Gotham Court 312

The Mouth of the Alley 317

The Wrecking of Cat Alley 327

Trilby 331

Old Barney 334

The Old and the New 343

Public School No. 177, Manhattan 347

Letter H Plan of Public School No. 165 352

Public School No. 153, The Bronx 356

Girls' Playground on the Roof 360

The New Idea: a Stairway of Public School No. 170 363

Truck Farming on the Site of Stryker's Lane 367

Doorway of Public School No. 165 370

Main Entrance of Public School No. 153 375

Superintendent C. B. J. Snyder 381

"The fellows and papa and mamma shall be invited in yet" 392

The "Slide" that was the Children's only Playground once 394

A Cooking Lesson in Vacation School 401

"Such a ball-room!" 408

Teaching the Girls to swim 411

Athletic Meets in Crotona Park 415

Flag Drill in the King's Garden 437

Mrs. Ben Wah 444

THE BATTLE WITH THE SLUM

WHAT THE FIGHT IS ABOUT

The slum is as old as civilization. Civilization implies a race to get
ahead. In a race there are usually some who for one cause or another
cannot keep up, or are thrust out from among their fellows. They fall
behind, and when they have been left far in the rear they lose hope and
ambition, and give up. Thenceforward, if left to their own resources,
they are the victims, not the masters, of their environment; and it is a
bad master. They drag one another always farther down. The bad
environment becomes the heredity of the next generation. Then, given the
crowd, you have the slum ready-made.

The battle with the slum began the day civilization recognized in it her
enemy. It was a losing fight until conscience joined forces with fear
and self-interest against it. When