The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-03-20
GUARDS THE N0RAL WICKET.

immigrants between in the morning aEtN
half past y midnight. I have nothing
10 tho with the morals or men except az
they concern some woman immigrant. l
am supposed 10 see that people who ought
10 be welded are not admitted 20 the
country until the ceremony has been per-
formed. Sometimes the men object. but
generally when they find they Will be re-
turned 10 the port from which they sailed
IL they continue TO refuse everybody con-
sents- The couple IS sent out under hu-
reau charges. and when the guard brings
back receipt from pastor or priest for
one married couple. with names in futl.
they are released. We have 10 be sure
no impeachment 10 the marriage has been
left behind in the old world.
Il average about i5o couples year
Sometimes a couple is TO be deportsd liz
any event. and they wan, 10 get married
for fear Of consequences On their return
Then IL there Is no obstacle we allow them
the felicity of making honeymoon OF the
return trip 10 Europe.
The prettiest girlss I shouldn't want
10 say. bat some az she most beautiful
70 NE are the peasants OF southern
Italy.
The English. German. French and
So rtiinaVian women are almost sure
70 Rad and write their own languages
because compulsory education exists for
those nations. SO do The Slav girls gen.
orally.
Its one perpetual procession q novel
ties in emotions and stories coming
through the immigration bureau. always
some variation OF love. tragedy or drama
Whs: could be more dramatic than ~
cent case where A woman, tiltiHg on her
very high hseled little shoes and wearing
peasant garh. was claimed by two men
az their wife. and then when the real
husband arrived and refused 70 receive
his wife the woman was sent back 10 italy
without even being permitted 10 speak TO
the husband who marched of contented
az soon as he learned his mnfaithful
spouse could not land IN this country
''one strange feature TO people are the
babies horn Under the shadow Of the bu-
rsau itself. There have been cases where
reputable women. accompanied Ivy hus-
bands and other children. have given birth
10 children while waiting 10 be sent back
TO Europe. In such a case the family is
held until the woman Is able 10 travel
again. but the baby. although Ii may be
born In the Long Island City hospital or
on Ellis island. is not a citizen OF this
country because the mother has not betrl
admitted to the country.
THE most interesting cases 10 me are
the many children travelling alone unpro-
tected but by friendship and the kindness
of strangers. l think the one case that
stands out In ali my experience Is that OF
baby boy just able 10 toddle and pat
ter a little who arrived without our
being able TO secure any trace OF his des-
tination or previous location in Europe.
His mother had fallen down stairs on the
steamer, broken her neck ard died in
stantly. Nothing soula he found TO give
any cew 10 her destination. The baby
was with me In Castle Garden for three
months, and all we knew was his last
name. We grew to love the child. and he
persisted In calling me mama. Every one
took TO the boy and his strange condi-
tor. a little Mr.. Nobody OF Nowhere.
famed him much sympathy Finally AT
ter advertising. man wrote from Kan
sas that the boy was his nephew. and his
sister the bahys mother, had been on the
way TO Kansas.
Documents arrived from Europe to
prove the mans story. and the child was
finally sent on to him. but IL was a very
sorrowful child that cried and struggled
TO stay with us I'm Castle Garden. re-
member one bsby In arms that arrived
bound FOR Chicago travelling only under
the guide of a tag.
There are Just IA good chances In this
country for immigrant girls as ever But
the race OF domestic servants has passed
away. No girls really want 10 do house
work. They would rather go into stores
or shops at s. a week than have home
and sl4 a month. They seem now TO look
down on domestic service. although my
experience has been that girl with s.
week In store is not so well of as q
domestic with only s. a month
Every safeguard Is thrown about girls
and women in this bureau. No giri Ia
permitted 10 go into the city unless We
know ~hs-s she Is going or unless she
insists. Az we have no power once ad-
mitted. TO defain her after telling her Of
the pitfalls into which she may fall. The
missionaries here do great work In pro-
tecting girls and women. Their work n
thorough and effective and only one who
knows its importance in helping newly
arrived women and girls can understand
its value.
II do not think many girls are brought
here now in the Storage fer immoral pur-
poses. Under the regular ARRANGEMENTS
every girl Is protected If she desires IL
for a year after landing. n she OF her
own volition leaves places found for her
by the labor bureau without notifying the
bureau and gets into trouble that II her
own fault The government has provided
every safeguard wisdom and experience
can suggest, and I faithfully try 10 carry
out every provision so made and any
that common sense and womaniy sym
patty dictates
But IL Is always an ever pressing
stream OF new women with new stories
and no sooner do I wonder What viii
become or that woman" than another
takes her place. and the first arors out
OF sight"