Omaha daily bee., 1882-10-13
TRAFFIC IN SWISS GIRLS
a Nefsrious Business Conducted In
Russia and Poland.

London Truth.
The way in which the traffic in
young girls-for that is what il really
amounts to-is conducted is vividly
described i'll a brochure written by
Nj. Louis uotfmann, master in a pub.
nc school at Corgemont, who, having
been a private tutor both in Rusn,
and Russian Poland, speaks with
authority There are twenty. two
agents, he says, at st. Petersburg,
twenty.one at Moscow, and thirty al
Warsaw for providing Russian fam.
lilies with foreign governesses, tutors
and BONES. Most of these agents
make their requirements known
through advertisements in Swiss pa.
pers, and many of these have CORES.
pondents at Geneva and Lausanne to
whom applicants are instructed to ap.
ply. The representations made
TO young women applying
for places are always highly colored.
Places at fair salaries, they are told,
can ba assured to them beforehand in
highly respectable families-master
ana mistress generous and amiable--
life easy and advancement certain.
Inquiries as to character and qualif.
cations are not very searching, and the
testimonials required are generally
easily furnished. The agents remu.
neration consists of a commission of
ten per cent On the amount of the
first years salary, u like commission
being paid by the employer, which is
also deducted from the aspirant's sal.
airy although she did not know it at
the time OF her engagement. When
u dozen or more young women have
put down their names rs accepting sit.
uations, real or imaginary, a lady
comes from Warsaw or St. Peters.
burg to conduct them to their destina.
ton. The journey is performed as
rapidly as possible, all expenses
being paid by the duenna
of course on account CT her
charges. Arrived at Warsaw or else.
where, the tryos are placed in lodges
kept by the agent. Some are in
formed that Nine. ", y or
Ii is not ready to receive them;
others learn to their horror that Mime.
A or B has changed her
mind, or that, tired of waiting, she
has found a governess for herself.
On these and other pretexts the girls
are retained In the agents house at
least a fortnight, often for several
weeks, They are lodged in crowded
and unwholesome rooms. For sup.
per they have two cups of tea and a
morsel of villainous bread; for
breakfast the same. Fordinner u
ono meat, bad vegetables and detesta.
BILE water. For this they pay from
80 to 100 kopeks a day. What with
the expense of the journey, the COM
mission and the charge for
lodging, the agent contrives to
get the girls into her debt for the
whole of their first years salary, and
the law allows her to retain all her
debtors effects as security for her
claim. In Poland the salary of a gov
erness varies from IL to 20 roubles n
month from So to 50 shillings), OF a
bonnie from 25s to 35s. In Russia,
however, salaries are 100 per cent
higher than in Poland. But owing to
fluctuations in the value of the rouble
these figures are little more than ap.
proximate. Monsieur Hoffman SAVE
that. although the rouble is worth
nominally 3.23f. to 3.G0f., its pur.
chasing power for most of the articles
of a governess would be likely to buy
cannot BIO reckoned at more than q
franc, as compared with its value in
Switzerland.
When the would-be g~overneas at
length reaches the goal of her ambition
and receives an appointment, her
troubles, with a few exceptions, only
begin. The family by whom she ia
engaged live probably in some wild
place in the country, twenty to thirty
miles from the nearest railway station.
she finds herself among people with
whom ahe has not a single idea in
common, Of whose language she does
not know a word and whose habits, as
likely as not, shock her sense OF de.
cency. If she be good-looking, she
will probably attract the oompromis.
ing attentions Of her master Ut her
masters SONS, and whether she does
or does not, she Is almost sure to in
cur the bitter jealousy OF
her mistress. Her duties are
hard aud monotonous. Society and
Amusement are equally lacking, and il
she should fall lila contingency in
the circumstance by no means i'm,
probable--she is left entirely to such
care as tho native servants may choose
to give her. If she dies there will be
no loving hand to close her eyes, and
she will be buried in an unvisltec
grave. Should our governess becom,
a prey to homesickness and resolve t,
return To Switzerland, the carrying
out of her intentions will depent
altogether on the good pleasure of hel
master. If no does not want her I,
60 (%unleas sheis a person OF exceptiona
strength of charscter), go she doe
not. She cannot travel withou
money, 30 he postpones the paymen
OF her salary. II she writes home foi
money he i%nteroepts her letters, ane
il abe wants to reach the railway h,
refuses her the means Of conveyance
She has become a slave in fact, ant
there are hundreds of Swiss girls il
the interior Of Russia and Poland
who have passed years without beinl
able to communicate with their homes
and whose friends know not whether
they ara alive or dead. More thar
one such case is within the writer
own knowledge. A girl has beel
engaged IA goyerness or bonnie OF
terms that seemed to be highly favor
able Her kinsfolk accompany her Il
the station and see her of, and the,
never see or hear of her again. In
quiries are made without effect, letter
come back through the dead letter of
flee. Even if the parents know or sus
peot where their daughter Id what ca