The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-01-25

Of II should understand that on the
whole the people of the District OF
Columbia have played pretty far Wl'h
the newcomers--the poorer owners
often doing better than the rlch.
The room shortage, distressing DIS
il now Is. should work out good Things
for the government clerk IN the lohE
run. What is everybody business Is
nobody business, and chiefly tor that
reason the federal government never
before has paid much attention 10 the |
living conditions of ITS employees
Wears AGO. when Washington was small,
Tho Government should have instituted |
Il system Of government apartment !
bouses which would have been the |
model Of the world. 1t never occurred
20 the early politicians to do this, how
ever. and only a cataclysm has awak-
eupd the present administration TO the
compelling Importance OF this duty. \
start was made, in n tentative way, by
Franklin *. Lane, the large minded
secretary Of the interior, when he or
ganizcd the home club some years ago.
This he designed as an evening retreat
for the men and women of his depart
mont, and il has proved invaluable 10
the newcomers in the last few months
although the club will soon lose its
building through the rapacity Of the
agent who let il to the national WON
an : party, without notifying the club,
I after the pickctCrs had been informed
I that they must vacatc the Cameron
/ house when their lease expired. II
/ the woman $ party forces the home
/ club out, il will have done 4 grave IN
I Justice to q great many women.
! Out Of the home club idea came talk
I Of n great government clubhouse, and
. although the plan never got farther
than planning. il should he recalled to
the credit Of the club that it was the
first institution 10 interest anyone Ill
the proposition that the government
owes something in the way OF father
Is care TO it's servants and that il could
make them much happier and healthier,
without expense to itself, If II chose
TO do so. 4 united service club, with a
membership of several thousand, could
easily support n great apartment hotel
which would not only afford comforta-
bic living quarters TO its members but
could provide them with many kinds
of entertainment i'll the way Of library,
Longing room. gymnasium, baths, con
cert hail and restaurant. This plan has
been adopted in England, whore it Is
q great success
Dreaming of greater things to come,
Secretary Lane has been extremely
practical meantime. When the United
states entered the war he foresaw at
once what it meant for Government
workers in Washington and he secured
the services Of Miss Annette Greeley of
New York, q well-knOwn social service
worker. who fer months has occupied
an office in the interior building.
The first duty OF Miss Greeley was
TO bring together persons in the depart
meut who wanted rooms and persons
who had them. Clerks and officials Will
homes and apartments were eanSasae,
and often it was possible to induce
the homo-owuer to set aside one room
which could I've hired by employees o
the department. BY this and othc
means hundreds of clerks were takel
, care Of comfortably. T. the benefit bot
. . OF themselves and the persons to whom
they paid their money. Miss Creole
complied q list OF professional men il
, / Washington who make REASONABLE
charges for their services and this !
- always available for the information
4 Of the inquiring clerk. In every poss
{ bic way Miss Greeley has sought to ali
!. new corners with information and ad
T vice, and She has directly aided tn
% prosecution of tine war 10y her efforts.
a Now, because the necessity has bee
b, pitchforkcd onto it, the government
M must provide shelter for its employees
/, and as Uncle sam usually does thing
,c well when he does ANYTHING at all, it
pc reasonable presumption that the go'
n eminent apartment house is coming
Do always has been needed, and now, fc
re tunatcly for the clerk of the future,
IN must be provided. Once such a stru
10 ture l. opeucd. it will have become a
NJ. iua.itution in Washington, for it wi
or demonstrate its own worth so concl
n sivelv that it will never be closed.