man shall "get on in the world." There are hundreds of cases where men born in foreign lands and receiving by no means large wages, are rearing families and saving enough money to own their homes by the time they reach middle life. Here are a dozen fair samples-every one foreign born, and half of them earning less than the average wages of married men as a class: Born in Poland, by trade a molder, working in Detroit, thirty-three years old, married, supporting two children; annual earnings, $576, family expenses, $435, owning a $1000 house half paid for; is worth $800. Polander, laborer, Detroit, thirty-nine, married, five children; earnings, $390; expenses, $300; owning $800 house with $300 mortgage; is worth $700. Polander, machinist, Grand Rapids, thirty, married, four children; earnings, $780; expenses, $600; owning $1800 house, half paid for; is worth $3000. Russian, machinist, Grand Rapids, forty, married, five children; earnings, $780; expenses, $690; owning $2300 house with $350 mortgage; life insured for $1500; is worth $3100. Hollander, teamster, Kalamazoo, forty-five, married, two children; earnings, $408; expenses, $383; owning $1100 house unincumbered; is worth $1200. Irishman, laborer, Detroit, thirty, married, three children; earnings, $432; expenses, $325; owning $1250 house with $900 mortgage; is worth $600. Irishman, laborer, Battle Creek, fifty-three, married, one child; earnings, $459; expenses, $284; owning $2000 house, unincumbered; is worth $2560. Swiss, carpenter, Jackson, twenty-seven years old, married, four children; earnings, $661; expenses, $550; owning $1400 house, with $100 due upon it; life insured for $600; is worth $1600. Swede, machinist, Grand Haven, forty-nine, married, one child; earnings, $546; expenses, $500; owning $800 house, unincumbered; is worth $1000. Austrian, blacksmith, Grand Rapids, thirty-three, married, two children; earnings, $360; expenses, $360; owning $800 house, unincumbered; is worth $1000. German, pattern maker, Muskegon, thirty-four, married, two children; earnings, $864; expenses, $700; owning $1500 house, unincumbered; life insured for $2000; is worth $2500. German, mounter, Dowagiac, forty-eight, married, two children; earnings, $525; expenses, $457; owning $1000 house, with $200 mortgage; life insured for $4100; is worth $1800. PLEBISCITE ON CURRENT REFORMS. THE following ballot is intended, first of all, to enumerate and define current reforms; and, second, to afford a means by which to ascertain which of them are ripe in public sentiment, and which are yet in the green. The figures after "Yes," "No," and "?" have been added to the ballot to show the representative vote of fifty senior students of Oberlin in 1890-some of them young men, the others young ladies. Where no vote is indicated the question has been added since. Those who believe that the best prophecy of the future is the unforced opinion of young men and young ladies, will value the result as a guideboard showing what roads our educated Christian young people are taking.* The ballot would be especially valuable for political papers to use in ascertaining what planks found in the platforms of reform organizations are seasoned enough to be built into political platforms. Free permission is granted to any periodical to use the ballot, due credit being given, and a marked copy being forwarded to the author's address, to which it is hoped reports of ballots taken by colleges and other bodies will also be sent, to be published later. Each reader will please indicate his vote by penciling a circle around "Yes" or "No" after each question. If one favors a stronger measure, add + after Yes"; if a weaker -, or modify by erasure or additional words. If undecided put the circle about the "?" SUMMARY OF BALLOT. Let the voter, having marked his answer to each question, if he desires to keep his ballot, fill out this summary and mail it or a copy of it to the address on the first page. Yes" to Nos.. "Yes" to Nos. "Yes to Nos. "?" (undecided) to Nos.. Name: P. O. address: Occupation: Votes to be classified by occupations and results reported. DO YOU FAVOR I. FROM THE STANDPOINT OF THE FAMILY. 1. A law or ordinance forbidding children under sixteen to be on the streets, except in the company of adult guardians, after nine o'clock at night-a curfew bell giving due warning? Yes 20, or No 10, or? 20. 2. The enactment and enforcement of such laws as will prevent bill-posters, tobacconists, newsdealers, and others from displaying pictures whose tendency is to arouse lust in our youth? Yes 47, or No o, or? 3. 3. The enforcement of laws (as in Toronto and Pittsburg) forbidding the sale of police gazettes that describe and picture vice and crime, and such additional legislation as may be necessary to suppress all similar literature, or at least to make the selling of it to youth a crime? Yes or No, or ? 4. Correcting by agitation the double standard" in society, and requiring the same purity of word and deed in any one who would be counted a gentleman as in one who would be treated as a lady? Yes 48, or No 1, or? I. 5. Raising the "age of consent" everywhere by law to at least twenty-one years? Yes 36, or No 8, or ? 6. 6. Capital punishment for rape? Yes or No, or? 7. Preventing both the direct and indirect licensing of prostitution? Yes 47, or No 2, or? I. 8. A uniform national marriage and divorce law in the National Constitution to prevent polygamy and restrain divorce? Yes 45, or No o, or ? 5. 9. In place of above law or pending its enactment, such improvements of existing marriage laws by State commissions or otherwise, that divorce with permission to marry again can be granted (as is the law in New York State alone) only for the one cause of adultery, and only to the innocent party? Yes 34, or No 12, or? 4. 10. Laws forbidding public attacks upon marriage and public incitements to crime, either in the press or on the platform? Yes 40, or No 3, or ? 7. II. A penalty ($4,000 in France) for publishing the revolting details of a divorce trial? Yes 39, or No 3, or ? 8. 12. Laws (as in England) forbidding night work by messenger boys? Yes or No, or? 13. Laws forbidding night work by minors and by all women, except in care of the sick? Yes or No, or ? 14. Laws requiring seats for female clerks in stores? Yes or No, or? 15. Legal restriction of the wage-work of women and children at least, to eight hours per day? Yes or No, or? 16. Forbidding insurance of children, lest it lead to neglect or something worse? Yes or No, or? 17. Tenement house reform by compulsory thinning out and cleaning out by health authorities wherever needed? Yes or No, or? 18. Dress reform? Yes 44, or No 2, or ? 4. 19. Dress reform for women to the extent at least of (1) abolishing the décolétte style for the shoulders; (2) adopting dresses that clear the ground for the streets; (3) avoiding all compression of the waist ? Yes or No, or ? 20. Voluntary funeral reform, to the extent of (1) more economy and less display even by those who can afford both, for the sake of the poor, if not for the sake of good taste; (2) no Sunday funerals except in rare instances of real "necessity and mercy"? Yes 20, or No 10 or? 20. II. FROM THE STANDPOINT OF THE SCHOOLS. 21. Compulsory education for the whole school year for children up to fourteen years of age at least, with additional compulsory education for at least two years more for a part of the time in evening schools or otherwise? Yes or No, or ? 22. Maintaining the American common school substantially on the present plan, with no division of the school fund for sectarian uses, and the Bible read without comment, but not without expression, in the opening exercises? Yes 49, or No o, or ? 1. 23. Additional unsectarian teaching of Christian morality? Yes or No, or ? 24. The teaching of hygiene in all public schools, with special reference to the influence of alcohol? Yes 49, or No o, or? 1. 25. Flying a national flag over or in every school when in session as a means of promoting patriotism? Yes or No, or ? 26. The teaching of at least the elements of civics in public schools as a preparation for citizenship? Yes or No, or? 27. The required reading in all public schools, shortly after each adjournment of the Legislature, of an officially prepared summary in popular language of the general laws of the State? Yes or No, or ? 28. Elementary manual education in public schools, enough to dignify labor and qualify boys and girls to do simple mechanical work for themselves, or to start in trades at an advantage? Yes 41 or No 4, or ? 5. 29. Much attention in public schools to the art of expression by voice and pen, since ours is a "Government by talking," which makes readiness of expression an important element of good citizenship in all occupations? Yes 45. or No 2, or ? 3. 30. Maintaining Normal schools at State expense as heretofore? Yes 39, or No 4, or ? 7. 31. State universities also? Yes 41, or No 4, or ? 5. 32. Opening colleges to both sexes? Yes 45, or No 3, or ? 2. 33. Limitation of college athletics, in term time, by college law to the grounds of the college to which the athletics in each case belong? Yes or No, or ? 34. Forbidding by college law, or by civil law, or by the football associations, of such plays in football as have often caused fatalities? Yes or No, or ? 35. The punishment of hazing by civil rather than college law? Yes or No, or ? 36. The rejection, by action of school boards or other powers, of the proposal to introduce military drills in public schools? Yes or No, or ? III. FROM THE STANDPOINT OF BUSINESS, 37. 'Early closing" of places of trade? Yes 41, or No 1, or? & 38. Saturday half holidays for at least the summer months? Yes 44. or No o, or? 6. 39. Wages for women equal to those of men for the same quantity and quality of work? Yes 31, or No 6, or? 13. 40 Laws requiring both steam and street railroad companies to supply safety appliances, such as steam heat in place of stoves on trains and the best of fenders on street cars? Yes or No, or? 41. Compulsory arbitration of labor troubles in the case of public corporations enjoying public protection and special privileges, and essential in their working to the healthy industrial life of the community? Yes or No, or ? 42. The people's ownership or directorship of all railroads? Yes 8, No 25? 17. 43. Government management of the telegraph as a part of the postal system; and also of the express business by a cheaper parcel post; and postal savings banks? Yes 33, or No 4, or? 13. 44. Telephone also? 45. City ownership and management of gas works and water works? Yes 38, or No 3, or? 9. 47. Of street car lines? Yes or No, or ? 48. City referendum on the granting of public franchises? Yes or No, or? 49. Bellamy's nationalization of trade in its chief features? Yes 2, or No 38, or? 10. 50. As a remedy for trusts, the giving to the Interstate Commerce Commission, or some other, power to compel fair trade by free trade, that is, by proclaiming to all lands temporary free trade in any article whose producers have combined to force up the price? Yes 24, or No 7, or ? 19. 51. The eight-hour day for mechanics, but as a child of Reason, not of Violence? Yes 37, or No 3, or? 10. 52. Compulsory insurance for wage earners (as in Germany)? Yes or No, or? 53. Legal protection of owners of real estate against the destruction of property values by the building of public stables or tenement houses in residential districts of cities and from blackmailing by threats of such building-the location of such structures being forbidden except on permission of property owners within certain radius ? Yes or No, or ? 54. One or more public weigher in every city by whom loads of coal and wood must be weighed and certified, and by whom all smaller purchases shall be tested as to weight and measure on request? Yes 38, or No 4, or? 8. 55. Public farms separate from those to which criminals and willful vagrants are sent for kindly confinement of adult incapables? Yes 40, or No 3, or? 7. 56. Government farms, other than those used for the confinement of criminals, vagrants and incapables, where habitual wage-earners, temporarily out of work, may, without loss of self-respect, earn a scanty support, payable in rations, not in money, on such a plan as to expedite their return, as soon as possible, to private employment? Yes or No, or? 57. Leading features of the Charity organization movement, namely, that pauperism should not be fostered by giving to unknown beggars on the streets or at the door, or to repeaters who secure aid from several societies by concealment for lack of a common bureau; and that |