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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 23, 1900)
Conservative. il ready to lot him do us a favor as to ex tend one to him. In an address before the Phi Beta Kappa at Oambridgo , Prof. Tucker ex pressed himself thus : "The old idea of working for men is being modified by the larger principle of identification with them. The college settlement will eooii supersede the mis sion , but it will put beside it the broader conception of social unity. It will make service moan not what wo are able to defer for others , but what wo are willing to share with others. " The first residents made frieuda with the children and through them with the mothers. A story hour for the little ones , a few afternoon teas , an evening class or two , a widening circle of ac quaintances , the making of a few friends would have been the record of the first few weeks. A resident was tolling mo that many of the neighbors were very reluctant to believe that the newcomers had located among them for other than some mercenary purpose. But the entertainment given the children gradually got the better of the parents' curiosity , and half distrustfully , or shyly , they visited the kindergarten. The settlement offered no opposition or antagonism to any existing sot of people or conditions. The plan of pro cedure was a flexible one governed by any of the various necessities that pre sented themselves , and immediately re sponsive to any wholesome neighborhood sentiments. As has been said by one of the writers for the Arena , "Hull house is no place for reformers with one idea , or for riders of hobbies of any sort what ever. It is in itself a school of a largo and varied culture , a school that is feel ing out its way to the methods by united endeavor of bringing the two extremes of social city life into harmonious and healthful relationships that shall in different ways equally benefit both. " It was through the energy of a Hull house resident that the fact that the public school census recorded 0,790 school children in the nineteenth ward and that they were provided with only 2,057 public-school sittings , was made prominent just before the appropriations wore voted for school buildings and sites. In the six years of settlement at Hull house , the residents have striven to ward the original purpose , which , as stated in its charter , is "to provide a centre for a higher civic and social life ; to institute and maintain philanthropic enterprises , and to investigate and im prove the conditions of the industrial districts. Particularly is the social side of life recognized at Hull house. Man works and eats ; so does the ox. But man is created also to enjoy and his capacities for enjoyment put him into communication with fields of beings of which the mere animal cannot dream. " Some of those whoso thought and care were given to the poor felt that their work was hardly begun , until they could waken into activity those distinctly hu man faculties of social intercourse of intellectual pleasure and artistic delight , which for themselves made the world so fair , and life so well worth living. The Siiloon Cent roof Social Life. The social instincts of men are sure to lead them to seek centres for social in tercourse and discussions of social prob lems. In the nineteenth ward whore there are two hundred and fifty-five saloons one to every 28 votes these are certainly the centre of the livliest political and social life of the ward. Considering the hovels from which most of the saloon patrons come , it is easy to understand the attraction of those places of good cheer and companionship. At Hull house was organized the Working People's Social Soionco Club , whose purpose is the discussion of social and economic topics. It offers a cosmo politan opportunity for discussion. Jane Addams says the only possible danger from this commingling of many theories is incurred when there is an attempt at suppression ; bottled up , there is danger of explosion ; constantly uncorked , open to deodorizing and freeing process of the air , all danger is averted. The economic conferences which wore hold between business men and working men during the winters of 1888 9 and the two suc ceeding winters , doubtless did much to ward relieving this state of effervescence. Many thoughtful men in Chicago are convinced that , if these conferences had been established earlier , the Haymarket riot and all its sensational results might have been avoided. Besides the Social Science club , there are the Eight Hour club , etc. The College Extension Course at Hull grew from an informal origin. The first class met as guests of the residents. As the classes became larger and more numerous , and the object of the new comers more definitely that of acquisi tion of some special knowledge , the in formality of the social relation neces sarily less ; but the prevailing attitude toward the house of the two hundred and fifty students now enrolled is that of guests , as well as students. The College - lego Extension Course aims not to dupli cate but to supplement tbo advantages offered by evening high schools and business colleges. Other features of the settlement are the students' association , the reading room , the exhibition of pictures , the working peoples' course , Sunday con certs , the various clubs for women and children , savings bank , sewing school , cooking classes , play ground and free kindergarten , and day nuraory and gym nasium. Never can I forget the sight that mot my eyes in the day nursery one day in August. It was noon and the babies were asleep. The motley population of America wus there. In one crib reposed the curly-haired Hebrew infant , in another tbo dark-eyed Italian , and in still another the flaxen-haired German. In the words of Jane Addams , "a set tlement must bo grounded in a philos ophy whoso foundation is on the solid arity of the human race , a philosophy which will not waver when the race happens to bo represented by a drunken woman or an idiot boy. Its residents must bo emptied of all conceit of opin ion and all self-assertion , and ready to arouse and interpret the public opinion of their neighborhood. The philan thropy which will bo a factor in social progress will be a philanthropy from which charity is eradicated , and which recognizes a universal democracy not only in politics but in economics , not only at the ballot box but in the factory and the shop. " LOUISE W. MKAKS. Peru , Neb. , Aug. 10 , 11)00. ) KNGI.ANI ) ISOllllOWS VROM AMERICA. Mr. Bryan said in his Madison Square speech in New York four years ago this month : "It is true that a few of your finan ciers would fashion a now figure a fig ure representing Columbia , her hands bound fast with fetters of gold , and her face turned toward the east , appealing for assistance to those who live beyond the sea but this figure can never ex press your idea of this nation. " It must gratify Mr. Bryan to see that his manacled figure does not exist , and that the financiers of England the dreaded men of Lombard street are looking westward and appealing to the financiers of New York for assistance. In order to get money needed for mili tary purposes and also to add to the bank of England's stock of gold $80- 000,000 of the new British loan of $50- 000,000 has been placed in the United States. The great "creditor" nation has applied lor money to this , which Bryan and Altgold used to call the "debtor" nation , and has not been re pulsed. Never in the history of politics has there been a more crushing answer to the gloomy predictions of a professional fault finder and calamity howler. No wonder the spellbinders of the party of disaster are willing to lot the bogy man of ' 90 rest in an unhouored grevo , while they drag out to the center of the polit ical stage another pasteboard monster , which they call "a paramount issue" and "anti-imperialism. " Chicago Trib une. ASBESTOS. Asbestos is used for so many mechan ical , structural and household purposes , that ono not acquainted with its appli cation in these lines finds much to inter est him in the catalogue of H. W. Johns Manufacturing company , whoso adver tisement appears on another page of THE CONSERVATIVE. A copy of the