The Detroit times., 1913-05-28
CLOTHES
STRONG FACTOR
OF TEMPTATION
Natural Desire for Finery. Rath-
er Than Low Wages.
Causes Downfall
IUELI.A NJ. BARTON
TALKS ON VICE EVIL
State Officer Gives Result of In
vestiyation In Five Michi-
gan Cities

ANN ARBOR. Mich. May ~
That the dominant force that drives
xiris into lives Of shame. Is the ma
tural desire for pretty clothes, rath-
sr than less wages. was the stats
y msnt with which Lnella n. burton'
chief woman inspector of~tAe state
department Of labor, startled the oeie-
w.tsu TO the state conference OF Chari'
IT, and Corrections hare this after
noon. Mas Buroon's address on
ssyYce a q Labor Proposition" was
the closing feature Of the second Gay
Of the conference.
At the opening Of tho conierence
TT night President Harry b. Hut
ohins of the University OF Michigan
announced that municipal and legisia'
tive bureau to study civic and lesis-
htavp problems for the people OF the
atnte win b. established by the UNI
yornity next year. One hundred and
dxty-four delegates have signined
their intention TO attend the CONFER
ouoe.
Miss Burton did not entirely ao-
solve indutrial conditions from TO
pponsibility for prostitution. The fact
that In IS per cent. OF the cases
WITCH she had personally invesdsat-
"a. the desire for pretty clothes hao
Influenced tho final choice for I'm
morality. Miss Burton said. would
Il sem to prove that low or Irregular
wages are strongly effective In de-
Gliding the girl to adopt lie OF pro-
miscu0us immortality"
NV observations involved per-
sonal visit To houses OF ul-repute in
Ave Of the larger cities Of the state,
viz: Detroit, Grand Rapits, Saginaw.
Hay City ana Flint. during whicn S's-
its / interviewed ZIG inmates.
1T was found that many OF these
girls had entered the industrial nelo
fully unprepared TO cope with the
problem OF life. The average age al
which they left school was 14.4 years
and the average age at time OF nrst
J Occupation was Is years. Sixty-nihe
I had entered domestic service soon
after leaving school: 81 were employ
ed In stores: one employed In doc
tors ONCE; eight were telephone op-
orators: 20 were factory workers; 80
were employed In hotels; seven were
nurse girls: two we're nurses; one
scanvassers; one an actress one
harmaid; one . cafe cashier ana 80
had never been employed.
st was shown that Is years WAS
the average age at which the girls
admitted the initial wrong step. More
than GA per cent said that bad asso-
ciates OF both sexes. met at places OF
employment and at the only places OF
recreation and amusement available
TO them, with the natural desire for
pretty clothes, rather than low wages,
was the dominant force.
The avergse age at which the girls
entered upon the life OF professional
morality visited, less than IS per
erage age was 1858 years. and the
average number OF years these girls
\ had been professional prostitutes, was
~ years.
TT vas found that OF the 21S &C.
cupautS OF places OF professional I'M
morality visited, lesks than 20 per
cent. have passed through any Of the
modern occupations OF women In
reaching these resorts. BY far the
greater number OF participants In
lives Of professional immortality came
from the so-caIled traditional pursuits
OF women. from occupations as house
mazda, Mattresses, nurses, cooks and
chambermaids.
"The most serious disadvantage In
domestic service is the low social po-
s1tion the employment entails at the
present time on those who enter u.
Nothing indeed can be more start
ling to the housewives Of the country
than tho relations which have been
shown to exist between immortality
and household occupations. II has
been proved that domestic service Ia
far from being the wellprotected In
( stitution that many people assume II
j TO be.
ITO me one OF the most alarming
pOints brought out In the vice investi
cation was the information that with
the exception OF 30 of the girls who
had never been employed and sir
5 others who insisted that they were
not Immoral before entering upon 9
life OF shame. all the other girls
were at one time employed and II
\ most instances experimenting thei
!. earnings with the proceeds OF occa
4 si0nal immortality go We see tina
many OF these girls were aud are &C
tuaIly working side by side with otheI
Y girls who are trying To get along or
low wages and in this way the latter
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