards Manufacturing Company ROBERT F. HERRICK, Fish, Richardson, Herrick & Neave, Attorneys WILLIAM H. HILL, Capitalist CHARLES H. JONES, President Commonwealth Shoe & Leather Company FREDERIC C. McDUFFIE, Treasurer York Mfg. Co. and Everett Mills CHARLES S. MELLEN, President New York, New Haven & Hartford R. R. CHARLES A. MORSS, Treasurer Simplex Electrical Company ANDREW W. PRESTON, President United Fruit Company N. W. RICE, N. W. Rice Company WALLACE F. ROBINSON, Capitalist, ex-President Chamber of Commerce WILLIAM SKINNER, President William Skinner & Sons, Holyoke, Mass. CHARLES A. STONE, Stone & Webster JAMES J. STORROW, Lee, Higginson & Company, Bankers JOHN W. WEEKS, Hornblower & Weeks, Bankers & Brokers GEORGE R. WHITE, President Potter Drug & Chemical Corporation DANIEL G. WING, President SIDNEY W. WINSLOW, President United Shoe Machinery Company INTEREST ALLOWED ON ACCOUNTS FIRST NATIONAL SAFE DEPOSIT VAULTS Open from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. Boies $10 a year and upwards. Storate Vaults for Trunks and Silverware Lb '^'^ ',9f LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 013 996 683 1