The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-04-29
Emily Emmet, At Last In Her Furnished Room, Profits By Her Experi- ences in Seeking Home on a Limited Amount of Money.
She Tells What May Be Done To Protect and As sist the Working Girl Who Comes Here Willing To Pay But Unable to Find Room.
1Rv Emilv Emmet.

(By Emily Emmet-)
 At last had found a furnished room. The kindly young couple who had housed me without question had already begun to accept me as a member of the family. The room, the parlor of the young people. was bright attractive and clean, and knew that any girl in the position which rep resented could consider herself indeed fortunate to have found such com fortab1e quarters.
 It was after the young people had left me and sat alone in the dark waiting for them to retire, that all the occurrences of the night came back to me in vivid form.
 What might have happened had found no place to stay, I thought, or had the young man who had proved a good Samaritan been otherwise than good and led me to believe in him and l housed me in one of those boarding houses which were below moral stan ldard.
 had been most fortunate. it seem ed. Was mine an unusual case? Would the average girl have met with such Kindness as it had been my lot eventually to find?
 It occurred to me also how had tried everywhere to get directed to some place of refuge. With the l Protective Home, the Y. w. c. A. and other charities in mind had asked of the proprietor of every house where I inquired for rooms if they knew of some place where I could go.= Apparently these were unknown to. directed to them. As after leaving the railroad station hadn't happen ed to meet any policemen, the chance of asking them for direction had not offered itself.
 Paramount was the thought that Il hi medtately. Girls of the type I rep resented are coming in every day at l the station-gir1s are seeking rooms ievery day. Who knows what difn- cultfes they are encountering? Who knows whether they all meet with kindness?
 The station is the most vital spot At present it becomes in some instances lat least, a decided turning point in the lives Of girls who come to this l city to seek work and lodgings
 True it is that there is a sign in the main part of the station near the door to the ladies room which says that the Young Women's Christian Association will be glad to help women l who are strangers in the city to find lodging and board and will also as- sist in securing employment.
 Tomorrow my story will deal with the value of this sign as shown by. my unsuccessful application for room at
 
 There are in Bridgeport number of organizations of young women. who are sincere in their charitable efforts and quick to remedy an evil once Ithey see the necessity and realize that l it is within their power.
 I Let these societies, sing1y or col llectively, maintain bureau, centrally llocated-the station is the most vital place=where girls such as I imper- sonated may turn for assistance. There should be no atmosphere of charity about this place. Let 1t be Ia. business enterprise furnished room exchange if you please, but let it not become a place where only the penniless will turn foR shelter
 When I represented myself as a working girl looking for "a room, I felt the part But E would have he's for aims. had little enough, it is I true, but I was willing to pay for shelter. The trouble was to find the shelter. Girls who work have pride l--nore pride often than those who do not have to work. That is why ] tnsv do work. because they want to be I independent. This spirit among the tworking girls will retard them from l taking advantage of anything that sa- vors of public charity.
 Let us have signs displayed con spicuousIy telling girls where to go for this needed fnformation Let us educate our policemen to know what is going on in the city, that girls such as I may not be directed to boarding
 houses where the surroundings may not be wholesome.
 The need is a vital one and of far greater importance than many prob sE lens which are now occupying the
 time and efforts of the numerous so- cieties for doing good in this city. ! Why" I wondered. and am still
 wondering, 'tdo so many houses prom
 inently display furnished rooms for rent signs, when inquiry at the door
 brings the information that there are no rooms to be had ?''
 It will be remembered that Mir. and Mrs. e., the kind hearted young : couple who had taken me to room
 were moving from one house into an
 other and was to stay alone in the new house. Before they left I hat 3 tcaI1ed Mrs. CS- aside and told he1 , that while I had only $2 wanted tt
 pay for the night and gave her fft1 . cents which I had said, if I fount
 work and stayed, could go toward tht
 weeks room rent. She had told m.
 that I might do as I pleased abou
 that and accepted the money.
 When there was no longer danger O
 encountering any of my benefactors
 I wrote a short note of thanks whicl
 I left on the pillow, and then quietl.
 slipped away.
 U U Monday is the favorite day for hay U ing bonfires. as your neighbors vii II perhaps then have some clean c1othe