Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-06-16

ern prisons and printed report upon
her investigations. Ii was dismal
topic for a very much alive young Ne-
man: but Miss Kellor found IL abound
/ ing in interest The condition of the
people i'm the prisons led her 10 believe
i that there was something wrong with
the labor situation. and soon after her
gradua ton she began 10 study the
/ problem of employment The ColiesS
Settlement of New York City gave her
! a fellowship. and under the auspices OF
l the Womans Municipal League she
| began an Investigation OF employ mem
| agencies. Dressed as an employees, she
visited several employment ef'lees anu
endeayared 10 become friendly Win
the girls who sat about the fsseinS
waiting for positions Al first she was
unsuccessful as her difference IN tram
ing was obvious. but she soon ieaFaea
10 talk in up-to-date slang about sup
posea mistresses and her acquaintance
flonrished.
The aipnant greeting of the office
manager. We'll. sis. cut ef aoes
which at first had sorely tried her dig
nity became n matter Of course. " hen
she looked teo respectable 10 ee
girl in some of the cheaper oiheeS
she hecame a mistress Frequently she
did not know which she w0al6 aaapeF-
senate until the office door closed eS,-
hind her.
The main object Of the ma 1eFatN of
offices seemed to be Il get &s maoa
money out of both employer ard en-
ployee IS was possible To this ena
girls who needed work were fef<sa Re
register and to pay in advance for any
posltien obtained. In enc eifaee, tse
mon managers guarded the door aha
actually prevented any girl who had
not paid her fee from departing IL
she came in merely 10 inquire terms
she paid for getting out. The todstfS
houses conducted IN connection VIII
tho etEices furnished further means OF
extracting money. And there were
rrayer evils Sometimes these lodging
houses and the officers were located IN
honses of i'll repute and the sifis
stonuinr over night subjected Ia the
advances and even the threats el the
proprietors-
American girls Jared badly enough |
under this system: but foreign Slrts
were infinitely worse of. Not uhdef
starain. the language. they frequently
accepted proposals made TO them NOT
their nature. anu theh
were warned that they had CHOSEN |
tben, .of their own free Will IRE
onentfv they were sent to work IN dis-
orderly houses with no idea oil ehe
cha -aeter of the houses to when theE
r.ar. roiDg. Many offices furnished
ririr for such houses upon payment OIL
a., extra fee. Girls were sent to men |
,.Iuhs and to the homes of bachelors
a,s u;doyers. without any investiSa-
t;or as IN the nature of such homes
Sending a foreign girl ignorant OF the
language and uncertain as TO Whefe "
.,rn far. help to such places was prac-
,iealIy to send her to slavery. lhefe
was no way out.
when the investigation was over MISS
Keilnr compiled the results OF hel ON "
with those of eight oth-
er investigators and pubishea .ne.n III
,ook form. 1t was the first lnVeslisa
,f Werk." 1t was the first lhNesaea
lion of its kind that was genera
to be worth anything
or course there is moral but II ~
so big and so plain that no father mo
,,ar Guardian or friend can fail to see
Il and warn and watch over thei'
Young charges. But if we recognize
hangers to cur enlightened youth, what
, yawning abyss of woe must confront
be uninformed, easily led. par.laiis
1azed foreigner in a strange iaho vi
,ustle and glamor? We are less than
human if. when we know CT these
things we fail to make our sentiments
known in law-making bodies. ana de-
mand of them rigid provisions against
such easy conquests by the forces ol
the devil. and drastic enforcement ol
the laws. 1t is time the imp OF de-
struction is shown his place by CIVIL
lied intelligence.
/