The Washington herald., 1921-08-29
The Msssr Masher.


wv AsHINGToN has more than it's share OF
w that newiy-Hedsed pest the motor masher.
From other cities come complaints Of auto ogiers
who tool slowly along thoroughfares making life
miserable for girl pedestrians after dark. but in the
Capital the matter appears to be more vexatious
than in most communities.
This phenomenon Is in some sense a corollary
of feminine emancipation. The growing independ.
ence of the fair is leading It to regard night
time escort more as ,pieasurable adjunct than q
sine qua non for trips abroad after the lamps are
lighted, as was the case not many years ago. Par
.ticuary is this true of Washington, where the tide
of war workers is ebbing but slowly, and where
there thousands Of girls who are forced to go
their ways alone because Of the preponderance Of
women men.
The methods of the motor masher are quite
simple. After the moving picture houses along F
and Ninth streets have disgorged their thousands
from the last show of the evening, he commences
cruising along the curb lines like soliciting hacker,
delivering invitations in low voice to any comely
and unaccompanied girls to Jump in for ride"
1t makes difference to this high type of citizen
that the vast majority Of the young women are
proceeding, eyes to the 'front.' towards street
homes He is emboldened in his pursuit because,
il the prospective victim tries to make trouble for
him. all he has to do is step the accelerator and
1t is common sight to see girls awaiting
trans busses approached not once but several
times during few minutes and not by one but
several mashers The latter mostly Of that class
aptly described as "cake eaters" but their vapdity
in wise lessons the oensveness of their actions.
Street flirting is thing that will cease
long mankind gathers in cities And it takes
quite moralist to descry any deep culpability in
man who engineers pickup" when egged on
by smiles glances and general attitude of reccp-
tivty-granting he is a man inclined to affairs of
the pavements. But the young women found on
street unescorted 90 out OF 100 times not at all
desrous Of engaging in so cheap form Of romance.
Therein lies the crying shame Of their being sub
jected to such tactcsand subjected they are nearly
sure to be every time they fare forth alone at
night.
The Bureau for Women's Work OF the police
department. since its inception, has proclaimed itself
champion of the unescorted girl 1t has en-
gagged in several crusades against mashing with
more or less success. But apparently it lacks the
numbers or the inclination to wage campaign
against this perncious and widespread form Of
ofensiveness.
The bureaus operatives should undertake de-
terminedly and Immediately to reduce motor mash
ing to the least possible proportions While most
of it results in no more harm to girls than damage
to their sense of sef-respect, it is not all so nnocu-
GUS, as unfortunate cases of attacks on some who
have accepted oy-rde invitations recently reported
to the police, amply prove.
For their part, the young women Of Washing
ton should resolve to brave undesirable publicity IN
a good cause, should appeal to an officer-on any
self-respectng man-if annoyed, should at least
try to secure the icensetag number OF the masher,
and should willingly appear in court to prosecute a
pest if the case goes that far.