New-York tribune., 1912-02-16
PARTY FOR GERMAN GIRLS
FrauIein WinkIer'S Club for
HeimWeh Patients Celebrates.
FOUNDED THREE YEARS AGO
A Pastor Talks, His Wife Sings
and Members Recite Self
Made" Poetry.

There is little spot at Park avenue and
a5th street which a little woman is trying
to make real home for German girls who.
alone In this country. arc suffering from
"heimweh"
The little woman is Fraulein Marie Lydia
Winkler. and yesterday being the third an
niversary Of the starting OF this home,
which she calls the German American
Friendship Club, they had a party there
last evening.
Besides being an anniversary, It was A
birthday party for the February chill
dren," for every month Fraulein Winkler
celebrates the birthdays Of the club mem
bcrs born in that month. Last night there
were three 10 be celebrated, and each OF
the three February children had cake
with candles, which they carried In process
sion through the house.
or course. a girl needn't have 'heimweh'
20 qualify for membership In the Friend
ship club. 1t is enough If she IS alone here
and German. But many Of them do get
very homesick. Fraulen Winkler says.
II haf known a girl TO gif up a good posi-
ton and return TO Germany, because the
heinnweh had come over her." she told the
Tribune reporter last night. 1T speaks for
them. They haf their country. they haf
their Emperor. Why should we not lot
him? He hass brought us up. as you in
this country haf grown up under the Stars
end Stripes Many German girls cannot
get used TO the ways Of this country which
are very different In Germany a mother
would not haf a governess for her children
who wass not equal 10 her and could not
ne one of the family in efery way, and the
Eoverness iss one Of the family. Here 1t
iss not so. Perhaps that iss why the gov
ernesses here are not Of the quality they
ere in Germany II works, you sec, both
ways.
But certainly it iss often lonely for
Girl whether Eovsrness, or domestic, or
stenographer when she iss in strange
land; and that iss why We hat made this
club for them
More than two hundred girls have Joined
the club in the three years Of its exist
snce. and all except those who have re-
turned to the Fatherland remain members.
The house accommodates sixteen residents.
so those who are out Of work can stay
there. The girls who have situations are
welcome to come i'm whenever they have
time. and they do
The house looked comfortable enough
last night, with the fat cushions on the
sofas all pumped up and the furniture
shining from the grand cleaning 1t had had.
There was genial smell of coffee through
the rooms, for there were to be refresh
ments after the programme.
The programme dealt entirely with the
subject oe home, and Fraulein Winkler
said before it began that she was afraid
that was a mistake, that IT would give the
girls more '1leimweh.'
But # didn't They listened happily, the
score or so who attended, TO a talk by
Pastor Slausen, Of the Lutheran church
in 12sth street. anG to songs by Frau
Klausen, and seyeral of them read some
bits of what Frdulen Winkler announced
as "self-made' poetry-for there are sew
GTal poets among the members of the
German American Friendship Club. Then
everybody had coffee. and, last Of AL. the
grand procession. with the birthday cakes