Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1961-11-24
Lost Of a Series


Job, and a habit. She began
to feel increasingly sick. One
day she went to the clinic
at Bellevue. They made
X-rayS. Carmen had tuber-
culosis. They told her that
she was a menace to her
babies. She was I9 and she
was finished. Burned out.
She found that she was
not worth $40 a day to any
man. That much was neces-
sary-before food or shelter
for heroin. Most of the
women turn automatically
to prostitution, Just as the
men turn to burglary. She
found that her parents knew
the truth. So Carmen re-
manned away. She was at
one more croSSroadS-the
final one.
Someone said that men at
the Educational Alliance
were interested in helping
kids kick the habit. Carmen
knew about the "Edgies."
They were charitable Jews
who had opened the Educa-
tional Alliance at 1877 East
Broadway many years ago.
They wanted to help poor
Jewish immigrants.
In recent years, they had
opened their hearts and their
checkbooks to Puerto Ricans,
Negroes, Chinese, Causca-
sians-anybody who lived on
the East Side and needed
help. They operated on a
small budget-$800, 900 a year
furnished by the Jewish
Federation and they had put
game rooms, a dance floor,
pool tables and a gymnasium
in their building.
The poor, the hurt, the
sick came reluctantly. They
had to be coaxed. Carmen
thought about it for a long
time. Then she went there
and they arranged for her to
go to a city hospital. They
arranged for her infants to
get some care. They told her
to worry about nothing ex-
cept herself, because lots of
addicts check into a hospital,
but few remain cured. She
was going to need cast iron
CUTS to make the grade.
Carmen took the long
chance. She was put in q
ward with women who
seemed to be pathetically in
sane. Some moaned. Some
rocked. No one tapered Car
mems habit off gently. 1t
was a cold water cure.
She sustained the cramps,
the sweats, the horrifying
Nightmares, even an opera
ton for a resection of one
lung. and Carmen won her
fight. Or, rather, the first
battle.
It was a nine month
struggle. When she came out,
Larry Zicht of the Edges
met her. He told her that
her babies were fine. They
were with her mother. Her
parents now knew the whole
story, and they wanted her
to take q small flat over
their own.
Her father met her at the
door. They looked at each
other a moment. This time,
twas he who wept. He took
her in his arms and. in
Italian, he said: Welcome
to your home" Carmen was
20. 1t took time for her to
trust anyone enough to I'M
lock her heart. but the family
had patience.
Then she S aid she was
through with Garcia and got
a divorce. She also got a
job. Then she went to some
of the executives Of the
Edges and asked If she could
work part-time with them.
She wanted to talk to ad-
diets.
Carmen has been free Of
drugs four years. She has a
new husband.
ON THE GOOD DAYS, II
you walk the East Side, you
will see a young lady in a
windbreaker, talking to ad-
diets at Junkie's Corner. Her
speech is always the same:
II was on it, and I can tell
you that you can't kick it
by yourself. You have to go
to . hospital. I'll help you.
I'll stand by you. I won't
let them hurt you. But you
have to make the first move
yourself"
She was talking to Louis
that day. He listened politely,
and he smiled He is only
a boy, but he needs two
fixes a day. He won't do
anything, yet. He is learning
how to steal $50 a day.
Know what I'm doing
now?" Carmen said. I'm
talking to groups Of boys
and girls 10 years old. I'm
trying to warn them about
drugs before the pushers get
to them.