The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-29

was sent by friends, or was provided in
some other way.
The minimum price for lodgings is 10
cents night but some are able to
pay more. The proceeds of the past year
have nearly paid the expense. They have
not provided sufficient accommodations,
however, and Mrs. Boardman has been
obliged to find rooms at the Union Mission
and other places for some of her prOteges.
1t Is expected that the five new rooms
will relieve the pressure and provide
cheap and safe lodgings for some of the
girls employed in that vicinity who want
to lodge near their work.
In fitting up the new rooms everything
in the way of furnishings must be pro-
vided and the committee Will be CRATE
full for donations of bedroom furniture.
Beds for twelve will be required and sin
gle bedsteads are preferred Those hay
ing contributions to make should send
list OF the articles to Miss M. Belle JEFF
frey, general secretary Y. w. c.. A., SCI
First avenue S, and they will be called
for.
Among the other helpful activities are
the Travellers Aid matron, directing to
street cars, looking up addresses of
friends, and either taking the travellers
or calling a messenger boy to go with
them to their destination; going with or
directing to intelligence offices, boarding
places, or respectables rooms that they
can afford, to hospitals and homes for
unfortunates; to the police station to have
husbands found who failed to meet wives
and children; with deserted wives and
girls to place their children in homes
to be boarded, or in homes to be given
away, because they could not earn enough
to board and clothe themselves and child
sometimes two or three chldren) to talk
with girls that make a practice of going
TO stations, some to simply sit and pass
the time away, Others to meet friends and
visit, and many to meet unprincipled men.
The matron, Mrs. Boardman, beams
with kindness and her quick but friendly
dlrectness inspires confidence. 1t would
scarcely be necessary for the weary tray
eler, bewildered by strange place. to
see her Travellers Aid badge to be as
sured that she had found a safe friend,
Everybody about the stations knows and
appreciates Mrs. Boardman and helps her
by sending her those travellers who have
escaped her eye In the throngs that come
IN on some of the trains. She does not
Wait for people to come to her; she goes
ABOUT among the crowds and seeing some
one hesitate, she steps up and inquiries:
are you going out in the city?" and fol-
lows this by: Are you acquainted in
the city?" This has given the stranger
time to take look at Mrs. Boardman
and the answers generally Indicate, at
once what help is needed.
The Travellers Aid is COMPOSITE of
many departments, each efficient, although
conducted on a small scale. Mrs Board
man is very successful in securing en-
ployment for the girls. Many employers
send to her directly, but in other cases
she finds work through the Y. W. G, \,
employment bureau or by hunting up
places herself. The girl who has come to
town to find employment usually seeks
first cheap boarding place ard is re-
ferred to Mrs. Boardman for information.
In giving this, she is quite certain to
find out also the purpose of tbs girls
coming and is able to advise her.
The first inquiry is What can you do?"
If she has had experience, work of the
kind she has been accustomed to is
sought If inexperienced, she is asked
If she will do homework or if she will
learn some other branch and she is
placed accordingly. II she has come with
the idea that without experience she can
step into easy and remunerative office
work, Mrs Boardman tells her firmly that
she must give that idea up at once and
that, if she is unwilling to take uE work
for which she is prepared, she would bet