The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-08-21
M(lld Ea8le
A UNIQUE INSTITUTION.
It Is Likened to "a Spoonful of MIR
in an Ocean of Ink

It Is Likened to ga Spoonful of MIR
in an Ocean of Ink
Especial Correspondence
NEW YORK, Aug. A spoonful of milk
imam ocean of ink. One cannot help feel-
ing Ehe6that is what the girls College SET
Element away down on Rivington street,
in the heart of theeaSt side, is like.
One must admire the sublime courage,
the firm faith and the wonderful patience
of the little group of young women who are
engagedin it, butt all seems 50 hope1essi
The amount Of their effort Is that three
or four yoSng women have taken house
down in the region of narrow streets and
tall teneneuts from which they are pa
tienfly-trying TO- teach the poor and the
wFetched howto live, and how to put moro
comfort and more happiness into their
lives.
Three brave, winsome girls, two pleasant
ROOMS, a sea Of hopeless poverty, hum
dreds4of saloons, unipagtnahle wretched@
ness, ignorance and vice.
The methods they are employing are
much the same as those which have been
tested already in east side pS1lanthropio
work by the, Neighborhoed gu2d, settle
ment of college men on Forsyth street, a
few blocks away. Both endeavors are
modelled, as nearly as their limited means
allow, after the famous TOynbee hall, Of
London, the original Of Robert Elsmere's
East End achievements.
The young women went quietly to work,
saying as little as possible about the phil
anthropic side OF their endeavor, and try
ing merely to establish themselves IN the
neighborhood they had chosen and make
Acquaintance among its women and chill
dren. They were just little household,
the members of which went out every day
and earned their own living, and IN the
evening wero glad to meet in their own
pleasant rooms the people around them
who wanted TO have somewhere to go.
They began their experiment the first OF
last October, and now they have formed
several little clubs which meet ct their
house. The children sing and play games,
and have pretty stories read to them, and
are told how TO take care Of themselves,
and all enjoy the little talks immensely.
The WOmen's meetings are made bright
and pleasant and interesting, as well as in
structive. They learn how to take better
. care of their babies; how to look after the
welfare of their older children little more
closely; how to make their homes more
clearly and pleasant with the meager
wages JItlE ullSOAlis tAILl DuC LltS OuuS
women try particularly TO put into the
lives Of these poverty stricken people a
little more brightness and interest, and SO
give them some heart TO attempt to strug
gle upward.
The little girls learn TO sew, and are en-
couraged to bestow little care upon their
personal appearance, an example that soon
affects their mothers also The young wo-
men have fitted up in their basement some
hot baths, which a placard over the area
door announces are for women and chill
dren, at five cents each-fOr it is one of the
principles Of the settlement not TO give
charity. The young women think they
viii do more good by encouraging feel
ing of Independence and self reliance
than by any amount Of giving. II is char