Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/468

 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 3<D-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 41 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