El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-05-28
A HOME FOB WORKING GIRLS
Another PhilanthrOpic Work Endowed
by the B ,rOness de Hirsch.


A large and completely appointed
home for the poorer class OF WORKING
| girls will soon be in existence In thi:
city. The Baroness De Hirsch, follow.
ing the noble example set by her late
husband, Baron De Hirsch, who gave
immense sums for the work now carried
on SO successfully here, has given
$500, 600 for the purchase of land and
the building of the home, and has,
moreover, guaranteed a trust fund
which will provide an income of $12 ,00O
q year for the maintenance of the
home. The work here has been in.
trusted by the Baroness to Oscar S.
Straus, and it was to him that the 5000,
900 was recently transmitted. Mrs.
Straus will be the president of the
home for working girls in Thirteenth
st. This home has only room for twelve
girls. In the new home there will be
separate rooms for one hundred, and a
most valuable additional feature of the
work will be training school in con-
nection with the home, at which the
girls will learn domestic service and
useful trades.
Mrs. Strauss when seen by Tribune
reporter at her home, No. q West
Seventy fourth st., yesterday said that
the home would not be intended for
transient boarders, as considerable
care would be taken in the choice of
those who would be admitted, and this
could not be done in the case of tran
sients. To the latter, however, lodg-
ing would not be refused If they sp-
peared respecta BILE, but the home would
be primarily for working girls who did
not earn more than IS, or at the most
IS, week. This would take in the
large class of factory girls, who were
now neglected more than any other
class of working women. 1t was hoped
that they might be able to stake per-
manent boarders at 81 week. As far
as possible the home would be made
self-supporting, but, added Mrs.
Straus, she feared that in the begin
ming, at any rate, the trust fund offer
ed by the Baroness De Hirsch would
have to be drawn upon.
Those in charge of the work are
using every effort to have the building
erected at the earliest possible time.
The plans have already been completed
and contracts are being let out.
A plot of ground in Sixty-third st.,
east of Third avenue has been secured
The architects have planned q build
log to cover the entire frontage of 125
feet, with three wings extending a
depth OF eighty feet. the whole struc-
ture being somewhat the shape of a
letter "E.''
Indiana limestone will form the first
story and gray brick the others. A
spacious entrnce has been planned, with
imposing columns supporting the en-
tresOl. On the ground floor will be
the reception rooms, parlOrs, gymnasi-
ums, class-rooms and dlnipg-room. The
upper floors will be devoted to the bed
rooms, and spacious basement will
afford storage room and contain q fine
laundry and other accessories of a big
hotel or home.
The action of the Baroness De
Hirsch in thus devoting large sum of
money for this purpose is only one of
q long series of similar gifts to the
poor in this and other American cities
begun by the late Baron De Hirsch
aud continued by herself. 1t has been
occasionally stated that the Baroness
once visited this country, and that her
actions are the result of her observa-
tions here. This is not the case. She
has never been in America, and this
fact makes her interest in the welfare
of the poor populations in American
cities all the more remarkable.-New
York Tribune.