﻿136 



mDIAJsTA UmVEESITY 



Their purpose seems to be to supply to the people of the district 

 the little things which they have neglected to buy down town, 

 or the big things which they do not wish to carry so far. In other 

 words, the people of this district do much of their buying down 

 town. They patronize the city market and the large stores. 

 They are. compelled by the distance to come and go on the street 

 cars, but they declare that they save more than this item of ex- 

 pense by buying down town. 



As has been said, this is primarily a residence district. A 

 Avord in regard to the kind and condition of the houses occupied, 

 is naturally in order. As Avill be shown later (p. 137) in the 

 tables, 70 per cent of the homes are in single cottages, and 27 

 per cent in double cottages. About one-half of these buildings 

 are old, that is, they have been in use for fifteen or twenty years. 

 Nearly all of these older houses are set low on the ground with 

 little or no foundation. In the early years this district was very 

 marshy. During the winter and spring months water stood in 

 ponds over the entire district. The modern system of surface 

 drainage has done much to remedy this condition, but there is 

 still much complaint. We were told that water stood for days 

 in nearly two hundred yards last spring. In the cases where 

 these low yards contain houses built with little foundation, con- 

 ditions were far from good. A fcAv Avomen complained that sur- 

 face water filled their cisterns and vaults causing them to over- 

 flow into the yards. In the last few years all new houses have 

 been constructed with good foundations. As drainage is being 

 gradually improved, we can safely prophesy that it vnll not be 

 very long before the surface Avater troubles Avill be done away 

 Avith. 



Social Characteristics. The district has but fcAV social char- 

 acteristics of general influence. Among them the Christamore 

 Settlement stands out most conspicuously. Its work has already 

 been commented upon. The children living in the territory cov- 

 ered by the investigation attend school in four or five different 

 districts. Owing to this fact the development in the community 

 of any general feeling of school pride or school interest is im- 

 possible. This is a point to be regretted by those interested in 

 the social Avelfare of the people of the district. The church comes 

 next to the home and the school as a factor in social betterment. 

 In the Christamore district Ave haA^e four churches. In addition 

 to these there are tAvo on College Avenue Avhich are attended by 

 a number of people whose hom_es Ave visited. 



