New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-05-01

office worker She was accompanied by
girl friend. who waited In the hall. After
asking various other questions the man
suddenly said "Are you a good house
keeper" The girl Immediately took warn
ing and said: 'I came here for stenog-
raphy, not for housekeeping, and turned
to go, but found the door locked With
quick presence OF mind she said. II have
a girl waiting in the hall for me. and TX
you do not unlock the door shall scream
From men such as this one. who are
moral perverts, there seems to be small
chance Of protection. but while they con-
stitute a source OF danger to the girl seek
ing work the class is comparatively small
one To lay too great emphasis on the
danger from such men IS TO exploit the
historical rather than the sane side Of the
social evil
A source of danger to very young girls
which to many social workers seems ex-
ceptionaIly perilous and which does not
seem to have received wide recognition Is
the rapid increase OF prostitutes In the
fats and apartment houses and the iniu-
ence they exert over the children living In
proximity to them The subjoined letter
clearly sets forth this phase of the
'sIayer's'' activity 1t was written only
last Sunday TO Mrs. Edward r. Hewitt
president Of the Women's Municipal League
and of the newly formed Society for the
Moral Protection of Women and Girls
Dear Madam: I am delighted beyond
words to read that you have become inter
ested In the white slave question and fer
ventiy pray you will try very hard to rid
the flats and apartment houses OF those
depraved creatures who really are the
means Of running thousands Of children
81 am poor mother of three daughters.
compelled to change my residence every
few months on account Of those women
They are forever sending children on err
rands. giving them money and inviting
them to their rooms where men and women
are drinking. smoking and using profane
language There is a hotel in --- street,
kept by negro man. II Is freQuented by
beautiful Young white women There are
hundreds of poor children playing on the
street in front of this infamous resort Can
It he wondered at that poor widows, work
ing out the whole time, have their dear
ones go astray by seeing beautifully dressed
young women going and coming all night
and day?
'T pray you and your friends get after
the tenement house law and have the po-
lice enforce it They can readily do 1t by
YOUR interviewing Mayor Gaynor. who,
being father himself will help. To eradi-
cate this evil would be the greatest blessing
ever bestowed on our poor, respectable
working class, who are compelled to live In
the very midst OF vice and dare not say
their lives are their own in fear Of losing
their own children by having them enticed
away from them.
'If something can be done, now many
will pray for those Who are the means of
having it doner'
With the above picture of existing condi-
tions in mind. the question may again be
asked, What can be done to clip the
wings OF the professional lady killer the
lucre hunting 'masher' and the out and
out white s1aver'T'
It IS the experience Of those who have
watched the work Of trade schools that the
girl who goes into an occupation for which
she had had intelligent training has quite
different outlook life from the one who.
utterly unframed, takes anything she can
get to do. The trained girl knows that
though she may have to begin at s. or s.
q week, and though she may have hard
time for few years, she has it in her. be-
cause of the training she has received. to
advance to better paid forms of the work.
She has not that hopeless monotOny to look
forward to that the unframed girl has. and.
same appeal TO her that they make, so
often successfully, to the unframed worker.
Miss Olivia Leventritt, of the Hebrew