Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-28
WOMEN'S HARDSHIPS.
Value Of Young Women's Christian
Home to Working Girls.


| In considering the possibilities which
await the average woman out OF employ
nieht today we are confronted with Just such
| oilers as the following. only one of many
! round In our city papers every day:
| Observation-Disclosures LADY CLERK ron
Once work: salaIy. 81 "A week
In the first place. what intelligent wo,n,,,
should Ge expected to work anywhere for
| 81 a week when we know that the SIM,
named Is not half enough TO meet Is7.
| actual liabilities? She will tell Won tba,
| 1t We're better to hire out as cook in so.ro
| private family, where her hoard costs ta.
| Hothlhs ana her $40 or So d month buns
an economic supply of clothing I-pfnr
tuhately we cannot all be dorestics so Nc
ma ourselves adrift. hunting a Job" and
M almost every case being offered a more
pttance for our services If inteIIioent
women are not valuable. why do busjn,s,
nrins advertise for them? Granting then.
tnat they are. valuable. why should tEey
pin money!" " Il i'' -io
Agaln' now can We expect American
Womanhood to keep its standard IL W., do
not pay our women sufficient Nancy 10
JUSTIFY their living in decent surroundings
dressing at least neatly. and sharing if
only few, of the common comforts Of
me! Peep into the so-called homes OF
hundreds of our salesiadies cashiers and
once girls today and you will find thar
| lnelr abodes are dingy rooms. no bath
room IN the house. an insufficient SUNNY
OF TODD or more probably an irregular
taxing OF lunches at the cheap restaurants
ana wholly Inadequate wardrobes Perhaps
they GO manage by much contriyance 10
get the furbelows. but the essential ear
Hents, the warm things for winter and the
sanitary things for summer. are necessarily
lacking
Some says most of these girls ara
hving at home. they work simply to earn
money for clothing or some other slludr,es
which cannot come out of the family in
l..,f
also Know that great number OF our work
ing girls and women have widowed moth
eLs or younger SISTERS and brothers. and
often small children of their own who
await their Homecoming that the weeks
wages may buy the marketing pay the
store bill, or put shoes on the feet of those
IN the family who attend school.
There is little to be hoped for in the
way of reforma lion on this line because
as long as woman will work for almost
nothing she may: hence the emplover on
Joys luxury, prosperity and wealth VIZ
tuaily at the expense of his woman en-
ployes. 1t is. however. pleasing to note
That here and there we find a home such
as the Young Womens Christian Associa-
ton has in many cities and has on small
scale here. where working girls have neat
rooms, wholesome board. bathing and
gymnastic convenences, and. above all the
sacred security of home. for a small sum
OF money. Now, if we cannot change the
wage condition We can alleviate the suf-
Ierlng which is the result of that evil by
encouraging the efforts now being made
10 secure commodous and weil-equipped
\. w. {. A. horne. When we think of the
girls VINO have come here. thinking to bet
ter themselves, from small towns ana
country homes, accustomed to good air
ana pure food, who now live in tiny hail
bed rooms on the attic floor of cheap
lodging houses. because Their wages do
not permit of anything better. and then
see the mansions in this city. the magnif-
cent pieces of property, which stand idle
the year around, We find ourselves waiting
in anxious expectancy for one of them to
be put at the disposal of the ladies of the
Y. W. c. A, whose philanthropic efforts
and practical work have made them prom
inent in this and other cities. and who are
only waiting for a good opportunity to use
their influence and good Judgment in this
much cause
Our Y. NJ. c. A. is one of the greatest
factors for good in the city. The same
may be said of the Y. w. c. A. if every
woman of Washington will do her part and
if every man will see his duty and Tend a
hand" EDITH M IRVINE.