The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-06-16
MRS. STATIONS SCHEME.
She Proposes that Women and Chill
drcn Shall Sweep New York streets.
New York ConmerciaI Advertiser.


Cady Stanton, there terminated plan for
the Improvement OF our streets. the re-
freshing novelty of which is bound TO ere
ate absorbing interest in all circles Of true
estheticism. The plan Of Mrs. Stanton
blooms into being in the columns Of the
Commercial Advertiser after having been
first submitted by this paper. however, to
the ambitious and eager mind Of Colonel
Waring, who, subsequently, in addressing
a meeting of Good Government Club MEM
bers, said he was in favor Of increasing the
present street cleaning force to 5000 per-
sons. He would like TO employ 1,5Oo men
at the price now paid, 1000 men who would
not be skilled workmen and would receive
a smaller rate of pay, the other 900 per-
sons would be women and boys. He would
set women cleaning the sidewalks and en-
ploy girls and boys 10 gather paper and
debris scattered about the streets. He
would pay the women, girls and boys at
the rate of 30 cents a day, and would not
employ more than one member OF any one
family. BY this means aid would be af-
forded to 5000 different families.
In view of Colonel Warnings declaration
it will now be interesting 10 see just how
1t compares with the one proposed by Mrs.
Stanton.
There is a plenitude of philanthropy en-
braced in Mrs. Stanton's scheme which
merits it's due need of earnest thought.
Were / street commissioner said she,
TO a reporter, II would at once organize
a brigade of women TO do the work. Yes.
s.r, needy, deserving women. The women
of the East Side, slaves of sweat shops
and victims OF male contractors. whose
greed resurrects the Song Of the Shirt.
and causes its grim cadences to reach
hourly through the nails or the tenement,
l would give to these women and TO the
shop girls, whose youthful bloom is wasted
in contracted quarters and injurious air, a
chance TO 1--we and work in Gods sunshine.
as nature meant women TO do just as she
did man.
You ask if their strength and endur-
ance would permit it? Would they lind
exercise for, say six hours. in the open,
than they do now to labor for ten, twelve
and fourteen hours day In SUCH quar-
with? Why, comparatively. il would be a
paradise. and in place OF saliow. thin, worn
races would be seen the glow of health
pendence previously unthought Of
1.-The beneficial effects OF gymnasium
training for women are feature or the
times, and why SHOULD not the species or
outdoor exercise L have indicated be pro-
ductive of even better results? 1 would
have the women uniformed, OF course, and
uniforms for our soldiers and sailors, and
certainly they should be given to our street
cleaners. who render much more valuable
service. Will suggest some neat-fitting
garb, the skirts of which would cease at
the knee, so that free muscular action
would rot be impeded. Below leggings
could be worn, with a uniform style of
shoes, the entire costume to be surmounted
with red hat. in which would be fixed a
feather. The handles Of the brooms would
also be painted red. The women should
receive the same compensation for their
six or eight hours OF work as the men en-
ployed at present do per day.
How much better this would be than
the system We have known so long, for
women could sweep the streets with
greater effect than the old, rheumatic men
latter from my windows. and have often
found it difficult TO restrain myself from
going down and taking the brooms from
real service from them. These old men
ought 10 be peDsoned or provided for at
some institution. The women should do
the sweeping and young men should be
employed to shovel up the rubbish. What
pretty sight 1t would form-both sexes
not prohibit their talkip< TO each other.
Social converse among them would be most
natural. and should be encouraged. One
streets Of Paris. and why should they not
work together in the streets of New York?
a magnificent object lesson.
"You men have had this matter in your
hands for two or three centuries; have
talked written and legislated over il, and
a succession of failures has been the re-
suit. Why not give the women chance
If they could vote there would be change
in the right direction without delay. Just
consider how perfectly farcical Ii is TO
send officials to Boston, Philadelphia or
other cities to learn of how TO dispose of
garbage. Doesn't any man with two grains
of sense. from Colonel Warning and Mayor
Strong down, know that the thing could be
accomplished with half a dozen furnaces
L.
taught to burn much of the refuse that
she now throws out. After ii had been
dried in an oven this would be compare
lively easy of accomplishment either in a
back yard. or. lacking this. in stove.
There is SO much that our people must
be taught to do themselvesi Foreigners
Immediately arrested by the filthy condi-
ton of our streets and travelling convey
ing horses and possibly carrying disease
from one neighborhood 10 another.
Crumbs. nutshells and orange peels are
strewed about until the soul of the Clearly
inclined Is sickened with the sight. There
should be an incubation of different ideas
in the young, and radical reform of those
possessed by the adult. Boys and girls
in school would readily conform to reeula-
tions in this respect, which would insure a
different state of affairs soon. Only in
struction and training are needed TO ac-
complish II.
AT present. though. our children are
brought up like vandals- In parks and
-.
break limbs from the shrubs. cut their in
itials in the trees and deface the statuary.
On Monday mornings Central Park and the
museums are covered here and there with
papers and the debris of the picnic parties
after their Sunday jollifications. in spite of
stringent ordinances against such abuses.
ard most women and children act as IL
they had no responsibility in the matter.
In London and Paris order and decency pre-
vail in such places; there is no reason why
the same should not be true OF New York
1t is vain simply TO criticise and change
officials for commissioner. with all his
cohorts. carts and boats can keep this city
clean while two millions of men, women
and children doing their best to make
il otherwise. As I said before. special in
struction in this respect should be given
in the schools In addition TO lessons rela-
tive to il. teachers should have cards on
the wall forbdding the children to expecto-
rate or throw refuse on the floor. Railroal
authorities should do the same in cars and
depots, landlords in the hotels. statesmen
in the halls of legislature. bishops in their
churches and the owners of theaters and
concert halls the same IN those places
"lf at every turn notices enforcing de-
cency and order could meet the ewes OF
young ard old. we might hope i'm time to
make our country an example for all ma
tons. There should be boxes on the street
corners for the reception of newspapers
tons of these rules should be summarily
dealt with when detected. A small fine
would be sufficient for the first offenss b,lf
in case of repetition II should be increased
as the case would seem TO demand
When Colonel Warning was told of Mrs
work in the streets, he suspended the or
binary functions of street cleaning bust
ness for time and went into executive
session with his active mind After a