River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-02-25
WOMAN OF YESTERDAY
TODAY AND TOMORROW
Continued from page 81

pathetic, and said, "It's a shame,
ma'am, them streets. I've always
said there was no sense at all
in havin' them named like that. A
stranger is bound to go wrong.
I'll tell you what you do, ma'am !:
You 60 straight to Mrs. Lowell
White, she that bosses the wom-
ems clubs, you know, ma'am. You
tell her about them streets, and
she'll have 'em changed"
The present Fairgrounds Asso-
citation of America is the result OF
a club movement. Local clubs first
secured, perhaps school yard, for
the summer months. Some city
councils refused this for a year or
two. others were mildly amused
at the idea Of putting public prop
ertv to such an absurd use, q few
we're indignant and in one city
Germanic alderman Wrathfully ex-
claimed "Vot does yimmens know
about poy's play? No." That
settled it there for that time. But
the .women's slogan was: ct h e
bow without a playground is the
fhther of the man without job"
Detroit, Philadelphia and Q m
other cities now have their Win
ter Fairgrounds, too, made by
flooding vacant lots that the chill
dren may have safe skating. At
first Detroit's city council refused
this, saying that water plugs were
for water in case Of fire, not or
children's enjoyment; d there
proved to be a city ordinance for
bidding a water plugs being open
ed except in case Of fire. Z %
women went to work systematic
ally to have this ordinance repeal
I'd and succeeded after two years
Of continuous effort. In practically
all instances where women start
ed the work. cities saw it was
practical and either the councils
III school boards took it up. Now
Philadelphia as a type, has four
teen Fairgrounds and votes $780,
600 annually for their maintenance
in contrast to the $125 with which
the women started the work.
This is part Of woman's out
door homemaking and her spirit
Of public housekeeping has in
PRODUCED street cleaning, beauti-
fled public places, taken up tn
question of public dumps and gar
bage systems, healthier sewerage
systems, pure water and milk sup
Div, bubble fountains, objection
able billboards. fly campaigns. med
ical inspection in schools, travel
ing libraries, etc. Women have
established more libraries t h
Mr.. Carnegie and send their trav-
cling libraries to mining and lum-
Der camps, isolated towns and vii
lagos, schools, factories q
ranches. They have secured COM
pulsory educational laws, succeed
ed in improving tenement and fac
tory conditions. ecur d a W
governing child labor, established
Juvenile courts, and require health
certificates in marriage. They
saved the Panama Canal situation
when the Government daily feared
it's failure. Now, at the request
of the Government women are
working to conserve natural re-
sources. California women have
saved the big tree grove; New
Jersey women saved the Palisades
of the Hudson and have turn
them into a park; Colorado Wom-
en- saved the Cliff DWellers' ret
mains. But it is scarcely fair to
note instances as each one could
be duplicated hundreds of times.
Really this club movement is world
wide and no single article ca
begin to do it justice.
Some philanthropic movements
had their origin in protective
movement. One of this kind is
the Consumers League of New
\ DIRK. About quarter OF a CEN
fury ago some Of the clerks in
New York tried to organize a
Working Women's Society but the
city regarded it as q joke. This
organization charged that girls
in department stores were receiv-
ing less than sweat shop wages !;
that foreign women in down town
garment shops received $500 a
week while American girls in fash
ionable stores received only $3.50,
that city ordinances providing
seats for saleswomen were habit
ually violated and girls were
forced to stand from ten to fifteen
hours day, that sanitary condi-
tions in cloak and lunch rooms
were such as to endanger health
and life, that no clerk endured