The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-22
A HOTEL FOR WORKING GIRLS.
5000 600 N SIGHT TO BCTLD T,
Mss ALICE SMITH SAYS.
Ever since she Told IN The sun" what Vas
sew Works Greatest Need suggestions
snd Oners OF Help Have Poured In
nav She Hopes to Garry CUTLER pan.


york,ille police court - signing for more
lime some weeks 20 THE SCN printed
an interview IN which she said that the
.reste,, need Of New York was home, or
-s,ber boarding house or hotel for work
ING gr's and a. a result suggestions, in
ou,-io. arcr4 of money and Of personal help
hl-e flowed in upon her from many sources.
None ~ me various communications has
contained a syllable of encouragement.
and not one Of the many persons have
,aiksi Fith about my plan Maj istrates.
r7,g,ors cergymen, priests settlement
workers proprietors and managers Of
stores that employ hundreds Of girls
ba4 put up the least opposition 20 the
scheme said Miss Smith beamingly. 1T
&c for that reason that | am all the more
anxious 10 get on with the work. which
would have been well under way by this time
had | not been so busy with my regular
court duties
y need more time. Perhaps | shall take
couple of weeks of next month and de
vote them entirely to preliminaries oou-
nocio3 with choosing building site, approx
nr architects plans and choosing COM
nittes-
question but that a working girls hotel at
popular prices is an assured thing. Several
arve amounts of money have been prom
sod bv parsons whose names for the present
am asked TO withhold. and there are
dozens IF women Of large means in New
YORK who have every reason TO think
will respond literally just 40 soon az they
Rrs asked 10 give.
The sum Of 100000 will be need cd
10 erect and equip a building such as /
have In mind. and that it will be forthcoming
when needed have not the least doubt
Miss Smith was reminded that from
time TO time schemes resembling hens had
heen projected without resulting in any
thing concrete and that the problem of
providing a room and board in modern,
sanitary building, situated in a good To-
caHtv. at 81 or 81 a week, had been often
tackled and az often given up by philan-
,hropists. and this question was put.
Has any definite step yet been taken to
make the hotel you are dreaming of a
resli'y?-
Yes. she answered, quickly. What !
consider very definite and important
step was taken about three weeks ago at
meeting Of the Board Of Magistrates In
the Fifty-fourth street court.
ON that occasion Judge Flammer
president Of the board, presided and among
those present were Judge Hogan. who has
since died; Ju ge Moss Judge Whitman
and the secretary of the board. all of whom
gave thei- unqualified approval 20 the
suggestion of building boarding house for
wording girls and emphasized the urgent
need there Is for something of the kind.
They even went so far IA TO promise to act
with like number OF women whom should
select as an executive committee, to get the
prellminaries into systematic order and
help TO launch the enterpr Use on an entirely
practical basis.
Judge Hogan's death 10 great blow
"a me. for he was one OF the warInest sup
porters Of the plan; but his place will in u
measure be filed by his daughter. Miss
Hogan, who got her inspiration from her
father and who has promised TO act on the
committee / have mentioned. The other
women have selected TO serve with her are
thoroughly practical and experienced. In
fact 50 far a. it Is possible, only practical
people who have a thorough knowledge
Of the average working girl, her needs.
likes and dislikes and also of the purchase
ing power OF dollar when economically
administered. will be asked to serve. There
are plenty of charitably inclined persons
engaged In philanthropio work who have
no knowledge, other than theoretical.
on either these points.
ITO he a success boarding house for
working girls must be self-supporting
and be run on the same lines as any other
desirable boarding house In this cass'
the building and its equipment will 'be
given by private subscriptions, and after
that the guests will support IT, There will
be no company formed and no stock will be
put upon the market.
l. e entirely ny fault that 50 Ear I hare
no more progress to report, and my slowness
In the matter is simply from lack Of time
70 formulate a definite working plan for
utilizing all the offers of help which have
come 10 me.
One young man with plenty of money
and leisure and a desire 70 do charitable
vork-a combination not very common
has offered 10 act as secretary for us free
Of charge. That is only one instance of
many which show how eager some part Of
the public are for working girls hotel.
! am not sure, by the way, whether the
building will be christened boarding house
or hotel Some persons think hotel is
100 high sounding. One thing is sure.
that it will not be called 'home'-a name
which to the average working girl always
suggests charitable institution.
The reason the Police Magistrates
have mentioned tako such an interest in
fhe plnn is that, ike myself, they come in
contact every week, almost every day.
Nth young women who owe their down
fall to their inability to live on an income
NJ 81 OF So week, il out of that sum they
must lisy for board and lodging
Fortunately j largo proportion Of New
FORKS working girls live at home-a
~retched enough place it may be. badly
ventilated tenement where two OF three
share perhaps one dimly lighted bedroom;
n1t nevertheless ID place where q girl has
more or less freedom and which, II there
z mother in It, is a powerful influence
~ keep her IN the straight path
On the other hand, there is an even
anger r'Imber Of girls who have no home
0her than boarding house. and Of these
a 'arge proportion are country born and
brad