California's First Vacation School [pp. 426-434]

42~ Overland Monthly
homes is selected without regard to its mei~ded for years, till the Social Settlenourishing valne. It is badly cooked, 1111- inent workers came there to live and made
tidily served, and of ten eaten irregularly. protest. (The fact that the protest was
It was revealed by the children's luncheons successful gave the Settlement, of which
brought to the vacatiou school that very more will be said, its first hold among the
young children are given tca, coffee,, and adult portion of the neighborhood.)
even beer. ~Tery seldom did they brin There are not many d~urches in tlie
whojesome borne-made bread, or milk or region an Italian mission and a church
eggs; it was not uncommon for a child to frcq'ici~tcd by the Irish contin~ent, togetl~lunch upon baker's cake, its, and er with the parochial schools. represent
soda-water. ~Iost of the houses are devoid the relioions life of the immediate neighof the plumber's touch. To the Italians l~orhcod, thoiigh, of Course, the up-town
hereabouts a bath-room would be super- churches draw scatteringly from the disfluous, for a bath, in their idea, is limited trict. The Salvation Army made a shortto the presentation of a circle of eleanli- lived attempt to ~ain a foothold ther~ hu~
ness on the face. One of the public-schoot abandoned it. " The Jews you can't conteachers one(? sent honie a request t~at a vert and the Ca4~olies don't ne~d it," is an
certain child take an entire bath. The explanation offered recently for the fact
mother from sunny Italy replied, with in- that organized Christianity as well as the
dignant surprise, that it was impossible; efforts of citizenship and human fellowthe child was " sewed-up for the winter," ship, shake their skirts clear of the locality
into the mysteries of which process the south of Seventh Street. Club-house~,
teacher did not seek to penetrate. reading-rooms, libraries, lectures, gymna But among these mothers one may see sinins, parks, playgrounds, recreations,exemplified the great virtue of the poor, all are conspicuously absent.
the virtue that redeems so many bad habits It niight be said that the problem prc generosity and helpfulness to each other, sented is that of a district tacking organieven at much self-sacrifice. Always some zation, lacking local interest and local
one in the neighborhood is in trouble; patriotism. It receives no social benefits;
always there is rent to pay, or there is it feels no sucial obligations; it is imsonic one out of work, or some one is sick, pelted to no social service; the civic conor sonic one dies, and help is forthcoming. science is unawakened; the saloon social
One woman loaned tier stove for two ideals are minting themselves npon the
mouths to a wonian less fortunately placed minds of the people at the rate of nineteen
than herself, apparently without any re- saloon flioughts to one educational
fiection u~~on the physical discomforts in- thonght.
volved. " Slie needed it more`an me.~' The horizons of the fathers in this localIt is not in a formula or written code, it is ity are broader than those of the inother~.
not in books, it is not in church, but in jf they have work, they come into contact
the daily life of a hard-workin~ comnin- with their fellow woH~ers. ~Vhether they
i~ity one finds an ideal of service so high work or not, whether they drink or not,
that it inspires great hope for humanity however, the saloon is the one place in the
at large. ward to which they are always welcome,
City help, it is asserted. is given in this and where they find light, cheerfulness,
district by political favor. A certain fani- fellow4iip. the exhibition of native kindilv receivin~ town aid was characterized liness and relief from the sordid conditions
liy one of the police as having "done every- of uncomfortable homes. llere, too, the
thing in the calendar." There were three social pressure, so common to Anierican
voters in that fanilly. though the husband life, to be " somebody," to have an infinand father was in jail for murder. enee in political affairs, may find opportu~
The streets in this locality are without nity in the support given the "ward boss,
municipal inspection. One winter th~ who counts upon as many sources of power
breaking of a pipe caused a pool of water as there are saloons in his ward. (This
-a menace to health during the entir~ spirit of particination in the making or
cason. Broken sidewalks remained un- iiiimakiiig of tiolitical affairs is quite for