The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-06-11

Angel Of Ellis island and ones
mind is overlooking with memories
and stories. | just don't know
where to begin. I began work here
for the Nomen's Home Missionary
Society of the Methodist Episcopal
church in 1886, and have been here
ever SINCE says the New York
World.
lust now We deal with girls only,
| but years ago We often had TO care
for boys too. When | first began
work we used to meet the 1mm1-
| grants at Castle Garden. Those were
dreadful times. from all
the lodging houses, mostly dives.
waited for the gates to open, and
when the dazed immigrants were
turned loose. they bounced on them
like wolves, and we had our work
cut out for us. But New York soon
woke up to the situation and changed
all that"
In the bright little parlor Of the
Home at No. 9 State street there
we're young women and girls who had
come to the annual reception. AL
though there was the stamp Of the
American woman already upon them
in the instinct for refinements in
taste and dress, yet there still re-
NAMED some OF the accent or the
old mother tongue, tempered with
the easy and pi~cturesquely slangy
idiom Of the new mother tongue.
"There," continued Miss Matthews,
are some Of our girls. Of course,
they are scattered all over this big
continent. Look at this little card.
We give each girl one of these when
they leave US to enter employment or
travel to their distant relatives IN the
west. You have no idea how they
treasure this card. We are contin-
ually getting requests for new ones
when the old ones are worn out or
lost. They never forget US.
Said "Nine State Street.
One Of our girls, a Dane, was IA
folly injured in a fire at Paterson,
n. J.. All she could say vas Nine
State street, New York When we
went to her she smiled at us as il we
were relations, INC died happy. One
day | saw in the papers that a girl
tried to commit suicide. | said this
must be our Helen I recognized
the name. And sure enough it was.
She died almost Immediately, but
we took charge Of her remains and
buried them in our own plot.
"Often girls are not happy with
their relatives. The surroundings
are bad and they do not hesitate to
come straight back here. OF course
when they first go to their friends OF
relatives one Of our girls from the
l1CIl0 SUES ~ (AACA1 ~ ~ - ca
is@well. Often the girls throw their
arms around our agent and beg to be
taken back to the Home rather thar
remain with their relatives.
"A woman was dying recently ane
sent word to me. I recognized hel
as one Of our girls. She a married
and had a boy. When I arrived she
was too weak to talk, but the inter
prefer said she wanted to see hel
boy, who was in school. When he
arrived I found a most pathetic sit.
uation. The boy had forgotten al
the Finnish he once knew. while the
+ dying mother could not talk English
8 They stood gazing at each other will
streaming eyes. Then the mother
asked me if I would look after tina
n boy when she died. He is now {
young man, and after going to tn
George Junior Republic. he will star
studying law. as a gentleman is in
d terested in furthering his education
It And SO it goes. During the pas
n year we have placed 434 girls of al
g nationalities. Many have been mar
r ried here. | have met 1927 ships
# We nave written. 1882 letters, an,
70 sent eighty-nine telegram"
le How about those lonely boys il
the old days." Miss Matthews wa
lg Story About Charlie"
n Miss Matthews smiled. well,
n might as we'll begin with Charlie
One evening the bell rang and Their
s. was Charlie, who had passed throug
the Island a short time before. II
le was looking very glum and forlor1
al l was surprise, as he had through m
le obtained a good position. But tn
De first thing he said to me was: Mis-
Matthews, | want to go home to Scot
Of land
Nv "'What's the matter Cnarlie?'
ii asked.
to Wei Miss Matthews, I'm to
IN lonely. [ don't know a soul in tn
city. / want to go home I'm S
ed lonely
IN After talking him into a differer
e. frame of mind l made him promise I
he come and see me again when he fe
IS lonely. And Charlie came after ths
ar till-tiil he got married.
TO another boy, a little fellow froI
England, was met by his aged aun