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PEOPLE IN AMERICA - Jacob Riis

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PEOPLE IN AMERICA - November 3, 2002: Jacob Riis

By Herbert Sutcliffe


VOICE 1:
I'm Shirley Griffith.
VOICE 2:
And I'm Ray Freeman with the VOA Special English program, People in America.
Every week at this time, the Voice of America tells about someone important in the history of the United States.


This week we tell about Jacob Riis. He was a writer who used all his energy to make the world a better place for


poor people.


(Theme)

VOICE 1:

In the spring of eighteen-seventy, a young man traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to New
York City. The young man came from Denmark. His name was Jacob Riis. He was just
twenty-one years old.

His first years in the United States were difficult, like those of most immigrants1 at that

time. It was difficult to get a job. Jacob Riis went from place to place seeking work. He did
any kind of work he could find. Farming, coal mining, brick-making. He even tried to earn money as a peddler.
He went from house to house selling things. Many times he slept wherever he could.

Soon he was beginning to lose hope. He decided2 to leave New York. He started to walk north. After a time, he
arrived in the Bronx, the northern part of New York City. His feet burned with pain. And he was hungry.

VOICE 2:

"I Had not eaten a thing since the day before. I had no breakfast, and decided to have a swim in the Bronx River,
instead. But that did not help. I was just as hungry when I came out of the water.

"Then I walked slowly to Fordham College, which was not far from where I was. The doors to Fordham College
were open, and I walked in, for no reason. I was just tired and had nothing else to do.

"Fordham is a Catholic3 college. And an old monk4 came to me and asked in a kind voice if I was hungry. I still
remember in my dreams at night the beautiful face of that old monk. I was terribly hungry, and said I was,
although I did not mean to do so. I had never seen a real live monk before. My own religious education as a
Lutheran did not teach me to like Catholic monks5.

"I ate the food that was brought to me. But I was troubled. I was afraid that after giving me food, the churchman
would ask me to change my religious beliefs. I said to myself: 'I am not going to do it.' But when I had eaten, I
was not asked to do anything. I was given more food when I left, and continued on my way. I was angry with
myself for having such bad thoughts about the Catholic churchmen at Fordham College. For the first time, I
learned6 something about how to live with people of different religious beliefs. "

(Music Bridge)

VOICE 1:

Later, Jacob Riis learned more about liking7 people, even if they are different. This time, it happened while he was
working on a railroad8 with men who did rough work and looked rough.


VOICE 2:

"I had never done that sort of work, and it was not the right job for me. I did my best to work like the other men.
But my chest felt heavy, and my heart pounded in my body as if it were going to explode. There were nineteen
Irishmen in the group. They were big, rough fellows. They had chosen me as the only 'Dutchman' -- as they
called me -- to make them laugh. They were going to use me as part of their jokes.

"But then they saw that the job was just too hard for me. This made them feel different about me. It showed
another side to these fun-loving, big-hearted people. They thought of many ways to get me away from the very
rough work. One, was to get me to bring water for them. They liked stronger things to drink than water. But now
they suddenly wanted water all the time. I had to walk a long way for the water. But it stopped me from doing the
work that was too hard for me. These people were very rough in their ways. But behind the roughness they were
good men."

VOICE 1:

At last, Jacob Riis got a job writing for a newspaper in New York City. This was his chance. He finally had found
a profession that would lead to his life work -- making the world a better place for poor people.

The newspaper sent him to police headquarters9 for stories. There he saw life at its worst, especially in a very poor
part of New York which was known as Mulberry Bend.

VOICE 2:

"It was no place for men and women. And surely no place for little children. It was a terrible slum10 -- as such
places are called -- where too many are crowded together, where the houses and streets are dirty and full of rats.
The place began to trouble me as the truth about it became clear. Others were not troubled. They had no way of
finding11 out how terrible the lives of people were in Mulberry Bend. But as a newspaper reporter, I could find the
truth. So I went through the dark dirty streets and houses, and saw how the people suffered in this area. And I
wrote many stories about the life there.

"I did good work as a police reporter, but wanted a change. My editor said, 'no.' He asked me to go back to
Mulberry Bend and stay there. He said I was finding something there that needed me."

VOICE 1:

The words of Jacob Riis' editor proved to be very true. Riis started a personal war against slum houses, the sort he
saw in Mulberry Bend. He learned to use a camera to show the public clearly what the Mulberry Bend slum was
like. The camera in the eighteen-eighties was nothing like it is today. But Riis got his pictures.

VOICE 2:

"I made good use of them quickly. Words could get no action to change things. But
the pictures did. What the camera showed was so powerful that the city's health
officials started to do something. At last I had a strong partner in the fight against
Mulberry Bend -- my camera. "

(Music Bridge)

VOICE 1:

Jacob Riis continued the fight to clean up the slums12 for many years. There were not many people to help him. It
was a lonely fight. But his camera and fighting words helped to get a law passed which would destroy the
Mulberry Bend slum. Finally, the great day came. The slum housing13 was gone. The area had become a park.

VOICE 2:

"When they had fixed14 the ground so the grass could grow, I saw children dancing there in the sunlight. They were
going to have a better life, thank God. We had given them their lost chance. I looked at these dancing children
and saw how happy they were. This place that had been full of crime and murder became the most orderly15 in the

Laborers17 in a sweat shop,
from Riis' 1890 book, ''How
the Other Half Lives.''

city.

"The murders and crimes disappeared when they let sunlight come into the bend. The sunlight that shone upon
children who had, at last, the right to play. That was what the Mulberry Bend park meant. So the bend went. And
I was very happy that I had helped to make it go."

VOICE 1:

That was not Riis' last battle to make life cleaner and better for many people. He had great energy. And his love
for people was as great as his energy.

He started a campaign to get clean water for the state of New York. He showed that water for the state was not
healthy for people. State officials were forced to take actions that would clean the water.

He also worked to get laws against child labor16, and made sure that these laws were obeyed. In those days, when
Riis was a fighting newspaper reporter, laws against child labor were something new. People did not object to
making young children work long hours, in places that had bad air and bad light. But in the United States today,
child labor is not legal. It was because of men like Jacob Riis that this is so.

He was also successful in getting playgrounds for children. And he helped establish centers for education and fun
for older people.

His book, how the other half lives, was published in eighteen-ninety. He became famous. That book and his
newspaper reports influenced many people. Theodore Roosevelt, who later became president of the United
States, called Riis the most useful citizen in New York City.

Riis continued to write about conditions that were in need of major reform. His twelve books including children
of the poor helped improve conditions in the city. The books also made him popular as a speaker in other cities.
Jacob Riis's concern for the poor kept him so busy writing and speaking around the country that he ruined his
health. He died in nineteen-fourteen.

(Theme)

VOICE 2:

This Special English program was written by Herbert Sutcliffe and produced by Lawan Davis. I'm Ray Freeman.

VOICE 1:

And I'm Shirley Griffith. Listen again next week for another People in America program on the Voice of
America.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 immigrants 5567ded20d0822e7a8dbcdb0836717a9     
n.移民( immigrant的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Illegal immigrants were given the opportunity to regularize their position. 非法移民得到了使其身份合法化的机会。
  • Immigrants from all over the world populate this city. 这个城市里生活着来自世界各地的移民。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
3 catholic irxzd     
adj.天主教的;n.天主教徒
参考例句:
  • The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。
  • She was a devoutly Catholic.她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。
4 monk 5EDx8     
n.和尚,僧侣,修道士
参考例句:
  • The man was a monk from Emei Mountain.那人是峨眉山下来的和尚。
  • Buddhist monk sat with folded palms.和尚合掌打坐。
5 monks 218362e2c5f963a82756748713baf661     
n.修道士,僧侣( monk的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
  • He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 learned m1oxn     
adj.有学问的,博学的;learn的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
  • In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里,他被视为有学问的人。
7 liking mpXzQ5     
n.爱好;嗜好;喜欢
参考例句:
  • The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
  • I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。
8 railroad ATIxl     
n.铁路;vi.由铁路运输
参考例句:
  • The railroad connects two cities,namely,New York and Chicago.这条铁路连接两个城市,即纽约与芝加哥。
  • My brother is working on the railroad.我兄弟在铁路系统工作。
9 headquarters Eryz21     
n.司令部,指挥部;总部,总店
参考例句:
  • Several great guns from the headquarters are coming to see us today.总部的几个大人物今天要来看我们。
  • The bank has its headquarters in Pairs.这家银行的总行在巴黎。
10 slum NxKwF     
n.贫民窟,贫民区;vi.(因好奇而)逛贫民区
参考例句:
  • These children came from a slum area.这些孩子来自贫民窟区。
  • What a wretched existence the people in the slum lead!这个贫民窟里的人们过着多么令人悲惨的生活啊!
11 finding 5tAzVe     
n.发现,发现物;调查的结果
参考例句:
  • The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
  • That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。
12 slums 7a1209bb38ad736618b24dce42cde941     
n.贫民窟,贫民区( slum的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • These slums are an epitaph to the housing policy of the 1960s. 这些贫民窟是20世纪60年代住房政策的遗迹。
  • the poverty and squalor of the slums 贫民窟的贫穷和肮脏
13 housing YqzzxS     
n.房屋,住宅;住房建筑;外壳,外罩
参考例句:
  • Do you think our housing sales will turn around during this year?你认为今年我们的住宅销路会好转吗?
  • The housing sales have been turning down since the summer.入夏以来,房屋的销售量日趋减少。
14 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
15 orderly s4Yzr     
adj.有秩序的,整齐的,一丝不苟的,和平的;adv.有秩序地,有条理地,依次地;n.勤务兵,(医院的)勤务工
参考例句:
  • It's an orderly room.这是个整洁的房间。
  • The books are in orderly rows on shelves.书籍整齐地排列在书架上。
16 labor P9Tzs     
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦
参考例句:
  • We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
  • He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后,他已经疲惫不堪了。
17 laborers c8c6422086151d6c0ae2a95777108e3c     
n.体力劳动者,工人( laborer的名词复数 );(熟练工人的)辅助工
参考例句:
  • Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

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