Newspapers / Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, … / Oct. 17, 1915, edition 1 / Page 14
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f - 11. 'ii::. ;; . i f i -f - T v. 3 1 : 3 . f : : '3 w m ! 5 1 - iff -f ' S 0 m m . f If.. I. p 1 a. "It- "iiJ-il . '- V'.t ! RULES OF GIRLS' COMMUNITY HOMES. Here are some facts about the community homes for girls, now be coming a national . movement. There is but one rule: "Be chari table in your speech about your fel low guests" the ether rules being formulated by the girls themselves. Each Miss has her own bed and place for her clothes. Everything has been done to re move anything that might give a "boarding house atmosphere.". . The girls pay an average of but $3 a week for clean rooms and excel lent board, and no girls making more than $10 a week are admitted. The girls dictate their, own menus: They sit four at a table. .Their. food is of the best. They , are allowed to do their washing in the basement. They have parlor with player pi ano and games, reading room and dining room in which to entertain guests. In the big flower-covered yard are trysting places between rose bushes, and spooning is encouraged, each girl being allowed to have as many callers as she desires and no restric tions placed on her as to her hours. By a Member of the New York Set tlement Workers' League. When systematic sociology was taken up in the United States for the first time, the most serious problem that confronted the workers was the girl who makes less than $8 a week. While in many states minimum wage laws were passed this did not materially clear the situation, as the minimum established averaged about $6 and no girl could comfor tably support herself on this sum. The social workers thereupon realized that the unmarried working giri was a problem to which they should devote their entire time to as it was manifest that she was sub jected to greater temptation than any class with which they had to deal. The idea presented itself of hav ing these girls band together in homes and in Y. W, C. A. quarters, but this met with only partial suc cess. The majority of girls refused to live in the homes and while the Y. W. C. A. homes have been, suc cessful still there are many girls who would not live in them. The girls beside wanting a home atmosphere also desired freedom from undue restraint as to the hours they , must keep and a place where they might entertain callers. Even the best of girls objected to the re ligious homes. While the majority of them were of some faith and often visited church on Sunday they ob jected to a sort of religious espion age that meant bed at 9 p. m., after night prayers. "They also demurred at censorship of their hours, beliefs,, habits, choice of young men escorts, etc. It was therefore apparent that to reach the young woman living alone in the world, some other plan must be adopted. NEW PLAN LAUNCHED. After years of experimenting along this line with but slight suc cess, a plan has just been "adopted that seems to solve all the objections of the girls and give them homes that they actually learn to love. In several cities charitable women have fitted up houses where the girls may live under their own rule at $3 a week for room and board. In St. Louis, one of the first cities to adopt this new plan, a three-story brick house with a large yard filled with roses, plants ; and shrubbery, was selected. The first day it was occupied by ten girls who left be hind them memories living some of them four in a room and eating where best they might. Expecting to find many hampering rules, the girls found but one be charitable in your speech about your fellow guests. A simple rule indeed, but one if enforced would spell suc cess for the home and prevent the small and petty quarrels that seem constant where a number of girls come together. The question of oth er rules and regulations was left entirely to the girls. In fact, they are a self-governing aggregation of young business women. There are seven bedrooms in the home, each with three or more win dows. Each girl has her individual bed and plenty of space for her pos session. But downstairs is where they found the greatest conveni ences, for three rooms are given over to their collective use. One is a parlor with a player-piano and many rolls of music. Another is the library , with a reading table, maga zines and books. The third is the dining room, where the girls sit four at a table. Each room is furnished neatly and harmoniously. Throughout the home everything has been done to get away from the boarding house idea. There1 is no "snooping" of a landlady about the halls ready to prey upon the girl who has an electric iron under her bed of the Miss who does her week' Reasonable Liberty Is Found In Institutions That Are Now Taking the Places of Dismal Boarding Houses The Rules Are Simple and the Charges Only $3.00 a Week to Girls Earning Less Than $10.00 Per Week A washing in the bathtub. There Is no one to scold the girl who comes home late and has to ring the door bell because she forgot her latch key. ' The girls are seated four at a ta ble, again to get away from the boarding house idea. Think of the' difference between having to rush to a long table where a dozen oth ers are seated, trying their best to eat everything in sight before you get there, and sitting comfortably at an individual table with three other girl companions. A REAL ATTRACTION. But here is the real attraction of the home the rul that should win any young girl's heart and make many desirous of living in such a home. The girls may have as many beaux as J.hey want to call on them at any . reasonable time they shall appoint. When the parlor fills, the late arrivals may sit in the library and if overflows others may have the dining room to themselves. But bet ter than all for love-making are the trysting places in the yard chaira placed between rosebushes, swings and benches. Of course, . the home believes In spooning. It is necessary and it leads to matrinmony. After all that the wJxcOa idea of the venture to jWSt keep the girl pure and innocent un til she is lead away by some desir able young man to her own home. And so love-making is encouraged, not by word of mouth, but by giv ing the girls broad privileges and arranging those handy little trysting places beneath the rose bushes. The settings are such that it seems that little D. Cupid himself had been per mitted to arrange this important part of the girl's home life. What could be more romantic than a pretty girl seated beneath a rose bush, the scent of the flowers, the beauty of the maiden and the soft rays of the moon inspiring love. It was a wise designer, that thought of such things as an adjunct of such a home a motherly woman that per haps some 30 or 40 years ago sat beneath the rose bushes on., some old-fashioned farm and heard the words of love. The trysting plan has worked suc cessfully, and the beaux of the cities have been attracted by the many de sirable features of this home. For every girl living in the city by her self, with parents either dead or far away, there is some lonesome young man, living alone in a rooming house and longing for such companionship as one may find with the sweet girls of these ; community homes. Aain-'thre is no harsh restric Missr JANB AODAM tion on the lovers. There is no land lady going about slamming doors and remarking that it is high time that young girls were abed, all be cause the light in the parlor is burn ing and the gas meter in the cellar is patiently recording the amount. IfO HARSH RESTRICTIONS. There is . also the absence of that bane of all romance little brother .Willie, who either sits in the parlor and. tells his sister's secrets or hides beneath the ..lawn bench and the next day uses, evidence obtained in this place of concealment in induc ing his sister into giving him a quar ter to go to the picture show. The majority of the girls living in these homes work in department stores and earn less than ?10 a week. In fact, girls making more than that amount are barred as it would be a wise investment for tbem to board at such a home and pay but $3 a week. The girls in the home may save by doing their own washing in the basement, which has been fitted up with all necessary ap pliances, including an electric wash ing machine and wringer. The food served in the girls home is of the best; for it is apparent that girls who work hard all day must be well nourished. Supplies are bought In quantities at wholesale prices il 5s t W r s Ll 5 9 S. ii Sf' W0 "a. I. K As MPS'- HELEN GOULD SHfPARD " The menu is changed daily and an attractive feature that distinguishes" ir06 from Warding houses is that the girls may dictate their own menus and have just what they want Could anything be more ideal than to be allowed to dictate in your boarding house just exactly what you desire to eat? ' Imagine how quickly the first council of girls at one of -these Sam Mmm Pa A- homes would place an eternal ban on prunes, rice pudding and cab bage. Imagine how quickly they would elevate fresh fruit and vege tables, ice cream and pies to honor places on, their menus. A sample breakfast menu at one of these new community homes is: cereal, egg any way you want it cooked; home-baked bread, coffee, tea or cocoa. For dinner, soup, one Ml 15 1 3 rNlRDl.NGEn? OF ST LOUIS' kind of meat, three kinds of vegeta bles and dessert. Sunday's dinner includes roast meats with dressing, mashed or baked or creamed new potatoes, salad, ice tea, coffee and ice cream. THE DAILY DIET. Sunday is a great day in one of these homes. One of the most at tractive features is that girls may -sleep as late as they want and then be. assured of getting breakfast. imagine living in a boarding house and loneine to sleep late, only to awakened and told that in 15 min utes breakfast will be over. Gener- . ally this call comes about 7 : 30. just when a maiden who has been at the dance the night before is longing for undisturbed rest. On arising the girls go to the kitchen and prepare their own breakfast. The big meal is served in the afternoon and the girls pre pare their own luncheon in tne even ing, the latter rule allowing tnem to eat when they are hungry. Tin r ins the summer months dances are held in the parlor to the music nf the nlaver Diano. while canay pullings . in the kitchen . are winter nmanppts A reading: club already has been formed by the girls and each night those who have not Deam calline. sit about in the library and sew while one of their number reads. Those who wish to write find plenty of material in the li brary. if- t Diikiv .ia tlio "mnther IS v,a .. imo tripd in St LOUIS, LlAVy AXifclb JLfcWAJv havine- been affectionately awarded that name by the girls. And Mrs. Burg is a real mother to the girls. Notice, she has the title of "Mrs. showing that she is qualified to man age the home, having the materia knowledge that will benefit tliesa girls. And to them she acts as a mother, not prying about and snooping- as might the proprietor of a boarding house, .but always loving and kind, keeping secrets m n heart and becoming confidential TOiVi Kzi mrls'ATllv whPH the OPP01''' tunity is offered by her confiaanis opening the conversation. Many ' a time she has an oppor ric thp bar boring bosom olf a mother. The gi" who has been censured by tne j walker, the Miss who has been J" Ad nr disannninted her hosorn Lilt BIU1 CUUUC 1U1 " i confidences and her most pleasatj LUCs UliUVUlbJ lui l,J-L , , And how proud she is or her b- tt :i i T a 1 h r m "Weil now ii yiectseg ubi uj see dressed and recognize the glance admiration in the eyes of hoy au" ers who call at the House. c the girls in buying materials making dresses, she aids in reir,. eling and keeping these dresses repair and she is in many was mother to them. . It is planned to. have many B such homes in big cities and tee thing now lacking is the arnow , x j. j r..,,-ch SUCH n t if oiinPOi1 ing on the small rental of ?3 a e paid by the girl bosrdaro. V - 1 ' " jf . It
Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
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Oct. 17, 1915, edition 1
14
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