Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-13
TRAVELLERS HELPED
AT DEPOT BY GROUP
Society Finds Lost Children,
Sends RunaWays Home and
Aids Troubled Ones.

Lost children, runaway girls and boys,
bewildered immigrants families without
funds and dozens of other situations re-
quiring assistance of some kind were
among the 23,557 cases handled at the
Union Station last year by the Trav-
elers' Aid Society of Washington.
These were part Of the 1,108,608 per-
sons given some sort of assistance by
Travellers Aid organizations throughout
the United States, according to COM
pilation just released by the National
Association of Travellers Aid Societies.
All the larger cities and many smaller
ones have a travellers Aid Society to-
day. Each organization works with all
the others.
Here in the city, in cases where chari-
table aid may be needed the Travelrs'
Aid, itself a member of the Community
Chest, refers to other chest agencies
that specialize in the kind of aid that
may be needed.
SIS Daily Average at Desk.
At Union Station, located near the
information" desk, there is a modest
desk behind which, every hour of the
"a. may be found a sympathetic woman,
wearing the inconspicuous badge of the
Travellers Aid Society. To this desk
come an average of about IS persons
daily, all seeking help.
One may be a homesick boy, away
from home and without funds to return.
He is fed and lodged, while the Trav-
elers' Aid gets In touch with the parents.
But all the cases do not come to the
desk. A kindly policeman, watching
over affairs at the station. may notice
a boy or girl in trouble. He reports to
the Travellers Aid desk and in a mo-
ment there is sympathetic woman
talking to the boy or girl, probing for
the cause Of the trouble, and offering
aid, which generally is thankfully &C
cepted.
Travellers Aid workers were instru-
mental in adjusting 40 family quarrels
here during the past year.
FundIess Ask Help.
Lack of funds is one of the most
common causes of trouble for travellers,
and 932 persons in this kind of diff
Guilty applied at the Travellers Aid desk
last year. Four hundred and twenty
eight persons were connected with rela-
tiveS or friends; / ,266 immigrants help
ed on their way in q new world; 1858
children under Is travelling alone were
given friendly advice or assistance, and
Is deportation cases handled.
Travellers Aid Societies are the out
ers which probably had its inception
in 1851 when Bryan Mullanphy Of St.
Louis, left large endowment for the
purpose Of assisting those travelling
West" during the gold rush."
In 1885, the Society of Friends in
New York City put paid workers among
travellers and about this time the
Women's Bible Society employed two
workers.
In 1883, the Chicago Y. w. C. A..
organized travellers aid service and in
1893, the first exhibit of the work was
given at the Worlds Fair.
U. S. Group Formed in 1917.
In 1904, the first non-sectarian COM
mittee for the travellers aid service
grew out of plans for the st. Louis Ex-
position, followed by committee COM
posed of Protestant, Catholic and
Jewish women, which was organized
by Miss Grace Dodge. This was the
beginning of the first non-sectarian,
non-commercial Travellers Aid Society
Of New York City. A national associa-
ton was formed In 1917.
A staff of eight women attends to
the business of the Travellers Aid So
ciety in washington. Mrs. Margaret
Ford Is executive secretary, with Miss
Beatrice Hodgson as her assistant. Miss
Frances Boland is ONCE secretary. The
station workers are Mrs. Irma Moon
Miss Edna Schneider, Miss Julia
Slaughter, Mrs. Marguerite Lathrop and
Miss Marjorie Johns.
Oficers of the local society are Mrs
Heroert Hoover, honorary president
Arthur C. Moses, president; Mrs. Johr
A. Kratz, vice president; Mrs. Charles
d. Walcott, secretary; John B. Larner
treasurer.
Directors are Mrs. z. J. Brennan
Mrs. Edgar Brown, j. Leo Kolb, Mrs
John A. Kratz, John B. Larner, Arthur
c. Moses, Theodore p. Noyes, Rev. 2
B. Phillips, C. Melvin Sharpe, Rabb
Abram Simon, Mrs. Harlan F. Stone
Mrs. Charles D. Walcott, Mrs. Herbert
c. Woolley and Mrs. James 3. Wool.
nough.
The service committee consists o.
Mrs. James B. Woolnough, chairman
Mrs. George Parker, Mrs. Mathew
Thomlinson, Mrs. J. C. Magee, Mrs. w
F. Morrison, Mrs. II. A. Flint Mrs. r
S. Parrot and Mrs. E. j. Brennan.
A movement has been started in Lon
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