Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-01-05
Municipal Aid to Cupid
by Frederic J nsskin

Crafts attacking public couftinR on INC
one hand, and the boiisNp stuation max
ing private courtinq difficult on the other,
what is To become of the gentle srtf he
social service workers OF our large cities
fear that, unless some extraordinary
measure is taken TO restore II, the course oi
true love may receive n serious se,pack.
What they advocate is the establishment
Of municipal eourting parlors nm pot's,-
bly, in connection with the public schools
or churches where the youth oi the
nation can do It's love-making against
dignified background.
The courting situation IL becoming
worse daily, they assert, as housing conn,
tions become more acute. WIN SEVERN
families occupying one small nous. W
apartment, there is simply no space lest Tor
Cupid. From the comfortable and roman
tic ssclusion of the dim, back parior, he
has been thrust into me street, where nc
has about the Same degree Of privacy as =
white-aproned pancake turner m
Child's resNaurant window.
Never before have our American pris
been 50 handicapped in The highly impor-
tant business Of fascinating prospective
husbands Never before has II been 80
difficult 10 corner and capture an eligible
votInU man. For all the old reliable tricks
{
away By the housing shortage
Misc Tnfps. who used TO attract 50 many
| beatix yith the aid Of her mothers charm
ing little Sunday night suppefs, now has
| ~ ,nake the best Of two feet Of space M
the front hall. the dining-rOom being
| rented ia another family at the rate Oi
| eto0 n month. snd Miss Smith, who
nsed ~ he able TO whecdle proposal out
| az any man in the dim, pink-shaded
radiance Of the family parlort has NOW hao ?,
20 learn AN entirely new technique ior
doing the same thing in move tnea'is
NO rLAcE AT HOME.
II has come to the point where, unless ?
| family is rich, girl practically has 70 meet
| her boy friends outside her nome. ~
stcod IL sitting In the parlor with the light
| turned low. they are now forced 70 meet
| ii hotel lobbies, corner drug stores, parks,
| movies and cabarets, where there are al
WAYS many Interruptions 10 the SERIOUS
/ work in hand The experience oi sociai
workers shows that Cupid does not thrive
in s,icb conditions Often he is cruelty mis-
understood bv the police, and frequently
| he himself proves unreliable, with the re-
! s,iIt that thousands Of girls arc now hndmg
their romantic dreams ending IN unpieas-
ant affairs in the juvenile and women
courts
One of the leaders of the new movement
for city courting parlors is Miss Mary
Bartelne. chief Of the staff Of social work.
ersin the Chicago Juvenile Court.
II have been watching the vicissitudes
Of city courting for % years declared
Miss Bartelme recently IN discussing thls
novel project, and ! have listened - -
thousands Of girls tell their stories, how
they haupened 20 Ego wrong, why they
mo. Young men clandestIneiy outside
their homes, and what they would have
done had conditions been different And
am firmly convinced that the hous'ns
problern Is az the bottom Of most OF IN
cases that come 20 me.
what we need, continued the small
grev-haired lady. who knows so rnncn
about fallen feninity, 'is public courtine
narlotrs School boards should turn theil
buildings over To the Young folks. Churche'
should be open every night 20 help gira
entertain their friends.
Cities are building great mum icipa
garages to park automobiles 50 tney won
clutter I'D the streets. Department store
and theatres check babies 80 mothers car
be free So why not have q municipa
counting parlor where 2 girl can PARK hei
sweetie2"
The same view is held by a prominent
cIuhtvonnau here in New York who's
hobby is smoothing the path Of the work
ing glrl. She asserts that under presen
conditions the moving picture theatre
and dance halls are the only haven Tor TN
majority of counting couples 20 many o
the Young girls here IN New YORK eohl'
from small towns. she says, and they d'
not bring their families with them. ne
live In small rooms in crowded boradmI
:. houses. which seldom maintain pari0rs an
more where the boarders may snteFtan
their friends. The only place they ca
meet Young men IS in the street.
YoU CANT BLAME GERALDINE.
seThe other dav," the clubwoman toi
the reporter. "a mother came TO me yer
much worried becSuse her daughter, Wn
i only 10. had been seen 50 frequenti
with men in q rather notorious hotel IoOoy
She never thought Geraldine would tilrl
ont that. wav. She told me pathetleally.
tsTurn out what way" said indignant
lv Are YOU asking me 10 believe ths
Geraldine is a fool? II 50, can accom-
nodate YOU. | think that the child
taking the only course open TO her. / o
! both live in one room III boarding nous
and Il is not very attractive room az ina
Geraldine could not possibly entertain ne
friends there, and so she selects the mos
7 attractive background available to hel
: which Is the hotel around the corner.
! have seen her there myself talking non
: sense with that Columbia student who
: SO mad about her.
One of the worst results of this lack o
: courting facilities according 70 I'm
: woman. is the hasty marriage foun
! fofts. despairing Of having any privacy
; decide to get married and find place the.
: can call their own, she SAYS.
J and everybody knows what happen
: in too many hasty marriages, she added
I 'sThe courting parlor would, believe, M
( a tremendous burden from the dlvorc
I courts.
: Several New York apartment house
: have recently responded TO the reed 70
I some such Institution by equippiug an
I relegatirg portion of their lobbies for IN
I social diversions of their young tenants
One such apartment house in the Bron
I has a large reception room for THIS purpos
7 on the first floor, containir a taetiul mum
I Der of cosy corners, q tea table, and
I PLAYER piano and Victrola with large as
I softment of dance records.
: PUBLIC sPooSERIEs.
I There is also a woman's club, known a