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THE AMERICAN
JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
Volume VI JANUARY, 1901 Number
THE SALOON IN CHICAGO. II.1
FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS.
Among the earliest monuments of social life are the fraterna
societies; they are primarily a social institution. While through
out all the ages of their existence their professed objects and pur-
poses have varied according to the age and people, the prime
cause for their existence lay in the failure of existing society
to meet the needs of the human soul. Under the head " Char-
acter of Applicants" one order states: "True manhood should
be the test applied to all, whether black with the soot of the
forge or clad in the elegance of a prosperous profession." This
agency is doing much to keep down class distinction; an appre-
ciation of the common brotherhood of man is cultivated.
The lodge of today is making for itself a larger and larger
place in the lives of men. Some men find it the sole expres-
sion of their social and intellectual life; with others it is less
important; while still others regard it simply as an insurance
organization, having no interest in it other than the payment of
their dues and the receipt of its benefits. "It is considered,"
however, " by society men that a beneficiary society cannot long
exist unless founded upon the principles of fraternity," hence
the fraternal and social features are made prominent. Parties
and balls are given during the winter, and picnics during the
1 This article was prepared under the direction of the Ethical Subcommittee
of
the Committee of Fifty, and is published by permission of that body.
433
434 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
summer. The principal thoroughfares of the workingmen's
districts are gay all summer with the banners announcing
the picnic of one or the other of these lodges. On Sunday,
the great gala day for the foreign people, these excursions are
numerous.
In general, then, the following may be said to approach the
truth : "By the establishment of a lodge .... in a community,
the social element may be organized into a society, and through
its ritualistic work the members may receive grand and richly
illustrated lessons in the practice and doctrine of human life."
There are in Chicago fifty fraternal orders, having in all-------
lodges. From a study of the "objects and purposes" of each
of these, I select the following, covering every purpose men-
tioned in any of them: "To educate the members socially,
morally, and intellectually; to give all moral and material aid in
its power to its members and those dependent upon them."
" The objects of this lodge shall be, and are, benevolent, social,
and altruistic — to promote and encourage manly friendships
and kindly intercourse; to aid, protect, and assist its mem-
bers and their families." "To give all possible moral and
material aid in its power to its members, and those dependent
upon its members, by holding moral, instructive, and scientific
lectures, by encouraging each other in business, and by assisting
each other in obtaining employment—to promote charity and
benevolence."
Of foreign orders the following are characteristic: "To
unite our fellow-countrymen into one grand brotherhood for
benevolent purposes ; to assist newcomers to our shores with
words of encouragement and advice, assisting them to obtain
employment and instructing them in the ways of this country ;
to encourage social intercourse among them and their families in
this their adopted country, so as to enable them to enjoy the sym-
pathy and fellowship of their fellow-countrymen." " The encour-
agement of [our national] customs and games, cultivation of the
taste for [the national] music, history, and poetry ; bringing
together more closely----------in Chicago and those of----------
descent, and the advancement of our countrymen by friendly
THE SALOON IN CHICAGO 435
means." Others would foster an interest in their national lan-
guage. "To promote temperance reform," "to inculcate patriot-
ism and love of country—to spread and sustain the doctrine of
equal rights, universal liberty, and justice to all," complete the
list of professed objects.
It is not my purpose here to discuss whether they realize
their ideals more nearly than other organizations of professedly
high and noble aims, nor whether they are taking the place of
the church or home—a question at least worthy of careful con-
sideration before any conclusion is reached. Enough has been
said to show that they are in their essence social institutions,
and as such I would consider how far they are a substitute for
the saloons. In considering these organizations the thought
must not be entirely, " How much will more lodges accomplish
in doing away with the saloon?"—there are as many as there is
a demand for, and more would be of no avail—but, " How great
would be the increased patronage of the saloon if these lodges
were not in existence?" Their influence is both direct, in fur-
nishing rooms and social occasions; and indirect, in the uncon-
scious influence of their teachings, and their bearing upon the
lives of the members. Their ritualistic services make a deep
and lasting impression; lessons are learned here by these men,
the majority of whom never enter the church; the insurance
and benevolent features forcibly impress them with the evils of
intemperance, and act as a restraining influence. The general
attitude of fraternal societies upon this subject is evidenced by
the increasing number of them that are excluding liquor deal-
ers and bartenders from their ranks. It may be said, then, that
to a certain extent they supply the social function of the saloon..
A careful study of the city of Chicago, with reference to the
location of the saloons and lodges, reveals two facts which point
to conclusions seemingly contradictory: first, in many localities
where lodges are very abundant the saloons are correspondingly
scarce; second, the lodges are situated either immediately above
the saloons or the saloons are clustered about the lodge-halls.
In one district in particular, the Russian-Jewish district, the
social life of the people finds expression almost entirely in
436 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
lodges, very little pretext, if any, being necessary for the forma-
tion of a new lodge. Club-life is highly developed, and the
saloons are much less frequent here than in the adjoining Bohe-
mian district. Here the national element enters into the prob-
lem, but the fact remains that there is a district and a people
where the club-life of the lodge takes the place, in a very large
measure, of the club-life of the saloon. In Englewood, a local-
option district, fraternal life obtains over all other forms of
social intercourse. Many of the lodges have " ladies' nights,"
which, in some of the orders, are among the social events of
the season. Receptions, dancing and card parties, under the
direction of some lodge, are of frequent occurrence. The wives,
the sons, and daughters of men in the same order, the Masons
in particular, have formed their own societies, which, though not
officially recognized, are an important factor in the social life of
that district. And thus in several parts of the city there seems
to be a relationship between the number of lodges and the num-
ber of saloons.
And now, why are the lodges either immediately above or
near the saloons ? A re-wording of the question suggests a
partial answer. Why are the saloons either immediately beneath
or clustered about the lodges ? There are in the city a great
number of large brick or stone buildings owned by brewing
companies or private liquor dealers. On the ground floor is the
saloon, with rooms for billiards, bowling, lavatories, etc., a por-
tion sometimes being rented to other business firms. On the
second floors are lodge-halls and an auditorium, or, in some,
several floors are devoted to lodge-halls. The auditorium of
---------- Hall, on Milwaukee avenue, one of the largest, is in
almost constant use for conventions. On Milwaukee avenue,
the main thoroughfare of the workingmen's district on the west
side, in a distance of two and one-half miles there are five of
these halls. I have taken pains to ascertain, by observation and
by conversation with the saloonkeepers, bartenders, and lodge-
men, whether or not there is a greater proportion of drinking
among fraternity men than among others, and what the reason is
why saloons prefer a location under or near a lodge hall. The
THE SALOON IN CHICAGO 437
reason, as may already have been inferred, is simple enough:
wherever a large number of men assemble, there will be in their
number the usual proportion of men who drink beer and other
liquors. Consequently, about these places the dealers in these
drinks gather for the sale of their wares. I cannot make the
definite statement, but I do not believe that the proportion of
men who drink is as great among the men in these societies as
among those without. Nevertheless, beer is occasionally, but
very seldom, found in their halls, and, as a German minister said
to me: "Some hold lodge meetings above the saloon and after-
meetings in the saloon below." They prefer these halls because
they are forced to—the rent being very much lower than in any
other halls. The brewing companies make up for this low rent
by the increased sale of drinks.
It must be remembered that the lodges meet but once in two
weeks, together with the social meetings that arise out of their
association together; that they do not reach, as a rule, the very
poor; that in certain foreign lodges nearly all the members
drink; that there is a formality about their meetings from which
the saloon "club" is practically free. But for all that, it is not
possible to say just how much fraternal organizations of Chicago
have accomplished, consciously or unconsciously, in staying the
hold which the social side of saloon-life has been gaining upon
all classes of men.
TURN-VEREINS AND SINGING-SOCIETIES.
The most popular forms of social intercourse among the
foreign element, especially the German, Polish, and Danish, are
Turn-Vereins and singing societies. While it is true that a large
per cent, of these nationalities have this form of social life, it
must be remembered that beer-drinking is almost universal
among these people, and often—very often—in connection
with their societies, which generally meet over saloons. The
opportunity given in the Turn-Verein to work off the surplus
animal spirits may in some small degree have something to do
with the small per cent, of excessive drinking among these
people. That they have this much of a social substitute, and that
drinking is universal among them, are facts to be noted later.
43$ THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
TRADES UNIONS.
Trades unions, of which there are 126 local organizations in
Chicago, can scarcely be considered as a direct substitute for
the social function of the saloon. Only four of these—or rather
in four of their halls, several meeting in each hall — are there
club-rooms. In the largest of these there are two rooms, one
seating 200, and the other 150. Both are full during the winter
months. Here the men sit about playing checkers and similar
games, reading daily papers, and smoking. Throughout the
summer, at all hours of the day, from twenty-five to one hun-
dred men may be seen standing outside or in the saloons below.
Beneath this hall and on either side there is a saloon. Most of
the men, who are standing about looking for work, get their
meals here, paying 5 cents for a lunch and a glass of beer.
In a number of saloons the unions meet, or used to meet.
The hotels will not open up rooms, and do not want the man
with the soiled clothes and the calloused hands in their rooms.
They are forced to meet in the saloons, or in rooms above, which
are offered at low rates. Mr. Thomas J. Morgan, speaking of
the early days of the Socialistic Labor Party, said that for years
they met in the back room of a saloon, the churches and school-
houses being closed against them, and that he felt a sensation
akin to shame coming over him as night after night he passed
the bar without paying his 5 cents for a drink. These organi-
zations, which are of the people, are greatly misunderstood by
authorities in church and state. Their aims and actions are in
the main essentially right. And it is to the best interests of the
community that they be not placed in so great temptation.
That they should be recognized and aided by the church to
the extent of placing rooms at their disposal ought not to be
impossible. That the schoolhouses should be open for this, and
whatever other neighborhood and citizens' meetings the people
might desire, is beginning to be recognized. A request in 1877
by the Socialistic Labor Party was flatly refused for political
reasons. Yet the drift of opinion seems to be in favor of utiliz-
ing this bit of public property for reasonable purposes. In
mass-meeting, when the subject is mentioned, it is found to
THE SALOON IN CHICAGO 439
receive the hearty approval of the people. In a conversation
with Dr. E. Benjamin Andrews, superintendent of schools, whose
opinion in educational matters thousands are quick to claim as
their own, he said, in substance: "Legal restrictions at present
prevent such a use of the public-school buildings; and were they
removed, I am not sure it would be wise. The religious and polit-
ical quarrels of the neighborhood would be lugged into the public
schools. The people at present regard the school as something
sacred; they hold it aloof from other matters. Then, too, the
additional expense of heating and lighting and janitor service
would be one of the greatest objections." That the school-
house today should be held sacred for just one phase of public
education, that of boys and girls between certain ages and along
certain prescribed lines, is comparable only with that antiquated
idea, which we have long since outlived, that the press should
be used for sacred matters only. Miss Jane Addams, whose
opinions the people are most glad to hear and claim as their own,
whose life of service for the last ten years among the laboring
people has qualified her to speak with authority, believes firmly
in broadening and extending the use of the public-school houses.
While it is true that the great majority of the laboring men of
Chicago take their glass of beer, yet, on the whole, it is claimed
that union men are less given to excessive drinking than the
non-union men or "scabs." Union men, as a rule, are the honest,
respectable, and hard-working men of the community — men who
are paying for homes, men who learn in the union, by association
with other industrious men, lessons of thrift and economy. In
that sense, unionism might be considered to have a salutary
effect upon its members.
boys' clubs.
The subject of boys' clubs was touched upon under the head-
ing " The Saloon in the Workingmen's District," and will be
mentioned again under the " Religious Societies." The scope
of this paragraph is simply boys' clubs that are conducted by the
boys themselves, without reference to outside assistance. Nearly
every boy in the city is in some " gang " or " push," which,
44<> THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
though lacking definite organization, are essentially clubs, with
their presidents the real leaders. Their assembly hall is the
street in summer, and, if so fortunate, an old barn or shed, or
an underground cave, of which there are several in the city, or
in a few instances a back room or a barber-shop or some old
building. They meet here by appointment, and in some places
have boxing-gloves, and a little home-made apparatus for a
"gym"—pitiful attempts of the boy nature to find adequate
expression. The telephone .poles, and the cables supporting
them, form their principal gymnasium. Smoking is almost uni-
versal, the cigarette having a strong hold upon them. Too
often, unguided and undirected, taking their ideals from the
street- and saloon-life, they find in the cheap novel food for their
imagination and thought, and consequently for action. An
observing justice remarked : " Thoughts are deeds and may
become crimes." The wildest of our country boys gives expresr
sion to his imagination by taking a boat and rowing down the
river to be Robinson Crusoe, and his expression ends in harm-
less disillusion. With the city boy it is not so. Different are
the sources from which he gets his ideas of bravery, and the
carrying out of his " noble deeds " usually ends in the police
courts, and he has entered upon the first stage of that process we
have devised for making misguided boys hardened criminals.
There are, of course, exceptions. The ---------- gave me in
simple, telling terms its definition of a good novel.1 Two of
the eleven drink, and these two are being ostracized by the
others. The "order of business " of these clubs is not fixed, but
consists in telling the biggest lies and the best, which often
signifies the dirtiest, stories, and in gossip about their " girls."
The nearest approach to real business is in plans to dodge the
police. Faulty as they are, bad as is their influence in many
cases, they serve ofttimes to keep the boys together and away
from the saloons, and form a nucleus about which here and
there an occasional club has been formed by a settlement or
1" It's none o' them trashy stories about things that couldn't never happen.
You
are sure there ain't nothing improbable in it. Maybe no one ever did it, but
anybody
could have done it."
THE SALOON IN CHIC A GO 441
church society. What a magnificent opportunity is here! As
yet it has not been seized by the saloon—the law forbids, and
to a large extent is obeyed. But who will be the first to seize
it, when a few more years are added and this quasi-club-life is
insufficient ?
PLEASURE CLUBS.
Between this club-life of the boy and the lodge-life of the man
the social life of the young men takes form in the pleasure clubs.
They correspond in number very nearly to the number of lodges.
The club-life now takes on the more dignified form of a definite
organization, with names characteristic of young and aspiring
manhood, such as " Dewey Club," " Winfield Pleasure Club,"
" Social Few Pleasure Club," " Kingsley Club," etc. The club
is now housed in some inexpensive room, in which the flag and
red-white-and-blue bunting are the principal articles of decora-
tion. Dancing parties are given frequently during the winter and
picnics in summer. The young woman now figures largely in
their life. In many cases the annual balls, which I have
attended, have been thoroughly orderly and respectable, but to
some few of these balls, and in some of their club-rooms, pros-
titutes come. At the balls, beer and soft drinks are served, the
balls being given in one of the large halls owned by the brewing
companies, " free for private parties, balls, etc." In judging of
these, as of other organizations, it is difficult to say whether they,
are in the main substitutes or feeders for the saloon. It is sim-
ply the social instinct seeking expression in the most natural
way that their knowledge and conditions indicate. There is a
marked lack of guidance, but, as a few trials have revealed, they
may, as may the boys' clubs, by careful guidance, be started in
the right direction.
CHURCH SOCIETIES.
What are the churches of Chicago doing in the line of substi-
tution ? Much, one would think. Yet actual investigation finds
but few that are not clinging fondly to antiquated bow-and-arrow
methods of fighting the liquor enemy, while the saloon is mak-
ing great holes in our ranks with the modern Gatling gun of
improved methods. A correspondence with all the pastors has
442 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
revealed clearly the position of Chicago churches on this sub-
ject.1 Their answers vary all the way from those who oppose
substitution to those who tell of their billiard- and smoking-
rooms, gymnasium, tennis-courts, baseball and cycling clubs.
The following quotations show the general trend of thought:
" Our leader believes the devil leads the clubs, and I am of the
same opinion." " We have nothing of the kind and do not
approve of clubs in churches." " We have only a few men." "I
preach temperance from the pulpit and try to correct a * bum's'
life in the confessional, by charity, and, when necessary, by
refusal of absolution." The following scriptural passages were
quoted: John 3:3; Gal. 6:15; 2 Cor. 5:17. One writes: "We
have no club-rooms. Rom. 1:15 states that the gospel of
Christ is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that
believeth. 1 Cor. 15 : 1-4 tells us what it is. We trust to
nothing else. If you will read the first chapter of Genesis care-
fully, you will find that every sociological idea advanced^ in the
nineteenth century failed in the Garden of Eden."
Most common of all, however, is the reply: " I regret to say
that we have no such organization. We are contemplating work
of this kind." "We hope when we build our new church that
we shall make several new departments along the line calling
for special attention just now." The struggle of many men,
especially of the younger men, against the conservatism of
method and prejudices that are restricting the usefulness of the
church, is epitomized in the following pitiful wail: " None what-
ever. We are too much under the domination of orthodox
ideas for such 'innovations.' We hope that there may be a
degeneration sufficiently marked as to bring our people into
sympathy with such worldly methods." Lest these quotations
should convey a false impression, let me give due proportion by
the following statistics : Letters of the first class (those opposing
1A letter, inclosing a blank with the following questions, was sent to each
of the
751 clergymen in Chicago: (1) What organization has your church that is
specifically
for men or young men ? (2) What are its social features ? (3) What are its
recre-
ative features ? (4) State the number of meetings a month. (5) State membership.
(6) State the average attendance. (7) At what time are the club-rooms at the
disposal
of the members ?
THE SALOON IN CHICAGO 443
substitution) were comparatively few, only six. The silence of
over five hundred indicates inactivity, due either to opposition
or to sympathy that has not yet sufficient energy to take tan-
gible form. Those hoping to enter such work were seventeen.
Those having already made some advance along this line were
seventy-nine. Of these seventy-nine, fifty-four are largely liter-
ary and religious, having no recreative features, and having only
now and then a social occasion. Eighteen have outdoor sports,
such as bicycle, baseball, football, and tennis clubs. Some of
them spend from one to two weeks in camp in summer, and in
winter part of these have billiard halls and smoking-rooms. Six
have gymnasiums, more or less fully equipped, and two have
occasional theatricals, having a stage and scenery at one end of
the club-room.
While, then, these reports reveal the fact that the church is
doing little in the way of substitution, they are, on the whole,
rather encouraging. They show that a start, at least, has been
made, and that the church is beginning to realize that less is to be
gained by frowning upon all sorts of amusements than by encour-
aging the best of them and consecrating them to its own pur-
poses. Ten years ago a billiard hall in connection with a church
would have been scandalous. Today billiards and theatricals
are being appropriated, stolen from the arsenal of his satanic
majesty. There are in all 751 churches. A large number of
these are stately edifices, yet too often they are but magnificent
monuments erected over the grave of buried opportunities. Few
there are among the masses. Few there are in places of greatest
need, of greatest temptation. Closed during the greater portion
of the week, as social substitutes they count for very little.
Seldom does one find so large a sum of money put to so little
advantage as that invested in these buildings, used on compara-
tively so few occasions.
SOCIAL SETTLEMENTS.
The twelve social settlements in Chicago are located in the
most congested districts in the city. The following quotation
from the articles of incorporation of one of the settlements
expresses in general the object for which they are formed: "To
444 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
provide a center for higher civic and social life; to initiate and
maintain religious, educational, and philanthropic enterprises ; and
to investigate and improve conditions in industrial districts of
Chicago." Without dwelling upon the indirect influence upon
the liquor problem of a body of people living in a community
for the above purposes, whose influence, though unconscious,
can hardly be overestimated, we will consider what they are
doing in the line of direct substitution. As before hinted, some
of these settlements have taken existing boys' clubs as a nucleus
for settlement clubs. When Harry F. Ward became head-worker
at Northwestern Settlement, he found in the community a club
of young men calling themselves the "Keybosh" Club. They
met in saloons, played billiards, and told stories. Mr. Ward
became interested, and the settlement furnished a room in an
adjoining store, with a combination billiard- and pool-table, and
here the " Keybosh," now the Kingsley Club, meets. They were
glad of the opportunity. Regular business meetings are held,
and men of standing invited to discuss before them various
sociological problems and topics of current interest. As one of
their members said: "We used to think and talk of nothing but
the girls, crack jokes, and plan how to have a good time. Now
we have something serious to talk about/' It gave them a new
view of life. They planned their picnics with Mr. Ward's advice,
and seemed proud of their newly developed ability to conduct
"regular business meetings." What has been done in this settle-
ment is being done in others. Some have gymnasiums, nearly
all have boys' clubs, accommodating from one hundred to two
hundred every week. Usually the boys spend here one evening
every week in games and indoor sports.
There are but twelve settlements, and the boys can spend but
one night a week at them; hence they are not a serious menace
to the liquor traffic. But such as they are, and as far as they
go, they are direct substitutes, and working along very practical
lines.
AMUSEMENT ENTERPRISES.
Not least among the factors that enter into the development
of the character of young people are the kinds of amusement
THE SALOON IN CHICAGO 445
which play upon their sentiment and constantly hold up before
them the ideals after which they pattern. The character of the
neighborhood determines to a certain extent the character of the
amusement which, in turn, working upon the younger members
of the community, re-creates in them a taste for itself, becoming
thus self-perpetuating as to its character.
Of the amusement enterprises of this city the theaters take
the lead, varying in their attractions from the cheap vaudeville to
the high-class theaters and operas. On the west side, in the
center of a large industrial district, are two large theaters, typical
playhouses of the people. They present, at popular prices, two
distinct classes of amusement — the----------the continuous vaude-
ville, the----------the melodrama.
In the vaudeville bill the numbers are usually interesting,
the acrobatic feats such as would thrill the heart of any boy and
form the basis of his conversation for weeks. Usually trained
animals excite the admiration of the audience, while the magi-
cian and the comic man each in turn receives the approval of
the applauding hundreds. The jokes may be flat, but they
never fail to provoke laughter. The masters of the cake-walk,
with their gay and fantastic costumes, are ever in demand.
Occasional plays of one or two short acts are a feature of the
daily program. This vaudeville is clean and rarely suggestive
of evil. With the exception of the upper gallery, the theater is
well and comfortably seated, seats ranging in prices from 10 to
30 cents. An average of 4,000 attend this place of amusement
daily (2,000 women, 1,500 men, and 500 children). Groups of
girls and young women, a comparatively small number of couples,
mothers with their children gathered about them, make up the
audience characteristic of the matinee. More men and couples
attend in the evening. Some of these girls look forward for
weeks and plan with an anticipation that has a touch of pathos
in it for the afternoon at the theater. They are almost the only
bright spots in the lives of these girls, who, all too young,
become women grown and, totally unprepared, enter the more
serious relations of wife and mother. In the Chicago street
boy's vernacular these matinees are "just s-s-swell," the most
446 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
used and misused word in his vocabulary. Sundays the boys
14 camp out" at the----------, taking 2their lunch with them and
remaining until it closes at night.
The----------presents an entertainment of a different class to
an audience of about the same character and size and at the same
price. It is the most widely advertised theater in the city. The
following is a quotation from its announcements of a play:
"This new play is built on a conflict between the mountaineers
of that locality and the revenue officers engaged in hunting
them down. The atmosphere of the blue-top mountains has
been preserved to a remarkable degree, the breath of the strange
woods is in it. It pulsates with the vitality of vigorous moun-
tain life; its swift action is impulsive; its recital of manly,
honest, abiding love excites no blushes, but it warms the cockles
of the heart, because such love as this makes the whole world
kin. They love, and are merry; they suffer and never flinch;
they are gentle as they are strong; they are pure as they are
kind; their acts are governed by deep feeling rather than by
calculating reason." Throughout the play, which is one of
intense excitement, the people lean forward in their seats, their
faces reflecting the emotion portrayed. The tension is occa-
sionally relieved by the "comic man," who elicits hearty laugh-
ter, the reaction from the prolonged strain. When it is all over,
the inevitable impression must be against the civil law, and that
there is a higher law—one, however, which is oft misinterpreted.
Excitement and enthusiasm are stimulated. A drama less excit-
ing would fail to bring out any response from the people, whose
playground was the street, where the rattling fire-engines, borne
down the street by dashing horses, the gathering crowd, the
shouts, the barking dogs, the occasional street fight, the police
ambulance, and the patrol form a part of their daily experience.
There is another on the west side, similar to the----------, the
----------, which, when this investigation was made, was reproducing
with the cinematograph the Jeffries-Fitzsimmons fight. We omit
mention of the places of entertainment which are better known
to all newspaper readers. At two theaters, the----------and the
----------, boxing and wrestling matches take place every Friday,
THE SALOON IN CHICAGO 447
drawing together crowds of those pugilistically inclined. The
ball-grounds, during the season, draw immense crowds, averaging
about 15,000 on Sunday—one Sunday last spring having an
attendance of 30,000.
Between the theaters of this class and the dime museum
----------stands out alone, boldly appealing at the same time to
men's lower and better natures. At first a stereopticon of good
quality throws upon the canvas pictures illustrating songs sung
by a gentleman of comparatively good baritone voice and usually
in dress suit. Thoughts of home, of mother's love, of woman's
purity, of personal honor, are received with hearty applause and
cheers. Next follows a cinematograph reproduction of a prize-
fight, and then, in striking contrast with the first, a "leg show"
of the most shameless character. Be it said that, while it is
undoubtedly this that draws the vast crowds of men, they
never applaud, and only by watching their faces can one tell
the effect upon them. Strange is the mingling of sentiments
that must be present in their minds. The audience, entirely of
men, is mixed in its character. The boot-black and the street
boy is there, the clerk and the office-man, and in the most promi-
nent places may be seen the cheap and flashy aristocracy of
the city.
Still, under the head of theaters must be mentioned the dime
museums, where the painted bawdy girls, performing the hideous
muscle dance that made notorious the Midway Plaisance, com-
pose the greater part of a program that is disgusting and revolt-
ing in the extreme; the stereopticon and cinematograph are the
redeeming, features. Little or no applause is given. The audi-
ence, composed of the lowest and most vulgar, or of shamed-
faced curiosity-seekers, is quiet and sullen. Nothing but the
morbid in man could induce him to go there.
Another form of public amusement is that furnished by the
parks, private enterprises. At----------the battle of San Juan is
reproduced, and a large dancing pavilion is well patronized.
Races, driving exhibitions, and various sports entertain the crowd.
An Alpine railroad catches the nickles. Beer and soft drinks
are sold in large quantities. It is possibly one of the wickedest
448 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
public resorts in the city. Over 3,000 paid the 25-cent entrance
fee July 4.
At the----------, at a terminus of several north-side car lines,
the vaudeville, not a bad one, holds the attention of the greater
part of the people, who sit drinking and smoking about the
tables placed in front of the stage. Others stroll about, visiting
the booths, which make the whole place resemble the old county
fair. Twenty-five cents is the entrance fee.
The ---------- on the south side is like the others, but lays
special stress upon its electric fountain. Whether these are pri-
marily places of amusement or beer-gardens is hard to determine
Ostensibly they exist for amusement, but practically they are
beer-gardens.
The fourth, ----------, draws large crowds daily. Among its
attractions are the chutes, a miniature railway, a swing, booths
as at the----------, and an animal show of circus side-show type.
Soft drinks only are sold.
Chicago has a system of public parks of which in one sense
it may justly be proud, but from the point of view of resorts for
the laboring people Chicago has no parks. Except on the
holidays, or when the children are taken by their kindergarten
teachers, a noble company of young women, the parks are, by
virtue of their distance from the homes of the masses, inacces-
sible. Nearly every park is supplied with a good refectory, and
no intoxicating liquors are obtainable in any of them. Band
concerts, at which the best music is played, are given, and largely
attended by those who already have much of this world's goods.
Washington Park on Thursday afternoons is a veritable parad-
ing ground, where these people have an opportunity to display
their latest acquisition in bicycle and riding habits, carriages, etc.
The park system suggests the passage, "for whosoever hath, to
him shall be given ; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be
taken even that which he thinketh he hath."
BILLIARD HALLS.
The billiard and pool halls remain to be treated, though
they properly come under the head of saloons. There are in
THE SALOON IN CHICAGO 449
the city 140 billiard halls. With but few exceptions these are
well lighted and furnished, are comfortable, and have a sem-
blance of elegance that surpasses at least the homes of the
majority of their patrons. Beer is served from the bar of an
adjoining saloon, or from a back room. The price of the game
ordinarily includes a glass of beer. The statement current that
in gambling lies the secret of the fascination for billiards led
me to give especial attention to this phase. Observation and
inquiry not only fail to substantiate this statement, but reveal
the fact that gambling at billiards (other than the price of the
game, which is a matter of courtesy, such as treating) is very
scarce. In explanation of this the following reasons may be
given: The professional gambler only plays those games in
which cards and dice and other devices, enabling cheating and
sleight of hand, are used. The statement of Mr.---------------
-------------, a pioneer of professional gambling, a man who has
thrice circled the globe in pursuit of his profession, is this:
"Professional gamblers won't touch billiards; it's too honest a
game." The average billiard hall, then, is a place where men,
especially young men, gather, chiefly because of their love for
the game and partly for the sake of companionship. Beer and
gambling are sometimes secondary, and sometimes left out
entirely. Besides these, there are the two extremes, places where
nothing but soft drinks are sold and places where gambling is
rife. The former are scarce, and only to be found in residence
districts and in the two local-option districts — Hyde Park and
Englewood. The latter are still more scarce,----------Academy
of Billiards being chief. Passing back of the bar, brilliant with
lights and flashing with mirrors, we enter a room, an amphi-
theater, seating about three hundred people. In the center is the
billiard-table, at which the professionals play the different kinds
of billiards. A sign on the walls reads, "Nogambling allowed,"
while the floor manager is loudly calling for bets. When the
stakes on either side are equal, the game is played; those having
bet on the winner receive back from the general fund their sum
doubled, less 10 percent., the commission charged by the house.
The reason for the sign is now apparent.
45° THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
Just the extent to which the cheap theater, of which those
described above are typical, are substitutes is left for the reader
to judge. They are filled at night to overflowing, with a differ-
ent crowd each night. Even the cheapest seats cost 10 cents
(and the io-cent seat is uncomfortable and apt to be close), an
amount which the people of these districts may not spend every
night for a " luxury." The truth is that the vast multitude^
seeking amusement and having no money with which to pay for
it, crowd the saloon vaudeville, where amusement of a still
inferior character is furnished them.
The parks are not for the people. Just how much a system
of parks that would include small parks located in the wretched
and congested districts of our city, would counteract the saloon
is not to be reduced to mathematical calculation. But this is
certain: here is a need that it is the business of the city to supply,,
and cease taxing the poor for parks designed for the rich. The
majority of the billiard halls are in no sense a substitute, but.
those furnishing soft drinks are well patronized, and are in every
sense substitutes of the first quality, so far as young men and
boys are concerned; but they are few in number. Recreation
and amusement, so necessary to the symmetrical development of
all our lives, are denied to those most needy of it — or rather,,
they are supplied in abundance, but of a character and under
circumstances not conducive to good morals.
LODGING-HOUSES.
But how are the 30,000 of the floating population provided
for ? And what kind of lodging-houses do they find ? The
first, second, twenty-second, and twenty-eighth precincts are
well stocked with lodging-houses of the 10-, 20-, and 30-cent
type. An account of my night's experience in a 5-cent "doss-
house" will give a slight insight into the needs of these people.
On the evening in question I had been at an "at home" of one
of the settlements, where, amid laughter and gaiety, in rooms
having the air of home about them and tastily decorated with
flowers, I saw the laboring man and his family at their best.
From a daintily arranged table in one corner of the dining-room
THE SALOON IN CHICAGO 451
ices were served by a group of young women, whose residence
and service in the neighborhood have won for them a place in
the hearts of these people. Old and young, the talented and
those less gifted with nature's blessings, were entering into the
games of the evening with the free spirit of fellowship that was
delightful to behold. As the company broke up, clouds began
to gather, and a heavy storm was upon us. Where were the
thousands whose only home is the street, the police station, the
saloon, and the " doss-house " ? Disguising myself in clothing
that deceived even my policemen friends, I went out into the
darkness, into the midst of the storm. The flashes of lightning
enabled me to keep out of the worst of the mudholes until I
reached Madison street, which was still brilliantly lighted. With
a slouch hat pulled over my eyes, drenched to the skin, I stepped
into a saloon to relight my pipe. Loafing about in saloon after
saloon, I found men stretched out on benches and lying on
the floor. A few were standing at the bar. Everywhere the
saloons were wide open and furnishing shelter to the homeless
thousands. Out on the street I met and revealed myself to
----------, one of the police officers who had been my guide on previ-
ous nocturnal excursions through the " hop-joints" of the city.
With him I met a second officer, with whom I had often seen
"the sights." At first he did not recognize me, but, when at
last convinced, he stepped back, looked me up and down critically
for a few moments, and said: " Good God, lad, but how you have
fallen!" Nor could he be convinced that as a result of his for-
mer guidance I had not fallen, and was not, as many another
unfortunate lad, forced to tramp the streets alone. To this day
he has not forgiven himself for his part in my "fall," and as he
urged me to return to a warm, dry bed, he gave me some words
of fatherly advice, which, coming from such a source, were touch-
ing indeed. By these men I was finally directed to the "vilest,
bummiest doss-house in the city," on West Madison street near
Canal. Standing in the hallway below I conversed with some of
my future room-mates, accustomed myself to them and the odors
that were coming down the stairway whenever the door was
opened, and, screwing my courage up to the highest notch, I
452 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
climbed up the stairs and entered the room. The odors from a
foul water-closet near the door made me recoil, but I closed the
door behind me and, shambling across the floor, threw myself
upon a bench. The room I was in was the office, waiting-, smok-
ing-, and reading-room. It was now 2 a. m. A few men were
still sitting about the room, some reading, many in a drunken
stupor. I was becoming " acclimated." I let the office-man
enter my name, letting him suppose that I could not write, and
lead the way back to my "bed." In a large room dimly lighted
by smoking kerosene lamps were ioo two-story iron bedsteads,
placed end to end between the aisles ; on the iron frame was a
mere rag of a mattress and another for a covering, reeking with
filth and alive with vermin. It was not inviting. Slowly and
reluctantly undressing, I at last submitted my body to the com-
pany of my thousands of bed-fellows, using my wet coat for a
pillow. The sounds, the sights, and the odors made that night
one of indescribable horror. The close room, the steam rising
from dirty garments, wet with the sweat and rain, the foul breath
of a hundred men, the unbearable stench of the syphilitic, made
the foul air fouler as the hours wore on. Nor was this all: the
rumbling of the thunder without and of bowels within, the curses
of men kept awake by the groans and occasional piercing cries
of the wretched victims in the first clutches of the tremens, the
hacking cough of the consumptive, entered into successful com-
bination to keep Somnus from our gates. Men naked, some
smoking clay pipes, walking about in the weird light (the man
above me planted his foot squarely on my breast as he climbed
down), caused me to wonder if I were still upon the earth in a
civilized country, or if in my dreams I had descended into
Dante's inferno. The feet of the man next us often touched our
heads, no partition being between. "The manager," in answer
to one man's complaint, simply took the rag of a mattress and
pulled it up between the man's head and the feet of the offend-
ing sleeper. Such is the place where hundreds spend their
nights.
Shall we wonder that they do not loaf and spend their
evenings "at home"? Would any sane man for an instant
THE SALOON IN CHICAGO 453
expect it of them ? But, indeed, they do not, are not required
to. Clean,airy drawing-rooms and reading-rooms—the saloons—
brilliant with lights reflected many times from glittering mirrors,
surround this and other lodging-houses, and here the homeless,
the hobo, and the tramp spend their evenings. And shall we
blame them ?x
The io-cent house is in many respects a little better. Beds
are arranged in the same way, and real mattresses, blankets, and
pillows are used. Less dirt, though still in abundance, is in
evidence. Occasionally a bath-room adds, in name at least, to
the respectability of the place. There are in the city, however,
a few io-cent lodging-houses which are all that could be asked
for the money. The Salvation Army has tried successfully the
experiment of giving good, clean lodging for that price. The
" Harbor Light," the best of these houses, contains 201 beds,
bunks of iron frame. The bedding is comfortable anc\ kept
clean. The floors are kept swept and scrubbed. Toilet con-
veniences are good. There is a reading-room, in which about
thirty men maybe found at any hour of the day until 12 at night,
when all must retire or leave the building. That the beds are all
occupied, and an average of twenty-five are turned away daily, testi-
fies to its popularity. The captain takes great pride in the neat-
ness of his lodging-house. The others, three in number, vary only
in that they furnish, in addition to the bed, a bowl of soup at
night, and a cup of coffee and a roll in the morning. Games are
here also provided. These others lack in neatness, however-
Enforced baths are a novel feature of these places. The entire
house is fumigated once a week, and the clothes of each lodger
every night. As the captain quaintly expressed it: " They come in
a thousand strong and go out as one man." The encouraging
feature is that some of these are making 8 per cent., while on
the average they just meet the expense, and save enough to
start another house in some other needy quarter. In passing I
cannot refrain from a word in praise of the social department of
1 Three months later I visited this place in the daytime, just a few days
after the
health inspector had made his demands upon them. There were now real mattresses,
sheets, and pillows, but the amount of dirt and uncleanliness was undiminished,
and
the poisonous fumes continued to issue from the foul water-closet.
454 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
the Salvation Army. Untutored, except by hard experience,
these men have hit upon more that is practical, and are really
doing more to solve the social problem, than many others more
highly educated, who are so learnedly discussing it. Their talent
at least is sure of gaining unto itself another talent.
The Y. M. C. A. has four railroad departments, which are
similar to the Salvation Army lodging-houses. In some a
restaurant is attached, at which meals may be had for reason-
able prices; but nowhere in the city, let it be remembered, can a
man's appetite be satisfied for 5 cents, as in the saloon. We
have not yet learned how. The Volunteers of America are doing
work along the same lines, though less extensive.
The 25- and 30-cent lodging-houses have small apartments
containing a single bed; the bedding is clean, and bath and toi-
let accommodations are good. A table of the lodging-houses
will be found in the appendix.
It will be seen that, aside from the Salvation Army and
Y. M. C. A. lodging-houses, nothing is done in Chicago in this
line of substitution. Successful experiments in New York and
elsewhere have proved that good, wholesome lodging can be
given at popular prices, and profit made. Some such system of
" model lodging-houses/' while it would not be a direct substitute,
would go a long way in removing one of the causes which force
large numbers of men to spend their evenings in saloons.
LUNCH COUNTERS.
Chicago, with all its hustle and business energy, has thus far
overlooked or found unprofitable a large field of enterprise—
that of furnishing to the people plain but wholesome food at
popular prices. No, that is not quite true. No city does so
much in that line as Chicago, but it is in connection with the
liquor traffic. It is the free-lunch counter that has made the
Chicago saloon notorious. England has her coffee-houses,
where for a mere pittance men can fully satisfy their hunger,
with food at least better cooked than in the average poor man's
home—and the cooking of food plays an important part in the
morals of men, especially men of these districts. With food
THE SALOON IN CHIC A GO 455
poorly cooked and hunger but half satisfied, these men are in
poor condition to resist the tempting offer the saloon holds out
to them, both in the food well cooked and often served in dishes
daintily garnished with lettuce and parsley, and in the beer, which,
for the time, satisfies their hunger. That this is not a mere super-
stition Professor Atwater's recent experiments have clearly
demonstrated. Splendid, but comparatively small in extent, are
the efforts on the part of the settlements to teach the mothers and
girls how properly to prepare the food, how to prepare the most
nourishing meals at the smallest expense. In the saloon or in
the cheap restaurants the 30,000 of the floating population get
their meals. But nowhere in the city, aside from the saloons,
can one fully satisfy his hunger for 5 cents. I found four 5-
cent restaurants; in one the dinner offered was unfit for even a
dog—the meat, bruised beef from a meat market (the owner
excused it by saying it was cheaper), was unhealthful. The
place in which it was served was too indescribably dirty for
mortal man to endure. The others were cleaner, but bare and
unattractive. Even there the lunch did not compare favorably
with the free lunch of the saloon. The air of poverty about these
places is intolerable. The 10-cent restaurants are also scarce
and furnish lunches about equal to thos.e which can be found in
the saloon with a glass of beer. Although they are better than
the ordinary saloon, there are more saloons in the city offering
this class of meal for 5 cents, and having far greater attractions,
than there are 10-cent restaurants. The 15-cent restaurants are
more common, and vary but little from the 10-cent ones. Such
are the restaurants supplying food to the laboring people.
The middle classes, the clerks and office-men, can find better
accommodations. The----------restaurants, of which there are
nine, are the most attractive and best-patronized of any of this
class. The service is good, the food is of the best. Here a lunch
would cost from 25 to 35 cents. They feed 2,500 daily on an
average. One of them averages 5,000. daily. And yet the
thrifty, economical young clerk, unless he has strong temper-
ance principles, will find that his money will go farther in one of
the first-class saloons. On Madison street, a business street
456 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
itself, running from the lake through the very heart of the busi-
ness portion of the city and out into the working-men's district
for a distance of four miles, there are 115 saloons and fifty-
three restaurants, as follows: there are three 5-cent restaurants,
five 10-cent restaurants, twenty 15-cent restaurants, seven 20-
cent restaurants, sixteen 25-cent restaurants, two 3 5-cent restau-
rants.
In this distance of four miles there are, then, but eight res-
taurants for the poor man, and all of these are unattractive. In
this same four miles there are 115 saloons, nearly all of which
furnish free lunches, together with all the other attractions of
the Chicago saloon.
At night there are about fifty lunch-wagons on the street
corners, and they post the following menus:
Chicken, 15 cents. Ham and eggs, 10 cents.
Russian caviar, 10 cents. Beefsteak, 10 cents.
Porkchops, 5 cents. Hamburger steak, 5 cents.
Eggs, 5 cents. Sardines, 5 cents.
Pig's feet, 5 cents. Spare-ribs, 5 cents.
Tenderloin, 5 cents. Pie, 5 cents.
Coffee, 5 cents.
These wagons are open only at night, and serve lunches to
men standing in the street. The cooking is at least safe. Yet
they cannot, with a license of $60 a year, place before the men,
even in such uncomfortable conditions, such an abundance as
the saloon. The man can step into any saloon near, and at a
table, amid cheery surroundings, especially on nights when it is
cold and rainy, get his lunch and glass of beer.
The factory districts present another familiar sight. No
place being furnished within where the men can eat their dinner,
they file out in large numbers and sit on the sidewalks or in the
windows. Several of their number are detailed to " rush the
growler." Hanging several dinner-pails on a pole, they go to
the nearest saloon and return with their pails full of beer. One
saloon, of which I know, sold ninety gallons every noon to men
in a factory and to a railroad gang that was working near. In
the winter the temptation to eat in the saloon, and take advan-
tage of the hot lunch served free, is beyond the power of
THE SALOON IN CHICAGO 457
common clay to resist. What, then, will the boy do who comes to
work in the factory. Whether or not owners of factories who
are of a philanthropic turn of mind could be persuaded to fit up
a room in their factory where their men could eat; whether it
would be financially successful to serve from the bar hot coffee
and a light lunch; whether the men would come there or go
still to the saloon, are debatable questions. Some society might
be allowed to furnish and equip a room for such a purpose.
Volunteer girls* societies in Chicago have made a success of this.
To compete successfully with the saloon, it must surpass it in
cheeriness, be free from irritating restriction, allow smoking, etc.
A certain per cent, of the men, and especially the young men,
would no doubt be glad to take advantage of it.
The lunch feature is by far the most serious feature of the
Chicago saloon problem. Untrammeled by conscience, placing
no restrictions upon its customers, so long as absolute violence
is not resorted to, the saloon combines with its numerous attrac-
tions that of feeding the masses. The almost incredible abun-
dance and quality of these lunches is due, as explained above, to
competition between the great brewing companies that control
the liquor trade in Chicago.
The attempt on the part of individuals to furnish cheap
lunches has proved a failure, as an examination of the 5- and
10-cent restaurants demonstrates. Cannot we learn a lesson
from the saloon which is enabled to supply food to the masses at
a very low rate; from the H. H. Kohlsaat Co., whose "combine"
is furnishing food to the middle classes; and from the Coffee-
House Association recently formed in London ? Only by some
such large combination, by cooperation, can we hope to com-
pete successfully with the saloon. Here, I believe, is a lucrative
field for the investment of capital.
READING-ROOMS.
Chicago has six branch reading-rooms of the Public Library.
The hours are from 12 m. to 9 p. m. The average daily attend-
ance of men is 125. There are nine reading-rooms of the Y.
M; C. A., with about the same average attendance. Various
458 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
churches and settlements have their reading-rooms. Yet in
only a very limited sense are they substitutes. Men, the vast
majority of the laboring men, are too exhausted when they
return from their work to do any work in the reading-room.
Thousands cannot even read English at all. Simply companion-
ship and some light form of entertainment, such as is left to the
saloon to provide,, is all they are fitted for. They are not in the
condition to pore over books, nor to keep the absolute silence
necessary in reading-rooms. Those of the railroad Y. M. C. A.
and the Salvation Army, allowing more freedom and smoking,
more nearly approach the needs of the people.
SPECIAL SUBSTITUTES.
Y. M. C A. AND Y. M. I.
The work of the Y. M. C. A. has already been alluded to.
The magnificent building of the central department is in the
heart of the business district. Its gymnasium, one of the
finest in the West, draws daily large numbers of young men.
Its educational features are especially valuable. Clerks and
office-men of the middle classes make up the larger portion of
its membership. It is adapted to Christian young men, but little
attempt being made in its arrangement to make it a social
gathering place such as would draw young men who find the
saloon the convenient loafing place. It is poorly situated for
this, being among men who in the daytime are busy and at night
miles away. As a social substitute it is of minor consequence.
The value of its railroad department, viewed from this stand-
point, has been mentioned in a previous paragraph. The four
branch departments in the residence districts are doing good
work as Christian organizations, but large numbers of young men
are not found gathered there in the informal manner so attractive
to them, and which they find in the hundreds of brilliantly lighted
saloons of the same district. Several young collegians in these
districts have stated that from their acquaintance among the
young men there they believed the value of these Y. M. C. A.
buildings would be greatly enhanced if rooms were set apart
for billiards, and perhaps smoking.
THE SALOON IN CHICAGO 459
The Catholics have actually carried into effect these sugges-
tions. The most successful substitute for the saloon among
young men in Chicago is the Young Men's Institute, at the
corner of Austin avenue and Wood street. This Y. M. I. club-
house is a building arranged much after the manner of a college
fraternity hall. In no place did I receive so hearty and cordial
a welcome as here. In their parlors the young men were reclin-
ing on sofas or in easy rockers, smoking and visiting. It was
music from their piano, not beer, that enlivened their spirits
here. In one room several were playing billiards, in another
room pool, a third room was for other games, and a small gym-
nasium was equipped in the basement. Most remarkable was the
spirit of fellowship among these young men. Young men well
dressed and others just from their work were visiting and play-
ing together. Occasional euchre parties and dancing parties are
given, to which their fathers and mothers are invited. Father
McDevitt spends a part of nearly every evening here, not in
preaching to, but in living with, the young men. A large number
of them drink beer (none is ever allowed in their hall), but, as
Father McDevitt said, " it is for these the club-house was built."
There are five in the city, only two of which have ever come up
to the standard set by this one.1
THE SALVATION ARMY AND THE VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA.
The social work of the above organizations comes properly
under the head of "Special Substitutes/' but it has been taken
up in the section on "Lodging-Houses." More detailed account
of their work is given by Staff Captain Alex. Damon for the
Salvation Army, and by W. K. James for the Volunteers of
America. These articles will be found in the appendix.
THE HOME SALON.
Most interesting and full of import is the experiment of
Bishop Samuel R. Fallows, the Home Salon. His plan was " to
adopt the best features of the saloon with the best features of
the restaurant, and so blend them that they would have the
1 Articles on the Y. M. C. A. and the Y. M. I. by Mr. L. Wilbur Messer and
Father
McDevitt respectively will be found in the appendix.
460 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
excellence of both.'' In an address made some time after it had
been opened he said: " Let me say to you, as a justification of it,
that we are having a steady patronage at 15 5 Washington street.
We are in the basement, you know. We bought out the saloon
that Jerry Sullivan used to run, and changed the whole aspect of
affairs. Our patronage is, much of it, from men who used to drink
beer—we give them beverages without alcohol. We propose
to give a genuine article, made from the highest grade of malt
and the best hops, and blend them together with the utmost
skill of the brewer and the chemist, and carbonate them ; and, in
short, to have the finest drink, next to pure cold water, that has
been furnished to man. In that way we hope to meet the thirst
element that is in our nature. Then we give something to eat of
a substantial character: bread and butter and a slice of meat —
it can't be very thick at the price at which we furnish it—with
beans or potatoes, etc., for 10 cents; and if a man grumbles at
that, he would grumble at being hanged. The only question is
about its paying. We cannot do this as philanthropy or benevo-
lence. We should utterly fail if we did. We are trying to put
it on a sound business basis, and I want to say to you men that
here is one of the best opportunities for investment in Chicago."
But it failed. The "bishop's beer," as the drink was called,
proved to be alcoholic—just enough to require a license. Seek-
ing from all classes of men the reason for its failure, the usual
reply received was: " It was not attractive; it was a dingy old
hole." Bishop Fallows, speaking with me of this experiment,
said: "So long as I was able to give it my direct supervision the
patronage kept up and it was a success. Owing to the pressure
of other business, I placed it in the hands of some young men.
I attribute its failure to these two causes: lack of financial
backing and business management."
True, as the bishop said in speaking of the lunch, if a man
would grumble at that, he would grumble at being hanged; but
no man will pay 10 cents for what he can get in more cheery
surroundings for 5 cents. " The undertaking had sound philoso-
phy at its back—that when you ask men to give up some-
thing that is bad or hurtful, but still attractive, you must be
THE SALOON IN CHICAGO 461
able to offer them something, not only really better, but also
quite as attractive." But, like the few spasmodic efforts to supply
food to the people at popular prices, it was, after all, but an
isolated attempt. The experiment of the Home Salon was but
an object-lesson — not entirely an ignominious defeat. It
demonstrated what may be done by proper management, coope-
ration, and sufficient capital.1
THE PROPOSED COFFEE-HOUSES FOR CHICAGO.
The Young People's Temperance Federation of Chicago is
about to establish several coffee-houses, after the manner of the
Home Salon. In each will be a manager appointed by the fed-
eration and directly responsible to it. Whether it succeeds or
not depends:
1. Upon the business ability of the manager.
2. Upon the amount of financial backing (they believe they
have enough to carry them through the experimental months).
3. Upon its freedom from anything like the appearance of
a mission. There is a tendency upon the part of some of the
board to be impatient of results.2
CONCLUSION.
Recapitulating what has been said regarding substitutes, we
find that there is an abundance of unconscious or indirect
agencies, whose powerful influence has been greatly underesti-
mated, and that there are a few fragmentary attempts at direct
substitution. We find also that of these indirect agencies, such
as the voluntary associations, there are as many as the pres-
ent demand requires, and that more cannot be expected from
that direction. Of the direct substitutes the business portion
has practically none. The few scattered church and settle-
ment clubs, and the lodging-houses of the Salvation Army, the
Volunteers of America, and the railroad departments of the
Y. M. C. A.—good, but small indeed, compared with the vast-
ness of the need — make, up the quota of direct substitutes in
1 An article by Bishop Fallows will be found in the appendix.
2An article by Rev. W. H. Streible on these coffee-houses appears in the
appendix.
462 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
the workingmen's districts. The Y. M. C. A. and Y. M. I. are
about the only social gathering-places for young men left to
compete with the hundreds of surrounding saloon clubs of the
suburban districts.
Of the direct substitutes these general statements may be
made:
i. They are but isolated attempts, not yet having caught the
spirit of the times: the spirit of cooperation and combination.
2. The religious element is intruded. Men will not largely
patronize a place where the feeling prevails that someone is.
doing something for them. The best results will be obtained
from substitutes carried on, not as a philanthropic enterprise, but
upon a strictly business basis.
3. They lack in attractiveness. To compete successfully
with the saloon, a substitute must not only be as attractive as
the saloon it is to replace, but must possess a degree of attract-
iveness sufficient to overcome the force of habit which is firmly
established.
Before venturing an answer to the question, What is the
place of substitution in the final solution of the "liquor prob-
lem" ?, let me call attention to two facts: (1) Beer is the
almost universal beverage of the working people. Mr. Louis
Wreden, general secretary of the "Deutcher Orden der Haru-
gari," said to me that he could not then recall a single German
family in which beer was not used. The laboring people of many
nationalities feed beer to their children as others do milk.
"You can depend on the beer, but you can't tell about the
milk you get down here," one man remarked. As has been
stated, among some people the substitutes do not substitute.
No drink has yet been discovered by the chemist which is at
once so pleasing in its effect, so slightly intoxicating,1 and so
cheaply manufactured. (2) The substitute, to attain any degree
of success, must keep in mind the following self-evident fact
1 Most incredible of the facts which the study of the saloon revealed to me
was
the relatively small amount of drunkenness. Without entering into a discussion
of
the reasons which, with a little thought, each may discover for himself, it is
sufficient
to state that the amount of drunkenness, in proportion to the amount of liquor
drunk,
is much less in the down-town than in the rural districts.
THE SALOON IN CHICAGO 463
—one which, if recognized, is seldom appreciated: the people
of these industrial districts are simply human beings—just like
other folks, having the same moral, intellectual, physical, and
social natures, which seek development, but along the lines of
least resistance. The substitute cannot be a fixed thing, but,
like the saloon, must vary according to the needs of a particular
district.
From prolonged observation, and from conference with the
keepers and patrons of saloons, I believe I am not far from the
truth in stating that about 50 per cent, of the men who go to
the saloon go there primarily for drink. The other 50 per cent,
go there from such various legitimate motives as have been dis-
cussed. The first 50 per cent., who go there to satisfy the drink
element in our nature, substitution will not reach. Of the remain-
ing only a portion can be drawn into these substitutes, both
because in number they are inadequate and in adaptation poorly
suited to the needs.
What, then, is the final solution of the liquor problem ? I
shrink from answering this question, (1) because it does not fall
within the province of this study to draw conclusions, but rather
to state fairly and clearly the existing facts and conditions, from
which each may draw his own conclusions; and (2) because
"the coasts of history are strewn with the wrecks of predictions
launched by historians and philosophers.,, Yet, knowing the
interest that attaches to the conclusion to which one has been
led who has studied the question while living in the very midst
of the conditions portrayed, I append my conclusions for what
they are worth.
The present conditions are the culminative result of a long
series of events, and are not to be " abolished " at one stroke by
legislation. For reasons above stated, no system of substitutes
can, much less will, abolish the saloon. Gradually some of the
causes for the present evil may be removed —
By improvement in methods of lodging the people, as by
model tenement-houses.
By increased facilities for obtaining cheap and wholesome
food, such as is provided in the coffee-houses of London.
464 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
By a ministration by proper authorities to such necessities
as public toilet conveniences, labor bureaus, public parks, etc.
By a more general recognition by the churches of their social
mission, and by a spread of the movement, already begun by
the better elements of the community, to furnish places for
recreation and amusement, and the means of social intercourse
for the masses.
By a more general spread of education—education in the
trades and professions — education that leads to an equality of
opportunity.
Or, to state it still more briefly, the liquor traffic may, and in
time undoubtedly will, be regulated and controlled by legislation
—it may be robbed to a great extent of its social functions by
substitution, and of its monopoly in catering to certain neces-
sities by their supply by proper authorities; yet beer-drinking,
under these regulations and conditions, will always be more or
less common among the masses of the laboring people.
That substitution will not entirely do away with the liquor
traffic (and it is being seriously questioned by thoughtful people,
who are acquainted with the conditions as they are, whether
the complete abolition of the saloon in its best forms is, after all,
desirable) need discourage no one. There is a large work that
substitution can accomplish, and one that is more needed in
Chicago at present than legislation. John Ruskin said: " It is
very Utopian to hope for the entire doing away with drunken-
ness and misery out of the entire kingdom; but the utopianism
is not our business, the work is."
Royal L. Melendy.
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