Telegram-herald., 1889-12-01

klf-e nave 1Gcl AZ nome - a. he--e n
ana glrls ~ho choose - come and drink
tea and have q good time some nights
there lave been parties aud he pane
las sounded olt gay music. nat must
have m ade The gloomy A4l-s prleh q
their ears with surprise No meh
Nhy. OF course the girls brought their
bea4x and the married women, y 'heY
we're able. their 2 husbands. Never ia al
Ia history las kiyington street lad .
uerrleG autumn, ana tie college glrls
End BE- ths mOst delightful picnic thes
have nad since leaving school Doing
good ? They don't know, but they are
broadening their own lives BY seeing
different side of existence. and into
other and very uOnotCnous ana
wretched lives they are introc ucing
unique thing pleasure. They think Il
pays.
kivington street is busy Just nov
with preparations Tor Christmas. There
are people Ia the tenemeuts % whem
Santa Claus will bring gifts next month
70 whom be never brought anY before
Five clubs meet with tie seven college
girls, each club two evenings weekly,
and al OF them are getting ready for
Kris kriuVle. There are the wee tots
Of girls from 70 10 years old. NttIe
things who play games and march and
work on perforated cardboard and kun
pretty lamp mats for their mothers over
spools Then there are the girls from
10 70 Ie years old. These play games and
learn gYmnastic exercises and sing one
evening, and the other evening they
are taught 20 crochet and TO make paper
flowers and 10 do simple fancy work of
various descriptions. The next club
takes in tho girls from ~ TO IA. the
cash girls club, they call this one
sometimes, and one little cash girl
comes from away up at One Hundred
and Thirty third street 20 attend. The
cash girls sing and learn calisthenics
and mako Christmas aprons. Some
times the college girls tell them stories
and az every club meeting there 10
something new. There is another club
for girls between IA and 10, and the
Christmas aprons which 1t Is turning
out are dainty drawn work concoctons.
The college seven provide the apron
material and see that IL shall not cost
above 25 cents for each apron. This
money the club mem bers pay back In
installments, bringing in from 3 TO Q
cents Of an evening. We're becoming
capitalists" says Miss Fine, in
pennies"
There is in addition young ladies
club. and this gives ono evening in the
week TO practical health and hygiene
talks from DR. Hamilton. The other
evening is spent in learning sewing and
embroidery and even painting. We
put that in, say the wise and canny
seven, Ito catch some of the frivolous
ones who wouldn't step inside our doors
for anything useful"
And has it worked?" etr9-.
1T works to a charm"
There are cookery evenings also, and
the seven say that TO help the tenement
women TO proper meals is problem Of
more complexity than any ybody realizes.
They can't buy provisions, If they had
the money, in any but the smallest
quantities. because often they have
only the tiniest cupbCards set in the
wall close TO the stove, where butter
melts and lard turns into the most IN
savory of fluids They can't make
soups or stews which arc cheap and
nOurishing because they arc gone all
day in tho factories, and tho question
resolves itself re2il j into teaching them
to broil instead of fry.
One great institution is library day.
The seven have the nucleus of good
circulating library TO take the place of
young peoples books mostly, for the
population Of the districts is foreign and
tho older people can read in the Eng
lish language
There are 70 be dressmaking clubs
and millinery clubs and. clubs simply
TO have good tines but the marvel Of
all who open the door is the establish
merit itself, quite apart from any aux
iliary features. Such big and mar
velously clean kitchen. Such 4 CHEEKY
spot is DR.. Hamilton's Office in the front
basement. whore they are learning TO
bring their bodily woes Such royal
open fires as light up the great parlors.
All the furnishings have cost few
dollars. not TO deter visitors by their
gorgoousness, but not another such
house could 90 found IN the Tenth
Ward. All its mates have been pulled
down ard replaced by cramred, crowded
tenements, but this one remained in the
hands OF the old family which built 10
originally and is almost - much OF an
anomaly n tho quarter as are the seven
themselves.
And what will come OF this unique
experiment of young unmarried girls
Rivington street Is ,he center OF as
denSely populated district as any in
the city. 1t is not the very poorest
quarter. for most OF the children whom
ono sees wear shoes. Yet there is much
squalor. much sOrdid wretchedness.
much dirt and much disorder. The
Tenth Ward police make more arrests
ihan are made in any other precinct OF
the metropolis. Yet the seven are not
afraid 81 insult. drunken assault or con-
tarious disease. They say that tho
streets are perfectly safe up 70 half
past ten at night, though they might
not care 20 be out between one and
three. They do not cook upon thcm-
setves at al Ia The lg6t of hero nes or
martyrs. but on the contrary. declare
themselves thoroughly com Portable and
happy n their hard-working. Jolly GIL
community with al the other college
girls eager for chance % share Once
A week they set aside an afternoon
when their uptown friends may fnG
them at home. and then 10 appears that
they have accomplished a. least one OBJ
iect of their eudeavor. the setting -
Of a refined. cultivated home not ~ be
rszed on from a-ar. but q which the
slum people may themselves form part
and parcel
SO much FOR the bridging - the social
gulf ~ seven charming girls
ELZA PUTNAM HEATOy.
sesside Theotogy-