Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-03-11
HELPING HELPLESS GIRLS
Women in League In. il New York to
Aid Their Sex.
ILLUSTRATIONS ARE HERE GIVEN
Girls Service IEeague is Dedicated to
Aid and Protection: Of Those Who
Work-A Most Worthy orsaniza-
BY, Frederick J.. Haskin.

. . J
9.;i,...s. BY, Frederick J.. Haskin. -.
New, York City, March 3.-There
still exists today arpopular -supersti-
tion that:rwpmen are traitors to their
own sex, that they fight a petty, guer-
lila warfare among themselves, and
that when a woman is down and out
it:,is invariably, a maniwho, comes
nobly, and disintercstealy to her res
cie:i y. ..dl ~ :n.,.;. :. ,.-, =. ...,..
This may be true in some places,
especially in themasculine mind, but
IL isn't 50 in New York. Here We
men for Women" is a popular slogan
in the business and industrial worlds,
and the city isl. filled with feminine
clubs and societies whose sole object
is, the assistance Of promotion of their
own sex. u.s.,
One Of the most interesting Of those
is. an organization of working girls.
known as the Girls. Service league,
which is dedicated. to the. aid and pro-
lection of girls who work. Every girl
ON its membership list is constantly
on the lookout afor girls of distress or
unhappiness among .herJ frieT:ds and
acquaintances. When Laura, the
landlady's daughter, suddenly falls In
to- deep depression,n or: when Katie
comes, to the factory with eyes red
from wecping,,: the G. S. L. member
does not remain an innocent bystand-
er Usually she puts q tactful arm
around Laura :. or Katie, and says:
's.Say, kid, If there's. anything, wrong,
come on UP, to- the club and talk 1t
over with out secretary" 'o
The league has two -aclubhouses in
different sections. Of the city, each
possessing "a free dormitory of some
twelve or fifteen beds, and an employ
ment agency. Girls. who are stranded
in New York are welcome to the clubs
hospitality at any time of the. day or
night. Girls rescued from various
dan5efy and fdelipquencies 'by social
workers; sof: tic! New York Probation
and Protective association are also
taken in at, the clubhouses. Those who
need medical care are sent to hospi-
tai OF clinic; = those who are out OF
work are found Jobs, through the club
employment agencies;i.,. and Others
whose. conditions' demand it, are sent
to a onvalescent! home in the country,
The leagues iclubrooms are large
and cheerful t25YiEh; bookcases full of
good books; a, piano and Victrola, and
many games, including parcheesi and
checkers. The girls are; privileged to-
entertain sthelr Young men friends
here on several nights a week, while
every Saturday night club dance IS
given. Lectures on health and thrift
and working conditions also take place
every so. ,oftea,S to which parents as
well as the gtkls' are often invited
The objects of the league. al set
forth in it's constitution, are as fol-
lows. !; To. protect girls from moral
danger To promote moral education.
To. encourage right thinking and clean
conversation. | tTo improve conditions
of work for girls. To secure whole
some recreation for girls. To stimu-
late faith in the possibilities of life.
Every member is pledged to be-
friend lonely girls in the city and
those who are living apart from their
families, and to report girls in need
of help; or bad conditions in places
where they. live. or work, or find their
recreation. She, is also required to
study the laws relating to health. lab
or, recreation and protection, and to
report violations of these laws. Girls
are also encouraged to make suggest
ions for -,improyinEytheSe laws OF for
securing better enforcement of them.
..;..s T.: Some Examples. ,..
And to all these things the growing
membership list of the league sub
scribcs most earnestly, as few re-
cent instances will indicate.
There is the case of Alverta, who
even now, is being supported by the
C1uD. AlSGIId 10 oilc VI a AoIliAiS -
ten. children ,who were very much re-
sented by their stepsfather. The little
Long Island cabin where the family
lived was most inadequate also' so
that on the day that Alverta became
sixteen she left and came to New
York. Here she secured a job in a
factory and "a tiny room in miser-
able boarding house. Although she
lived but scantily; her wages could not
be made to stretch over the entire
week. Always, there was one night
she had to go without dinner.
On one Of these impoverished even
ings as she was coming home from
work, she met another roomer in the
house, a spaniaSd.s:: The man took the
lean pocketbook. out Of her hard, and
orened it.
only three pennies" he said. "This
must be the night"you do not dine
unless you: goto dinner with me-"
Alverta. went. so much Alverta con-
fidcd TO the club director herself. The
rest of her story was filled in by Cam
lila, young Spanish girl, who came
to the club one evening and requested
help for Alverta.. ;It seemed that af-
ter a few months the Spaniard had