Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-03
HOMES FOR WOMEN.
Where Respectable Wage-Earning
Girls Can Find Security.
THE BENEFITS THEY CONFER.


THE BENEFITS THEY CONFER.
Their Purpose and the Way in which Il Il
Accomplished-The Question Of Amusement
Where Military Rule 10 Out Of Piaes-Girls
That Pay Their Own Way.
Mr.. Robert Stern Of this city read an inter-
esting paper on "Girls' Boarding Homes be-
fore the American Economic Association at its
meeting here this week. He who listens for
some time to the working peoples complaints
will soon discover that this dismal music is
pervaded by one dominant note-the complaint
Of insecurity. This species Of misery presses
on the very elite of humanity. It ia essentially
characteristic Of the civilized state, for only
the civilized man looks into the future. The
intelligent workman is kept awake at night not
90 much by the hardness Of his couch, nor by
the GOODNESS Of his room, nor even by the crav-
ings of an unsatisfed stomach, as by the
thought, Nv hat will become Of me and mine il
this or that thing happens?''
But il this blight Of insecurity falls heavily
on man it falls with tenfold weight on woman
When a man loses his employment he has be-
fore him at once q score Of new avenues, which
he, at any rate, may try; woman has. in proper
ton, only five or six. The wages OF most men
are high enough to permit some savings; the
wages of woman conform with appalling strict
ness to the economic law Of the margin Of liv-
ing. Moreover, destitute woman is threatened
by class OF miseries irom which man is wholly
exempt.
1t would be surprising if in our much-in-
curing, much-thinklng, much-sympathizing
age the exceptional situation of wage-earning
women had not given rise to exceptional meas
large city in the United States contains one or
more institutions designed to afford to re-
spectacle wage-earning women security against
the special dangers that threaten them. These
institutions are generally called girls boarding
homes. How do they work?
SOLVING THE PROBLEM.
Suppose that none Of these institutions ex-
listed and that we were called upon at this mo-
ment to deal with the problem which they are
trying TO solve. We have before us, first, a
large number Of women out of employment
and having no resources wherewith to tide over
the evil hour; and second, a much larger num-
Der in employment, but earning too little to
supply all their necessities. In casting about
for means wherewith to help them we shall
probably hit on one which at first sight appears
the easiest-the method of charitable subscrip-
tions. But that, after ALL is nothing else than
begging by proxy, thin plaster over the stigma
OF mendicancy, and when the accomplished
vicarious beggar dies, he does not always leave
a successor. more genteel plan is that of an
endowment. 1t is less uncomfortable to be I'M
der obligations to piece of paper than to a
person. But an endowment, except so far az it
consists in the gift Of land and house actually
used, is after all a dead hand forcing an I'M
willing live hand to open itself and dispense
charity. After trying these two methods
and perceiving that even the poorest
writhe under the burden Of charity and throw
1t off in horror whenever they can, we shall
probably be disposed to give up the task But
II We persevere we may. by dint Of much ex-
perimenting and after exhausting all the wrong
methods, at last discover the right one. The
chances are that it will first present itself to
tourists tell us Of the danger Of travelling over
glaciers, Of treacherous snow bridges over
crevasses dark and deep, ever ready to swallow
the adventurer should his foot slip. How do
travellers get across? They never 60 singly,
but always in groups, the more the better,
fastened together by long rope, 30 that should
one fall into q crevasse he will be drawn out by
the others. poor girl alone in a large town
is walking on slippery path between abysses
deeper and darker than those Of Alpine glaciers.
Find for her the magic rope by which she may
be joined to others similarly situated and she
may walk in almost absolute safety.
THE MAGIC ROPE
Is called cooperation. Yesterday there were
fifty girls dispersed through fifty houses You
have gathered them and given them house lust
large enough to contain fifty. Note how
changed is their condition. Yesterday each
one Of them was in solitude, or in the presence
OF rude associates, and in constant expectation
of insult: today there are forty-nine bearing
her company and in precincts where rudeness
will not pass unchecked. Yesterday each bought
her slice of bread for cents; today one baker
furnishes fifty slices for 10 cents Yesterday
zach maid AM fOurth ~ hor orpip To-
today she has no rent to pay. Yesterday II she
wished 70 read book she had to walk through
two miles Of dark streets to get to q library to
day she takes ten steps to the book shelf. Yes
terday Il she wanted to practice on the type
writer she had to rent machine; today she
uses the machine owned by the fifty in COM
mon. Yesterday she met her lover on the street
under an umbrella where she had to inhale the
fumes OF his cigar; today she receives him in
the parlor, and to do honor to the occasion he
has put on his holiday suit, polished his shoes
and submitted his hands to the influence Of hot
water and soap; and the stump of his cigar lies
smouldering on the pavement outside. Had the
girl been thrown out Of employment yesterday,
1t would have seemed as if the ground gave way
under her; today she clings TRANQUILITY to her
magic rope, cooperation, till her forty-nine
friends find her new employment. Yesterday
her employer might insult her with impunity;
today ii he is wise, he will not say an unbecom-
ing word to her, for he would be confronted by
fifty, standing shoulder to shoulder, backed BY
q regiment Of friends and supported by bat
terry Of legal counsel
The existing institutions may actually be di-
vided into the three classes here described,
those maintained by subscriptions, those main
tanned by endowment and those maintained by
cooperation. True 1t is that hardly one insti-
tuition 10 conducted entirely on the basis of
charity, since most Of them require some pay
ment, and even those termed free generally re-
quire work in return for room and board
Those conducted on q strictly cooperative and
self-supporting basis in many cases began as
charitable institutions and gradually fought
their way to independence. It is to be under
stood that girl entering one Of these homes
will not have to pay less than she did in pri-
vate boarding house, but will get better accom-
mediation for the same money.
THE TYPICAL BOARDING. HOME.
The typical girls boarding home of the pres.
emit day, as illustrated by the more important
institutions in many cities, owns its own build
ing and derives its income solely from its in
mates, making receipts and expenditures bal
ance. Many homes might easily show a surplus
did they not promptly reduce their charges or
add improvements whenever . surplus is
threatened. II il very much to be regretted
that there still exists = disposition to cass all
these institutions as charities. They are gen.
orally found so chased in city directories.
Several homes bear all their expenses, including
rent, and TO class these as charities is prepOs-
ferrous. Others have gradually paid for their
buildings by means Of receipts from former in
mates; and these are exactly in the position of
social club that has done the same. Others,
indeed, have received land and building as q