The sun., 1912-08-04
BIG SISTER MOVEMENT
A BOON TO GIRLS
Mrs. W. X. Vanderbilt Is the
Founder. President and
Leading Spirit.
NOT LIKE BIG BROTHERS
About Fifty Women Enrolled.
Many Of Them Ilich-MOrr
Helpers Would BE- Welcome.


Every week In the year long line OF
young girls whose skirts barely rcacl,
below their knees are brought to The
crowded little room of the childrcn9
Court and examined as 10 m!",i"nran~
ors of greater or lc1s gravity. TIL
Judge may release them on parole
or commit them IT, an institution. In
either case they will be pretty scri-
ously handicapped
Tho parents who have heretofore
been unabic to protect them are not
likely 10 develop "A sudden efficiency In
this direction. Neighbors and :, hoo!
fellows who learn about the compls Int
against girl are quick to reveal an
attitude that tends To make her morbid
and defiant. Possible employers. when
appealed to, are distrustful and un-
kind.
Under sue, conditions. II Is over
whg hglmingly difiicult for n young girl
TO regain some secure basis for self
respecting life. And 1t Is at this point.
writes olivia Howard Dunbar In
Hdrpers Bo:dr that tho Big sister
steps in and gives her just that per
sonal help that she needs.
| The Big sisters are an organization
, whose ideal is a maximum Of practical
! help with "a minimum Of red tape. The
founder. president sand leading spirit is
| Mrs William Is. Vanderbilt. With her .
are associated about fifty other Sisters
who happen mostly to he women OF
wealth and leisure: but as the move
! mcnt Is much more in need Of practical
humanity than It is Of dollars. women
: who cannot contribute financially NJ"
eagerly welcomed If they can hrinE the
essential qualities Of i:ig Slstcrhood.
| The idea was suggested o! course ',y the
Big llrot her movement. with which the
newer work is AFFILIATED. hui the plan W
/ worN L. entirely distinct. girls and boys
presenting such different. almost opposite.
brolJ'ein- Therr is no attempt, Tor IN
st1ncc. as with the boys. tn organize the
girls and bring them together.
/ The Big Sisters norcy devote them
salye, 10 cuitivalipS II series oi quiet
fricndsh ~ with ,heir protrg"es care,uiiy
avoiding the publicity that would defeat
their aim. SO successfully have they fol-
lowed this policy that although the work
has been in progress for more than year
the general public IL probably unaware
even thlt such an organization eyi Is.
The point of departure for Big Sisters
activities is the Chi!dren's court room.
where Mrs. Madeline ". Evans. who rep
resents the Big Sisters. il always on watch.
Mrs. Vanderbilt is sometimes there as well.
and often there are two or three newly
elected big Sisters undergoing their ini-
tiation. Al that forlorn and critical mo,
ment therefore when. after her ordeal
with the Judge. the girl stuinbles bl,nd'y
ont o' the court room. she tinds waiting
for her an understandin friend. ready
10 believe in her and 10 stand by her. such
an encounter. at such time cannot but
very definitely alter the color Of the girl
. whole later life.
In one rather striking case little girl
, Of 10 was Trough to court ont charge OF
shoplif,ng She admitted this. pleading
thai her fifteen year-old sister had told
her to steal 4 Big Sister interviewed and
| begged the Judge not Ia send the child to
!, jail but to give tire very hopeless looking
, case into her hands. II was found that
there was large family Of motherless
caildren. living in desti'ution and sq'ia lor
The father. who was strong. and worked
! in,erinitien,iy at tailoring, had allowed
, this situation TO come about through his
r own seli-hness and idleness
, lar from being Il criminal the hfteen-
/. year-od sister had spent herself in the
. effort TO keep hcr younger brothers and
. sisters alive and stealing had suggested
! itself TO her iin. alternative to starva =
tion The Big Sister. on discovering how
! mgiters - noi. undert ook the regenerat ion
> OF the fat her. who was at the bottom OF tho
, miIerall" situation. and was SO successful
that after five months the house was clean
there was food and clothing for the chill
dren. and the older ones went regularly
and cheertully /" school, Sunday school
I and even to dancing school.
| Ia ,hese cases. and in practically every
ol her the gratitude and devotion that the
I,ig Sisters friendlinc>s draws out are
lavishly expressed, When neglected,
thwartcd girl has once come to believe
in the fact Of an older woman's genuine
: friendship she cling- 10 il with al! her
, might All her 10y il'v. ambition and love
| ,arc -, nlulatad. and she is ready 10 fol-
+. low any line of life that is urged upon her
- The same time all reserva drops away
esd she turns to letter writing with the
lpro,il,c energy of n lover. while her inno-
( cent demands upon the time and atteh-
l tion of her protector show wllat an on
+ tireiv natural and unconventional rela :.
r ,ionship il in most Neutrality-suspicious.
l|li for their own part women who gt
into the Big SisI er work learn many. use
> fu facts They find that girl who IL
r brought Ia court may 10y no means he
the weakest or the most naturally vicious
r girl OF her group or :eighborhood Sha
, may merely be the most ignorant or the
!, most conspicuously pretty. or the ono
{ upon whom the strongest pressure has
I been eXerted
. She may have been misunderstood b,
: pathv between mother and daughter
:. which frequently exists in other than the
iha, no one ever suggested to her that Il
was undesirable to spend her evenings
A in the street: or. which the Big Sister.
consider even more dangerous. to spen'
. them at the moving picture shows. Be
hind a girl whose 'msfortunes bring he,
, to public attention are usually family o.
social conditions that need reforming
4 Big Sister always secs 10 it that a cir
whom she befriends is settled as soon a,
possible in school or in some wage earning
= position. But often before this can b'
accomplished there is need to separate
the girl for short time from the con
\ ditions that have discouraged her. Mrs
1 Vanderbilt has recently established q
home where the Little Sisters can &
ten at a time. for rest. freedom and
. chance to find themselves; also for usefu
instruction OF various kinds.
A domestic science specialist 10 at tn
head of the esta blishment. and by her tn
girls are given careful training in order
: liness. sanitation. cooking and so on
This will fit them either to be OF specia
use in their own homes or to earn thei
livngs as specialists in domestic service
Girls are always eager for this kind @
n instruction. and II is plain that none o
Il them can learn too much about tn
: scientific care Of home.
4 The Big Sisters have their hands NOR
than full In spite OF the fact that they ~
able to limit their work TO Protests n