The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-21
WATCHING OVER WOMEN
AND GIRL TRAVELLERS
WHO COME HERE ALONE.
Scope of the Work Started in New York in 1885
Protection Now Afforded to Strangers
in More Than One Hundred Cities by
the Travellers Aid Society and
Affiliated Organizations

head filled with trashy stories, imagined
she was a grown woman and longed for
a romantic love affair OF her own.
At this critical juncture Of her life she
met by chance young man who easily
persuaded her to leave home and travel
to New York, where he would meet her
and show her the sights OF the great
CITY, This man did not dare to bring
her into the State Of New York. for he
evidently understood the provisions of
criminal law covering such a proceed
ing, so he sent her on ahead. promising
to follow the next day, as he did. Until
she saw him in the railway terminal
and spoke to him Lucy had no idea
what her fate was to be. She was a
different girl who went home with her
father and she wore her own little dress.
Now that is true story: one Of thou
sands OF instances handled by the
Travellers Aid Society of New York, and
It's counterpart could be found over and
over again In almost any one Of the
hundred odd cities OF the United States
where the work of protecting strangers,
especially young girls and aged women.
is carried on. SO great has the need be-
come for furnishing such protection at
railway stations and steamship docks
, that movement Is now under way to
| fuse the Independent organiza tons Of
about one hundred cities into National
Travellers Aid.
Up to the present time comparatively
| few cities have a distinct organization
wholly devoting itself to this field, al
though in almost every large town CO.
operation Is gladly given by the Young
| Women's Christian Association. Catho-
| lie Womens League, Jewish Council of
Women. Women's Christian Temper
ance Union. Kings Daughters. Gideons
| Young Mems Christian Association,
charity organization societies. &C. az
well as Catholic. Jewish and Protestant
| homes and institutions. The Travellers
Aid Society in New York cooperates
with more than thirteen hundred
organizations in the United States and
| foreign countries. But those prom-
nently identified with the work through
| out the country feel that the time has
come when a national body is needed
To give some idea OF the scope of the
work performed in New York II may be
| said that agents or workers who have
| had special training in this field are on
| duty from early morning until nearly
midnight in the Grand Central Termi- |
nal, Pennsylvania Station. Erie Termi-
nal. Lackawanna Terminal and West
Shore station. They also cover the 125th
| street station and the Long Island Rail-
| road station at Atlantic avenue Brook
Ign. when called upon. The officials OF
| every railroad station In and around
New York are constantly in touch with
Travellers Aid headquarters by tele-
phone. so that an agent may be quickly
called to care for needy travellers at
any time between midnight and 7 A. NJ
From two to five agents board every
Incoming transatlantic steamship that
enters this port. provided the ship car
ries first and second cabin passengers.
immigration officials looking out for
those in the Storage. Last year every
vessel that arrived by forty-nIne steam
ship lines was covered by these trained
agents. Coast lines and river steamers
! are covered by special appointment,
which means by simply requesting
! Travellers Aid headquarters to send an
agent to such and such a steamer. there
to meet and take charge OF children.
girls, or others travelling alone. who
need to he looked after.
AS an example Of this branch Of the
work take one OF the ordinary. routine
cases handled every day in the week.
| The Office at headquarters receives "A
letter or a telegram or a telephone mes
sage from its cooperating organization
in Boston which says please meet on
Fall River steamer Pilgrim, due New
York morning of June 8. Mabel Smith
| Of Lynn, Mass, en- route to Tacoma"
Then follows a brief description Of the
child who has been placed in charge of
| the stewardess on the boat.
The Travellers Aid agent boards the
steamer on its arrival in New York and
goes to find her. Mabel is all right. She
has money for her railroad transporta-
| ton to the far West, and she has her
I baggage check The agent takes the
| money and the check. sends the baggage
to the proper terminal, takes Mabel
| there, purchases tickets, stays with her
until her train leaves. and then puts
| her on the train, giving her into the
| care Of the conductor. Also she hands
the conductor a letter, which reads
| thus:
Mabel Smith OF Lynn. Mass. can speak
| English. She Is going TO Tacoma. Wash
| Kindly see that she makes the proper
| changes In order to reach her destination
and give her any assistance that she may
| need IT there Is a Travellers Aid worker
in station where she changes rom your
train see that she is placed in care OF that
worker.
The train for Chicago leaves New
York with Mabel on board. and the
agent mails a postcard to the CO.
operating organization In Boston, I'M
der whose care Mabel started on her
long journey, saying that she had been
met here and forwarded safely. Then
she sends telegram to a cooperating
organization in Chicago. notifying II
that Mabel would arrive by a certain
train at a certain hour the next day and
requesting that an agent meet her and
see her safely on the next stretch Of
| the journey.
In like manner the Chicago organiza-
| ton sends on word ahead. so that at
every place where Mabel has to change
cars she finds worker waiting for her.
and in every train she travels the con-
| ductor receives a letter. From point
to point word Is sent back from one
agent after another reporting that
| hal 80, TO- IN 4.