Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-06-14
A GOOD woRK-HELP IT,


The San Francisco Girls Union has
proved great benefcence. 1t is proposed
to establish several branches of the insti-
tuition in interior towns and cities, and the
proposition ought to meet with encourage
ment. Sacramento needs just such an or
ganization, and the number of young girls
who here go to ruin for want of proper re-
straint, and in default of aid and encour-
agement to fight the battle of life honestly,
is simply frightful. The number that by
lack of training for any useful employment
are unable to find work is even larger.
The number willing to go out to domestic
service, if only they knew the arts of
housewifery, is very much larger than
most people suppose.
We rail at the unwillingness of home
born girls to take service in families, but
has 1T ever occurred to us that there is
some good reason for it, aside from mere
dissemination What opportunities have
the mass of poor girls to learn to sew, cook,
care for a household, do marketing or prac-
tice the economics of the home, etc? The
truth is that we need in this State schools
for service instruction. When they are
established there will be an advance step
taken toward solving the Chinese question,
so far as house service is concerned Now
tho Sap Era,,oieoo G;,Ie, TT,,;o,, ,,,,,.,,.-,r =.
enter upon this work, and it ought to have
the word "God speed you from every
well-wisher of the race, and good deal
more-it ought to have material assistance
from those able to give it.
The instruction in such school should
he practically free, should be thorough,
and be given only to those who show a
reasonable disposition to enter household
service, and along with the manual instruc-
ton should go teaching that this kind
of labor is honorable and dignifed.
The Girls Union is not a " charity" as
the word is usually understood. 1t is
rather fraternal association, the Actual
ing motive being that fraternal regard
which one woman, safe from the worlds
temptations, should feel for her sister. who
IS not. The Union receives young girls
who arrive in the cities without friends,
and are anxious to make an honest living.
NO matter what the creed of the appli-
cant, she is taken in and given a home I'M
III employment is found for her. When
the girl Is able to return the favor, she is.
expected to contribute something to the
Union to aid its work, and there are very
few girls who avail of It's benefits who are
nngrateful. There are two classes of mem
bership-the sustaining, consisting ofthose
willing to aid the work from pure love of
humanity, and the beneficiary, comprising
those who have been aided by the associa-
uon, and who are dependent upon their
labor for livelihood The fee for such is
but 81 year, and this entitlesthem to the
aid of the Union in securing employment
whenever they are thrown out OF it.
twill be seen at a glance what barrier
to temptation flowing from poverty, what
a safeguard to youth this association NAV
thus be made. One scheme of the Union,
as we have said, is to form training classes
to fit girls fer various vocations the bene-
ficiarY members having the privilege of
entering any,0f these classes. During che
past year, we 1earn from the report of the
Union now before us, employment was. es,-
tanned for 900 girls, and tina.
the Union had capacity for supply
ing with honest paying labor 700 girls, had
that number applied. These girls we're
not sent out to employment in San Fran
cisco alone, but all over the State An
excellent regulation IS that which limits
the furnishing of trained hands to sustain
ing members of the Union only. Tins
there is added to the impulse of charity
the stimulus of self interest and personal
benefit The housewife who wants to nut
decent help into her house, clean tidy
girls willing to work and who have been
trained how to work, how TO get good
meal, to preserve food, to ca,e for the
larder, to attend market, to keep chambers
tidy, to prevent waste in the pantry, and
generally to do what good housekeeper
should, has only to become member of
the Union, and when its training classes
are complete can draw upon themfo cook.
chambermaid, laundress, nurse, or general
helper
The ladies managing the Union do not
propose that there shall be any halfway