Evening star., 1921-01-23

MRS. WALLING VAN RIPPER, Or
CANNING AND EXECUTIVE SEC
REFARY OF THE TRAVELLERS AID
SOCIETY.
her life to religious service. In part,
she said. know now I was foolish to
run away from home, but l am glad my
steps were guided to Washington
While this girl was being looked
after our attention was drawn to the
actions Of man who approached two
girls waiting for trains. He was or
dered out of the station after the first
instance, but came back later by an
other door and sat down beside another
versation. This time the case was re-
ported to the police and the man taken
to detention room. Two of the girls
were summoned. Both denied any
knowledge of the man. though he in
sisted he had met one in New York and
proved that they had never been in the
cities mentioned and the man was locked
up. Police Investigation proved that he
was wanted on two charges.
But girls are only part OF our
problem. Here is record of just an
and is. no doubt, just what you are
seeking as far as the diversity of
difficulties go.
"From to am. we looked after
twenty-one foreigners, placed them
on trains going south or west. They
had arrived in this country the pre-
vious day, And, by the way, foreign
travellers are a daily occurrence, az
have from ten to forty OF all ma
tionalities. all Of them Just landed
and on their way to places of en-
ployment on farms or in cities of the
south and west.
washington, you know, is one OF
the most important points Of transfer
in the United States. We are fortu-
nate in having employees In the sta
ton who speak almost every language.
This helps US, as foreigners are de-
lighted when they hear their own lam
euage and it inspires them with con-
tidence in the ones who are assisting
them.
Next, that morning. we had SIX
year-old boy to look after. His moth
er had sent him to Washington to
visit his grandmother and forgot to
give him her address, 80 we cared for
the little chap until the information
arrived, when he was taken to his
destination.
"About the same time our attention
was needed for a disabled soldier from
Walter Reed Hospital going home for
a visit, the first in three years. We
secured a porter with a wheel chair
to take him to the train. and wired
the Travellers Aid in Richmond, Va.
to meet and assist him when he
changed cars.
.The next train brought a girl Of
sixteen who became very i'll at the
station. A physician was secured, and
as it was acute appendicitis, she was
notified.
Then along came boy of nineteen
who asked our advice. He had left
New York on the death of his mother
and had worked as mechanic In the
middle west until. homesick for the
old surroundings, he bought a ticket
to Washington and arrived here pen
niless We provided lunch and
sent him to the Gospel Mission, where
they secured employment for him and
gave him shelter.
That same day we met and cared
san Francisco from New York. We
put her on the train and wired our
worker in Chicago to meet and as
sist her across the CITY,"
"Wedding parties in trouble?" Mrs.
Van Ripper laughed at the question.
Eyes, we had one that particular day.
A young couple from the rural dis
tricts came to Washington to be mar
ried. Their train was seven hours
late and they arrived in the city
after the license bureau had closed.
On the train they had made tho ac-
ouaintance Of an individual who was
bent upon plotting them to a place
Of his own selection. Our worker,
however, recognising his type, per-
suaded the young people to trust
themselves to her care and the young
man was sent to an inexpensive hotel
and the girl taken to the home of
a woman interested in Travellers Aid
work. The following day they were
escorted to the license bureau and
then to q minister.
howard the close Of this ordinary
day in our work we had a runaway
girl whom we located and later sent
to her home in Wisconsin. and also
nervous and excited old lady came to
us. She had expected her relatives
to meet her, did not have their ad-
dress and could not even remember
the number or street on which her
niece was living, nor could she re-
member her nephew's first name. Aft
er we had gotten her Gained down
q little SO that we could question her,
she finally remembered that in her
trunk she had letters from this niece.
Through the assistance Of the bag
gage master we located the trunk
and on one Of the letters the much
needed address was found. We COM
municated with the family and in
a short time the old lady was turned
over to them.
''This day was not unusuai-just
typical of every day. Sometimes
there is more of pathos and other
days more of the amusing. and often
in cleaning away the dilemma we are
able to- help in the working out Of
really big problems that mean life
long happiness. as in the case of a
little child returning to her father
in San Francisco after spending six
months in Washington with her
mother. as the divorce court had de-
creed she should. After the child
q arrived the father aAnt n 0atA of