The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1917-03-17
Though Experience of Other Victims Shows That After
Serving From Five to Seven Years in Same Prison They
Were Not Able to Count Money GenevieVe IS Committed
to Same Institution at Age of IA Ostensbly Because
She Had Not Been Attending School

ing School
personality of owners and managers
is concerned. The owners and man.
ayers are Catholic nuns.
In fact it is a work shop, laun-
dry, prison workshop such as the
chair factory in the county house of
correction, or the twine factory in the
state prison. And the inmates are
young girls.
1t is not run to elevate the char
acter Of the prisoner-girls, butts
run for profit, for the gain of dollars
and cents! Nothing eleyating about
it.
The difference between the House
of Correction, or the State Prison,
and the blouse of Good Shepherd" is
that any profits that may accrue from
the work of prisoners in the state in
stitutions go to the prisoners or into
the public treasury; and the prisoners
work only 8 to 10 hours and are
treated fair. While the profits that
accrue from the work Of the young
girl prisoners in the House of Good
Shepherd 90 into the pockets of a
private sectarian order, and the girl
prisoners are forced to work IA to Is
hours day Notwithstanding child
labor laws) and are mistreated shame
fully.
Just now the prevailing fad is
Reform"
Everybody wants to reform" some
body.
Of course, the working classes
have not much time to take part in
the prevailing fad. They are kept
busy working for their living. -
The girls of well-to-do parents can
do as they please; no one dares to
criticize them, much less "reform"
them. But if a poor girl, working
mans daughter, or poor orphan
does half the things a rich girl some
times does she is arrested, taken be-
fore a reform" court and sent to a
reform" institution, for many years.
Because most reform courts are Of the
same opinion as the well-to-do women: !:
that working for living by a girl,
or poverty, is a crime. Every girl
that works is presumed to be GRIM
inally inclined, on the road to the
bad; and every working girl that
takes part in any kind of pleasure, is
criminal. Judges daughters don't
have to work for living, you know.
And girls Of well-to-do parents don't
have TO 20 into open dance halls for
pleasure; they can have better pleas
ure in dancing rooms and cozy cor
ners of mansions and private gar
dens.
So II happens that girls of work
ing parents, of poor parents, are sent
by reform courts to the Prison-House
of Good Shepherd, to be reformed.
In fact they are sold into private
slavery-of the worst kind. But then
religious" institutions must have
slaves to work--for them, and re
formers" need jobs.
The Polish people are, or are sup
posed to be Roman Catholics. There.
fore reform courts" send Polish girls
daughters of Polish workingmen-
on one charge or another-to the Ro.
man Catholic House of Good Shep'
herd. And so ii happens that most
of the girls in that institution are Of
Polish parentage. (The nuns are non
Polish). Therefore the Kuryer PoLskt
considers it a duty to tell the public
something that the girls and theil
parents have to say about that in
stitution, and about the way girls are
sent there and treated there.
OF course, our wealthy "reformers'
and reform officers will say: ut is moi
sop on the presumption that every
working girl is q liar. But the Kurye,
Polski is peculiar in such things; W.
like to give the "under-dog" chance
too. And because we have evidenct
that the Polish girls in the House Of
Good Shepherd are considered ant
treated like the "under-dog," we de
cided to give them a chance to sa,
something in their defense, And w
hope that it will come to the eyes anC
ears Of the public, and especially oul
legislators, and that the Legislature
will reform such private and sectariar
reform" institutions at least to th'
extent of forbidding "reformers" Il
send other peoples children into pri
vate slavery, and to place all private
"reform" and Charitable" institution
under the strictest supervision Of tn
State Board of Control.
We will now repeat what the re
porters Of the Knryer Polski found
/. A Helpless Victim
Adam Kowalewski, a shoemaker
resides with his wife and six mino
children at 1883 North Water street
Milwaukee. He is a heavy drinke