The Bad River news. [volume] (Philip, Stanley County, S.D.) 19??-1912, 1908-11-12
A Suggestion

I" ~ss6 b ~SssVu
Myrtle and her children and /
went to Philip the other day. It
is long ride so we don't 60 very
often.
How the town does grow and
improve! We read the Bad River
News so we know much that is 90
ing on in town, but one needs to
see with ones own eyes to fully
appreciate the growth and i'm
provement.
We felt the need, however, of
one good thing that has not come
to Philip yet. Memory carried us
back to THE Rooms" which an
earnest club of women opened in
our "old home town. some years
ago, for the benefit of women and
girls living both in town and out
of town.
There was a waiting and read
ing room where women who met
down town, could sit and chat
awhile. A toilet room where Office
and shop girls could run in and
smooth their hair or rumple it up
according to fashion. People who
had driven in from the country
could 60 there, remove extra
wraps, check them and grips or
parcels which they wished to leave
for awhile. They conld smooth
their hair, straighten their hats,
brush the horse hairs and hay from
cloaks and skirts, so they could
60 to their shopping and market
ing with comfortable conscious
ness of looking we'll. Then they
could return to the rooms to eat
the lunch they had brought with
them or to wait for the men to
get ready to start for home. How
many times = tired. anxious look
would disappear from 4 mothers
face when the merchant with
whom she had been trading, would
tell her of a place nearby whore
she could take her fretful, tired
children and make them and her,
self comfortable while she waited
for her husbaed to get through
talking breaking plows, crop
prospects and politics and load up
his feed and provisions, assuring
her that be (the merchant) would
tell John where to find her whom
he came in for tho groceries and
dry goods.
1t was a good place to drop in
and rest and read for An hour or
two, or to wait for = train. Also
to 90 to when one had come in on
q train and was not met Is ex-
pected.
Later a dining room was added
where hot soup, tea, and coffee
were served at noon. just 4 light
lunch At first, each article for .
stated price. One. could take tho
whole or a part, 4 dish of soup in
cold weather, or cup of coffee to
60 with a cold lunch brought from
home. Soon the demand became
so great that full dinners and
suppers were served. largely for
the benefit of women and girls
who worked in stores, Offices and
shops and could not we'll 20 home
to those meals.
On certain occasions the rooms
were open to both women and
men. Big dinners were served ON
show days and fair days and pub
lie occasions so that the kitchen
and dining room soon met al the
expenses of the house, including
matron's salary, lighting and heat
ing of the free waiting, reading
and rest rooms, as we'll Is furnish
ing the table and paying the cook.
The club held its meetings there,
So did other of ladies societies Of
the town. The merchants and
townspeople made liberal dona-
tions toward furnishing and fitting
up The Rooms.
We hope the women of Philip
will soon open such = place 30 thet
when We 60 to town We shall not
hate to stand around the stores
in the way Of busy clerks aud