The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-01-22
AT THE LADIES' WINDOW.
A City Postmaster Tells About the Harm
II Does-Somc of the Good.

A city Postmaster Tells About the Harm
II Does-somc of the Good.
The postmaster Of one Of the three great
cities that practically compose New York
was spoken to by the father Of modest
Young girl, but little inclined toward rebel
lion because forbidden TO correspond with
young man of her acquaintance. The par
ents, seeing 10 more letters como to the
house, supposed their daughter was all ODE
dience. but she had confessed that she was
still exchanging letters.
"Well," said the postmaster, there it il
again-that satanic ladies' window You do
not begin to appreciate the harm II does. But
what can We dos There must be window,
call it what YOU will, where men and women
and boys and girls having no permanent adj
dress can call for letters addressed simply in
the care Of the posto.lice. 1t is necessary and
GOOD that the convenience be kept up, my
dear sir. The clerk at that window in this
Office is trying TO lessen the harm Of that
window. and what he is doing has my ap-
nroyal. but every such effort is unwGrrantod
in law. He says 10 the girls and married
women who give different names TO different
the letters for Sarah Stewart, but you must
always be Sarah Stewart a.tor this II you
take them. You cannot como tomorrow and
ask for letters for Sarah Watkins Tie does
that. and he holds back lots OF letters, but he
has no right TO- In your relatives case, #
she is under age and her parents or guardian
ask Us not 70 deliver letters 20 hcr We can
hold them back or deliver thorn to her elders,
but all the women who arc Of ace can keep
or misusing the governments service, and
there is no lawful way to stop them
Tie ladies' window also accomplshes good
in many cases. Woman arc apt 10 mako
confdants in the strangcst quarters, and the
consequence is that the grizzled men ut those
windows hear many queer things when the
callers are few and there is time TO talk and
10 listen. One OF these condolences was that
81 a sad yisaged wife who asked that her
letters never on any account be given to
any ono olse because" she said, they bring
mo the only money that stands between
starvation and my children and me Ny
husband does not work, but drinks up all
| can earn with my needle, even collecting
my earnings before can so 70 get them.
NV brother IN tlc Wt5J actan me WlaJ
he can spare and with that ] make up
the rent and got food and clothing for
my little ones | do not want to desert
my husband, but no must never know
ct this extra money that J get" Then
here are the women who ire secretly en-
9arel or even secretly married, who tell
tho man mt the ladies window all about Why
thoy have taken the step, and what terrible
consequences would follow II 10 were ever
found out. II tell you this, though ! have
never told any one else" one OF them ex-
claimed. "becausc | must tell some one. /
had to talk 70 some one about it, and / come
20 YOU. because you are the one get his let
ters from One young woman on securing
a regular weekly letter remarked one day 70
the clerk: "What jolly row there would
be if my folks knew was getting these let
ters. Nv sister has married u Christian, and
we are Jewish. you know She has been re
nounced 10y all my family, but She and keep
each other posted every week, for she is my
sister lust the same, and all she did was 10
marry the man she was fond Of, after all"
Thus the ladies window lends itself 10 the
best us well as 10 the weakest and the worst
impulses and motives, and thus, SO far as any
one can foresee, it must continue TO do as
long Us postofiices are public institutions.