The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-04

Mrs. ChOImeIey Trying to Reach and
Help Barmaids.

Help BRrmaids.
London, Feb. 2S.-There are 10000 bar
maids in England, and at various times
sundry philanthrophid folk have dreamed
of having a law passed which should dis
band this extraordinary army by prevent
ing the employment of girls as bar tend
ers. II is maintained that England is far
behind the United States in this matter
and that the country will go to the dogs
unless the pretty barmaid is abolished
But the efforts in this direction have
met little public support, partly because
an English institution is not easily st
aside, and partly because of a general
conviction that the girl behind the bar Is
not necessarily bad lot
So an attempt in new aud more in
teresting direction has been begun on be-
half of the bar maid. Instead of being
told that she is probably a sinner, or
soon will be one, she is merely invited to
come to take tea on Sunday afternoon
with woman who doesn't intend TO
preach to her and who would like TO he
good friend, and to quote her own
words would like ito give her bit of
blue sky to see."
Mrs. Cholmeley the leader of this new
work, is wealthy woman. who is one
OF the honorary workers in the Church
army the great organization with
which the Church of England is unin-
tentionally rivalling General Booths
salvation Army. Mrs. Cholmeley has re-
celNed contributions from the Church
Army and from other sources and engaged
four or five bright girls who have been
trained as mission workers, to help her
The work, of course makes il necessarv
that the barmaids should be visited ar
their places of business.-for these Girls
work from seven in the morning until
man past twelve at highland naturally
MRS Cholmeley has found 1T difficult to
enlist women of her own class TO under
lake making the rounds of such places.
Another drawback is that there are really
only about four hours in the day when
this work can be attempted for the Girls
are busy with customers from u cook
until two or three in the afternoon ana
even buster all the evening.
In spite of these difficulties Mrs Cbol
mercy ana her girl assiss ants have sue
ceeded, In the last six months in visit
| ing over 1900 harmaids and talking Win
| them They take with them little let
| ter, enclosed in an envelope, attractivalv
| printed and as little like a tract as nos
slole' written simply and without cant.
Net calculated to interest the gin who re-
| ce1Ves ii and TO make her think
Some of the larger public houses ep,-
| pioy as many as twenty-five barm1ids
| ana in others the girls are kept busy
| from morning until night, but in eVarv
| case the workers try TO have a few words
| win each one of them, as well as to hand
| 'heM me letters, Every letter is signed
| with mrs CholmeleyS name and bea
| her ADDRESS, and the girls are told thai
| she is at home every Sunday afternoon
| and Will be pleased to have them take
| tea with her whenever they can. AT those
| teas she sometimes has three or four Girls
| sometimes only one, often none. Con
siueflhg mat the girls only breathing
| time IN the whole week comes on SUNDAY
| afternoon, and then is only five hours
long, II Is not strange that Mrs ChoIme-
| leys httle receptions are not better pa-
| tronlzed. 10
Ihat lady is entitled now TO speak with
some authority, and she says that there
| are many more good barmaids than evil
ones The girls usually enter the husines,
| for the simple reason that almost all thn
other lines open to women are paid 50
| Wretchedly that the $3.50 a week with
! meals that barmads receive seems like
fortune. Then there is nothing de.
grading about the work, for every bar
| maid is called Miss" and the attituda
| or most patrons TO her Is preciseIv Ike
| that of men in America to Mattresses in
| restaurants. In their visits Mrs Cholmc
ley and her girls have discovered four
| barmaids who We're formerly teachers IN
| sunday schools and several spirited ones
VINO Keep httle box on the bar ard make
| men who swear in their presence dron into
| 1t penny whenever they offend Ooa
| girl collected four dollars, and sent il to
! a charity fund.
so thus far in their work these good
women are encouraged. In all that four
| thousand girls that they have seen onlv
one has failed TO receive them courte,nslv
| Most of them are apparently grateful ia
| md that they are not considered outcasts
and when their friends call for the second
| ume recognize and receive them rafhor
warmly, From the prOpretors of lie
| pubs and the men who are drinking
| there the girl visitors say they have never
| had anything but respectful treatment.
This work among the barmalds has &c
yet received no newspaper attention in
London, aud Mrs. Cholmeley homes thar
it will receive none, because she fears
that If her efforts are described as n
movement the publicans, as they are
called, would think that they were 10 he
deprived of their girls, and the workers
would no longer be allowed TO spe TX with
| them. The reason that Mrs Chclmela,,
and the Church Army DO not make an
effort TO get the girls out of the pnbiic
houses Is that they wouldn't know what
to do with or for the army Of them after
that was accomplished.
As for the girls themselves, the great
majority of them would leave In mo-
ment if they could make as much money
elsewhere in a more elevated caI,ing
The hours are terribly long; they ale
Obliged to stand oil through them There
is dirty work to be done in the morning
sometimes insults TO put up with, AMI
always the temptation to drink. Mrs
Cholmeey says fewer of them yiel1 TO
this temptation than would be expected.
The girls are usually related TO the
proprietor, or are the relatives Of lis
friends and some of them enter the busl-
ness as early as the ago Of fonrtean