Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-04-12
An Epidemic
Wander-Lust
BY Frederic J. HaskIn
FEe0or1c j. naekln

| Fast ms increased to such proportions
as actually To frightcn some of the
western States, and even on tho eastern
coast, which is attracting so many new
comers, the population keeps shifting
about IN a most irresponsible and restless
| way.
Much of this travel is without plan.
and may almost be said to be unprc-
mediated. People just get up and move
whenever the idea appeals To them,
iourncying as far as their money will take
thcm, and then counting upon n job or
some friendly circumstance to tide them
over until the next nomadic impulse
seizes them.
Al least, this is the way it looks To the
Travellers Aid Society Of New York City
which has had TO rush 20 the aid Of ss 600
such irresponsible travellers during the
| past year. This is about twice as many as
required assistance last year.
| WAR STARTED sTAY-AT-noMEs.
II don't know that general discomfort
IL responsible for IL, said a Traveller S
Aid when interviewed at the headquarters
| Of the society at i65 Lexington avenue,
here, the other day Its more general
| loose-footedness, she declared, puckering
her brow in a desperate attempt to define
| the exact cause pf so much unprecedented
| travel. You see, the war uprooted a
| large number Of people and planted them
| IN new environments. Young women,
| who had always lived with their parents
| in small towns, went TO distant cities to
| do war work, and young men, who had
| never been away from their home villages,
were whlsked from one point 90 another,
both IN this country and IN Europe. They
just sort of developed the habit Of moving
ever so often.
Because men are better able 10 take
care Of themselves when suddenly stranded
In big city, the work Of the Travellers
Aid Society is confined largely TO the
rescue Of ventlfresome young women.
This is one Of New York's greatest prob
lens the fact that il attracts thousands
of young girls, who have become discon-
tented in their homes, and who hope to
find growing room for their eramped
personalities in the city. The latest
statistics regarding these damsels are
worth mentioning. Sixty-eight thousand
OF them were reported to the authorities
rs missing during the past year, OF
whom four thousand completely dis
appeared in New York alone.
SO the Travellers Aid Society is kept
busy bounding these ambitious but
irresponsible young women, seeing that
they get into the proper sort Of lodging
houses and employment bureaus. A
Travellers Aid meets every incoming
train and every incoming boat to New
York, and with an experienced eye picks
the runsways out from the crowd after
handling so many Of them, one Of the
nids explained you get to know them by
their expressions Many Of them arrive
plentifully supplied with money, which
increases the danger they run from a
class Of persons which is said to exist
entire from the exploitation Of these
ignorant young adventurers. The money,
it usually turns out, represents the
family savings 20 which the traveller has
literally helped herself before leaving
home.
MOVIES THE LEADING LURE.
II is estimated that at least seventy
five per cent Of the number who fall into
the friendly hands % the Travellers Aid
Society are motivated by the desire 10 20
into the movies They either wear their
hair IN Mary Pickford cIrls, or they walk
with a stealthy. mysterious glide which is
supposed TO be an imitation Of Theda
Baras' You would think that the
Travellers Aids would grow weary Of
hearing the same story over and over
suffer from excr1ieiatinr boredom, but
they never show il. And they never
attempt TO discourage the determined
movie star. They know it would do no
good. Instead, In each instance the I'll. A.
manages to look immensely Interested, as
If the proposition we're absolutely novel,
and TO address the young woman thusly:
All right. II you want to 90 IN the movies
the best thing for you 10 do IS 10 make
tour of the movie agencies. and Ill
go with you
At the end OF the second or third day,
the tour usually ends in manner which
would meet with the complete approval
of the movie authorities. even though
the applicant for stardom didn (. 1t shows
an exhausted and sadly disillu~ioned
heroine falling happily on the neck of
forgiving parent, who has suddenly ar
rived on the scene at the psychological
moment through the strategic duphcity
of the L. 4.
HAPPY BINDINGS N REAL LIFE.
In fact, the f. AS are as tireless and
vigilant in creating happy endings as
most of our American noyelists. And,
as one OF them remarked the other
morning. 1T is great sport" Sometimes
it is also extremely difficult as, for
instance, in the really tragic cases of
young women who come TO New York
lured by matrimonial hopes scattered
careessly abroad by some obscure matri-
monial agenc,. According to the Travel
ers' Aid Society, these agencies constitute
an actual menace to the country, and il
heartily wishes that the Lusk Committee
would use some of Its infinite leisure In
suppressing few of them
The other day. for example. one of the
aids stopped pretty little blond girl as
she walked a trife bewideredly through
the Pennsylvania Station here. Pointing
to the Society's badge on the lapel Of her
coat, she asked if she could be of any
assistance.
IF you would be so kind as to help me
find this address" said the girl, handing
the Aid letter
The Aid saw at glance that the letter
was from one of the western matrimonial
agencies on the Socisty's blacklist. II
offered the young lady husband, located
in remote part of the Bronx.
This is pretty far out, said the Aid
at length. Wouldn't you like TO come
down to our club and have some lunch?"
At the luncheon table, the Aid heard
the girls story. II was the usual COM
plant. She had been unhappy at home,
which was in a small town in Michigan.
She had wanted to come to New York, and
had decided that matrimony was the
easiest way to settle down here. Mean
time, an investigator had been put on
the trail OF the Bronx address. and soon
a telephone message announced that the
matrimonial prospect so glowingly de-