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UNIVERSITY OF 
 ILLINOIS LIBRARY 
 URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 
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 jetting at the Heart of 
 the Downtown 
 Problem 
 
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 A concrete illustration of what the 
 Church is doing in one of the 
 most difficult fields in the world. 
 
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 The Labor Temple is conducted by 
 
 the Board of Home Missions of the 
 
 * 
 
 Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. 
 in co-operation with the Church 
 Extension and Home Mission 
 Committees of New York Presbytery. 
 
 
 Department of Church and Labor, the 
 Board of Home Missions of the Presby¬ 
 terian Church in the U. S. A., 156 Fifth 
 Ave., New York. H. C. Olin, Treasurer. 
 
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 Getting at the Heart of the Down¬ 
 town Problem 
 
 L 
 
 OWER NEW YORK 
 is the arena in which 
 
 the greatest battles of 
 America's masses will 
 be fought. Here every 
 social, economic and re¬ 
 ligious problem of the 
 day will be faced by the 
 people and settled—for 
 good or for ill. What 
 shall be the place of the 
 Church in this struggle? 
 This is the question 
 which the Labor Temple 
 is trying to answer. 
 
 The Temple is situ¬ 
 ated at the most strate¬ 
 gic point in New York 
 City for such a work. 
 Fourteenth Street and 
 Second Avenue is the 
 junction point of the 
 east side's most popular 
 thoroughfares. At certain hours of the day there pass 
 by this corner—on sidewalk and in street-car—fully ONE 
 THOUSAND PERSONS EVERY MINUTE. 
 
 A Shopping Crowd on Fourteenth St. 
 
 1 
 
East Fourteenth Street at Night* 
 
 W ithin a block is the great downtown amusement 
 district of the people. A dozen theatres entertain 
 thousands nightly, and on Sunday afternoon and 
 evening there are still greater crowds. Until long after 
 midnight, Fourteenth Street is a blaze of light, rivalling 
 the day for brightness. The saloons, several of them run by 
 famous sporting men, are crowded to the doors. Here, too, 
 is the “red-light” district. The Temple is in the midst of it. 
 Then, there are the dance-halls and the vulgar motion pic¬ 
 ture shows—often hot-beds of vice and obscenity. There's 
 a cheap Bohemia all about us which is very attractive to the 
 young people in our community—and in most cases, cpiite 
 within their means. 
 
 To the south and east lie the great tenement districts— 
 the most congested section of the world. \\ ithin our parish 
 of about a mile square there are approximately 400,000 
 people living. There are 27 blocks, each having between 
 
 *Note. —The long exposure in taking this picture eliminated the crowds of 
 people who were passing before the camera. 
 
 2 
 
"A Typical Audience in a Nearby Theatre 
 
 3,000 and 4,000 inhabitants, 5 have between 4,000 and 5,000, 
 and one block has over 5,000. There is another block which 
 has a density of 1,434 persons per acre. And what a babel 
 of tongues! Every country in the world is represented in 
 our parish. There are the children—perfect swarms of 
 them. The street is their principal play-ground. This 
 would not be so bad were it not for the fact that their play 
 is not properly directed. The result is that many of them 
 are arrested for “crimes" which grow out of a perfectly 
 normal desire for amusement. Over 1,400 children were 
 arrested in our parish in one year,—about one-half of them 
 for “disorderly conduct." The native-born children of for¬ 
 eign-born parents are the greatest “offenders,"—the parents 
 are too busy earning a living for the family and they are 
 often too ignorant of New York’s temptations to properly 
 care for their children. 
 
 But the problem which stands out above every other is 
 the industrial situation—the question of getting a living. 
 That's why socialism is so strong. Every summer night you 
 will find open-air meetings going on all about us, and during 
 the winter season the socialists hold their mass-meetings in 
 nearby halls. The Temple does not evade this issue. With¬ 
 out committing itself or the Church to any particular eco¬ 
 nomic system, it sympathetically talks out with interested 
 audiences the questions that perplex the workers. 
 
The Labor Temple at Night 
 
 T his is the most difficult field in America. That’s 
 why we selected it. We wish to demonstrate what 
 the Church may do in such a community. Nat¬ 
 urally, the methods must be different from those employed 
 in the family Church. The situation demands an unusual 
 program. But here's the point—the Church has confessed 
 that it has practically failed in securing the attention of the 
 people—the churches are either moving out or else they are 
 steadily losing their influence. We are trying to meet this 
 terribly serious situation—and we use the word “terribly” 
 advisedly. It is just that. 
 
 Our success thus far seems to indicate that we have 
 struck upon the right principle. We are getting the people. 
 We are winning their friendship. We are breaking down 
 long-time prejudices against the Church. We are showing 
 
 4 
 
Jew and Catholic, Protestant and Agnostic, just what prac¬ 
 tical Christianity means—that it’s a thing which must touch 
 them at every point in their lives seven days in the week. 
 Could one do more than this ? While we are interested in 
 social and economic problems, we would be untrue to God 
 and to the people were we to evade or omit the distinctively 
 spiritual aspects of life. We discuss religious questions 
 without apology. Our people appreciate our frankness. 
 Men and women are getting a new conception of the sig¬ 
 nificance of the old gospel. They are being drawn nearer to 
 God—and, by the way, nine-tenths of the average audience 
 is composed of men; one-half are Jews; three-fourths are 
 foreigners. 
 
 Saloons in Our Parish 
 
 (Each dot represents a Saloon) 
 
A Labor Temple Audience 
 
 T he temple is open every xight, and on Sunday 
 there is a continuous program from two-thirty till ten. 
 There are about thirty meetings a week. These are 
 so planned as to make the appeal as varied as possible. 
 Here's a typical week's program during the winter season : 
 
 On Sunday at 2.30 there's, a Children's Hour and an 
 Adult Bible Class. An hour later we have our Sunday 
 School and at the same hour there's an organ recital in the 
 auditorium. This is usually followed by a dramatic recital, 
 when some of the masterpieces in literature are presented, 
 or else there is an hour of vocal or instrumental music. At 
 five o'clock, carefully censored motion pictures are shown, 
 the purpose being to teach a strong moral lesson. At six, 
 about one hundred Temple helpers—members of the choir, 
 student workers, ushers, club leaders, Sunday School teach¬ 
 ers and the Temple staff—sit down to a simple luncheon, 
 and often there is a brief inspirational address by a prom- 
 
inent out-of-town guest. Meanwhile, other members of the 
 choir are gathering, and at seven there begins an intense 
 half-hour rehearsal, so that when the regular evening song 
 service begins at 7.30, the eighty singers are finely keyed up 
 to their work. The auditorium is always full on Sunday 
 night,—often we turn people away as early as eight o'clock. 
 The sermon is thoroughly evangelical and is a straight ap¬ 
 peal to the hearts of men. Each succeeding Sunday seems 
 to he the “best" Sunday, for each day brings its own 
 peculiar encouragement and inspiration. 
 
 Monday night is set aside for social purposes. This is 
 the time when new acquaintances are made. An enthusias¬ 
 tic young Jew recently wrote a letter to a local newspaper in 
 which he said: “For the banishment of loneliness there is 
 nothing better than the Labor Temple." This simple social 
 function appeals especially to the men and women who live 
 in nearby hall bedrooms, most of which are cold and 
 cheerless. 
 
 Annual Banquet for Members of the Choir 
 
Members of the Temple Choir 
 
 S EVEN periods are scheduled for Tuesday: the Penny 
 Savings Bank, two troops of the Boy Scouts, the 
 Young Women’s Club or class in Domestic Art, an ath¬ 
 letic club,—although we have no sign of a gymnasium—the 
 “Imperators”—a club composed of ambitious young fellows 
 with great possibilities—and the Open Forum for the dis¬ 
 cussion of social problems, which is held in the main 
 auditorium. Here some of the leaders of social thought 
 discuss the important problems of the day, after which the 
 audience gets a chance at them—and woe betide the insin¬ 
 cere or shallow advocate! The audience soon finds him out. 
 Usually, no matter who the speaker may be, the crowd 
 evens up the argument by presenting the other side—there’s 
 always sure to be an expert ready to take another view. 
 While not on the regular schedule of meetings, there is a 
 permanent engagement at the Temple at six o’clock every 
 Tuesday night during the school year. At this time, about 
 twenty student workers from Union Theological Seminary 
 and the Bible Teachers’ Training School have a supper and 
 
 s 
 
conference hour, when they report upon their work, and 
 when the principles involved are frankly discussed. This is 
 one of the most profitable meetings of the week—profitable 
 to the students as well as to the Temple. Just previous to 
 this meeting there is a conference of the regular Temple 
 staff. 
 
 On Wednesday the “Temple Friendly Club” meets at 
 four, and the “Labor Temple Social Club” has an appoint¬ 
 ment at eight. These are both composed of young people. 
 
 Children's Meeting 
 
 The Temple Chorus has its regular rehearsal at eight, the 
 Temple Brotherhood meets at the same hour, and in the 
 main room there is ordinarily an address on some phase of 
 the health problem. There is always so much sickness 
 among the poor—so much unnecessary sickness—that we 
 consider it a genuine “Christian” service—“religious,” if you 
 please—to show people how to get well and keep well. 
 Jesus did this—did He not? The Boy Scouts meet at 4.30 
 on Thursday—still another troop. At eight there is a class 
 in sight singing, and in the main room there is always an 
 
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illustrated lecture, when we roam the world over, with the 
 aid of beautiful pictures and experienced travellers. 
 
 The Children's Game Hour is held at four o’clock on Fri ¬ 
 day. Here they learn how to play—few children knozv how. 
 The Girls' Diversity Club meets at 7.30, and the Club is just 
 what the name implies. It is composed of alert young 
 women. There are cooking lessons, embroidery, literature 
 and some other interesting features. At eight the orchestra 
 has its rehearsal. There is another cooking class at the 
 same hour, composed mostly of married women and those 
 who will soon marry, and it is taught by one of the most 
 efficient teachers in this country. In the main auditorium on 
 every Friday night there is a religious discussion of the most 
 vital questions having to do with the personal relationship 
 of man to God. This meeting is addressed by the best men 
 available and is always most profitable. The questions asked 
 by the audience indicate the utmost sincerity and reveal the 
 deeper spiritual longings of the human heart. Out of these 
 religious discussions, and as a result of the more distinc¬ 
 tively spiritual work of the Temple, there has developed a 
 
 Boy Scouts 
 10 
 
The Student Workers at the Temple and the Temple Staff 
 
 “Labor Temple Fellowship," which is open to “all who 
 share the purpose of Jesus and are seeking to bring in the 
 Kingdom of God." This Fellowship has in it Jews, Cath¬ 
 olics and Protestants. 
 
 Every Saturday at 4.30 there are motion pictures for the 
 children because they are not admitted to the other meet¬ 
 ings of the week when pictures are shown. The Penny 
 Savings Bank is open at seven, and the week closes with a 
 People's Popular Program at eight, when various musical 
 and literary features are introduced. Sometimes special 
 meetings are worked in, but the above is the normal pro¬ 
 gram for a week. 
 
 It is working. It is helping and inspiring the people. 
 The letters which come to us prove that this is so. We are 
 wearing out the old pews. The carpet is done for. The 
 furnaces are beyond repair. They were old when we came 
 in. Idle building is far too small. Tt was never designed 
 
The Men Away from Home Having a Thanksgiving Dinner 
 
 for the work that we are carrying on. We are hoping that 
 some day we may really do justice to this opportunity. We 
 have just begun to touch it. Here is a field which has in it 
 great possibilities. The people are tremendously in earnest 
 about their own problems. We have a great chance to help 
 them. But we can help only as we work with the people. 
 The spirit of democracy is so strongly developed that any¬ 
 thing which savors of patronage or paternalism is quickly 
 resented. The old-time “mission" is no longer effective. 
 Other movements have been developing among workingmen 
 which have in them much of the religious element. These 
 are to-day challenging the Church for supremacy in the 
 hearts of the people. It is largely because the Church has 
 not been keenly sensitive to the changing conditions among 
 the masses that its hold upon the city is weakened. The 
 “old gospel” must be preached with all its old-time fervor 
 —but it is largely a question of emphasis. 
 
 u 
 
es,—it’s an arena, this downtown field— 
 famous the world over for its problems and 
 its perplexities. But the Church is a part 
 of the problem —the whole Church ; for this is 
 not “the problem of the downtown Church ”—it 
 is “the downtown problem of the Church If 
 the Church fails here it will mean that its claim 
 that it preaches “a universal gospel” is not 
 proved. It will mean that the statement that its 
 gospel is “the best solvent of the social prob¬ 
 lem” is untrue—how can it be true when the 
 Church deliberately deserts those who are fight¬ 
 ing for their very existence—as it has been doing 
 for more than a generation in lower New York? 
 
 What is to become of the church? Will it hold 
 its own—not for its own sake, but for the peo¬ 
 ple’s sake—or shall it continue to flee in the face 
 of the severest test which has come to it in the 
 Church’s history? IT IS FOR THE WHOLE 
 CHURCH TO SAY. 
 

 
 
 
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