The Brunswick news., 1913-04-26
pERNIcioUs ToMMYRoTl


this world by well-meaning people
5lGndeTing IN eTcited or unconsidered
attempts to do good as by the pur-
posely wicked Reminder Of this la
mentab4e fact is found in the dis
cussion Of the white slave" question
and the working girl in New York,
Chicago and elGewhere and in many
magazines and newspapers. The
volunteer friends Of the working girl
seem to assume that ur .esss she
earns a certain sum each week she
win tgo wrong" and is not blamed
for 50 doing She is starved into
sim we ere told.
This is moral poison as dangerous
as could be spread abroad. We are
told nothing Of the thousands and
tens of thousands Of girls and women
who earn their own living and who,
even on scanty wages. contriye to be
yirtious and TO maintain their char
acters. We have paradsd before us
those who conhde to sociological
Investigators and legislative commit
ices that they became bad beeause
they could earn but S. So ef SIS a
week. The plain impIicatjaa from
this is that the woman or girl who
can not or does earn enough for her
needs Is rather to be eqaHmended for
making herself pefiAgfo the commu.
nifty and wrecking h& own soul and
body. The responsibility is put on
the employer Tie honest working
girl has dauntsa before her the idea
that the otheF}sort Of girl is the oh.
ject Of pity and sympathy. not Of
condemnation, is not froeb agent.
the burden Of vice being on the mer.
chant Or manufacturer.
People who know human nature
and something Of The world know
that not one woman in thousand
deliberately adopts vice as meana
CT livelihood Or would seek that
method Of ayerting starvation. TO do
80 @ould be contrary TO all wo.
manasinstincts. to say nothing ol
her training, self respect and eoasid.
Grafton fQr h& own safety and vel
tare. We ha0 heard bin.ea in re-
marks made by Chicago Investigators
and by some other investigators and
writer's that girls were driven wrong
not only by lack Of food aad clothes,
out Of amusemnet and recreation. II
would be interesting to know from
these phllanthropists what they con.
aidef az, lhe wage limit Of virtue Il
q girl Is not expected to be good at
$5 q week, might We expect to see
her a model Of propriety and deport
ment at IS and be beyond the reach
OF all possible temptations at $l2?
Il is an atrocious and vicious, II
uninteational, libel on the working
womea Of this country to suggest
that they must be Paid tobe virtuous
aud @ell-behayed II is frightfulIy
perilous to drfll into the public mind
the suggestion that women who do
not receive certain standard of
wages arato be excused, if not iusti-
fled. for enteFing upon a disreputable
life. Il woeia be equally just and
safe TO imas that the man clerk who
does not earn stated amount per
week is likely TO rob the til aud is
entitled to sympathy when he does
ii.
Where there NJ wrong it should be
riehted, If righting Is possiliie.
where there is tEpiTessior II sEulli1
be lifted is the lawqean reach il. Nc
owe to the fallen woman Of any sEssss
pity aud What help ave can siYe re-
gafdless Ct the causes and motives OF
her SHINING. 1t is not 1gght 10 insist
that working girls afe driven 10
crime by lack Of money while so
many thousands Of them. erning the
same wages the criminals earned, live
aud die pure and respected
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