Omaha daily bee., 1910-10-02
WORKING GIRLS SOCIAL LIFE
Conditions Which Govern Their
Choice Of a Hand.
PITFALLS FOR GIRL BOARDING
Need of wholesome aud Cheap
Amusement One of the Factors
That Make the Problem Diff
cult for Social workers.


Elizabeth Beardsley Butler. former sec
rotary of the Consumers league OF New
Jersey In discussing the social life Of
working women for the Survey, says:
"A sight OF the factory does not enable
US fully to understand the life Of working
women. We must know the homes and
lodging places; we must know to what
extent social life is made possible by the
factory management and in what way out
side agencies supply the social privileges
that home conditions deny.
The tendency is strong for neighborhood
women to 20 into the factories whose
smokestacks have stared them in the face
since babyhood, and in addition to econ
omize by saving carfare to and from work
The nearby factory sometimes means a
saving in clothing, too, as in the case Of
the two young girls who went to the
neighboring factory because then they
didn't have to wear hats as they would
II they rode in the car.
The neighborhood to which the working
girl goes Is less matter OF choice than
An accident Of birth convenience. she
Is born into family that has drifted
through race affiliations, for cheap rent,
or for convenient nearness to the mills tO
one or another section OF the city.
The girl who boards away from home
Is likewise limited in choice. She is not
Pigment of the imagination, this girl. on
the lowest estimate there are 100 per cent
OF the total working women in tins class.
Poverty sends the seeker for room and
board into districts OF grade as low and
sometimes, lower than the usual slum. She
will hardly find room 10 rent in the
1lipkly-aattlpd pf ba los
than $40 month. 1t gave me fresh APP
probation OF the problem faced by home
less girls to hear a conversation between
two would-be dodgers and a landlady
whose house, twice raided within the few
months past, again had To let sign Oh
the door. Where do you work. was heI
first question, and one girl answered thai
she was in a cigar factory; the other tina
she worked downtown. They stood hest
tating, shrinking back, like prisoners be
fore the bar rather than wage-earninl
women in search of rooms. The landlady
eyed them shrewdly noting details of un
tidy dress, stocky figure, curly hair
Working girls of their type, she thought
were not sufficiently promising custom
ers. Finally, she said: Well, my room
are $50 week, and l might as well tel
you that 1 don't allow no companies, NJ
gentlemen friends and no lady friends;
can't be having no noise and talking il
my house. Now, II youse want to see tn
rooms. youse can rec them The barre
outlook afforded by dingy rooms in whic
there can be no companies Is furthe
darkened by the character Of many of tn
neighborhoods where the To let sign
hang.
ITO the girl at home, the stimulus O
her surroundings is slight and evening
pass with an unbroken sameness. Tn
homes cannot Of themselves supply recrea
ton. They are limited by mere lack O
space. There Is no opportunity for soca
intercourse. for conversation, except in con
nection with the family group that include
old and young. One Is impressed by tn
lack of heart to make use of leisure, an
the absence OF more than sporadic effort
to enjoy FREQ hours. We just stay a
home one girl said, we haven't anythin
else to do For those who have both tn
vitality and the desire for pleasure. ther
are few opportunities for recreation excer
roller-skating Kinks, picture shows an
= daRce halls.
" In recognition of this need of workin
women. outside agensies have been deve
oped to supplement the imperfect oppol
tunities of the home for social intercourse
There are settlements and semi-religiou
associations. How far their influence zoe
It would be difficult to estimate. Their in
palpable share in the life and thought ,
the community cannot be gagged by re
books or class records. The classes
these institutions in millinery, fancy wor
sewing and cooking in most cases are n,
for Industrial training, but to overcome Il
4, pitiful inadequacy of an experience that Il
y cudes only factory work and leaves
time for a girl to learn the trade of hou.
keeping before she undertakes 1t. Dancir
and gymnasium work are also very usJ
features OF their work as well as the mai
tenance OF clubs and reading room
Glasses in trade training and manual wo
have constantly to battle against wearine
at the END of working day, and tn
cannot be truly recreative. The purely S
cial clubs scarcely reach to the great nuI
bers among whom. except for profit, the
II no social leaven working.
There were in Pittsburg in 1907, o.
working women in factories and stores. /
sides many more In occupations uncount
In this census; yet OF this number OF
25s, less than per cent, were in touch wi
center for social development and recrs
ton, either in the play or recreating sen
Even a little leisure is a by-product OF /
too valuable to waste, and the commun
Is the loser II the free hour is spent OF
In WEAKNESS or some undesirable form
entertainment,
''NickelOdeons and dance halls and SKI