Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-03

which they learned at home succumb before
the methods Of the High School graduate, who
casionally be found who cannot read or write,
and many, alas small IL their blame who
cannot spell; they will readily find . more
learned sister Who will introduce them into
those sciences. To many housewives it will be
started training schools for domestic servants,
which have already done wonders. Other
kinds OF instruction given in various homes
are stanography and typewriting, bookkeeping,
German and French. voice culture and elocu-
this instruction is either free or given at nom
inal charge.
THE QUESTION OF AMUSEMENT.
The demand for education being complied
with, there arises another: the demand for
amusement. This has by no means been neg
lected, but its importance seems thus far to
have been somewhat underrated. Many, per-
haps most, of the institutions contain a piano
or at least parlor organ. Lectures and recita-
tions are given in most Of them and the access
to reading rooms may also be classed under the
head Of amusement. An important item under
room, q luxury greatly appreciated by many
working girls. Many OF the homes allow
domestic servants to spend their evenings. in
parlors specially reserved for the purpose and
to receive their friends there, thus promising to
redress one OF the most crying grievances Of
vail among the public and unfortunately among
working girls, On impression that some of the
homes deliberately withhold certain amuse-
ments which they might easily grant. A lady
who has given much thought to the subject eI-
presses her ideas in forcible terms. Thinking
1t always profitable to hear both sides of every
question, venture to quote part Of her letter,
taking care to premise that some of the state
ments seem rather sweeping and by no means
applicable to all the homes:
Thn TIM stx,f o-n
BILE home life for women who have no natural
homes is very small. The homes started by
those who know the difficulty experienced by
working girls in securing boarding places are,
generally, like most charities, managed to secure
the greatest amount of pleasure to the patrons
rather than the benefciaries. They are not
homes; no place can be home where the in
mates must live like machines, eat the same
food day after day, turn out the lights at ap-
pointed times, be in the house at too early an
hour to allow Of any but the very mildest of
social evenings and be compelled to give up
dark
Therefore the homes are not homes, and
with the exception Of that run by in
this city none seem to me to be what they
should be, boarding houses, where a working
girl who can afford to pay but IS q week for
her board has the same consideration which
can be bought by any respectable woman any,
where for S6 or % or $40. The rule in most
OF the so-called homes seems to me to be you
are poor, you cannot earn enough to pay more
than SO for your board, therefore you must be
willing to give up the greater part of your
freedom, sink your identity, eat what we give
you, live as we tell you, 90 to such places as we
are willing to allow you, pray as we do and in
your supposed hours of freedom conform to
rule as much as in your place Of business dur
ing the day. These homes, with the single ex-
ception have mentioned, as far as my ex-
pericnce goes, are run on neither the strict
business principles which could make even
S3-a-week boarding house pay, nor on those
principles of regard for the right of freedom,
even to the poor, which is not incompatible
with right living. Now, they are charities in
the coolest sense Of that term, and 1 do not
find that girls stay in them any longer than
their circumstances compel them to do SO, q
fact which proves that they are not homes
haps my practical experience, both with the
inmates OF such homes and with the managers,
might be something, you being man, did not
have, and that you would find it possible to say
some words which might compel even charita-
BILE women to realize that working girls are lust
like other girls in their love of innocent pleas
ure, in their desire to live their own lives and
in their physical needs"
MILITARY METHODS OUT OF PLACE
This is severe indictment. Military meth
DDS evidently are woefully out of place nowhere
more than in the girls boarding homes For
tunately none Of the statements made in the
letter are such as will not bear explanation. In
the first place, the criticism relates principally
to the homes Of one city-a small fraction ont
Of the whole number of 100. Some Of the
homes in other cities are known to do full
honor to their title, as testified by the tears Of
those who are compelled by circumstances to
leave them. In many of them the regulations
are quite liberal, and even where their letter is
undemocratic they can be administered in q
democratic spirit. This, of course, depends
greatly on the personal character Of the super
intendent. Above all, it must be remembered
that the great majority Of them are not more
al the twenty older e ons. 0 Started that nas s@Ss
emily. without precedents to guide them, and
that they are only now beginning to compare
their experience and unity their methods. The
progress Of all government has been from
monarchy, or. if you will, despotism, through
aristOcracy to democracy. Still it is plain that
the homes can never attain the full measure of
their efficiency until they are made 80 attractive
that girls will seek them in preference to private
boarding houses, not only for the sake of
security, decent living and economy, but also
for the sake Of greater enjoyment. The most
enthusiastic managers admit, as do all expert
mentors, that they have been cropping in the
dark and that their mistakes have been many
But granting that the charge Of tyranny is true
in the majority of cases, the thought at once
arises: How keen must be the distress which
dreds knowing that they will have to bow their
necks under yoke and twist themselves into
strait jacket what must be the conditions from
which they are trying to escape2 And if these
institutions are crowded now, what would they
be II the alleged military methods were
abolished?
NO LONGER AN EXPERIMENT.
Be that as it may the stage Of experiment is
past. In the course Of twenty-four years about
fifty homes have grown to be practically self
supporting, palpable proof that they are des-
tined to last. The question is no longer, can
they be made to live? but how can we improve
and enlarge them? The first requisite for this
is publicity. They need to be brought to the
girls and the benevolent rich. To do this
efectually the objects Of the institutions must
be clearly understood. 1t may be profitable,
therefore, in conclusion to sketch the model
institution. We have before US large build
ing containing at least 100 persons with an an
mex for transients. The house, land and orig
inal furniture are the gift Of benevolence; oc-
casional further gifts arc accepted for the pur-
pose OF enlarging or improving the institution,
but not cent is accepted toward tho running
expenses; these are wholly borne by tho in
mates themselves. In fact the institution is
nothing else than a boarding house, having this
popularity, that there is no landlady that feat
ure being replaced by committee elected by
the inmates. On the lower floors are class
rooms, club rooms, o gymnasium and dane
ing hall for the benefit both Of the inmates and
Of girls living outside. Gentlemen, after being
duly nominated and elected by the proper COM
mittee, are admitted to certain educational and
social departments at specified hours. Girls
enter the institution on the single condition of
good character, at any age above twelve, and
during good behavior, are never obliged to