The Washington times., 1924-10-25
COLLEGE Girls.
1--we FACTORY
LIFE
Live on $4,000 Week While
Making Experiment for
Y. M. C. "A.

E 4 Il ( 4 = Z I.
PHILADELPHIA, oct. 25.-As an
experiment in practical sociology
seven girl college students from the
South, daughters Of WelI-to-do fami'
lies, worked and lived as factory
girls here for six weeks this sum
ner and reported their experiences
TO the National Board Of the
x. w. G. A., for which they were
CHEERING data.
They helped to make candy
Irvine, chewing gum and envelopes
they worked hard; they lived In
cheap boarding houses, scrimpine
along on meager pay; they met with
all the problems and temptations Of
the girl making her living alone.
Before they returned to college
this fall they met and traded i'm
pressions. They had learned how
the other half lives.
I vt can't be done!" they agreed
with one voice.
They had learned q lot about the
moral tone of the factory girl, too
This opinion ranged from exceed
angly good to exceedingly bad, &C
cording to the individuality OF the
girl, but, also, it was in great
measure determined by the amount
Of money she earned.
investigators" Discard Finery.
II a girl had no money to spend
or recreation, they found, she was
more inclined to welcome the atten.
ton of man who would '::show
her a good time" "A
Three days after their, arrival
from the South, the college girls,
{ with finery discarded, had all found
Jobs and taken rooms in boarding
houses where the cost suited their
incomes.
The average weekly salary was
$13.S0, of which $7.57 went for
board and food. With other
essentials deducted, only $2.SS re-
manned for miscellaneous expenses,
which quickly was eaten up by
union dues and insurance. There
was no reserve for sickness or for
being thrown out of employment,
and. the girls found that most
factory workers were forced to hold
poorly paid positions because they
were unable to be out Of work for
even short periods of time and still
have enough for the bare necessities
Of life.
Living conditions, they observed,
varied from the fairly clean to un.
Qualifiedly inSanitary,
The daughters Of Southern
clergyman and large Inanufac-
turer were refused admittance to a
boarding place in the southwest
part Of Philadelphia on the ground
that, being factory workers, they
were undesirables.
The food In the boarding houses
was poor in quality and small in
quantity. The girls said they were
hungry most of the time, and they
had no friends to invite them out to
dinner.
Less Than 81 for Recreation.
The allowance for recreation was
less than a dollar a week, limiting
amusements to trips to the parks,
beaches, museums and libraries. An
occasional movie" was an extrava,
gance.
The daughter of. a bank presi.
dent was approached by an &C
Quaintance in a boarding house one
night. Say. how'd you like to &c
on a party to Willow Grove Park?'
the other girl asked. my man has
q friend who has fivver and
they'll take us. Did you ever have
. ride In a car? never did"
So the bank presidents daughter
went to Willow Grove Park riding
four In the seat Of roadster. She
reported she had the time Of her
life
It IL impossible. the investigators
learned, to meet men friends formal
". Most such acuuaintanceship
amone factory girls are made
casually.
The experimenters found that
working conditions varied greatly.
In most places the light and ventila-
ton were all that could be desired.
Medical attention and proper rest
rooms were often lacking. The
foremen in the factories were found
to be considerable, but the work,
which averaged eight hours q day,
was unceasing and fatiguing. The
girls came home at the end OF the
day utterly exhausted.
The girls who carried out the ex,
pertinent are Marguerite NJ. Beale,
Of the University of Georgia:
Raechal Grimsley. Of North Caro-
lima College for Women; Katherine
Lumpkin, Of Brenau; Marjorie Nc.
Coll, OF South Carolina, & student
ct wellesley; Margaret Ramsey, oi
Florida College; Inez T. Turner, OF
Florida State College, and Billie
Wilson, Of Virginia, who is study.
ing at Hollins.