Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 7, 1909)
T THE SUNDAY OREGOyiAy, PORTLAND, XOTE3IBEE 7, 1909. HUNTING. A W mMflM) HISS BO&Dlf HAPPY ExPEGIEnCE. AT'TW YOUSMG WGA&S J CrmiSTIAN A WD Ti1 CiTTJ FREE. EMPLOYMENT BUREAU. 0xt Sunday Bond will relate her axperienee at private employment agencies In Portland. Clearly, come of these concern are pitfalls.) ET EDITH M. BOND. FfcJW peopie realize much leas appre ciate the) good work done by the Young Women'! Christian Associa tion In a city like Portland. Although tnore or less familiar with the operations tf this organization In other cities, I must confess that until my Portland experi ence I had never realized the full meas ure of good deeds being dally per formed by this body of earnest women who devote much of their time and money lor the benefit of their less fortunate sis ters. The "T. W.." as it is affectionately termed by Its members, never closes Its hospitable doors; day and night It stands ready to receive homeless and friendless women who are in need of Its attention. In addition to the many branches of its routine work. the institution has a spe cial representative in the person of the night matron at the Union Station, who lias through her tact, common sense and isterllness set the erring feet of many fcelpiess and hopeless girls into the right path. I entered the doorway prepared for a more or less officious greeting the usual stiff formality of cross-questioning. Searching glances and patronizing man nerisms too frequently encountered in In stitutions of this character. I had even mentally pictured a sharp-faced female presiding over a businesslike looking deFk, whose probing orbs .and pointed queries would seek to discover whether or no I Iwas an Impostor: an elderly maiden ac tuated by a Christian-duty desire to be friend a needy sister, with that need and worthiness clearly evident, yet withhold ing any cordial advances until the Inquisi tion should prove the applicant's right to lavor. And right her I met my first real disappointment. There were several refined-looking wo men In the office each a secretary, as I afterward learned and awaiting my turn I discovered that these women were at tending to the wants of a number of oth er visitors like myself, with tactful pa tience and evident cordiality that aroused rny sincere admiration. 3ood morning. The pleasant greeting startled me out bf my reverie, and I turned to encounter bright-faced little woman with a smile piat fairly radiated sunshine. The matron at the depot," I began awkwardly, "told me to come up here. I m a stranger Just arrived In the city, and I want to find a place to stay until I can get work." "Oh. yes." she said encouragingly. 'And what Is your name, please?" 1 told her. and supplemented the infor mation with my brief story, all the while conscious of a kind but searching scru- Talk With Emmeline Pankhurst Ruth Cameron Describes the Motherly Woman, Twice a Jailbird, Who Has Aroused Militant Spirti. BY RUTH CAMERON. ! TRAVELED many miles the other day to meet a woman who has twice served her terms In prison, and over whom at this very moment a third sen tence hangs-a Jau bird. I suppose you might call her. What do you think of that? And the Jail bird who was worth going bo far to see. as doubtless those of my readers who are interested In the wom an s suffrage cause have already guessed, was Mrs. Kmmeline Pankhurst, the first and foremost of the famous English mili tant suffrage party the woman who has been turning Kngland upside down and making its Prime Minister s life a burden by her efforts to get the right to vote for English women. Whether you are a believer In woman s auffrage or not. I am sure you will be interested to meet through me a woman who believes In her cause so thoroughly that she has not only gladly gone to prison for the sake of It, but also has inspired many other prominent lumjhsh jsromen to do the same. When you read the cabled reports of airs. Pankhurst as leading a tremendous crowd of S0.w people in a wild attempt to rush the House of Commons and pre sent a suffrage petition, or as being dragged eut of a political meeting for try ing to ask the speaker if he believed In woman's suffrage, or as being lugged off to Jail by a squad of burly policemen, 5-ou probably think of a hard-featured kjnazon moot likely with short hair and cowhide boots don't you? I did. Imagine my surprise then when I found at the New York Women's University Club, where I met her, a slender little weet-faced woman with beautiful gray hair that really crinkled the way it does In the picture, gray eyes with crinkly lights in them that no picture could pos sibly show, and a general air very much more motherly than militant. Naturally, the stories that she told of what the women in England have done under her leadership to get the right to vote for women seemed the more start ling as coming from this sweet person ality. in the first place. Mrs. Pankhurst ex plained to me the question that so many people want answered why the women of England thought it necessary to re sort to such very unique methftoS. "For about 50 years women la England have been trying to get a bill to give women the right to vote, before the Eng lish Parliament." she said. "To do this it was necessary to get the Prime Min ister and the Cabinet to take the) neces sary steps to let the bill come to a vote. Thev tried to do this, but were refused, on the ground that ail the time of Par liament was pre-empted for more impor tant matters, and that woman suffrage, though undeniably Just, was not yet a Question of practical politics. T&ea-samo oX tha women, went to ex- ASSOCIATION tiny that seemed to be weighing he In the balance. Apparently I was not found wanting, for after a few questions I was passed on to the matron, who arranged to have me remain that night In the spe cial dormitory' provided for such tran sient guests as I. who are glad indeed to 'secure a clean cot bed with snowy linen, and safe protection, for the small sum of 35 cents. But employment was the main object of my mission, and mindful of this fact I soon sough out the office where this very Important branch of the T. W. C. A. work Is carried on. It Is situated on the second floor of the building, and as I waited for my Interview with the sec retary I noted several other girls obvious ly bound on the same errand. In conver sation with one of these, a young Jewish girl. I learned more of the good work being done by the Institution. My Inform ant was a Portland young lady of good family, I should infer, and she told mo her only reason for wanting employment was to be independent. "I want to have money of my own to spend as I like," she said. "Papa buys my clothes, of course, but he never seems to think I need any money." Just the time-honored excuse offered bygirls who elect to earn their own living in prefer ence to the humdrum monotony of house hold tasks. . The employment secretary, to whose presence I was shortly admitted, of fered me much good advice and friend ly warning, bnt little else. She was a well bred woman, as was evidenced by the utter absence of any trace of patronage on her part, and the gentle tact with which she drew fdfth the de tails of my story. "Just what kind of work would you like?" she asked. "Almost any kind except general housework," was my answer. "I have had no experience of any sort except in teaching a few terms In a country school." This latter information seemed to give her an inspiration, and aha picked up a letter from her desk. "Here is Just what you would like," she said, smilingly, "a lady at Hood River wants a nursery governess who can teach mnsio and take care of two young children, and it appears to me that this is the very thing for you. Twenty-five dollars a month and board; you could not hope to' make as much at any sort of office or store work, and a good home would be as sured you." I hesitated. "But I can't teach music, and I don't want to leave Port land." I said. "Have you no places in stores or as office assistants?" She shook her head thoughtfully. "Such positions are very seldom se cured In this wcy." she replied. "The applicant must present herself" at the place of business and be engaged dl- Premier Balfour, who Is a suffragist, and asked him liow they could make it a question of practical politics. " 'Kick up a row." answered the states man laconically. Try first one way and then another. As soon as the public gets used to one way, invent another.' "The women remembered the remark of a distinguished Englishman, that re forms never get put through in England till the people begin to tear down the park railings, and they decided that the ex-Premlerxras right. They acted on his advice In a way that doubtless astonished him." "Well, iwhat did they do then? What was the first really militant thing done in England?" I asked eagerly. Mrs. Pankhurst remembers that all too well. She told It with a fullness of dramtic detail that I have not space to give com pletely. The skeleton of the story Is this: A political meeting, at which one of the liberal candidates for office was to speak was the occasion chosen for the first demonstration. The women decided that the form of the demonstration was to take was that two of their number should get up and ask the Liberal candidate what he proposed to do In the matter of woman's suffrage. Annie Kenney, a working girl, and Christobel Pankhurst. Mrs. Pankhurst's Miss Christobel Fankhnrst. - '' ' A I 3 I - I Ei - 'V II I IWI IL1 -1 recti y by the employer. Besides there seems to be a dearth of such Jobs at present, while the demand for domestio help is greater than ever. I have six good situations here now. Tou could not possibly make enough at clerking as a beginner to pay for your board and room, while in a position as a do mestic that Important feature" would be assured you, at least." "But I have to references,' I ven tured. She Bmiled sympathetically. "They amount to very little nowadays in this oldest daughter, who was at that time studying law, were chosen to do the deed. After the speaker had finished his speech they stood up and tried to ask the question. They were requested to put it on paper and did so, and it was sent up to the speaker. They waited for an answer. Several questions put from the floor were answered, and several wrttten on paper like theirs. They waited and waited, until finally the speaker rose to go, and then, seeing that he intended to pay no attention to them, the two girls got up and tried to put their question from the floor. They were' promptly and roughly dragged out by the officers. Outside a crowd gathered and the girls stopped to explain their object. The next day they were arrested on a charge corresponding to our charge of blocking the traffic, and sentenced to several days in prison. "And how do you think I felt?" said Mrs. Pankhurst, the blood rising to her cheeks at the very recollection. "You have heard people say that we did things for notoriety. Do you think I enjoyed havingTny daughter in prison and some of my oldest friends cutting me dead on the streets for that's what they did. Do you think any woman would have gone through that for notoriety?" That was the only time Mrs. Pank hurst showed the slightest sign of weak- -Photo Copyrisht by George Grantham Bain. Mrs. Paokbunt. a, . t h.1 i :wnri m it i hi (j .v. I I sort of employment. One's face Is often one's best recommendation, and I am certain you would have no trouble in getting a good situation. The diffi culty is that so many applicants now are so- woefully Incompetent." I murmured my thanks and took my departure, Miss B. assuring me that she would offer me the first opportun ity that presented itself. Down stairs my cheery little friend of an hour before again approached me and smilingly said: ness in speaking of anything she had undergone for her beloved cause. Of her own Imprisonment she spoke with entire indifference. She has been imprisoned twice once for heading a dep utation of 13 women to the House of Com mons and the other time for putting up poBters inviting people to come and help the suffragists "rush" the House of Com mons. Both times her health was so del icate that she spent all of the terms in the hospital ward of the prison. A sentence suspended until a legal point can be decided is even now hang ing over her head. "And aren't you terribly afraid it will be decided the wrong way and that you will have to go to Jail again?" I asked. "Why. no," she said, "It can't be de cided wrong. Either way will help the causa. If we win our point that means that all the others have been imprisoned unjustly. And if they decide against us, we" that means Mrs. Pankhurst and 90 other women, also under arrest "will go to prison and protest by the hunger strike." The hunger strike be It explained to any one who Is not familiar with that term is a peculiar method of protest that some of the suffragettes have put into practice. Considering themselves unjustly im prisoned, numbers of them tave simply refused to eat. One woman fasted six days and five hours. When the women reached a dangerous state they were freed. Lately, however, the government has taken to feeding the strikers with a stomach pump that is, to pumping the food down their throats. This method has been known to result fatally and Its use has 'caused a storm of protest In England which was, of course, exactly what the suffragettes wanted. If, on her return to England, the court decides against her. and Mrs. Pankhurst goes to prison, she, too, will refuse to eat, and will probably be fed In this dangerous way. On only one suffrage question does Mrs. Pankhurst refuse to speak. She absolutely refuses to give any advice as to the way the suffrage campaign should be conducted in America. "Why, that would be as impertinent as if I went Into another woman's kitch en and gave her advice," she said. "I only came over here to tell you how we have dona it. not how yon should do it Conditions are different and you know that far better than I." As the great "Votes for Women" lady finally rose to terminate the interview, I put one last question. ' "What war the hardest thing you ever did for woman's suffrage?" I asked. She looked at me in thoughtful won derment for a moment, and then this worn ax who " has undergone danger and suffered imprisonment, .who has dedicated her strength and given her fortune for the ca'ise of woman's suffraga, said simply. 3ut I never did anything hard tor woman's TCffrage. The only hard thing would be not to- be able to work for it." Doesn't that sentence help to explain why this Mrs. Pankhurst has the power to fire thousands of women to do any thing for the cause she loves? iOoprrigh 1 fcjn fgrU Cameron "What success-' "None," I replied, forlornly. "Well, cheer up," she said. "Port land Is full of opportunities for bright girls, and remember that you are al ways welcome here when you need ad vice or encouragement." Asking my name which she had not done up to this time she told me hers, and then introduced me to several of her colleagues. Later ske showed me over the first floor of the building, ex plaining its many delightful features. "Come In tonight. Misa Bond," she Good Old It Cost More to Turners Falls (Mass) Reporter. EVERY other minute comebody pops up to tell us how much .more it costs to live nowadays than It did, say, JO or 25 years ago. "They" say It takes all a man can earn to keep soul and body together, and there is no Joy in living. These earnest complainers can back up their statements by such solid and uncon trovertible arguments as pork, 20 cents a pound; eggs, 40 cents a dozen; butter, 40 copper bits for a scant IS ounces; milk, eight or more cents a quart; beef steak, as high as the marketman'a conscience allows him to charge. When it comes to clothing, millinery and shoes, the ex hibits in the case are equally Impressive. Granting the truth of these assertions the fact remains that the reason it is so hard for the average man to keep his head above water is because what were once considered luxuries are now counted stern necessities, and the cause for the general run of married men's early silvering or loss of their hirsute adornments is the struggle to maintain their families In the extravagant manner they have acquired. If people were con tent in this year of grace with what they used to offer family prayers over three times a day not a few householders might be able to lay up a quantity, of shekels against a rainy day, Instead of growing stooped, cranky and decrepit over the necessity of cashing drafts on the bank of futurity, which, as we all know, de mands usurious rates of Interest In the old days families thrived, flour ished and attained honor, fame, dollars, contentment, comiort and respect on a simple diet composed largely of such highly filling but cheap articles as beans, commeal mush, oatmeal porridge, soups, bread, potatoes, pork, fish, pot- roasts, stews and a host of other savory eat ables which were low In price, but re quired more skill and time to prepare properly than the modern housewife cares to give. Are we satisfied with such a diet now? No, sir, never. Now we turn up our noses at anything less than sirloins, ice cream, mushrooms, etc We demand fruits and vegetables, not in sea son! when . plenty and cheap then we don't want them but out of season when it takes a conroissetfr to tell the dif ference between a strawberry and to mato If eaten without the evidence of the eyes then it is we insist upon having them, and we pay the piper accordingly. No wonder -the grocery bills for a family make the man of the house grow pale round the gills! In between times we must consume 60-cent-a -pound chocolates, and ice creams, sundaes and sodas. Why marvel that-it costs much money to keep our internal apparatus in such a stats that we inevitably cultivate the fashion able diseases of appendicitis, adenoids and so on? The high prices of food would not trouble us were we content to sub sist as our good old granddaddies were. jCtfl-eeuraa, r at -not content to 4-thJa , said finally. "We have an informal social then, and I should be glad to introduce you to some of our girls. Never mind if you are not a member; you soon will be, I hope, and I shouldn't wonder if you might turn out one of our very best workers. Good bye; don't forget tonight." And with a last friendly smile she dismissed me in order to greet some new arrivals who claimed her- attention. As I left -the building I felt for the moment rather ashamed of myself for the deception I was unwittingly prac ticing upon these good folks, who were so conscientious in living up to their mttto of "noblesse oblige." Not once had they made me feel conscious of my shabby attire or unprepossessing per sonality, although I felt certain that no detail of either had escaped them. Now that my perfidy la revealed. I hope they may be Induced to believe that in this case the end Justified the means. Miss B. had mentioned the city's free employment bureau, and, -purred pn by my dogged, determination to secure a Job before night, I decided to test its worth. Procuring; a directory in a nearby drugstore, I found the location of this agency, and also of several oth ers. My onward march was resumed, and after some delay I was soon stand ing in the office of the city's free em ployment bureau on Madison street. "Tou have had no practical experi ence except a few months of teaching, and you wish a Job at once?" My questioner was studying me frankly, but as I was becoming used to this part of the performance by now. Days and the Present Live in 1909 Than It Did in 1809, But It's Worth It. and nobody wants to give up the nres-ent-day fleshpots and go back to the old times, but having decided that we want the good things of this present day, let us -pay for the said blessings cheerfully and let It go at that. "Better 50 years 'of Europe than a cycle of Cathay." Is it not so? Unless we are ready to go back to wearing clothes such as the makers of history did, it were wiser not to harp so much on the matter of cost. Years ago a man got a new suit when he needed it and wore it Summer and Winter till it simply refused to longer hang together. Now he has to get a suit for business, one for around the house, formal oc casions, informal occasions, vacation. Spring, Summer, Pall and Winter and the Lord knows what all. Certainly the Gibson man of today is a decidedly bet ter looking specimen than was his an cestor of homespuns and hobnail boots, and is much pleasanter to contemplate, but. you can't put on style without pay ing for It, and as long as we must have fur-belows what is the sense of com plaining because one can't get them by the simple act of wishing ; In women's clothes the difference be tween then and now Is so very marked that no odious comparisons need be made. It costs much more to keep the modern women in hair rats, massage creams, perfumery, etc., than it did to clothe, shoe, hat and glove her grandmother, and' she Is a decidely expensive, albeit a charming luxury. "Needles and pins, needles and pins, when a man marries, his financial troubles begin," for It costs all he can rake and scrape to keep his wife looking as well as the other ladies on her visiting list, and even then he Is probably reminded at least once a day that she "hasn't a single decent thing to wear." The same is trus with the children. Nobody short of a millionaire has any business to raise-children. They cost a big fortune, every one of them, and race suicide has a very tangible and reasonable excuse for being. And so it goes throughout the whole scale of existence. Who wants to bother with firewood, washtubs, kerosene lamps, wells, .etc., nowadays? Now the poorest day laborer revels in electricity, steam best, marbled tile bathrooms, hot and cold water apparatus, shower baths, washing machines, etc. You can't have these things on air, and If you spend money on tLem there Is so much less to hoard, naturally. Now we have lace curtains, oriental rugs, diamond rings, automobiles and all the train of goods and chattels that make life worth liv ingand accordingly expensive. We have to maintain bungalows and motor boats, take long vacations and go abroad for our health. We have regular appoint ments with the dentist, the doctor, the masseuse, the dancing master and all the other institutions which add to our knowledge and appearance and well be ing, if not to our happiness. We do habitually, things which I did not flinch as I answered In the affirmative. "Can you cook?" "Not enough for a household Job." "Waitress?" I shook my head doubtfully. "Nothing In the way of clerking or of- . flee work?" I asked. "Oh, no," she replied. "We have few calls for such positions. People who want clerks and office assistants, never go to the employment agencies for them. The applicant must apply personally at the place of business." She surveyed me again, meditatively. "What about a place as companion and maid to an Invalid lady?" she Inquired. "I know of Just such a Job. The lady is much alone, and there are no children." . Visions of gruel, sponge baths and sick room odors passed before me In chilling procession and I shook my head decidedly. "No place as nursery governess?" I asked. "I love little .children and could teach them, I know." This suggestion brought a quick smile of recollection to her kindly face and Il luminated it with a light of happy in spiration. "Why didn't I think of it," she said quickly. "Why, 'It fits your case to a T," and she began running over her address book with nervous haste, mur muring softly to herself as she endeav ored to recall something. I didn't quite understand it all, but patience is my forte and I waited until she was pleased to en lighten me. ' "It was last week," she said thought fully. "A gentleman for whose family I had recently found a waitress was in here and wanted to secure a nurse for the children of a friend of his. As I remem ber it, there were three children, and the girl was to have ' entire charge of them. Seems to me the salary was $30 and board. Ah, here it is, but I can't remember what the friend's address was." A moment's reflection; then the phone was called Into use, and soon I was hear ing my character and general qualifica tions as they appeared to my new-found benefactress proclaimed to the lady at the other end of the line. It was embar rassing but Intensely amusing, and it seemed to arouse the contemptuous wrath of two waiting visitors, brave with Jew elry and nodding plumes. They bore the unmistakable stamp of the Vkitchen me chanic," but the fact that what they scented as a good Job was being wasted on such a verdant fright as I appeared to be was too much for their self-control, and muttered expletives of "mutt," and "lobster" and "green guy" plainly indi cated the state of their feelings. "Yes, I'll send her right up. You'll like her, I'm certain." The agent hung up the receiver and beckoned me to the desk. "Here's the address," Bhe said cor dially, "and here's a slip of Identification. If you accept the place your employer will notify us; If you do not take it, you must ask her sign this paper and return it to me. I have another place In pros pect for you if this doesn't prove what you want." She "waived aside thanks with a pleasant smile and turned to ap pease the rising wrath of the two be spangled females. It was noon when' I reached my desti nation, and I was told to wait until the lady of the house was through luncheon. The plump little maid who answered the door invited me into the kitchen upon learning my errand. Here a fat Irish cook took me under her wing with Hi bernian motherllness and regaled me with a good meal as she listened to my story. I was then speeded parlorward. A few keen questions, some moments of silent and thoughtful scrutiny and the deed was done. Just ten minutes after the interview began I left the house, the position engaged and with orders to re port for duty at the following morning. dreamed of by our dear old forbears. We don't like quite so much hard work, either, as fell to the lot of our grand daddies, and instead of teaching our selves and our children the grand old art of doing without, we are brought up to think that nothing is tco good for us, and that If we don't gather in all the good thLcjrs of this jolly earth and the fullness thereof, we are being defrauded of our birthright Why, we crowd in more hap piness, joy, excitement and Interesting things into a week of our lives than our ancestors the best of them were able to corral in months and months! For that reason it seems particularly idiotic to be forever growling about the expense. We do and have things every day which the wealthiest Individuals of years ago could not encompass. Would we be content with their method of spending their days? No indeed! Everybody stayed at home and practiced the good old recipe for wealth. "Work like the devil and don't spend a cent" If we follow the same rule now we probably would not grow quite so eloquent over the high cost of living. Cer tainly it costs moro to live in 1909 than it did in 108, but let us give thanks, for bless the Lord it's worth all it costs! The Round of a Crank. London Times. The complete crank is a kind of col lector of causes and it is difficult to dis cover the principle upon which he col lects them. A new religion and under clothing and some insipid kind of diet are all the same to him, and he advocates them all with equal earnestness. He wants men to change their lives in every particular and protests against all the ordinary usages of the world, both in great and in small things. He does not believe that there Is any Instinctive wis dom In mankind or any value in past tradition and experience. For him wis dom has only Just appeared among men and she has revealed herself to very few. Lullaby Land. Unidentified. One for the money and two for the show. Away to the lullaby land we'll go! Away to the valley where ehadowa creep To the gentle eyes of the child asleep! Over the hills where the dreams come down, Helgh-bo for the village of Shut-eye Town! Up, my sweet, to my knees and away On the dreamy wings ot the child heart lay. Three to make Teady and four to fro. Away to the lullaby land, you know! The steeds are ready, up, up. my love. While the star man Ughteth the stars above. And soft and silken on silver shoon Walks over the ripples the lady moon! Up, up. my bonny, with locks of gold To arms that wait with a sweet enfold Lullaby land M a little way By the capes of dreams and the eoasts ot Over the river that sings of rest It leads to the valley of childhood's quest; The fairy prlnoeaa la here, my sweet. With aleaOLUis; sandals won bar feet. 107.0 5" A,
