p. 7 | Human Kennels

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 16, 1908

“Human Kennels”

This is the term used by one of our exchanges in characterizing the homes of the people who live in the crowded sections of the large cities. It is expressive. Certain it is that the dog kennels of some of the wealthy are more inviting and more hygienic places of abode than are the crowded, fetid, disease-breeding dens of infamy inhabited by some human beings. A few sentences from the article will show that the problem of the crowded cities and the remedy for the situation are being seriously considered, and that the cry now is “out of the cities.” We quote:—

Anarchy has again struck its poisonous fangs into our social fabric. The assassination of a priest at the altar in Denver forces once more upon the minds of the people of this country the dangers that lurk in the foul social miasma breathed by those who dwell in the slums and tenements of the cities and large manufacturing centers. The only remedy is to let the sunshine of Opportunity in the right kind of rural or suburban homes into the lives of the millions of wage-workers who now swelter and degenerate in the ghettos and human kennels where they are to-day living in every city and large manufacturing center of population.

The right remedy is suggested, but it will not be adopted. There is a fascination for a certain class in the city. There is an excitement which is demanded. The cheap playhouse, the ill-famed resorts, and the political opportunities appeal to many. As it was in old Rome in the days of the decline of the republic, so it is now in many countries. But those who understand the times, and know what to look for in the near future, will not cling to the cities.