The Man Farthest Down: A Record of Observation and Study in EuropeWashington, Booker T.
History
The Man Farthest Down: A Record of Observation and Study in Europe
Washington, Booker T.
Poor -- Europe; Working class -- Europe
Meanwhile, in other parts of the country private enterprise and private
philanthropy had gone in advance of the London County Council. Outside
of Birmingham and Liverpool garden cities had been erected in which
every family was provided with an acre of land, on some of which men
employed in the factories, when they were not at work, increased their
earnings in some instances as much as £50, or $250, a year.
Then the County Council began to acquire tramways radiating out in
every direction into the suburbs. At the present time the city owns
something over a hundred miles of tramway within the city, and of the
300 miles or more in Greater London the majority is either owned by
London or the suburban boroughs.
At the ends of these lines the London County Council, and more
frequently private individuals, have erected model dwellings on a
large scale and are thus gradually moving the city population into the
country.
In the meantime much has been done in recent years to increase the
number of playgrounds and breathing spaces, to supply bathrooms, wash
houses and other conveniences which make it possible to keep the city
and people in a healthful and sanitary condition. In many of the
principal streets in London I noticed signs directing the people to
public baths which were located somewhere underneath the street. The
different boroughs contributed in 1907 $738,545 in taxes to support
these public baths and bath houses, and at the same time the people
of London paid over $400,000 for bath tickets and $85,000 for laundry
tickets in order to make use of these public conveniences.
Inner London, not including suburbs, has now an area of 6,588 acres in
parks large and small, upon which the city has expended a capital of
$9,125,910 and upon which it expends annually the sum of $548,065 or
thereabout.
Now, the thing that strikes me about all this is that these vast sums
of money which London has spent in clearing up its slums, in providing
decent houses, wider streets, breathing spaces, bath houses, swimming
pools, and washrooms have been spent mainly on sunshine, air, and
water, things which any one may have without cost in the country.
I visited some of these wash houses and saw hundreds of women who had
come in from the surrounding neighbourhood to do their week's washing.
They were paying by the hour for the use of the municipal washtubs and
water, but I am sure they were not any better provided for in this
respect than the coloured women of the South who go down on sunshiny
days to the brook to do their washing, boiling their clothes in a big
iron kettle. I saw the boys in some of the swimming pools, but I did
not see any of them that seemed happier than the boy who goes off to
the brook with his hook and line and by the way takes a plunge in an
old-fashioned swimming hole.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account