The Detroit times., 1911-03-13
SOCIETY 1T Inst
PAYS attention
Mutual Love Il Broken whsn Va
Girl Il Taken Away Hron ue6zo
Woman, Her Fostermethsr.
BY w. q. SHEPHERD.

~ W. =. onePnBHUs a
NEW YORK. March ls.--This i, e
story about Jane Collins, Negro vo
man. and Margaret Clemens. . littlo
golden-haired white girl-and queer.
unanswerable things that somstimoo
happen In this world.
A bright, pretty girl, 10 years aooI
when she was fifteen, ran away froU1
home to 60 on the stage IN New York
Society didn't offer her many pleasuro
In her home town; that was her ex<
cuse.
After she had reached New York
society didn't protect her. For III
stance, II didn't keep her out Of tt
clutches of a man who ruined her. I&
didn't punish the man afterward. n
fact, society paid no attention to her.
She roamed the streets, with m0t1-
erhood at hand. No attention came
to her from society. Nor when She
years or age, penniless, with 3 GlkI
baby, did society pay any attentiou
to her.
! In desperation she went to Jane
Collins. You couldn't say that Jono
Collins was any part of society. In'
fact. she was a colored woman.
Wont you please take care Of my
baby until can find job?' she ask
ed the colored woman.
BLESS Its little heart; indeed &
will" said Mrs. Collins.
The girl went on her way into the.
world. seeking work. No one kn0W1'
where she Is now.
The years went by--seven OF them,
Mrs. Collins daughters In the mean
time were married. The Negro Wo<.
man was left alone with Margaret.
who became beautiful. golden-haired
child She tended the girl through AIN
the childhood sicknesses, worked for
her, sent her to school, bought her
toys, taught her about Santa Claus.
and every Sunday morning took her to-
Sunday school in the famous Little
Church Around the Corner. she didn't
60 In herself, because there always
hung over her the fear that maybe
some day some one would take the
child from her. So In public she play
ed servant to the child. But for these
seven years. while the heartstrings az
the Negro woman were twining about
the girl, society didn't pay any atten@
ton.
Then one day an inspector came a
the house. He was from an organizes
charity He had heard that q little
white girl was living with Negroes IN
Mrs. Collins home. Society had ct
last begun to pay attention.
They took the little girl to chill
dren's home to stay over night until
court began In the morning. That
night Mrs Collins went to the home
to help Margaret say her prayers; she
had always done that, ever since Mar
permitted to see the child.
The time had come when society
must take hand in the case. Mar
garet cried herself to sleep that night.
The next morning she went to court
Mrs. w. X. Vanderbilt was there n,
the courtroom. She, as you know, H.
In the very highest ranks Of society:
one OF her fads Is to try to set things
right In the courts. She 10 head OF
q society Of society women who call,
themselves the Big Sisters. At last
society was paying attention with all
its might.
The society women raved over Mar
garets beautiful hair; they thanked
Jane Collins very graciously for TAX
ing such good care Of the child during
all the years. And then they found
o millionaire over on Long Island who
wanted to adopt a child. He took
Margaret away with him. She cried
as she said goodby.
But the Judge had decided that, q
course. Margaret couldn't go on liviug
with Jane Collins. He was right,
Jane Collins admitted IL.
But why did they stay away from
US SO long, these society peoplef" she
cried. why did they give me timo'
to learn to love her? All her life rye
tried to make myself believe that J
was only her servant. tried my beat
to teach her how to be white LADY.
Society didn't take care OF her m~1-
err; Il didn't take care OF the Dst<.
Why didn't the welldressed folk de-
eide sooner that wasn't At to taks
care OF herr
The Judge only scratched his head.
He was such a sensible Judge that he
didn't try to answer such an unan~
swerable question.