三 1916 HELPING IRELAND TO HELP HERSELF we were working through the Women's Association, it was an appeal to the people generally, on the ground that this was their business. The Association is made up mainly of Irish women, but men may belong. It is an Irish movement for Ireland. It includes people representing all parties and churches and classes. This is a great point. Exhibitions were sent all over Ireland, and wherever they visited a branch association was formed. Another object is to save Irish babies that would otherwise die for lack of proper conditions of life. The health condition of babies throughout Ireland in the country districts is comparatively good, and that helps to keep down the death rate for Ireland as a whole; but the conditions in the cities are hard on the babies, because the cities have grown under such conditions that there is a lack of proper houses for the people-even for those who can afford to pay for good houses. It is very hard for a workingman to have a suitable house for himself, even though he can afford to rent one. And this man is helpless by himself; he cannot make the houses himself, but must depend upon a general movement to improve the whole housing conditions. Such a movement is one of the things that the Women's National Health Association is trying to support and promote. Through their initiative the Housing and Town Planning Association of Ireland was formed. Subsequently the Municipal Authorities' Association started, all these associations working in very close relations with each other for civic purposes. The housing business was brought rather to a climax in the autumn of 1913 by the sudden collapse of one of the old streets in Dublin. This brought the matter to the attention of the public, for the whole side of the street fell down, houses and all, showing the dilapidated condition of a large part of Dublin. In this collapse there was some loss of life. There was a great outcry everywhere, even the papers of other countries taking the matter up. An official committee was ap pointed to inquire into the housing of Dublin, and also of other towns in Ireland. That report showed how helpless everybody was on account of the large scale of the problem. It was estimated that four million pounds sterling was required for Dublin alone. Government help must be forthcoming to relieve the urban situation, and this was promised on somewhat the same lines as that given to the rural communities. 763 For the work in the rural sections the British Government advances money for the building of farm laborers' cottages and also for occupiers' houses. This work is done. through the rural local authorities, and has to be paid back by them spread over sixtyfive years. The Government extends credit to the local authorities in Ireland. Ireland, with the help of the credit of the British Government, has really been rebuilding its rural communities. It is not something being done outside of Ireland. It is being done by Ireland itself, with the help of the credit of the great Empire. What the British Government has been doing for the upbuilding of the farms of Ireland there was every reason to believe it would do for the upbuilding of the cities of Ireland. Again, this would not mean that the Empire would build up the Irish cities itself, but that Ireland, using the credit of the Empire, would rebuild its own cities in its own way and under its own direction. Dublin would rebuild itself, Belfast would plan her development so far as needed; but in that rebuilding they would have the advantage of drawing on the credit of the Empire-at least, so we hoped. There seemed every prospect of success-and then the war broke out. Of course this work of rebuilding could be done only very gradually. Just before the war began we opened a Civic Exhibition in Dublin. The idea was to put the question not only before the people of Ireland, but before Great Britain and others. It was an Exhibition of Civics rather than a civic exhibition, for it showed the great advance that had been made among the rural communities and the relative backwardness of the cities. We were to show what the rural communities had done, what the cities had done and what they had not done, what they could do, and what we hoped from the Government. This was planned and carried out. The exhibition, held in one of the great old,disused barracks (completely renovated and adapted for this purpose), had just been opened a fortnight when war was declared. Nearly all the city and county authorities came to the open-. ing, headed by the Lord Mayor and Corporation of Dublin in state, and it was an extraordinary success. In organizing we had the help of Mr. John Nolen, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, well known as a town-planner, who worked out the plans for this exhibition and helped to get all the different authorities to take an interest in it. It was the first time We the Government departments had shown their work. We thought all this would help, and it may later. In connection with. this, Lord Aberdeen offered to award five hundred pounds for the best plan for a New Dublin, which would fit in with Dublin's beautiful situation, and in which the convenience of the working classes would be especially considered. We hoped that if some really good plan should be submitted it might be presented in such a way that it would appeal to the Irish people all over the world. hoped to have such a plan that whatever was done for the rebuilding of the city in each year or in each decade would be done along that plan. It would give scope for individuals or for any voluntary societies to work along with the Government. The competitive plans have been presented, but the matter is being held in abeyance, as it would not be fair to have an adjudication at the present time. Mr. John Nolen, Professor Patrick Geddes, of Edinburgh, and the City Architect of Dublin are the three adjudicators. The competition is closed, but the prize has not been awarded and will not be until there is an opportunity for proper exhibition and publicity. Out of this has been formed the Civics Institute of Ireland, to direct this whole thing and try to focus public attention on it, when the time comes, as it surely will. In the meanwhile everything of this sort has to be postponed on account of the war, and, owing to financial conditions. it is impossible to tell what money there will be. Fifteen hundred houses in Dublin have been condemned, but people are still living in them. There are, of course, a great many more that are most unwholesome, and over twelve thousand families of five or six members are living in single-room, tenements. In the exhibition we had a delightful sec tion on child welfare. Dr. Anna Louise Strong, who is attached to the United States Children's Bureau assisted in the organization. We wanted to present the cause. in that very striking pictorial way in which such things are done here in the United States. Miss Strong presented one of those posters showing the Titanic going down, and comparing it with the number of infants whose deaths are prevent. able, but not so dramatic. We cannot prevent the deaths on the battlefield. All the women are pressing forward nobly to serve in every way in the war-as nurses, etc.-but a good many could help in saving the babies in the next street. At the bottom of this problem of housing in Dublin is the nature of the employment of the men in that city. The main support of the people in that city is casual employment, and the wages are low. Mr. D. A. Chart, in a paper read before the Statistical and Social Enquiry Society of Ireland, said: In Dublin the average wage paid is about 18 shillings [$4.50] a week, and even so low a figure as 15 shillings [$3.75] or 16 shillings [$4] has been recorded. Where wages are apparently higher than this 18 shillings figure, it will usually be found that some new factor has entered into the problem-for instance, the question of trust or responsibility, or again irregularity of employment due to various causes. It seems fair to take 18 shillings as the usual remuneration, and to describe the conditions as they exist on that basis, remembering always that the description must be taken as applying to at least a quarter of our total population. We must begin the study by assuming that marriage is the normal state of man, and that, once youth is passed, celibacy will be the exception rather than the rule. . . . The girl of the working-class districts in the center of Dublin is the mother of a household at an age when the girl of the suburbs is engaging in nothing more serious than tennis or term examinations. . In the first place, it will be seen that not much can be set aside from the domestic budget for the item of housing expenses. The receiver of 18 shillings [$4.50] a week cannot afford to pay more than. 2 shillings 6 pence [67 cents] to 3 shillings [75 cents] a week for the rent of his dwelling. Now, the plain fact of the matter is that decent accommodation fit for the inhabitation of a family cannot be commercially supplied for this figure. . . . The laboring man, therefore, in Dublin is driven to adopt the same policy with housing as with other necessities of life, the adaptation to his own use of the secondhand possessions discarded by his richer fellow-citizens.. Instead of one family occupying a ten-roomed house there is a family in every room, each paying from 2 shillings to 3 shillings a week for its accommodation. In the meantime, seeing that bigger schemes for housing are not practicable at present, all that can be done is by that sort of individual personal work (and this means much) which a voluntary association can do in helping the mothers under these conditions to save the children. All that can be done is by means of nurses-district or visiting nurses and then the babies' clubs, which are practically what might be called infant welfare centers, including milk stations, schools, meals for children, provision for medical care 1916 HELPING IRELAND TO HELP HERSELF and dental care. The latter is one of the things that are urgently needed in Ireland. A number of young men have been rejected for the army on account of defective teeth. Then there are the playgrounds, which we lay great stress on, and the open spaces in the city. The people do respond so wonderfully, even when there is no other help being given. One means of carrying on this work is by spreading information as to hygienic conditions and the way to maintain health. We are told to economize, economize, economize; but what does this economy mean? We teach the mothers about food. The mothers are very, very keen about it, and, with the help of the babies' clubs and the nurses, they try hard to carry out the advice under difficult circumstances. The goodness, the heroism, of the Dublin mothers is beyond words, although this is not the general impression. Dublin is often spoken of as "dear, dirty Dublin." That gives an impression quite unfair. Mothers work under severe difficulties. One tap in the back yard may furnish the only water supply for ever so many families. I have it on the authority of doctors who have carried on voluntary medical inspection, and also from the nurses, that, if you would compare the real cleanliness among children in Dublin with the same classes in other cities, it is in favor of Dublin. At the Civic Exhibition we had a demonstration of medical inspection and examined any children who were presented. Our lady doctor, who has extensive experience, had charge of it, and her report brought out the fact that the level of cleanliness was higher in Dublin than in other cities among this class of poor children, and that in spite of great difficulties. The standard of morality is very high, considering the congested condition of living. Then there is the kindness to one another-the way all help to bring a family through at a tight time. They They will deny themselves in order to help others, as, for instance, in supplying milk for a neighbor's sick child. It is all these characteristics which make this work so hopeful and so necessary. In one sense, we may say that there is enough public machinery to do this work; there are medical dispensaries in Ireland to which anybody can go-at least, they can, nominally, on paper; but the people dislike to have anything to do with what appears to be connected with the Poor Law. It makes the work of the Association, therefore, which 765 is being done through these nurses and workers, easy, as it is not offered in a patronizing spirit. This work is really removing the artificial obstacles that are now in the way of people who, in spite of those obstacles, are really doing wonderfully. The Central Association undertook various expenses in order to provide sanatoria under the Insurance Act. The Insurance Act provides for the care of the sick, furnishes a certain allowance for them, and makes provision whereby in certain diseases there can be special arrangements made for help. Tuberculosis was the first disease to be provided for. Therefore anybody suffering from tuberculosis could have sanatorium benefit if the insurance committees recommended it. There is an insurance committee in every county, and the patients must have the recommendation of this committee. It was thought that it was promised to everybody, but each individual case has to be passed on and each insurance committee has to consider what can be done. There was a grant given for the erection of sanatoria, the local authorities to erect them. But there was very little accommodation available. Accordingly the Association was allowed a grant to put up emergency sanatoria, and then, to meet the need of the public, it undertook to erect further pavilions. It counted on the continuance of what had been proved to be possible in the past, and therefore made contracts for the erection of certain buildings on the plan of deferred payments. And then the war came and cut off what the Association had every reason to expect would continuenamely, voluntary contributions from England and Scotland as well as Ireland. Under the law which regulates incorporated societies the Association, if it does not meet its obligations within a certain time, can be wound up on petition. Sad to say, some people want to break it up; they say they must have their money at once. Each member of the Association becomes liable for a small sum if it is wound up. All this makes the present exigency especially acute, as it would mean stopping the work of the branches all over Ireland. The Outlook asks me to tell what can be done in America to help. Friends in America can help us to discharge these liabilities; but it is not only a matter of discharging liabilities. The children's sanatorium is standing there empty; it could be opened at once if we were free; it is the same with other institutions for which we are responsible. If we could raise $60,000, that would save the work from wreck, but in order really to make it effective we need $100,000. It would not go to smash if we had $60,000, but to be able to steam ahead we require $100,000. We are proud to be able to quote the high authority of Dr. Hermann Biggs, Health Commissioner for the State of New York, who says that, after inspecting our work personally, he considers that more important results were being obtained with the money expended than had ever been the case in his experience elsewhere. We should like just as much more for maintenance as we can get.1 We have been wanting to help the crippled children who are suffering from tuberculosis and who need surgical attention. Many children are suffering from it, and this disease could be cured if we had the proper facilities. Ninety per cent are cured in England, just as they are cured here in America. It is a perpetual heartbreak for our visitors to see these children in their own homes. Ordinary hospitals cannot deal with this on account of the prolonged treatment necessary. With inadequate facilities it is often made worse. We have a splendid site, and we thought we had the hospital in view, through the kindness of THE certain friends. We were able to buy the site, we trained a doctor for this highly specialist work, and we had good reason to count on the building. Now here are children waiting for this special treatment, growing up to be a burden to their families and to the state because they cannot get it. This is just one instance to indicate that what is needed is money. Then the Irish girls and the Irish boys here in America who have relatives at home can not only help in contributing money, but can cut out from magazines, etc., and send home some of those bright and attractive articles on health, on home management, on the care of babies, on housekeeping, on the necessity of having good water, on the care of milk and food, and on everything that pertains to health and good living. The people over there think a great deal of what you do here, and if their boys and girls in America tell them of the good this kind of work accomplishes they will support similar movements there, and thus great progress will be made. Already some clubs have been formed among Irish girls for this purpose, which they call by the old Irish word slainte, which means good health." I trust there will be many more, for this kind of support will tell more than any other methods. READER'S VIEW DO BIRDS NEED PROHIBITION"? In reading a recent copy of The Outlook I was attracted, on the By the Way" page, by the question, "Do woodpeckers get drunk?" and of course was interested in the opinions.expressed by well-known naturalists. During the greater part of five years my home has been in Florida, and I have watched with interest the habits and ways of the birds and of the animals that daily come within my ken. Part of our house is shaded by a beautiful "chinaberry tree," as it is called here-it is also known elsewhere as the "pride of India." It grows clusters of green berries, which when mature are as large as medium-sized cherries. They have quite a large seed or pit covered with a meaty. substance which when ripe ferments, and then is eaten by the birds and squirrels. I have seen a beautiful redbird, or cardinal, tottering around the ground under the tree, quite in the Contributions to the fund may be sent either to Lady Aberdeen at Room 617, 105 East Twenty-second Street, New York; or to Mr. J. C. Heyer, Federal Trust Company, Boston, Massachusetts; or to Mr. Archibald Kains, Federal Reserve Bank, San Francisco, California, marked For the Women's National Health Association of Ireland." manner of the genus homo when intoxicated. I FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND TRUE I notice in your issue of November 24 an editorial based upon a communication received from a German-American correspondent, deprecating the fact that the University of Wisconsin has seen fit to issue an announcement of its work in other than the English language. The facts with reference to this matter are these: The Dairy School circular, which S the official announcement of the College of Agriculture with reference to this vocational course of study, is issued only in the English language. We have, however, a considerable number of papers in the State of Wisconsin which are published in the German language, and a brief mimeographed announcement of the fact that this circular was available upon application was written by one of our German-Swiss cheese instructors, and sent through our editorial office to the papers in the State which are published in German. This has been done for years with the express purpose of spreading more widely information among the subscribers of the German press that such a course is given. Although the great majority of these people talk English, many of them take newspapers printed in German, and no doubt many are reached in this way who might not see agricultural journals which are published in English. This type of publicity does not replace efforts to disseminate as widely as possible information in English; but when you realize that sixty-six per cent of the population of this State is of foreign extraction, over one-half of which is German, and that in many communities the native language of these foreigners is yet commonly used, although the public schools without exception use the English language, it would seem to be apparent that announcements can be made with propriety in these foreign papers in the language in which they are published. Since, however, you have raised this subject, I want to state that, while the University does not publish its bulletins and reports in a foreign language, we are in entire sympathy with the effort of the State to reach intending settlers with authentic publications that are printed in the language of the race for whom they are intended. I am sending you for your inspection several bulletins which are published in foreign languages. The original bulletin, No. 196 of the Experiment Station, published by the University, was printed exclusively in English, but the importance of this communication to intending settlers was such that the State Board of Immigration, with our consent and approval, republished this pamphlet in Finnish, Polish, Bohemian, and German, with the express purpose in view of thereby reaching and influencing a larger constituency of these foreign classes than could possibly have been done through a restriction of the publication to the English language. We believe we can best secure the amalgamation of these foreign immigrants by first reaching them, if necessary, through their own tongue, and thus permit them to become established on our soil. If our appeal were made to them in a tongue which they could not understand, it would produce no returns whatever. Thèy soon be 767 not come hyphenated Americans, but we know we reach them first through the fact that the subject-matter was presented to them in a language which they could understand. We are afraid of the hyphenated American, for our experience with the settlers in the cut-over forests of northern Wisconsin is that the hyphen and what goes before it sooner or later drop out and they are as loyal to the land of their adoption as some of us whose pedigree goes back to New England and the East. H. L. RUSSELL. The University of Wisconsin College of Agriculture and Agricultural Experiment Station, Madison, Wisconsin. [The editorial referred to in this letter was not intended as a criticism of the Americanism of the University of Wisconsin; nor was its text the undesirability of recognizing the fact that any other than the English language is a channel of communication in reaching a considerable number of people in this country. We published the communication which Dean Russell refers to because it seemed to us to be a striking indication of the loyalty of the great bulk of those American citizens who are of German antecedents. The noteworthy fact was not that the circular was printed in German, but that the protest should come from an American of German origin. We are glad to have this opportunity of presenting Dean Russell's views to our readers.-THE EDITORS.] THE GORE RESOLUTION Here is the touchstone, viz., Would not such action by our Government as was proposed by the original Gore resolution be a breach of our neutrality? What right have we as a neutral to alter a long existing condition and course of business to the detriment of one of the belligerents and advantage of the other? Said existing condition and course of business are the customary, often necessary, travel of Americans on English ships. Said detriment consists in withdrawing the deterrent effect as against the murder of English people, which restraint would be involved by the presence of Americans. Said restraint would result from inability of the Germans to separate a violation of international law against the English from a violation of international law against the Americans. If, then, the long-existent, ante-bellum, customary, and usual condition is that the intended victim is in our house, have we right, moral or legal, to thrust him out to be murdered? Are we not legally, as well as morally, bound to do nothing while war exists that manifestly must operate to the weakening of the restraints of international law? HARRY CALDWELL. St. Paul, Minnesota. |