The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1913-09-25
GIRLS TO Be GUARDED
BY new ORGANIZATION
OF GREAT IMPORTANCE
Catholics, Jews and Protest
ants to Combine in Vigilance
Society to Aid Travellers.
TO oUTvIE VICE RIGoR
All Agencies for Protection to Be Fed
erated-1,7oo Girls Disappear Annu-
nuaiiy Enroute Between Chi
cage and New York.
0 oUTvIE VICE RIGoR
BY THE RELIGIOUS RAMBLER.


Entirely impress ACCENTED. and escap-
Ing the notice of even the religious
press. there is now afoot officially, a
movement to federate all of the exist
ing agencies for the protection Of ray
elers, into a national travellers aid So
ciety. This win include the national
bodies of the Roman Catholic church,
OF the Jewish organizations, and of the
Protestant churches, the latter to be
represented by the Young Women's
Christian association. The National
Travellers Aid society is expected to be
in operation before the opening of the
Panama exposition in 1915. The initia-
tive in this movement is being taken
by Miss Grace Dodge, the well known
philanthropist, of New York city.
The ugly fact has become unacceptable
that travel has special dangers for girls
and women. The simplicity and good
ness of life in the country and the small
towns, in no wise fits young folk to
go into the big world, for organized
vice is becoming daily more ingenious
in its Unsuitable search for recruits. Of
ficia1 reports show that within a sin
gle year 1,700 young women disappeared
while en- route between New York and
Chicago.
Matching Wits With the Wicked.
New conditions HI re made it clear
to the far-sighted woman at the head
VI pdTlOuS agencies 1NT the nelp OF I'M
migrants and travellers and of girls
away from home, that no local organi-
zaticn is at present equal to the new
conditions. Even the national bodies
Of a racial and d~enominationaI charac-
ter find that their net of protection is
not sufficiently wide to gather in all
who need their help. The Jewish and
the Catholic societies, because of their
intrest in immigrants, have ken espe-
cially alert in dealing with tbs ques-
ton of aid for travellers; and TIE Young
Women's Christian association has also
made it a department OF it's activity
for many years.
These three bodies have decided to
get together, and discussions and ne
gotiations are now pending. 1t becomes
necessary. for. instance, for them to
agree llpon a national uniform, SO that
a traveller anywhere on this continent
II ultimately anywhere In the world
will recognize the representative Of
the travellers aid nociety. This uniform
will have to be protected by law, for
it is charged that the agents of vice
ever appear at times in the uniforms
of nun and Salvation Army lassies.
It is believed that a national body
could secure adequate protective legis-
lation.
SO many sided is the work of the
travellers aid that 1t cannot be ade-
quately done as one branch of religious
work 1t takes, for example, a certain
degree of detective skill and 1t also re-
quires a legal department.. AS it was
defined before the recent convention of
the Young Women's Christian ~associa-
tion: The travellers aid deals with
the reasons why persons leave home;
protects them through all the vicissi-
tudes and manifestations OF travel. until
they arrive at the desired destination:
and il strangers. see that they are
housed in a safe home or respectable
boarding house and in charge of the
organization which is best equipped to
serve their need"
A New York WDman's Work.
Miss Grace Dodge, who lis perhaps
! the foremost figure in the National
Young Women's Christian association,
has long had aid for travellers as a spe-
cial interest. She originated and was
the first president of the New York
! City Travellers Aid society, which keeps
Its representatives at the stations and
! docks of New York.
Here in miniature ID the sort OF
work that is proposed for the whole
nation. This New York society lib com
posed ri men and women Of many re-