The morning call., 1893-06-15

INC pUliduLuIOpiSb anu tho
ordinary easy-going citizen than this one
OF the dive mattresses, which has been
suddenly forced on the benevolent people
who are interested in social work and re-
form.
All these people are perpleXed. the dive
girls are perplexed and everybody is per-
picked.
Lots OF charitable women have for a
long time been trying, with various de.
grees of earnestaess and persistence, to
induce some of cSese same dive mattresses
to let them be Concerned in their social
and spiritual welfare, but it was only a
stray response here and there that was
found.
The preachers have preached about the
dives and the unfortunate women in them.
organized schemes for the reform and
assistance of such women have been
talked about and started, and the doctrine
that Christian people should be little
more like Christ when the tate OF fraii
women becomes their concern has been
proclaimed constantly. Now, hundreds OF
women suddenly turn seeking help, and
MANY are Interested in knowing what
Christian and benevolent workers OIL all
sorts will do.
There are no answers yet to the pathetic
chorus Of "What are we to do p
Probably no community has ever Deen
suddenly confronted WITH Just sucn social
problem. A great army OF girls and
women must quickly be adjusted TO the new
conditions arising from the grand victory
that is to close the vilest haunts in the
city, and il is not easy for struggling g
woman to adjust herself to new conditions
There is oTld of pathos and the Wild
picturesqueness of human life among these
diVe-women. They are not by any means
all Magdalens. Many of them, or at least
q proportion of them, are hardworking
women driven to this means OF providing
money for their families support.
Even if the number of deserving cases
be only 800, as estimated by one lady yes
terday, still the gravity OF the problem re-
mains unaffected.
These women depended on q certain
stay, which in the interests OF morality
has been cut away from under them. What
are they to do? Society has certain duty
toward them. What is it? Many would
be glad TO earn a living by honest toll.
But who would give work to woman VINO
had worked in a dive?
Vaguely charitable ideas we'll up into the
brains of the more fortunate classes. ln-
dustrial homes are proposed, the help of
the clergy is invoked. plans for obtaining
work in factories or in domestic service
for these luckless women float vaguely in
the air and various organizations have
discussed" the problem.
Are LU6 SuRRSStUuS ltdSlDlc. ID tulo
problem of sociology going to meet with
practical solution? Is there sympathy and
intelligence enough in the community to
meet this grave cOntingencv?
And the girls themselves? These girls"
or women as most of them are-have the
strangeSt notion of their position. They
have doubtless been seized upon in their
helpIessness by interested parties and have
been largely steered toward concerted ac-
tion.
But individually there are many heart
rending cases of despair among them.
There is withal reckleSSnesS OF purpose
that is terrible.
Many of them have been working" at
their profession" ss they seriously term
it. for long term of years. Some were
perhaps driven to it by starvation, cruelty
or other necessity. They found a COM
paratIyely easy life, change. excitement,
Independence. Their moral sense has
become blunted, Their capacity for
physical, continuous monOtonous, ill-pald
work has become practically killed.
How many will accept daily drudgery9 ?
VIII they not prefer open lives Of sin OF
the horrible alternative Of the morgue?
The dive girls are outWardy more con-
fident since the Dive Mattresses Union
was organized. 1t gives them nucleus of
resistance. 1t is the ploverbial straw at
which they are desperately ciutchlng.
But beneath this brave exterior there is
acute unhappiness and a hunted terror.
What are we to do?" they cry.
''What can we do even if we were offered
work? Who would employ US, and how
can we commence all over again p
Ida Benson, the president of the new
Mattresses Union. is a tall, well-formed
German woman, with a quantity of light
hair, arranged in a fluffy bang over her
forehead. She is somewhat decided in
manner and seems perfectly able to look
after herself.
IiuaE unintlVr af m
Montgomery avenue and has been working
at the Coronado as waitress.
I'VE don't know what we will do" she
replied to aninQuiry. 1--WE are waiting to
see how things go. Several ladies are in
teresting themselves for us and the Fed
Grated Trades are on our side.
sit is very hard. Why don't they attack
other places that do far more harm than
the dives? There's the side-entrance sa-
looms and lots of places.
1--WE girls used to make heaps of money
one time in San Francisco, but now we're
making bare living. 1t was once S. a
day and what you could make on the side,
but now girl has to be pretty lively to
clean up dollar or two. if that.
mo, don't know what we shall do, but
we've got TO do something. If the people
won't help us to get work, we must help
ourselves, and l don't know where we
shall end"
Kitty Dunno, treasurer of the union,
was equally plaln-spOken. She said that
for herself she did not need any organ
ization. At the same time she wasn't
going to '-go back on'' the other girls and
meant to stay with them as long as they
needed her assistance. She said that since
the Tuesday meeting there had been a
great many applications for mem mbership.
and it now looked as If they would secure
a roll of several hundreds. She main-
tained that there were upward of 3OOC
girls who would be affected by the ordl.
nance, taking into consideration the many
saloons with side and upstairs attach.
ments.
But as to the practical results of organ
5Zation she expressed herself as utterly in
the dark, but seemed satisfied with the
progress already made and the interest
already aroused.
One of the most energetic among the
menaced women is Hattie Castner, pro.
prietor of dive on Kearny street, neal
Pacific. known as "Hattie's." Hattie is a
bright little woman, who has been MANY
years in the business, and her testimony
may be deemed to the point, as well as
curiously interesting from the regua tion
standpoint.
my place is closed" she said. bitterly
''and my business gone.
ut was [ who started this movement
among the girls, running about from
saloon to saloon to urge them to come in
with US. Oh, of course, we are bad lot
OF course we can move out on the streets
ana of course we will find other work. o.
coursel