Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-02-16

little times and of little things. May L
know the worth of the moment and the
trihe. May I light every deed with the
light of life. May every moment go.
away with sanctifled supplication and
service"
This prayer of ]. II. Jowett's for Sat
urday, February 10th, confirmed me in
my impression that once more must
talk to the parents and young people
about some of the snares that are
laid for the unwary.
About a year ago 1 wrote up some in
cfdents showing the dangers that threat
ened girls who were travelling alone.
That Chat so impressed one lady that
when next she was on the train she
looked about her with deeper vision.
She saw an unsophisticated girl and
very 'slick-looking'' man. He leaned
across and tried to talk to the girl. but
she only answered in monosylables. FL
nally this lady said to her husband,
81 am going to see If / can't move that
girl" She went down there and began
to talk to her. The girl showed her
relief and volunteered the information
that the man had insisted on her seeing
Atlanta a short time and then take the
train for a. distant state. When they
were nearing Atlanta the travelling man
her bags. The married lady thanked
him and said she and her husband would
look after them. If looks could have
killed that lady would have been struck
dead with his glances. Mrs. Jay and her
husband waited at the station until
the girls train went out. Then to make
sure that he was not on the train Mr..
Jay rode to the first crossing.
do not say that the girl would have
ft1o hununfiyn6 into UntnR
with that man, but I do say that had
she done so she would in all probability
have Joined the great number that every
month sink under the waters of destruc-
ton
The girl who makes chance acquaint-
ances runs a terrible risk Many girls
pride themselves on being able to take
care of themselves" How many times
have girls laughingly tried to reassure
me, when I have warned them against
acquaintance or firtatious ways, and
in the end how many of those girls have
fallen from their high estate.
The Young Women's Christian associa-
ton, or the churches, usually have a
woman in every station to meet the
strange girls and send them to respec-
table boarding places, see them on their
trains and help them get rid of obnox-
ious intruders. So many people COM
plain that the cry is Money, money,
money all the time. So it must be. but
Satan is spending dollars where many
so-called Christians are only spending
nickles. not even dimes; the people who
give their time to help the world. and
probably do your work, must be sup
ported. said to one girl, Didn't
you know better than to act so? Hasn't
your mother ever talked to you about
the folly of meeting strangers" mo,
Miss Thomas" she laughed, and said 1
must keep my eyes open or I'd wish I'd
never been born"
Well, 1 said you must see to it that
your younger sisters are better prepared
for the worlds conflicts.
Recently have had two girls in my
care that I must tell you about. DON
try to place them for 1 am quite sure
are only two of hundreds. Yes hundreds,
for LOO girls we're reported lost in a
period of 30 days, between New York
and Chicago. If that many were lost
there think what the total would be.
And this is one of the ways they go:
These two were chums, and lived in a
country community that prided itself
on being "up-to-date." Mary and Jo-
sephine, as / will name them, read an
advertisement for some girls to join a
theatrical school. Their expenses were
to be paid and they were to sign an
agreement to refund the money when
positions were secured. That sounds
plausible to very silly people, but folks
with ordinary sense would ask why
philanthropic people wanted to spend
money that way, and they would sur
mise that there was sure to be "a string
to be pulled"
To make long, sad story short, these
girls had the money sent them, or tick
cts to a certain city, for the agents"
were too smart to leave any definite
traces. At the end of that first journey
they were met and hustled on a train
and carried at least seven hundred
miles. When they reached their desti-
nation they were already sick of their
plans, but not a word had been said to
them. In that big city they were taken
to a brilliantly lighted house and told
that they were to rest that night and
meet the class" next day. They were
put in sumptuously furnished and sepa-
rate rooms. The younger girl cried and
said she was afraid to stay alone; the
other knew something was wrong, but
she had no idea what. However, she
joked Josephine and told her she
wouldn't let anybody run away with
her. AS she turned her back on her
own door, Mary heard the lock click
and, turning, saw that she was a pris-
OnSE. QUICK DIS a. NhOhGnl Cdil dONg Gnu
fastened Nthe Counterpart and sheet to-
gether and dropped out of two-story
window. She said she will never know
how she escaped, but God helped her, |
and she was fortunate enough to find a
policeman, to whom she told her story. |
After little 'Fed tape" the house was
searched; the inmates declared they had
never heard of such girls but, after |
searching till about 1 o'clock, Josephine |
was found hidden in a closet.
The question comes, What are we to
do?" In the first place. do not expect |
something for nothing, il you see an adj
vertisement, or get one of the many cir
cular letters now flooding the country, |
and think you must answer it. Write a |
minister of your own denomination, or |
some association in that place. The Y. |
w. C. A., the Y M. G. A, the Woman's |
Temperance union, the church societies, |
will gladly investigate such things.
thank the dear Lord that there are good |
men and women who are willing to give |
their time and money to help the wo-
men and girls who need them.
I heard DR.. Seigel talk the other day. |
and I wish every one could hear her. |
She made the trip from Europe to New |
York as a peasant girl, just to see how
to help them. She had such experiences