, 1877-03-11

LuE 1aultS uAfc HUN Ou uduu. auA hAAIA4 ASSI1f ~
| the heartiest commcndation. According II
Article II. OF the constitution. "The object Q
| this Society shall be to promote the moral, re
| ligious, intellectual, and temporal welfare
women, especially women who are dependent
upon their own exertions for support" 1t i
| to the work bearing more directly upon the TEN
poral welfare OF women that the writer desire tt
call attention; for It is pretty generally agreed
among our wisest philanthropists that the body
must be taken care Of first before the soul is II
tho right condition to receive spiritual treat
meut. Before wc talk to men about getting
religion, we must see that they have chance o1
procuring their daily bread; and, before pointing
to tue gortes OF the life to come, VIC should as
sist them to reap some OF the advantages OF the
life that now is. Thus count the work of
practical assistance toward those who are will
ing to help themselves as the best sign Of the
success Of the w. G. 4.
First, there is the Woman's Employment Blu
reau, located in Farwe1l Hall. Here all kinds
and classes OF worktng-women assemble, from
the school-tcacler to the seamstress and cook;
aud management OF this department, q large
! number find employment and comfortable
homes. According to the official report for
February. 1877 women were provided with means
uf subsistence. OF course the places aud labor
thus found do not always prove permanent; but
prove worthy the. pains taken. in their
behalf, and the work accomplished serves a
double purpose by accommodating two classes.
That large class Of lalf-distractcd women who
spend half their time in moaning over the ln-
efficiency Of all seryantdom would do well to
consult the: Woman's Employment Bureau,
where the lady in charge seems to have pretty
general knowledge OF the qualifications Of her
numerous protegcs, many OF whom she Keeps
under her watchful eye after they have left her
care.
Another enterprise undertaken By the W. G.
4. is the establishment OF working girls
home, which Will be in reality q cheap boarding.
house, possessing those honlelike advantages
which all boartling-houses advertise, but few
realize. It is proposed to rent one or two
houses for this purpose, aud to fill the rooms as
fast as possible with "good. moral, Christian
girls.'' The object is, perhaps, not unworthy.
mistaken zeal which looks upon the establish
ment Of this house as the most important work
these philanthropic women have IN hand.
Chicago must count her working--girls BY
the thousand, and yet the s'Home"
date moro nst than ty fagessa or sixty Even fi { t Wefe
not so, mud the ladies had at their disposal
large enough fund to build Stewart-like man
sion, large enough to accommodate its hun
dreds, even then the enterprise would be Of
u
social problem touching on the disposal Of the
different classes OF society, which CONCLUDES
that these classes are better kept apart. Work
ing-girfs, because they arc working-girls, should
not therefore be gently constrained BY the Lady
Bountifuls Of society to live always By them
selves, and bring their entire lives within the
narrow compass OF the occupations they have
chosen. lu u highly-intel1cctual aud aristocratfc
city the experiment was once tried OF fitting up
4 room where the working might, at
&HNS+, S-tn rS1f 1nSet
who amiab1y proposed to Tighten their lot By
reading poetry to them. The room was put i'll
order, believe, but tue experiment was not sue
cess, the working women very properly dc2lin-
ed being read to, even from the poets. Nopcrson
Of self respect will submit to be looked upon in
no other light than that OF the profession or
trade he has chosen. In polite society it. is very
justly regarded rs breach Of good manners to
s'ta,k shop" Lawyer and client drop their
business stations If they. happen to meet at an
his remedies, nor merchant advertise his
wares at a dinnes-reception. All reforn1atory
measures should be in the direction OF abolish
ing c]ass-listinctions- The establishment Of
e eas oas o1atot9ns 3hougs prempes fhs
most generous motives, tends unfortunately in
just the opposite direction. The prevailing
feeling With regard to all s1lch institu-
tions must be, though perhaps not conscious
II acknowledged, that the social status
Prof Cunning said nf the irremediable laws
which control race-deyelopnent, 'stllt negro
shall be negro still, the Australian au Aus
tralian still: - the inevitable drift OF a1l phil
anthropic measures, which attn to benefit classes
rather than individuals is to keep the working
woman working woman still, the shop-girl =
shop-girl still.
Tie Association is doing no better nor more
lasting work than that connected with the dis
pensary for women and children. Here free
medical treatment Ii given to those who have
not the means at their command to pay for it.
The list Vi attendant physicians is made up Of
the best lady practitioners in the city, While the
couuselng physicians are chosen from among
the most eminent men Of the profession. The
dspensarY located in Pacific Block, corner Of
Clark aud Van Buren streets, Is open every after
noon from 80 to i O'Clock.
The best part OF the altogether good
work which the Dispensary Committee has
in contemplation is the system OF
domestic hospital work it purposes to inaugu-
rate. This is nothing more nor less than pro
yiding homes in poor, but respectable families,
not unwilling to cke ont scanty income, for
those unfortunate girls who flock to the city to
hide themselves until the time Of their tria anu
shaHle he passed; and who are SO frequently
doomed to become the victims of the most vile
practices, or condemned to spend their days In
hospitals. What such untortunates need more
than ANYTHING else is quiet refuge, and this
great boon the ". C. 4. means to give them.
True reform works quietly and unostenta-
tiously. 1t needs no g1aring sign-boarsls owork
its progress. Only in the slow, steady uplifting
deep and lasting results, The ". c. 4. is do
ing good work all around; but the tcnderest
charity is that which screens guilty soul Until
1t has had time to recover strength and courage.
C.P.W.