Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/478

 464 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

By a ministration by proper authorities to such necessities as public toilet conveniences, labor bureaus, public parks, etc.

By a more general recognition by the churches of their social mission, and by a spread of the movement, already begun by the better elements of the community, to furnish places for recreation and amusement, and the means of social intercourse for the masses.

By a more general spread of education education in the trades and professions education that leads to an equality of opportunity.

Or, to state it still more briefly, the liquor traffic may, and in time undoubtedly will, be regulated and controlled by legislation it may be robbed to a great extent of its social functions by substitution, and of its monopoly in catering to certain neces- sities by their supply by proper authorities ; yet beer-drinking, under these regulations and conditions, will always be more or less common among the masses of the laboring people.

That substitution will not entirely do away with the liquor traffic (and it is being seriously questioned by thoughtful people, who are acquainted with the conditions as they are, whether the complete abolition of the saloon in its best forms is, after all, desirable) need discourage no one. There is a large work that substitution can accomplish, and one that is more needed in Chicago at present than legislation. John Ruskin said : " It is very Utopian to hope for the entire doing away with drunken- ness and misery out of the entire kingdom ; but the utopianism is not our business, the work is."

ROYAL L. MELENDY.

CHICAGO COMMONS.