The Washington herald., 1914-04-29
Who's Who Among
Women
Susan M. Osborne. and Her Open
Door.
BY MARY II. NULLETT.

I BY MARY II. MULLETT.
A few weeks ago happened to read a
letter addressed to a New York news
paper, asking what was to become Of a
! girl or a woman who found herself tenn
porariIy down and out" In that great
city.
The question set me to thinking. and /
started out to find the answer to IL. i
talked with dozens OF persons; among
them charity organization officers, phil
anthropic women. city officials, and girls
and women out of employment.
The result OF all this investigation
wasn't very satisfactory. There was the
municipal lodging house where. along
with other homeless creatures, a woman
could get a cot free at night. But as a
matter of record very few women applied
for this shelter.
The unemployed girls told me that gen.
orally their friends, or even mere
acquaintances. helped them to fight star
walton. Often these Good Samaritans
were almost as poor as those they be-
friended. But then. the poor are one
another's best friends always.
Still. ! kept on making my inquiry.
over and over I repeated IL, until a
stormy evening came which I shall not
soon forget. Some one had suggested that
/ 20 to the open Door" at ST. Mary's
and see Miss Osborne.
In a vague way / had known Of the
place for long time: hut had thought
IL was only for the class Of women gen.
orally referred to as unfortunate" I
was looking now for a place where a re-
spectacle girl. who was only temporarily
down and out. could be tided over a
crisis. So at first l didn't go TO St
Mary's.
Finally. that stormy night. did find
my way to the hospitable door in Four
tenth street. neat little old woman
opened II. and asked for Miss Osborne.
Then there came out to meet me a gen.
tie. gray-haired woman. in a black dress
and a white cap such as English women
wear. And in the simple story she had
to tell found the best answer that all
that great city could give to the ques-
ton ! was asking.
Years ago. when Susan Osborne her
self was a young woman. she used to
visit the wards of Bellevue Hospital to
carry what cheer she could to the girls
who were there as patients. She found
that many OF these girls actually dread
ed getting'well II meant that they must
leave the hospital. And this necessity
was so badly complicated by the fact
that they had no place to go. and no
money to keep them even il they had
place that the poor creatures actually
clung to the Illness which made It pos
sibIe for them 10 stay in their corner OF
the great institution.
Young Susan Osborne in her quiet way.
determined to do something to help these
girls in their difficulty. She wasn't rich.
She wasn't influential But somehow
she got enough money to rent a stable.
lot a very good stable. either. But she
had it cleaned and painted and fixed up
as well as she could. And in this stable
she set M her first homo for girls.
From that day TO this she has gone
steadily on in her gentle. but absolutely
Indomitable. way. She was determined
to give a refuge to girls and women who
needed il. without putting them through
anv CatcChism or making any conditions.
People told her she never in the world
could conduct a home on such a plan
They said she would he simply overrun
by impostors She smiled and said
"Well-perhaPs. We will see
For thirty years now she has carried
on her work in her own way And
don't think sh has been a hit more i'm
posed upon than has any other institu-
ton in New York. In fact. You can't say
that Mss Osborne is ever imposed upon
because she asks no questions. makes no
conditions.
ANY girl or woman. can go to the door
Of St Nary's at an time. day or night.
and he received without having ono sin
gle demand made upon her. OF even a
question asked.
There arc two doors at St Mary's. The
one in Fourteenth street is for the board
nC-house. where the girls stay till they
Can get work. or until their fortunes
change somehow. There is another house
behind this one and facing on Fifteenth
street This is the night shelter Here
come tho ssdder wrecks Of womanhood:
those who have lost something beside
temporary Independence; either the des-
Dcrately poor. the dissipatcd, or the de-
graded.
That stormy night, after I had left
Miss Osborne. 7 walked around into Fiji
teenth street just from curiosity. to see
wheIer anybody was knocking for shell
ter The light above the door shonc down
on a shrinking woman with a shawl over
her head. AS I came nearer. the door
opened. the warm light streamed out and
seemed to draw the shivering figure in
side And as the door closed after it I
gave a sigh of relief.
Many a night every bed. every cot.
every chair In the shelter is filled. and
the poor creatures sit on the stairs. or
anywhere they can find a place. But no
one is ever turned away Miss Osborne