696 



SETTLEMENTS, SOCIAL. 



SHAFTER, WILLIAM RUFUS. 



the three kinds of waste in separate receptacles, 

 but would mix them all and refuse to sort except 

 on penalty of arrest. The men of the district re- 

 belled at the unpleasant task put upon their wives, 

 and showed it by voting in thousands against the 

 officers of the Department of Street Cleaning. The 

 work of the settlement is to educate the people to 

 an understanding of the laws, and thus inspire co- 

 operation instead of an opposition bitter through 

 ignorance. 



The class of people who come most to the settle- 

 ment houses, to take advantage of what they offer 

 in the way of education . and amusement, are not 

 those who need outside help ; for the same ambition 

 and energy that impels them to attend the clubs 

 and libraries expresses itself in their daily work, 

 and their home affairs rarely need the adjusting 

 hand of the outsider. But there is a class who 

 through thriftlessness or misfortune require relief, 

 principally in the matter of rent, for rent paying is 

 the greatest burden of the very poor in cities, espe- 

 cially in New York, where real estate is so valuable. 

 A mediator is often needed between landlord and 

 tenant to prevent loss of rent by the one and loss 

 of shelter by the other. The settlement worker in- 

 forms himself thoroughly on both sides, and gives 

 the required help. During strikes, or times of 

 great financial depression, actual pecuniary assist- 

 ance is necessary, and to save the misery of dispos- 

 session, the settlement furnishes such relief. Work 

 in this line shows that it is better to require labor 

 in return for money than to lend money, for in the 

 latter case it is rarely repaid. Arrangement is 

 sometimes made with street-cleaning departments 

 to take heads of distressed families on the force, 

 letting the settlement pay the bill through the 

 department. Rent dodging is becoming more and 

 more popular, and after studying carefully into its 

 cause and prevention, the settlements are doing 

 their best to diminish it by showing that it is not 

 the rich landlord who suffers, but the honest ten- 

 ant, whose rent is raised to cover the losses caused 

 by rent dodgers. 



Another department of outside work is that of 

 nursing. The economy of the poor in matters of 

 physical health is notorious, and much unnecessary 

 suffering is caused thereby. A physician is not 

 summoned until so late that his services may not 

 avail, and intelligent nursing to follow out his direc- 

 tions is wanting. To help these matters, the trained 

 nurse offers her services to the settlement. In New 

 York is a trained-nurse settlement, where minor 

 accidents are treated in the house, and whence 

 nurses go to attend the sick poor in their homes. 

 The work of this society is confessedly to relieve 

 the sick ; yet its ministrations do not stop there, for 

 the nurse becomes the friend and confidant of the 

 relieved family and sees a wide opportunity for 

 giving moral help as well as physical. 



Entertainments at the settlement are powerful in 

 interesting the people of the neighborhood in its 

 work, and these are given throughout the year at 

 least once a week. The basis of all the clubs is 

 social, so that each club meeting is in the way of an 

 entertainment ; but apart from these are lectures, 

 sociables, concerts, and even fairs; while certain 

 holidays are kept with feasting, especially at Christ- 

 mas. As far as possible, these entertainments de- 

 pend for support upon the efforts of the people they 

 benefit. Everything possible is done to encourage 

 a mutually helpful spirit and abolish class hatred. 

 In summer there are various outings for boys and 



S'rls and mothers. A camp is established beside a 

 ke or a river, and the boys who are fortunate 

 enough to go there have a season of happiness and 

 instruction. Sometimes a hundred or more children 

 are taken to the circus or to some similar entertain- 



ment. By arrangements with the Department of 

 Public Charities or smaller institutions, the children 

 of the settlement can have a day's relief from the 

 scorching city streets on a barge. 



We have in our country a mass of people that do 

 not amalgamate with the others, that the nation 

 can not assimilate ; a solid block of Europe's lowest 

 population, who refuse to accept our language, our 

 customs, and the spirit of our laws. Besides this 

 class, we have the one with which we are more fa- 

 miliar, the criminal and ignorant of the English- 

 speaking poor. All these people are an expense and 

 a menace to the cities they inhabit. Except through 

 the settlement workers, these people can not be 

 reached ; but through them they are receiving 

 lessons that will ultimately make good citizens of 

 them, and especially of their children. 



Money for this work is supplied by voluntary 

 contributions of private individuals whose interest 

 has been excited, and from small receipts of clubs, 

 kindergarten, and library. In the case of the Uni- 

 versity Settlement in New York, the city contribu- 

 uted nearly $2,000 for the library. Regular sub- 

 scribers to settlement societies are styled fellows, as- 

 sociates, and members, who give annually from $5 

 to $100 each. 



The number of settlements in the United States 

 is 80, 16 of these being in New York ; some are 

 independent, while others are connected with 

 churches. The Riverside Settlement and Hartley 

 House are both established and maintained through 

 the donations of the founders and their families. 

 The College Settlement Association is an organ i/a- 

 tion of college women, and has houses in New York, 

 Philadelphia, and Boston. It is the hope of this 

 association to pay their teachers through the fees of 

 the pupils, instead of through donations. Hull 

 House, in Chicago, is known all over the philan- 

 thropic world. Its influence is recognized on ques- 

 tions affecting the sanitary conditions of the ward 

 in which it is located and in its relation to the civic 

 life of the people. The improvement of the neigh- 

 borhood is so marked since this settlement began its 

 work that the Mayor of Chicago has made a Hull 

 House resident chief garbage inspector of the city. 



The whole idea of the settlement is brotherly love : 

 not the charity which dispenses alms, but the altru- 

 ism which prompts men and women to regard their 

 own gifts and opportunities merely as happy instru- 

 ments for leading others from misery and crime, 

 a charity which is humble enough to value friend- 

 ship without regard to class distinction ; in short, a 

 combination of political economy and love for fel- 

 low man. 



SHAFTER, WILLIAM RUFUS, an Americ 

 soldier, born in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, Oct. 1C 

 1835. His childhood and youth were passed amic 

 agricultural surroundings. An old army comrade 

 who knew him in his earlier years, once said : 

 was only a farmer's boy, tough and lean as hickor 

 following the scythe barefooted, in harvest, to bund! 

 up the wheat that was to go into the shock that wa 

 to go into the stack." When the civil war broke out 

 young Shafter was appointed first lieutenant in 

 Seventh Michigan Infantry. on Aug. 22, 1861. Brig. 

 Gen. Napoleon J. T. Dana, in his official report 

 the battle of Fair Oaks, in describing the oper 

 tions of his brigade when in the first line of battle 

 said: "Lieut. Shafter, Seventh Michigan Volun- 

 teers, in charge of the pioneers, who was slight 1> 

 wounded but kept the field, furnished beautiful 

 exhibitions of gallant conduct and intelligent 

 tivity." 



Lieut. Shafter was honorably mustered out 

 service on Aug. 22, 1862, and two weeks later 

 became major of the Nineteenth Michigan Infant ry. 

 When serving with this regiment, which fornu-il 



