Los Angeles herald., 1905-10-08
AIDS FR|ENDLESS
VISITORS TO CITY
YOUNG WOMAN ASSISTS 1900
PERSONS IN YEAR
Helpless and Homesick Travellers Are
Helped and Young Girls Are Pro-
tected by Y. w. c. A. Aides
at Depots

guard of the Young Women'S Christian
association of this city.
For four years she has been filling
that assignment, primarily to protect
young girls who come to the city
friendless, moneyess and in a general
way helpless and in danger of falling
under evil influences But her work
has broadened out till she acts as u
Good Samaritan to persons of all ages
and of both sexes.
In the year ending last May she per-
sonally protected 1900 persons. Miss
Lulu Pratt, who holds a similar APP
pointment, gives most of her time to
the Santa Fe station. while Miss Steele
is at the Arcade depot.
They meet the principal trains and
look after the welfare of the many per-
sons who have come under their care
in course of their supervision.
Eyes, we see many interesting phases
of human life here" said Miss Steele
yesterday, in reply to an inquiry,
''Some of them would melt the heart of
almost any one.
persons come here who have never
Travelled and find themselves in a
strange place without knowing what to
do. Often young girls arrive with
scarcely a cent in their pockets and
very blue and discouraged. Boys come
in the same way. The most needy, of
course, are those who arrive sick and
disabled
"Of the many cases coming under
your direction what ones impressed you
as being inspired with the most human
INTEREST,""
Lonely and Sick
"There are so many it is hard to say
which were the most impressive. There
is one case of little Scotch boy, weak
and slight, who came off the train with
big grip almost as heavy as he was.
He had come from Manitoba alone.
1.-The doctor had told him he could not
live unless he came here and he was
suffering with a hemorrhage on arriv~
ing. We have place near the station
where we take girls for a short time
who need a temporary home, but we
seldom take boys there. We made an
exception in the case of this little
fellow.
although sick, really an invalid, he
soon got out and bravely did any work
he could find to do, regardless of what
it was. What he did not require for
his living he saved.
Several times he has been compelled
to give up for a time, but when he i'm
proves he gets right out and is busy
again. In this way we have kept him
Tor ABOUT a year. several time we nave
believed he was about to die.
zone instance was recently in which
the doctor thought he could not re-
cover. The frail little fellow made his
will. verbally, and it showed the spirit
of the boy. He said: You and the
doctor have been so good to me l want
you to not spend more than $40 of the
money L have saved up, just as little
as you can, for my coffin, and then L
want you and the doctor, who has at
tended me without charge, to divide the
balance between you He was so CRATE
full" said Miss Steele.
Another experience that impressed
me very much" continued Miss Steele,
twas that of young woman who came
from the east to be married.
"The young man of her choice had
written her that he had been very sick,
but was improved. had a nice little
home furnished and would meet her at
the station.
"She stepped off the cars expecting
to meet a happy lover, and was pros
trated to find out that he had died
while she was on the road.
yes, she was terribly shocked, raved
Tor several days and we feared she
might not sustain the shock. She is
still living in this, for her city of
sorrow, where she expected haven of
joy. Fortunately she had some means
of her own and is not in want.
Another unusual experience was that
of a little girl who came in from Ari-
zona expecting to meet her mother, but
the mother had moved three or four
times and could not be found for sew
eral months. Meanwhile we cared for
the child.