The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-03
GIRLS MUST LEAVE THE
BERTHA BALLARD HOME
Incur Arrangements DispleaSure
in an Effort TO Aid Friend
Who Is Ill.
OTHERS MUST APOLOGIZE
Petition Secretly Circulated
Among the Tenants-Mrs.
Brown Makes a Statement.

As a result of the surreptitious circulation
of a petition that was dispieasing TO the
management of the home, two or three
young women who are roomers at the Ber-
tina Ballard Home, on North Delaware
street. will be asked to leave the establish
ment, and a score or more Of others who
signed the petition will have to apologize
to the management or also leave the home.
One young woman who is an inmate of
the home has been in i'll health for some
time, and within the last two weeks has
given up a position which she held in the
city preparatory to undergoing an opera
ton at ST Vincent's Hospital. Several of
the young women in the home have been
circulating a petition among the others re-
siding there asking the management TO APP
point the young woman who is in i'll health
to the position of bookkeeper for the home
the work of which position is now done at
night without compensation, by Mr..
Brown, husband of Mrs. Rosa E. Brown,
superintendent of the home. The circu-
lators of the petition stated that they
wished to secure for the young woman
position that would give her employment of
a light character and of a kind that would
enable her to secure comparative rest for a
period as long as the state of her health
required.
The fact that the petition was in circula-
ton came to Mrs. Brown, superintendent of
the home, Monday, although it had not yet
been presented to her. She also learned the
names of practically all the young women
who had signed the petition, and stated at
breakfast yesterday that all of these young
women would have to apologize to her for
their part in the circulation of the petition
or leave the home. Last evening Mrs.
Brown stated to a reporter for the Journal
that two or three young women, whom she
would have to leave the home under any
circumstances.
when asked the ground for their dis
miSsal Mrs. Brown stated that il would be
for an infraction of the rule of the home
that gossip and misunderstanding are not
allowed" and for attempting to usurp the
governing powers that belong to the board
of directors
I'VE never had trouble in the home" said
Mrs. Brown, until one young woman, who
has been the ring-leader in this thing, came
into ii. If the young ladies considered that
they were doing a good work why did they
go about ii in secret? The affair will be
settled and needs no discussion. II is simply
a question of having the rules of the home
obeyed, and the young women here know
that that must be done
The young woman who was named for
the position of bookkeeper in the petition
expressed herself to the Journal reporter
as being highly indignant at the efforts of
some of her friends to secure the position
for her, as she considered that il put her in
the light of being a possible object of
charity.
Il do not need charity" said she. "as
have friends who are able TO take care of
me at any time. and. besides that l have
never had any difficulty in obtaining a posi-
ton when l wanted one. The place as book
keeper here would not be an easier one than
many other positions outside, as 1t would
require from six to seven hours work
day Mr.. Brown is able to do il in much
shorter time, because he is an expert book
keeper. did not know of the petition until
Monday evening, when one of the girls
preached the subject to me. 1 have no
doubt they acted with the best of inten-
tons, but the whole thing is utterly dis
tasteful to me-"
An exaggerated report of the affair was
circulated yesterday to the effect that forty
young women at the Bertha Ballard Home
were told that they would have to leave the
institution for signing the petition. There
are but sixty young women in the home
and between twenty and thirty are reported
to have signed the petition.