The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-05-05
GIRLS GOING TO RUIN
Efforts to Organize a Home by Rev.
George II. Wiley for Rescue Work

The attention of The News Leader
has been directed within the hast day
or two to two special cases of girls go
ing to ruin as fast as they can drift
and sorely in need of strong helping
hands. Before outlining the details it
is we'll to direct attention to what d
girl going to ruin means. \ boy who
is wild and falls into dissipated courses
has a chance 10 recover himself under
proper influences and conditions and
to take as good a place in the world as
il he had One nothing wrong. A cir.
in similar circumstances has no oppor-
tunity, and even when she struggles
back into responsibility, always has
more or less of a blight on her and is
at a disadvantage. She needs more OF
the heriOc han is possessed by one per-
son in a thousand to hold her footing,
ever il she has regained it, in the face
of what she has to endure and feel.
In the vast majority Of cases, however,
her going to ruin means that h is d
degraded, blasted and p~rematurely old
woman at thirty and in POtter's field.
the river, the almShOuSe or worse at
forty.
One of these girls is is years old and
under charge of q brother, who has no
opportunity to give her proper care.
He is an honest, steady boy with clean
purposes and ideas, but he must work
every working day to earn his living.
She is light-headed and frivolous, as
many other girls of all classes are at
her age, but is peculiarly unfortunate
in lack of the surroundings II cOndi-
tons which might bring her safely
through her time of folly II indiScre-
ton. There is nobody to take care OF
her, no place for her to go for refuge
and she is drifting steadily toward the
horrors and degradationS which ava. t
girls of her kind unless they are cared
for lin time.
The other girl is the daughter of a
very respectable and Woodworking wo-
man, forced to leave a shameless and
brutal husband. This man is a fairly
i prosperous farmer not many miles from
Richmond, but lives entirely in the
company of negroes and has with him
the children Of his wife, including the
girl, now about Il years old. The
mother can do nothing because she is
compelled to work for her own living.
: and even if she could get possession of
her daughter, would have no OppOr-
| tunity to give a mothers care. Neigh
bors say that the girl was recently
seen in the public road in front Of her
| fathers house wrestling with a half
! grown negro boy, probably her i~Ile.yiti-
mate half brother.
The end of these two eir.S is as SIRE
| as any grim and deadly fate can be,
and the. are but two instances of hum
dreds. The stories are told for the
| purpose of directing attention 10 the
efforts of the Rev. George FL. Wiley.
Of the Institution for Christian Work,
and his wife, to organize a home for
! the care of just Such cases. Their plan
| is to establish a place In the
country under their W supervision
where girls of this kind will be given
at least the rudiments Of an educa-
ton and kept, with the sanction of the
law, under wholesome, cleanly, purl-
| gying and encouraging influences. -
situation as presented in these two ac-
tual, concrete instances and III many
others like them puts it squarely be
lore the people of wealth in this COM
munity and state whether girls of this
kind shall have any help. shall be
given the opportunity to develop into
honest and useful women and the
mothers of good citizens or whether
they shall be allowed to 20 straight
down into a pit of understandable poUu-
ton and horror without an effort 10
prevent. The Wileys, by heir ener
Setic efforts. have secured some imam
cial backing and are ready 10 eve
their own time and labor, but they are
helpless until they can secure enough
money to make a start.-Richmond
News Leader.