Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 3.djvu/192

 178 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

the people, accounts largely for two striking characteristics of social settlements :

1. The residents who remain any length of time generally change their social point of view.

2. There is a remarkable difference in the character of the work and life of the different settlements.

In connection with the point of view from which those who come into residence look at the work, we have found at Chi- cago Commons what is probably true of most settlements, that each newcomer has a different way of looking at his relation to things.

1. There is the sentimentalist, who has heard what terrible sufferings the poor are obliged to endure, and hopes to sate his sentimentalism on heartbreaking scenes of misery. But he soon realizes that suffering is only a relative thing, and that he knew nothing about the real misery of the poor.

2. There is the wealthy son of fortune, who feels a prick of conscience at his extravagant way of living, and hopes to satisfy this by living in the slums for a time. Many of these, after liv- ing in the settlement, have felt that they could never return to their old ways of life again, and have become thoughtful and efficient residents.

3. There is the methodical student of economics and statis- tics, who cares for the poor only so far as they are able to furnish facts for his science. These remind us of Professor Peabody's remark, that "science without sentiment is like an engine with- out steam. It is a beautiful piece of mechanism, but cannot do anything." The settlement should never be looked upon as a statistical laboratory. The poor rarely give their confidence to anyone except a friend. Privacy is as sacred to them as it is to us, and we have no right to go to them in any other capacity than that of a friendly visitor.

4. There is the young clergyman whose heart aches at the ignorance and destitution all about him, but despairs of bringing a personal knowledge of Christ to the multitude. In him the proc- ess of changing the point of view is most painful and bewildering.