The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1919-04-01
No More Idle.
Girl Workers Y
Upon Str'esss
British Find Way 10 Con-
With tho ''FIapper'' &
Problem, .s.S.
BY Msrsssst waiter.

+ LQNDON--ln the rush and sessmr
bic 10 get jobs there has Tor ~
last three weeks been , sudden disap.
pearance Of the mob Of young girls ~
tween IS and IS st the govesn1slul
labor exchanges. Right after the ssSAs
stice it seemed as il there were moee
half grown girl citizens In Londoa
than any other sort; they were =
noisy, 50 exhuberant, in such Dsrioct
health, and 20 determined TO 1--we
their case heard. They swarmed
through the streets In gangs and filled.
the shop, At Christmas time vith,
plenty OF money in their pockets aAd
very definite ideas OF their own NJ
tional importance.
Disappear Suddenly. !.
Suddenly they disappeared, nd
missing them I made inQuircs.s- I
found that the ministry Of labor had
established unemployment csnters
throughout London, working h con.
nec,ion with She labor exchanges al
here all ex.fnunition workers betweeis
the ages Of IS and I8 are obljged q,
spend their time IS long a. they ass
receiving the government unerhploy-
ment benefit of 81 q week.
At these centefs, each Of which haa
an average daily a,,endancs Of 100
girls, corps Of men and women spe-
cially selected for their qualifications
are gradually drawing these forcedIy1
mature children back into youth 4
which they were trasically cheated BY
the war. ~
Ordinary school, teachers could ~
do the job becautc the most impor-
,ant part OF the scheme is its sntissI
lack OF school paraphcrnalia or 20,
called teachers. There are no desk6,
no blsckboards OF text books. The
girls viii not tolerate them. In oas
room lev tables are provided and
plenty Of comfortable chairs, there sse
shelves Of books, mostly carefully ss-s
lected fiction and plenty Of paper and
pencils. They are free to write le,.s
iers 10 their boys" or fead 10 thcri
selves. VI
Young Woman IN cAarSs.
The woman in charge n young,
pretty and well-dressed. her power
over the girls under her charge Il
being gained through meeting then
on sheir own ground and interestina
herself in their affairs. She found
that the one topic that absorbed thsss
children was money. They had been
receiving anything from $l2 up H.
their war work. OF this sum mcst
Of them paid their mothers bslf fcl
food and lodging and the reA ny
spent according 10 their own sweet
will on clothes and picture shows and
treating their boys" when they came
home on leave.
Now they get s. week. or codrss
this does not cover their keep, and
there is no pocket money At all.
The labor authorities found Il m.
possible to get the attention n the
girls for any other subject tindef tse
sun. They wanted more money. They
knew nothing Of conditions, they IA
been well fed, we'll clothed and cared
for when the armistice was signe4 j
and they feared that peace preoano1
q return 10 the old hunger aad v0ul
and privation. ITS ~
After endless discussions one q ~
girls finally suggested sending . ~
tition 10 the government. The NJ.
tress fell in at once with tha>ideo. BMl
who wss to write iti Not a. 4 ~
girls could write well enoagh 3 ta1Db
i, in charge, none Of them coul4 ,sDGN
and when it came 10 composition theyl
i1ankly admitted they were bGDtuGA
Right then the teacher came % Eie.
She said that she knew bow " - tlt
those things and would teach AeGa \
they wanted 10 learn. They - 70 ~
with all their wills and ios tiso3
weeks have been working hks beavlsa
Al last the document 10 eomples&
Fom short clear paragraphs pueoing
the case as they see it with ra)hes
touching little plea at the end femiud-
ing the government that they sse ~
quite like the girls Of ordinary times,
that they find il very hard 10 settle
down In dull Life after the enriSeeuo<oo