The National tribune., 1910-07-07

OF this failure must spring from the
fact that this extremely delicate mis-
sion has been undertaken by the wrong
people 1t is necessary to bring to the
task wonderful comprehension, a
| wonderful sympathy, wonderful COM
mon sense and a wonderful patience.
The writer of this once knew a strik-
| ingly beautiful and gifted girl-knows
her now, for that matter-who after
graduating from Radcliffe College de-
cided to devote her life to this unfor-
tunate class. She was the daughter of
| a celebrated clergyman, man known
from Maine to California, whose life
had been one of splendid achievement
and whose memory was to his only
daughter an inspiration for noble and
earnest endeavor. Her family and
friends objected strenuously to her de-
Termination. She was too handsome,
too young, they said; the shock to her
high ideals her illusions. would be too
terrible; but in spite of them all she
began her work. She began her work
deeply in earnest, imbued with splen-
did enthusiasm and that spirit of help
fulness which had made her father such
a power for good, but in about two
years she was forced to abandon it,
nervous wreck from disappointment
and the utter hopelessness of her task,
unwilling to admit that the work could
not be done, but forced to confess that
she had not the special gifts required
for it. A young woman of New York
City has arisen who seems to be par
ticularly fitted for this kind of philan-
thropic activity. She also is college
graduate, just 20 years of age, tall.
graceful and Soft-voiced, with Won
derfully sweet, sympathetic smile. For
four years she has been devoting her
self to the rescuing and saving of the
women of the under world of the great
y Tfx-S 1lr a
E. Miner and one of the first things
she did upon entering on her work of
mercy was to have herself appointed
probation officer that she might be
brought into close touch with those she
wished to help. She has been instru-
mental in establishing two homes for
her erring sisters, Waverly House,
where warm welcome awaits anyone
seeking its protection day or night, and
Summer home at Hillcrest, n. j. Miss
Miner devotes herself to the young Of
tenders, to those girls between the ages
of 16 and 81 Hundreds of these she
has saved from. returning to the street
by being constantly on duty at the night
court, which holds its sessions from 6:30
at night until 8 in the morning, and
having the girls turned over to her.
Undoubtedly she has used much the
same methods employed by her prede-
cessors, trying to gain the confidence of
tie girls, providing some sort of inter-
esting occupation for them, etc, arous-
ing gradually the desire for virtuous
life, but where they failed she has sue
ceeded. She has made the girls feel
that she is their friend, that she under
stands the temptations which have be-
set their path, and many a girl, thru
her influence, has returned to the coun-
try home which she deserted, her repu-
tation unblemished as far as her neigh
bors and friends were concerned. Girls
who have become mothers are coun-
seled to keep the child, and a way is
provided for this. The Summer home
at Hillcrest is devoted principally to
this purpose. Miss Miner is full of en-
thusiasm for her. work, and is not dis
couraged by the backsliding of the girls
whom she has failed to reclaim. She
says ii is all splendidly worth while if
she succeeds in diverting one life in a
hundred from the moral and physical
decay, what the French call decheance,
of an immoral career, into those chan
nels which make for wholesome, nor
NAL, honest, useful and happy existence.
In these days of specialists, when the
general practitioner, the general house
work girl, etc. are almost unknown,
one hears of a great many new and |
novel yocations The struggle for ex-
istence in this great country of ours
v,
brains are all the time at work trying
to think of some means to make money
not previously employed. Almost any
business can be divided up, specialized, |
and Ii occurred to bright Southern
woman lately, a dressmaker, that she |
could increase her profits by specialize |
ing hers. The fact that so many elder |
ly women dress unbecomingly first made
her think of it, and knowing full well
age, is Indifferent to her appearance,
she made up her mind that she would
devote herself to the making of becom-
ing, attractive costumes for this class.
Altho for 10 years a dressmaker, and
q very good one. she prepared herself
for her new venture by year in Paris
that she might get the French touch"
and learn besides French economy
While there she picked up every idea
that could possibly be used in the maxi
ing of smart-lOoking costumes for
elderly people, and thus primed she re-
turned to her own country and opened
her shop. She has now more custom
ers than she can attend to, and is think
ing of opening branch establishment
in some other city. II one stops to re-
nect 1t is wonder that no enterprising
man or woman has thought of this be-
fore. There are thousands of elderly
women In the country to-day to whom
liie passing VI tHelT youthful cnarmS
has been a good deal of a tragedy who
feel that their days of personal attrac-
tiyeness are forever over. Their dress
makers do not spend any particular
time in planning an attractive gown for
them, and they meekly receive from
her hands the plain, elderly costume
she has fashioned. Dearly would they
love something dainty and pretty, some
thing that made them look younger,
that softened the ageing lines of the
face and gave little tone to the faded
cheek. If they could go to a dress
maker who made a specially of this,
don't you suppose that every one of
them would do so. tho husband and
children had to satisfy themselves with
poor mans pudding" for dessert for
week to help pay the bill? You can
depend upon 1t they would