290 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
I have sought to distinguish between those conclusions which the facts in hand fully warrant, and those to which they seem to point. Although, in the study of social questions, it is impos- sible wholly to eradicate the personal equation, I have attempted to do so as far as possible, by discussions with men of all classes, of all shades of religious and political opinions. Professors, ministers, business-men, settlement workers, police and sporting men, have, each in their way, rendered me invaluable service. In the homes and on the street corners, in the churches, saloons, and at places of amusement, at all hours of the day and night, and in all manner of clothes, I have gathered the facts which form the basis of this report.
I am especially grateful to Professor Graham Taylor, of the sociological department of the Chicago Theological Seminary, warden of Chicago Commons, and pastor of one of the churches of this district ; and to Mr. John Palmer Gavit, editor of The Commons, who have willingly given their time to direct and discuss with me the details of the investigation. I would also acknowledge the courtesy of Joseph Kipley, chief of police, through whose order the special statistics in regard to the saloons and billiard halls were collected by the police department. 1
THE SALOON IN GENERAL.
In considering the subject " Ethical Substitutes for the Saloon," it is essential that a careful study be made of the saloon itself, and that we seek first to determine the real nature of the institution in the abolition of which substitution may assist. We must try to ascertain the secret of its hold upon our civiliza- tion, tracing in the family, political and social life, and habits of the people the roots of this mighty tree whose shadows are cast- ing an ever-deepening gloom over all other institutions. Above all we must try to lay aside for the present all preconceived ideas of the saloon, lest prejudice should keep from us the truth. It is only on the basis of precise observation of actual facts that our study can advance.
The popular conception of the saloon as a "place where men and women revel in drunkenness and shame," or "where the
1 To be published in the full report of the Committee of Fifty.
