Despite horrid conditions of early American metropolis living, inhabitants of these places did posses some positive characteristics. In The Promised Land Mary Antin goes to great lengths to explain the benefits of free education. This was a relatively new means of schooling to most urban dwellers, it was also more consistent with the city, not as much with farms or unsettled lands. Other benefits explained in Sinclair's The Jungle include a constant availability of work. Though wages were low and conditions poor, finding work in the city was not a difficult task for urban residents. Also mentioned in The Jungle is the availability of news sources. Newspapers and press that would not be accessible from more rural areas made for a strong institution in the cities. Ethnic neighborhoods holding residents from similar home countries allowed for a sense of community, not always helping it's members, but perhaps easing...