New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-09-01
THE MESSENGER GIRL.
CHICAGO EXPERIMENT MAY BE TRIED
HEREEFFECT ON SPEED OF DELIVERY


HEREEFFEcT ON SPEED OF DELIVERY
Wall Street men say that they have noticed IN
the last week that their messenger boys are oe
ginning to move faster. The increase OF speed
however is said to be slight that no aiari ma
been felt thus far that the messengers may DC
overtaken by apopIexy or Ialpitat1on OF the re-
any other aiIment caused by complete hilsoN
exhaustion. Indeed. some who are DISCUSSING ''ie
subject perhaps a little seriously say that Il
would take some finely poised instrument, such as
that employed to detect the cooling OF the cart"
crust. to determine how much faster the boys die
now moving.
Bat the greatest puzzle was. What was the rea-
son of such an increase Of speed? After cotSiue!
able elaboration some of officers of the Anlerl
District Telegraph Company decided tiid' tH.
employment of four hundred girls by tnelr coipanE
in the Chicago service has had this effect on the
bows 1t was then learned that the messengers
have been especially stirred by the Chicago als
matches 10 the effect that the girls are quiehei'
that they have proved satisfactory IN o'nei ~,
spects thus far and threaten 10 ehcroa'n
further on the employment rolls
According to Chicago dispatches, the glriS
MT into tie service last week because the cum
PAWS boys have struck three TIRES IN the iS
month and have put them TO great INCOME -,
and financial loss The girls in Chicago worh W"
ing the day in the financial and residential palss
of the city while young men are employer t'i -
other districts and for the night shifts
The introduction Of girls into the messehe
vice of the various cable and telegraph O'iNP
of this city has been proposed at certain TIMES. o.
the Chicago experiment has again started u4@
eior of the subject here. Those who advocate sIi7
for messengers say that 1t would be far oe'tei 80
the girls who are employed In the s"ea'' ,
and stores to get the outdoor air anu eAs
which messengers life affords They argue -
that the girls would not overexert themselves i
although il is not one of the rules of the cohp0S
nevertheless it has come to be an un"rii' -
that the message is for the messenger am
the messenger for the message. Indeed 'ie -
sage is to be considered Of small importance cohi
nared with the health and comfort OF the i'ieS
senger Then. again, the girls will have cna-
to see something OF the world and by ootalihhs
larger horizon of men and affairs they wouid hlo"
better how to handle their husbands aItel i
riage. ID
Rut the arguments of the girl messenger ad-
vocafes are as hotIy met by those who beheVe
that such employment would be of infinite Marin u
these girls 1t would be impossible, they say :,
send the girls all kinds of missl' OF " an
districts of the city 1t also be dangerous 10
eard young girls about the streets aItef oaAh'
where they would be unprotected from insui. "
abuse As to the luxury OF the hte t'eE '
issue with the pro-girl contingent for 'Hey -
that the easy life of the messenger "ouid nlaNo M
more strenuous life of an industrious ho'7e
seem like sheer drUigery. Thus, a young VIZ
v,bo was once a messenger girl would from force
Of habit stop somewhere between the Kitchen anu
the dining room with the breakfast. uhth the nus
band would late for work. or the oreaA4d9
was stone cold Such a wife, when accompanying
her husband to the theatre. would De apt 10 uIFe
down side streets for physical relaxation. or no"
and then seat herself by the way to hnish 'ne iS'
chapter of some such book as Sarah o'i'
the Heroine of the Steel Strike
Officers of the American District Telegraph COM
nanv in this city are still non-committal as to the
comparative merits Of boy and girl messengers.
and are watching the results OF their experiment
in Chicago