Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-04-09

Some Of them intrust it to me
without being aware that they are
doing So" she laughed. Il am now
capable of frisking' a man almost
as expertly as a professional pick
pocket. and when / take care of
man who is drunk the first thing
do is to relieve him Of his money. 1t
Is quite easy. really, to do so without
his knowing it. 1 once took over
1890 from man In this way.
y X X
"OU1TE often, however. men ask
x me to take charge of their
money for them, but they usually
don't know when they do this" she
added with a smile ''or how much
am going to allow them a day."
"And how much do you allow
them?" l asked
About dollar" she said.
Miss Fisher didn't particularly
want to be interviewed. 1t is prob
able that she would have declined
fatty to talk about herself and her
work had 1t not been that there are
certain facts about the men OF the
American mercantile marine that she
considers should be better known to
their countrymen and also to their
countrywomsn. She thinks it we'll.
too, that Americans generally should
be made aware of the Importance of
the work on behalf of these men
which the "Y" Is now carrying on
throughout Europe.
II should like to get people at
home" she said, away from the old
fashioned idea that seamen are men
who are no good for anything else.
l doubt if among any other class OF
Americans you could find finer types
than you find today among the men
of our mercantile marine. They are
mostly boys from good homes and
high school graduates, and more than
few of them are following the sea
in order to earn the money to put them
through college.
Morally our men are far ahead Of
English seamen, and SO great is their
contempt for the latter than they
simply won't go to the so-called sea-
mems homes that exist in English
and other seaport towns. That is why
it is so essential that there should
be, not in only few, as at present.
but in every foreign port at which
our ships touch, hostels like this one"
And Miss Fisher glanced around at
the big. CHEEKY room in which we
were sitting-in the American "Y'' In
Liverpoors Withdrawals room with
a great, blazing. open fire. comfy
armchairs, a liberal supply of Ameri-
can periodicals and a full-siZed bill
Hard table.
"Our men are not angels" she went
on, "but their standards are entirely
different from those of British sea-
men. No matter how bad they are.
they respect women. 1 personally
have never had anything but courtesy
even from the toughest Of them.
Naturally. when they are away from
home they want to talk to girls. and
unfortunately it is the wrong type
that present themselves. The girls
! in the streets here are more to blame
than the men for such immortality as
| occurs, for it is the girls who give the
| invitation"
! X y
WHEREVER have gone in Liver
| pool I have heard tributes to
| the value Of the work which Miss
| Fisher, who had been a school teacher
before she came to England. in 1918,
and who did street patrol work in
London for the American "Y" before
she was sent here, is carrying on in
! this seaport. Part Of what the Amer
| lean consul said of her has already
] been quoted. Even more notable was
! the Testimonial" given her by the
| assistant head constable Of the Liver
pool police, L. D. L. Everett. with
| whom / had a talk at the headquar-
| tiers. in Dale street.
"It is impossible to speak too high
| ly Of Miss Fisher" he said. She is
| worth six policemen. The work she
Is doing is the more remarkable be-
| cause your men are very hard to han
die. American sailors don't drink as
| our British seamen do. The British
sailor drinks until he is 'stewed.' the
American just till he feels good. And
then he wants everybody to know
that he is an American and is match
for half a dozen Britishers and looks
around for a chance to prove it. How
Miss Fisher contrives to make your
men go as quietly as she does is a
perfect mystery to US here. Espe-
(, cially as she invariably refuses to
let us assist her in any way"
When I told Miss Fisher about this
| conversation she laughed. Yes" she
said, when one of our boys is drunk
| in Liverpool his one desire is to fight
a 'Limey'.'
! Meaning. I suppose. Lime street
| bobby" said the interviewer.
| mo-" said Miss Fisher. "Limey
| is the American sailors name for the
! British tar. British sailors, I under
stand. are given lime juice to drink
| aboard ship-hence the name our men
have coined for them. 1t is because
| our men feel such a contempt for
those of the British merchant navy
that nothing like companionship be-
tween them is possible"
X X X
T UNFORTUNATELY no American
" ship is locked at Liverpool at
present, so have no opportunity OF
hearing from the lips of Yankee sea.
men themselves of the affection and
respect which it is evident they one
and all feel for Miss Fisher. Before
| coming here, however, I had beer
privileged to read some few of the
thousands of grateful letters that have
been written to her by sailor men te
| whom she has proved friend in need
AVID olso eome If the still mora: an.