The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1908-02-15
WOLVES That Prey on Women
Chicago Social Settlement Worker Tells How the Wireless
Telegraph, the "Work at Home" and Other Frauds Are
Employed to Fleece Poor Housewives and Girls.
BY MISS JANE ADDAMS
OF Hull House, Chicago.

One of the inevitable results of the
financial independence of wage earn
Ing women is a corresponding indie
Dendence in the matter of seeking in
yestments. Women who have secured
their money without masculine aid
naturally feel at liberty to invest it
without masculine advice. Before pro-
ceeding upon this natural theory, how
ever, women should be equipped with
knowledge of the fact that the pro-
motors Of fake investments have come
to regard women as one of their most
profitable specialties, and that the art
OF fleeing them has been cultivated
with the greatest care. Experience
has taught INSCRIPTIONS promoters"
that 1t is easier to secure money from
women than from men through at least
two lines of appeal to which women
are more susceptible than men. The
first Of these is the appeal to wage
earning women as business women"
and the fiattering inference that as
such they will recognize the oppor-
tunity for a good investment, quite
ignoring the fact that much of wage
earning is done under direction and
does not Of necessity imply knowledge
of business affairs. The second line
Of appeal which tempts many women
to go into fake deals is that made to
feminine vanity by the promoters of
the scheme who urge: I'VE believe in
the intuition of women and would
rather have il in the counsels of our
enterprise than cold masculine logic;
a combination of both is the ideal, and
that is why we are asking you to give
us your aid and cooperation"
The idea of connection with big
enterprise is, in very many instances,
fattering to the woman who has never
before had such an opportunity, and,
moreover, many women have come to
believe that optimism is in itself a
sort of feminine virtue, while on the
other hand they regard suspicion as a
most unworthy trait. Intuition" con-
sists of faith in a favorable outcome.
Hundreds of women are entrapped
every year through some such subtle
and fiattering form of appeal.
Very often these campaigns for the
savings of women are conducted along
the lines of the professions and occu-
pations in which large numbers OF
fairly prosperous women are naturally
engaged The first thing which the
woman who is solicited to invest her
savings in the stock or bonds of min
ing. plantation, oil or financial enter
prise should bear in mind is the fact
!, that in all probability the promoter
who is talking to her has secured
list Of the women belonging to profess
sional organization or club with which
she is associated, and IL the wom-
an thus appealed to merely communi-
Gated with her natural associates she
could easily discover this for herself.
But the whole affair is purposely sur
rounded by an air of mystery and "a
special opportunity for you." which
keeps her silent.
The wireless telegraphy scheme
which was worked in Chicago several
years ago will illustrate this: When
wireless telegraphy was first demon
strated to be practical in its operation
the swindlers saw fresh and fascinat-
ing field in its manipulation. 1t had
the charm of science about 1t and ap-
pealed to the progressive mind inter
es,ed in the onward march of civili
zation." An Office was located con
yenient to the rooms of the BOARD Oh
education, which contained wireless
demonstration apparatus, a ful
equipment of wireless literature, anc
most important of ala list OF al
the school teachers of the city. Inc
women teachers received broadsidt
of literature in which handsome divi
deuds were promised from an invest
ment In the greatest scientific discov
cry of the age, and also an implication
that the stock was offered first to edu
cational people who were best fitted Il
understand it's value and who woule
have sentimental as well as materia
satisfaction from such an investment
When an abundant harvest had beer
earnered from the savings of womeI
teachers, a series OF maneuvers wal
ipstipated which left undistributed II
the possession of the promoter of thu
scheme the thousands of dollars M
had acquired. The teachers received
n confidential and important an
nouncement from his office to the ef
,ect the most powerful rival in thu
immediate field of his company's oper
atoms had consented to a. consolida
ton on terms which he regarded a
highly advantageous to all his invest
ors. The consolidated company woui'
be so much stronger than the one Il
which they had made their investmen
that they could not, of course. expec
to exchange the stock on an ever
basis, share for share. He advises
them. however, to increase their In
vestment so that they could still retail