The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-19
WHERE WOMEN REFORM.
work D0NE M THE WAYsIDE
HOME IN BROOKLYN.

pantea Arsr LeavtsE the Mone-Dralre 70
Lead Kew Nves-Inntruction for the women.
There Is q home for unfortunate girls in
Brooklyn which IN o homo almost in the beet
sense Of the word. It IL called the Waysido
Home, and is situated at 352 Bridge street.
The building itself Is q large four.story brown
stone front house and has an extension almost
as big. as tho original building. At present
IL IL taxed to It's Utmost capacity. the fam-
lily circle numbering ffty-two. When a SUN
reporter called there early the other morning
every member Of the family appeared to be
busy. Carpet sweepers and brooms were flying
over the floors, duet cloths were being piled
vigorously, scrubbing brushes were whisking
here and there. and things about tho sunny.
wellaired rooms and halls were beginning to
look 90 spick and span MS soap and water. mod.
ern house clesning implements, and elbow
greaee, willingly applied. could well mako them.
at really can't talk about tho workings OF the
Homei'' said Miss Knowls, the first matron.
"bocause we have never sought public notice In
any way, but I'll tell you one thing. This 10 a
real homo. After q girl has been an inmate here
once she always comes back whenever she can to
visit us, and. though some Of them have parents
and o real home, they invariably claim that this
is more like Tome to them than their own fathers
roof. This is Saturday, and you see the girls
hE0 klfluk tno hOuoo u thoIoukh ClohuinR.b 30
that they will have nothing to do tomorrow.
They do all the work and are very happy In It.
But here I 60 talking when I said I
wouldn't, and yet I think people ought to know
about the ~reformations that are constantly be-
ing worked within these walls. Nearly eigh-
teen years ago Mrs. r. F. Pettengill and Miss
E.. Q. Coffin founded the home, and Mrs. Petten.
gill 10 the very one to toll you all about II.
You'll find her In her office on the fifth floor Of
the Garfield building. and she'll be as busy as a
bee In flower time. she always Is. but don't
mind that, for she 10 never too busy to talk about
her girls and their home life"
The matron was quite right. Mrs. Pettengill
was exceedingly busy. for abe is a business wo-
man. She was right in another thing. too.
Mrs. Pettengill was willing to talk about her
girls.
"Suppose I begin at the very beginning she
said in response to a question. settling herself
back in her chair. 1.-THE Wayside Home was
organized In 1880 as an outgrowth Of tho
work of the Brooklyn Woman's Christian
Temperance Union in visiting jails and
penitentiaries, where we found many women
who PROGRESSED to want to do better. but
claimed that they had no place to go after their
sentences had expired. Miss Coffin and 1 de-
whore some of these women might go; SO we
began In a very small way In . small hired
house. We had only one matron and started
our object was to establish a temporary home
for homeless women. The work has steadily
large house you visited. a well-equipped lnun-
dry, three matrons, and q teacher, and the house
Is 81 constantly ataa y. strained red to S,r It's ntmo t 70 aeeom-
AT first all OF the inmates came voluntarily
to the Home, and we had no special control over
years ago we were organized as n reformatory
for young women, and since then the work has
reach, girls and young women. and girls are
committed here during their minority. We
keep zee them . ~ until . they T. are RI. =; Women .a, past that
THE entire work Of the house is done by the
inmates. INCLUDING All household sowing. the
and laundry work, which is carried on as a
means Of profit. The girls are taught laundry
being to train them as domestics or laundry
women. In everything that they dc. they, are
oonstantly overlooked by one Of the three
mate Of The Home, and her influence
and she understands them and sympatbizes
with them deeply. 1t is a risky thing to put an
ton. no matter how worthy she has proved her.
self. but In this particular case it has turned
"Our teacher instructs all of the women and
girls who desire it in reading, Writing, arithme.
y%idually, and many of the girls advance rapidly.
Only a few days ago / received n dear letter
from a pretty young girl committed to the Home
two years ago when she was about Is. When
she came to US she could neither read nor write,
s to w PHs the he S fan 30 letter tSrh she se eSs ss' %r sas w 70 sey
one 70 me. and no one knows how ! value that
childish nlissiye. Recently she read the chapter
from the Bible at the opening OF the Thursday
Are all the women who come to you SO
N""W"li. I should say not said Mrs. P~ettengill.
@ to a service In the Home some Sunday and
see The girls for Yourself, Some Of them are
and Ae have had several college graduates in
our family. a number of trained nurses, and
member OF one OF Brooklyn's Sunday schools. She
isn't the first member OF q Sunday school that
Home is a marked feature also. Daily a short
service is conducted by, the matrons, and we
hold services morning and afternoon on Sunday.
Cutler, a well-known Brooklyn philanthropist,
comes frequently and leads and is very often
Bently Of the New York Water Street Mission
have charge OF the Thursday evening service,
t Maisn EVENING" ,s ssFr so@ e'f inmate Of dHG sh ETH Ho% 1wn opens 1S
the service, and this is the time when the girls
who have been inmates Of the Home like to come
were present, all Of whom have been redeemed
from strong drink. Some OF them have been
dozens Of girls who had sunk to the lowest
depths OF degradation have come to the Wayside
do honest work and to live honest Sasf ives s'' i o have We
in mind a beautiful girl now. We found her in
an old tumble-down house In a vacant lot In this
city; She WAS with four men. We took her TO
more than a child. Afterawhilei it was necessary
to send her to a maternity hospital. We got her
In one in New York, and when her baby came 1t
was so delicate that she was permitted TO
and never in my life have / seen any mother
moro tenderly devoted than was this child OF
tho streets. When her baby died she came back
10 us and remained until she was 81. Mind you,
her mother had been a very low woman and she
hadn't even the advantage OF being honestly
born. All the same. from the day we took her her
character b, gan to change. She grew into the
sweetest, bravest, noblest little woman, and her
influence was beautiful. Before 1t came time
for her ~toleave l secured her a place in n charm.
ing family, but the work was TOO heavy, for she
was delicnte. Then I got her a place with a
prominent woman doctor. Her duties were
doctor was elected dean of an %inslitu;
had made herself SO valuable to her that she
could not live without her, 30 she took her with
her. 1t Is six or seven years since she left us,
and I'm sure her life has been pure and white
and blameless ever since; In short, she Is a lovely
Christian character. ] could go on and cite case
after case like that. Many girls voluntarily re-
turn TO their parents after lea wing the Home.