The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-02-12
WASHINGTON LETTER.
The ThOrny Path of tho Average Treasury Girl III
Washington Pay and How They
Live on 1.-THE Truth About
ths Girls.
the Girls,

y
The Congressman charged with the seduc-
tion and abandonment of treasury girl is
not named by the newspapers. Great feigned
Indignation results and it may lead to super
Glcial reform. Many cases of the same sort
are talked about. Even neglect of duties by
Congressman is ascribed to the charms
OF their appointees in the Treasury;
men, it is asserted, must be substitute /.
Women can't resist forces of gratitude and
money and the appeals of benelactors. Then
there is variety and love of show and gew-
gaws. Money is required by the very ward
robe OF the poor girl whose labor is richly
paid for when she re elves her modest sli-
pend Of $40 or $50 per month. But
she must have sitting room and n bed room,
These cost Sl5 or S25 per month.
Shs must pay the wash-woman SIS. Fuel
and lights cost ST. She pays $l5 or $50 for
her meals. Her clothing costs her $40, and
aihe finds herself unable to live within her
lIrcocAe. The tempter and betrayer is al
ways ut hand. In fact IN old citizen OF
Washington says that the details of commit
lee work and real duties of congressman
would be much more sedulously discharged
Geps il not for the wles and winning ways
af the irresistible Treasury girls. One Grand
Turk of an M. Q. is said to have twenty
charming girls in one bureau and
foHV-three in another. lie would
Ese esteemed in Constantinople Il
~'Bashaw or Pacha Of many caudal append
ages. | tell these stories as l hear them.
They are exaggerations. Every Infamous
tongue is set wagging by the dreadful story
affecting the sad mishap that has befallen
poor girl who has just lapsed from the Treas
giry into the depths Of perdition. 1t is COM
monty stated that her betrayer gave a pro-
Scuress place in the department Her business
consisted in supplying her distinguished patron
with fresh and charming lassies as required.
One of these, it is alleged, makes the reyela-
tons that sta tied not over sensitive WASH
ington society last week. Gossips give names
and many details hardly fit to adorn the
pages of u tasteful newspaper. But it is an
old story, and next comes the assertion that
bieckpsil is sought to be levied upon
wealth and greatness, and the woes and
griefs of poverty and helplessness are
soon forgotten by the busy world.
Nis proper to say that old men, who have
served the government for years, and whose
opportunities for observation are as unques-
Gcned as their integrity and truthfulness con-
cur in saving that there is less vice and wrong
among the women employed by the
government than any equal numbers in So
,ciety. They watch one another, even ms they
are sedulously guarded by their friends, and
il ia only the conspicuousness of the position
occupied by these women as mass that
ealses the assumption that they are
peculiarly weak or unfortunate. Very
certainly, if the good deeds zone by these
toiling girls were rs generally published and
lauded as the tollies of the week ARE heralded
abroad, mankind would bend reverenty in
the presence of these laughing, rollickng
girls who live in penury when rich abundance
Is accessible, and who ess with simple neat
ness, and are often hungry, that widowed
mothers and helpless brothers and sisters
nsav have food and clothing. There are
thousands doing these generous deeds and
leading pure christian lives for each one that
listens to the bctrayer Of body and soul
splendid as are our structures of marble and
sstcsla attractive and beautiful the broad
smooth thoroughfa es of the gorgeous capt
tax wonderful as are our monuments to SOL
diers and statesmen and impressive the
countless places and memories associated
with the names of the illustrious dead
despte these elevating moral forces, vice, in
its most seductive form, still enters these
d2e,ling places of greatness 1t is pity
and We can only bend reverently in Gods
presence and say He made us and not we
ourselves. l.. j. ID.