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Newspaper Page Text
MISS JANE WHITKER AND A WORKING GIRU FRIEND FIND RELIEF IN A MUSICAL COMEDO All Working Girls Crave Clean Amusement, But Far, ' ' 1 From All Can Afford It. BY JANE WHITAKER - It is such a morbid thing to sit hour after hour listening to the tales of dangers surrohndihg girls who must seek cheap amusement; sof little girl3 under fifteen intoxicated, of immorality that can only;be .hint,ed-at because of its horror, that it hastbegun to'hauntnie inmy sleep. And so I determined I would have one night free of gruesome !dreams by seeking the cheapest wholesome amusement I could have and as it wouldn't"bermny,'fun alone I visited 'my little-seyenteen-.year-ild who cried three nights because she couldn't have a party dress. It was. just supper time when I reached her home "and mother wanted me to eat with the family,- but-1 explained, my mission and. showed her how it would defeatmy desire to fipd out the cost of , an evening's' enjoyment by the girl on her own resources if I had supper given to me, and so she con- sented oh condition that I-would,have dinner with 'them some, other time. The most refreshing thing in life is the hospitality of the poor, their willingness" tq. share the little they- have. My little -seventeen-year-old was bashful at first but not for very long arid soon we were talking and laugfi ing like pals. ' We had supper in the restaurant that working people frequent, where the walls are white, and clean arid the. marble tables have no cover, and the waitresses wear "spotless uniforms, and'so many, many people dine. Once a man, with a mistaken idea- of kindness, took me to Rector s. He .thought it would vbe a. treat that 'would 'throw sunshine wer the rest of my prosaic existence but it was a 4 cruel kindness. I had only an inex pensive tailored suit, a cheap hat, and all around' were women' elaborately gowned who stared at me, some con temptously and some pityingly.. And the -waiter gave us poor' service with that air of condescension-that only a waiter can assume and which is very galling to the pride. So I don't think there,is any. fun dining at "swelT'res faurants. , - -At'ttie working people's restaurant I had an oyster stew and some indi gestible hot-butter cakes, while my little sevehteen-year-did had Irish stew and coffee,. "It'c'ost us 25 cents each. - From there we went to the-theater and bought two tickets'in the fourth row of the gallery at 50 cents each: It was a. musical comedy show and not a problem play. .Problem.;plays are all. right for the adult manandTwoman who- can rea son sanely, but to a seventeen-year-old they instill curiously v distorted 'ideas, of .life. I remember, the first problem play I ever saw and I -was sixteen at the time I entered theT theater with the usual girl's imagina- tion of the sweetness of life, with ideals regarding the nobility of men and the goodness of, women.. And as the play unfolded, I sanki "back in my seat terribly ashamed. The men and women around, mo. were not ashamed; some of theau were avid with that hectic delight iril things that are impure, some of them were bored as though the experiencaj - I