Evening star., 1937-10-31
Iobs Made
Serving in
Homes
Bethesda Group
Stays With
Children.


= business is booming this fall in
Bethesda, Md, for five high school
girls who have solved the high school
students frequent problen-how to
increase her supply Of spending money.
The girls are banded together into
a sort of LET Us Spend the Evening
With Your Children Bureau"-which
offers to parents of young children the
presence of a responsible person in
their homes on evenings they wish to
make outside engagements.
COMPOSED of five representatives
three regular members and two substi-
tutes-the bureau has the obvious ad-
vantage of large enough personnel
to care for almost every call it re-
ceives.
Fees are still mater to be adjusted
between the customer and the young
lady employed during the evening,
though a sort of standard has been
established as result of the CO.
operation.
ORGANIZATION of the bureau is in
formal but its customers as well as
its members credit its success to the
feet that the service operates on
well-planned system
As its unofficial chief, the bureau
has 16-year-old Gladys Smith of 1921
old Georgetown road, who received
this position largely because her tele-
phone number is easy to remember,
according to her own explanation.
Gladys described the bureau as
something that "just sort of happened
last summer" when two of her friends
chanced to accompany her to the
home of a young married woman
whose children she had agreed to
watch over for an evening.
LAS a matter of fact, lot of girls
out here have been doing much the
same thing for several years" she said,
But that night--with the three OF us
torether-the idea came to us that we
could put our jobs on much more
husiness-like basis If we worked TO-
gether.
"Of course we need the money,
GLADYS who is pretty and fun-lovlng'
continued. IF you take part IN all tne
high school activities out here-Cames
and what motifs almost necessary 10
have q generous allowance.
"Now-thanks to our organization
we don't run the risk of losing any
business because We are unaole 10
accept every call we receive.
And our customers have the advan-
taee of knowing that reliable person
ia available If one Of us is unable 10
accept her job.
"It's nearly always possible, you see,
10 get one of the other four girls as
substitute, because. fortunately, were
not all the same age and don't all have
the same interests"
Besides Gladys. the bureau CONSISTS
Of two sisters-Nathalie and Agnes
Bingham, of 412 Georgetown road. 'Fne
substitute. members are Mary Jane
Anderson of 1909 Battery Lane, and
Molly Pilgren of Radnor and Maiden
Lane, who have their own customers
but who are glad to fill in when the
bureau needs an extra.
The duties of these young stuoeiats
IN the business of looking out for
youngsters are simple.
Usually we go about 1880 O'Clock,
put the children to bed at an early
hour, and study until the parents re-
turn" GLADYS explained. AL OF us
have children in our own families, so
We know how to manage them. And
our young charges don't give us any
trouble, because usually they are too
shy to be very mischievous around
people they don't know so well.
"Then, II we have a young baby
10 look after, we give it to the bottle
at feeding time and watch out TO see
that its kept comfortable. .
"On school nights We are seldom
asked to stay late, though on the
week end our hours are usually little
longer.
And, of course. we are paid &C.
cording to the length of time we stay.
Sometimes it's about so cents an
evening and in other cases as much
ss 81. 1t all depends on the job.
Another nice thing about our work
Is the fact that our customers, as a
rule, don't mind if several OF us go
on the same job. So, lots Of times,
we just get together at one house
and study together and nobody has
q chance to be lonesome"
We've never tried to advertise our
service" Gladys continued, but peo-
pie hear about us and we always have
several calls a week"
Gladys, herself, is unusually well
qualified to look after children since
she's one of family of nine-with
1--WE brothers and sisters younger than
she is.
"I guess / hold the record, so far
rs experience in looking after babies
is concerned" she laughed. But the
other girls know lots about 1t, too.
And u,o think nllr ioh is lots of fun"