The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1912-11-22
STOCK YARDS
ANGEL SPREADS
CHEER TO NEEDY
Miss Mary Mcdowell Aids Thou
sands of Polish and Lithuan-
ian Workers
FIGHTS FOR BETTER
WORKING CONDITIONS
settlement She Founded Springs
Into Far-Reaching In
stitution

CHICAGO, Nov. 22.--Chicago uni
versity has two settlements, oae In
the aristocratic region near the uni
versity and the other q few hundred
feet from q square mile OF slaughter
houses-the Chicago stock yards.
"One was located among the 'swells'
and the other In the smells. ex-
planned Miss Mary Mcdowell. the
plump, jolly, blue-eyed Scotchwoman,
who 10 the darling OF Packingtown.
However, Chicago people are more
apt to refer TO Miss Mcdowell as the
stockyard's angel" And In the stock
yards district. to thousands OF Polish
and Lithuanian workers and their
families -Mees" Mcdowell is an angel
An the head OF the settlement she
hears all OF the troubles, heartaches,
misery and. once In q while. laughter
OF many foreigners herded together
in squalid tenements. A Slavic moth
er with her little children clinging
frightened TO her skirts pitifully weeps
out a story of drunken brute OF
husband. That il Miss McDowelrs
clue for action. There has never been
| A human brute TO whom she was
afraid TO talk and talk with forcefui
plainnees.
OR IL may be girl worker in the
clearinghouse with some cause TOT
complaint, and Mary McDoweii
marches up to the big stockyards su'
perintendent and gives him a piece
/ OF her mind" Just as fearlessly.
She organized the first woman's
trade union ever attempted in the
'stockyards and insisted upon better
working conditions for the girls ana
women, and she attends the meetings
' of the mems union, too.
She opened her settlement In
small storeroom IA years ago. Soon
she expanded to three rooms over q
feed store. Now she Is at the head OF
CSC. 900 institution, libraries, assem-
|bly halls. music rooms. gymnasium
and school rooms, physicians, nurses
and teachers. =,
Chicago used to dump garbage In
holes in the pavements In the stock
wards district. The street commits
.siouer said that garbage made nne
.payements after II had been down
wear or so, but in the meantime the
.odor made the stockyards smell ike
perfume factory. One bright morn
Ing Miss Mcdowell appeared at the
.mayor's ONCE. Bringing up the rear
Twas a troop of foreign women.
Through Miss Mcdowell they kicked
.about the garbage. The mayor pa
.tIently explained what nice pave
ments garbage made.
.All right, we want the rest OF IL
BUMPED on Lake Shore drive. II It's
GOOD for the stockyards. It's good TOT
Inc drive. too" said Miss Mcdowell.
very fashionable folks dwell on that
drive. you know, and so garbage was
hot used for paving purposes there,
hnd-after that talk---it was not used
lin Packingtown any more.
Once In a while Miss McDoweli
skips to another city and talks TO
crowds of working girls. Her favor
Ire address Is THE helpless In indus
Try" Il is worth any persons time
10 hear Il.
Miss Mcdowell " about 80. Her
.nniy recreation Is trimming hats. she
really enjoys Il. IF the working girls
md the workingmen's wives and chill
.dren didn't need me-" she explains,
n would spend all my time trimming
he prettiest and most expensive mats
yer seen"