ise able to come
up to the standard of living in a given community take advantage of this
form of charity, or whether the customers of the Salvation Army's stores
are living below that standard. To just the extent that the former is
true, this part of the work would be pauperizing and retrogressive, but
we do not consider the former to be true. Naturally, we have no
statistics on this point, but speaking from general observation, we
should say that the customers of these stores are needy poor, who are
living below the standard, and hence, the store is a boon to them in
aiding them toward a realization of that standard.

Let us now sum up our conclusions regarding the industrial work of the
Army. Regarding the industrial colonies, we would say that, while
doubtless responsible for good and reformation in certain cases,
nevertheless, owing to their cost of maintenance and the fact that the
work can be done without them, they are not a practical form of charity
deserving the intelligent support of the public. Regarding the city
industrial work, including the employment, amid a good environment, of
men out of work, including also the turning of much otherwise waste
matter into an economic good, and the assistance of deserving poor by
means of second-hand stores, we would say that it is commendable and
deserving of support. This latter conclusion is made in spite of three
objections: first, that there is a tendency to lower wages, which
objection we do not consider as important for reasons given; second,
that underselling of certain commodities by the Army takes place, which
objection we admit to a limited extent, and third, that the standard of
living is interfered with, which objection we do not consider valid.

Examples of Men in the Army Industrial Homes.

These examples were collected by Mr. Jas. Ward at the two industrial
homes situated on West 19th Street and West 48th Street, New York City,
during the months of March and April, 1908. Mr. Ward worked right with
the men whose cases are given here, and slept in the homes, thus being
with them night and day. The home on West 19th Street was an old milk
depot rented temporarily by the Army to aid the unemployed during the
winter, and had accommodation for two hundred men. Everything was very
crude. The men slept on the floor, some without blankets. They were
required to work from three to five hours every day, and during the rest
of the day, they were allowed to go ou