Newspaper Page Text
Tha San Francisco Sunday Call.
GERTRUDE BEEKS THE SOUTHERN GIRL CHOSEN BY SECRETARY TAFT
TO INVESTIGATE CONDITIONS AT PANAMA. SHE'S OFF TO REPORT OF
EVERYTHING RELATING TO THE HEALTH, MORALS AND COMPORT
OF THE ARMY OF CANAL BUILDERS THAT WORK FOR UNCLE SAM
IN* enlisting the services of Mies Ger
trude Becks of the Ci\^c federation
of Xcw York, the Panama canal
commission has established ' a very
novel precedent. A woman's sympa
thetic insight and discrimination are to
be utilized la solving the great prob
lems there. By order of Secretary Taft
Miss Becks will spend five weeks on
the Isthmus investigating all conditions
affecting the health, the morale and the
comfort of the great army of workers
engaged In the work. Miss \u25a0\u25a0 Becks
failed for Panama several days ago.
The newest recruit to the work at
Tarania is peculiarly fquipped for the
task assigned to her. No other woman
In the country, it Is safe to say. has
had as wide and as practical an ex
perience in dealing with economic prob
lems of this class. Miss Becks has
V>een for several years the very active
secretary of the welfare department
of the ClvJc federation. She Is of great
personal attraction and charm, and has
risen quickly to be recognized as an
authority In her special work. Despite
her youth probably no other woman in
the country has had so much practical
experience in dealing with the employ
ment of labor and the provisions for
its well being in stores, mills, factories,
mines, on railroads — in fact, wherever
labor is employed.
Miss Becks is a native of Tennessee.
Ht first experience in welfare work
was In Chicago, where she was em
ployed by a large manufacturing con
cern to look Into the condition of its
employes. She conducted these inves
tigations on entirely new lines" and met
with great success. In place of t!i<*
more or loss perfunctory work of pro
fessional investigators Miss Be^ks suc
ceeded in entering completely Jnto the .
life of the workers. She wont Into
. their home*, talked on tfcrn\s of perfect
sympathy and understanding with the
riTMi, women and children.!, and com
pletely won their confidence. . So suc
cessful was she in this work-that the
Civic federation heard of it aifit she was
induced to enter- its service,- making
her headquarters in New York. Miss
Becks' best known work since her con
nection with the Civic federation has
been her investigation of the condi
tions of employes in the anthracite
coal mines and in looking into the con
ditions of child labor In the mills
throughout the south.
"Important as the engineering prob
lems at Panama may be," said Miss
Berks in speaking of her trip, "It must
not be overlooked that all work and no
play is a dangerous formula. My In
vestigations at Panama have to do
with every phase of the life of the men
engaged there, and of course of their
Vives and children. I shall visit 'every
town and settlement along the line of
the canal and as many of the homes .is
my time will permit. No detail, how
ever trifling, will. I trust, escape me.
The Civic federation some two years
\u25a0ago sent two men to Investigate the
homes of the workers on the Isthmus
and to make what suggestions they
saw fit for bettering conditions. Many
of these recommendations. I believe,
have been adopted. lam going to look
into it. to examine It at first hand, and
of course a woman understands these
things better.
Will. Have Plenty of Time
'Mine Is not io be a flying trip, for I
shall have ample lime to enter into the
life of our people there. Nor do I look
forward merely to formal social visits
or receptions. This has not been my
method in the past, still less will it be
at Panama. I mean to live exactly ns
hoy countrymen live in the canal zone,
sleeping In their houses, eating their
food, going to their places of amuse
ment. I hope to do much for them.
' Pew realize, I think, that there are at
present some 33,000 men employed on
the canal, while their families greatly
increase this population. Of this num
ber, some 5.000 are Americans, 20.000
are West Indian negroes and the re
mainder are made up of Spaniards,
Italians and Greeks. And this popula
tion is to be still further increased as
the work progresses. .
"I have not taken any especial pre
caution to ward off the diseases of the
tropics, nor do I anticipate any danger.
Life In the tropics is of course men
aced, especially in summer, but then
again the government has accomplished
much in safeguarding the health of the
ACUTE ANGLE OF THE SERVANT QUESTION, WHO'S "OFF FOR EUROPE" NOW
Trans- Atlantic trend began unusually airly
for the summer, end it is very heavy. Every
steamship steaming cut' of Nci> Verb this
last srce£ carried many well £noa>n in the
particular society cf which they are
members.
Miss Nora O'Brien, the charming second
girl for Mrs. Blinslon-Magribblc, left on the
Cambodia for her yearly tisit to her an
cestral home al Ballvgowan, Tralee, Ireland.
Miss O'Brien will return in the fall and
resume her responsibilities.
Miss Lena Schmidt, dining room girl for
Mrs. Carolus Quope. left on Tuesday for
Bad Wienerwurst, where she ivill tcfye the
baths as chamber maid at the Schloss Fridella.
Miss Hilda Carlsen. the well known and
popular chamber maid al the Slalledoff-
Padaria, also steamed away on the same
steamship for her yearly sojourn at .the
Hotel Caviare, Copenhagen.
Among the other notables departing were
noticed M. Pierre Canz, the well faown and
genial waiter at D. Belts,. who will be found
at the Ritz. With him were Anloine Nun
fcacr, Karl PUbl. the deservedly popular
Tyrolean, and others of the exclusive tserting
set All will return some time in the' fall.
{.From unpublished society notes of the t>et\.)
TUG ordinary Idea of the soldiers
of the army of globe, trotters is
that they are men and women In
fair circumstances who go abroad
every, year because- they have the habit
or have taken on too much flesh, or a
new wife, or the gout, or n*ed clothes.
When it comes to publishing para*
graphs their names alone are men
tioned, and the countryV immediately
Eettlea down to tranquillity, know-in,?
that the .world is getting : .alon<?.' all
right ; so long \u25a0 as , the popular senator,';
the theatrical manager, the well known
workers. I have talked with a num
ber of the men, skilled workmen for
the most part, who x have visited New
York on leave of absence, and they all
tell the same story. They are actually
glad to get back to the isthmus. This
speaks well for general conditions, and
Incidentally Tor the work which the
welfare department has done, however
indirectly. The general health of the
canal zone is good, and the death rate
does not differ materially from that of
New York or other northern cities..
f '\u25a0"A good deal of my attention will be
directed to the food problem. I mean
to look into the "sources, from' which
food is gathered and into the cooking
as -well. -Food conditions havegreally
actress and the head of the trust is able
to take his' usual . trip. < . ' •
Tbo reader knows all about the trip,
for it is the same in* every instance.'.- A
week or more In London, some l ; »ile
time In Paris, the automobile
through France or Switzerland and the
stay at the baths. That is .why .they,
call him or her a regular; they do the
same tiling every year. ' ;/ .
The trouble about the matter Is that
he doesn't begin to know 1 the ermy
forming: the summer hegird. Tho three
or four thousand persons. he may have
in his mind make only a lilt Jo legion
In the great division. The main body,
of, the troops belong to another class,
and of that, class some mention was
made at tbo outset of this article. \u25a0 ;
Just how! many Tpersons of the serv
ing class-depart from ; the ports of the
United States for. Europe every summer
would be \ hard to estimate. V It i* said
that there are at least '2o,ooo. and they
go just as regularly, as the wealthiest
Pittsburger that ever bought 'a; house
in Fifth avenue or married , a chorus
woman. It is truethey, do not" engage
passage the . year ahead : orj select ; some!
particular cabin suite, steward or boat,
but that has nothing ; to do with) the
regularity. ; They go somehow, steerAge
preferred, and 'they! return 'some other
how, also steerage. ,The£. arc; ju*t ; as
thorough paced .ocean .travelers us the
ones above decks.v and," they." hi Vo;in
their own way Just as much rest, recre
ation : and ; fun as their mpre fortunate
brothers and sisters." v - •\u25a0
It isn't > from :any desire ;to (travel
that " the 1 ;- submerged division •of -; the
regular f army > goes -abroad 1 every \u25a0 sum
mer. .To^hearthemitalkHn'afsUierage
ticket agency y.theyi' are. Just, as" much
bored at the idea v as JMr.: MUllonbucks.
Thrift, economy, business apd affection
are the, "controlling '\u25a0-\u25a0 motives. rv; f»ierre,
who has been at 1 the-Waldorf. forbears,'
would : prof er to '< remain Jin * New;* Yoriv
where ' he could play? the''; races ;. lf ? busi
ness s wcro good ) in / the city ' during; the
hot \u25a0 season. irHe^ knows,* however,, that
in ' Paris:; ahd,.other; European capitals
the great hotels: are holding out their
improved all along the isthmus r during
the last few months. /When the'first
gangs of laborers started in the cook
ing facilities were very rude indeed.
The cooking was done out of doors and
Irr- many cases over , open fires. The
next, step-In ; : the Revolution -of; the
kitdien was; the (erection of sheds of
corrugated iron,' lnclosed on three sides
and roofed? over. * This marked an im
provement in cleanliness and doubtless
In the quality, of the food. Today, how
ever, the food for the labor classes is
prepared In well : equipped s kitchens,
which would pass muster, much nearer
home. There -is,: I some criti
cism 1 of late as to . v the quality, of the
food supplied byjttie government; but,
arms to him : with ?a ; promise of rich
returns/ 1 ..;. ;.v" ;:: , ; .-,. :.;.:';-• '..• 'V'';.^:s&S3!£
/None-jOf > the army,; has ; any., objection
to " the :. steerage. ;.': •: It I has^ improved !so
vastly^durlng^ the/ last 7decadoJ that^in
the ! larger! steamships U l l^ is fcomfort
able, * ; while % tho r ?" f odd : ;5 is i^gbb'd^
because • of .: the^ laws. T\ Going; over i in
after all, ithis i8 r aifavorable,slgn. It
would . seem -to suggest? that.the men
are; becoming educated;: in ,-i such ./mat
ters. I:will approach; this phase of the =
work, as ? all :, others, v without prejudice.
"I am especially interested- In" the
conditlonsof the, families of the .work-"
; summer i, in 1- any = event \u25a0;-. is not Ineon-^
for Hhei immigrant i- isi missing,
ahdScomlng : ; back :the : inconvenience'' isi
:brief.\ \u25a0 \u25a0 . . • \u25a0 •..: -.. - ... - .
.j?^Thosy^ that fdo?. not j go* over? to^work'j
go ' ; f or . i the i rest, * f or,| lt f Is f cheaperltoi
|oid i homellhl Ireland forj
[Rw»dJg^aFr^^jfo^^hatf^|^thant
m~en ! :and:l.<hope r ,tOjoo much; for -them.
The government has made . elaborate
preparations" ;to accommodate fami
lies," to safeguard .them against disease,
to j provide . them : with" adequate j quar
ters and even to "do'" something for their,
education and . amusement What ": has
already' been accomplished \u25a0 would seem
to be a matter of national pride.- Presi
dent i, Roosevelt' after his - visit . to the
isthmus strongly , urged the ; men " to
brlngt their wlves;and families ; to the
isthmus." Perhaps during my, investi
gations ? Into • the t. home , life throughout
the section I '; will -be . able' to*^ suggest
some -features .which will "lend : new
comfort/;* It '"\u25a0 is one : of the most im-
portant; features*: of 'the work I hope
to do. : V .v' ;>\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0' ' \": ; -' ; w". .\u25a0•...'•';
; "When the ' representative* .. of tha
civic v>. federation .-made their report
nearly itwo .years' ago ".they 'suggested,"
first of all, the. necessity of clubhouses
for \u25a0'.; the . employes. ' Some . four..? 1 club
houses, costing - 175,000 each,' have al
ready ; been fe built'; and -equipped .with
many "of the* features, suggested, by us.
The buildln gs i. are '\u25a0 very .creditable •to
the * government v and the Young Men's
Christian association, which;jointly,di
rect "thenv*/ They arc built- of; frame,
In -a style iof {architecture s common." to
the * locality, iwl th % broad \ verandas r and
many large; windows. l; The -sanitation
"of.theselbulldlngs, I understand, is:en
tlrely 'modern' andf up. tovdate, and is;
In: fact, as, perfect fas could ;be desired.
The streets .in .the Vicinity of v the clubs
:.'\u25a0•.'\u25a0;\u25a0--'"\u25a0\u25a0"-•' \u25a0\u25a0 \u25a0 i -'\u25a0'\u25a0.'. \u25a0 \u25a0• \u25a0[.-, ?*'•'. !•*-- \u25a0•".-
It i Is {to \ remain' In i NewiTork?clty, \u25a0 par
ticularly i if /the] househ older Jin
theThousejfori the sSuramer| neglects Uo
ask I Nora \ or| Lena'lto'.'goiwlth %. hereto
I the 1 country.'*;; Nora* sTnd • Lena fat) homo
|in!the T ahcestralfcottage] Inl Ballygowah;
Tralee.'i Ireland.'ican :' live ? on'; practicall y,
nothing aS week,*. t6rj one }, more | mo utb
and houses are for the most 'part
drained, 'and 'good sanitary conditions
prevail.? I shall make it my/nrork, how
ever,-to visU, 'the . most remote quar
ters and go through them .'very- thor
oughly. Especially, in the house keep
ing quarters and In the kitchens of
the clubhouse a woman's judgment in
such matters may be valuable.
"I am especially anxious that the
workmen -. and their families should
have an opportunity to pass their leis
ure hours pleasantly.- 1 do' not know
just what has been ' done for them, and
this will be. not the least important
line of my investigation. The work Is
hard and the climate Is, of course, very
trying, and I lt\ Is only = their due \u25a0 that
they, should' have pleasant places to go
to pass their leisure hours. I know that
much .has" been ",dOne . In the < clubs' to
enable . the men. especially the skilled
\u25a0workmen," to -help paas^ the .time. The
best •clubs, while not luxurious and al
though they, do not carry out all of our
suggestions, would seem to be satisfac
tory. '.- These buildings have. their read
ins and writing .rooms, itheir bowling
alleys,- billiard .rooms,, card, rooms and
social v halls. ; . Among the : suggestions
our .representatives inaiJe were provi
sions for- shower baths and some lux
uries that have" not", yet been intro
duced/ .'\u25a0 ..\u25a0\u25a0 ~:, .v;. .-.::;.\u25a0 .'- \u25a0._,•_.. •*- \u0084.:;.;'_'\u25a0 '
'."There has been some criticism. I be
lieve, of the plan of the* government
to provide athletio fields and the proper
equipment for enjoying various outdoor
does -not"; make any ; more- expense, , and
yltilß,'the same'wHh'the others.'no'mat-)
;.ter| what : country^ may r clalm\ them .as
[\u25a0\u25a0'?''; 'y,'- \u25a0"/'•" : '"' : ' '\u25a0' ~' : :
i^XThat f anybody^ should 5 go - abroad "tor \u25a0
« economy's j;/sake'.<-may "seem" a little
K strange "£ to i the^trlpper^s, or^ even- the
t regular,^but'the ; figures obtalned r atTaa]
games. Personally Z strongly favor
such provisions, and I shall do every
thing in my. power to develop this side
of accommodations- Much good work
has already been accomplished along
these lines. In connection with most
of the clubhouses are to be found ten
nl3 courts and. I believe, baseball dia
monds. The federation in its sugges
tions made two years ago advised es
tablishing golf links, croquet grounds,
rifle ranges and handball courts. To
some these may seem fanciful, but th»
old rule of all work and no play would
certainly apply in the tropics even mor«
than in cooler climates.
"The workers for the welfare of the
Inhabitants of the canal zone havo
even suggested a racecourse for ponies
and a cinder path suitable for athletio
contests. The plans originally drawn
and submitted to the government by
the civic - federation also called tor a
band stand and a cafe. It has also
been suggested that provision ba mada
for carrying: the workmen from various
points along tha route of the canal
to the amusement centers. With these
facilities it would be possible to give
Sunday night concerts of a creditable
nature, while the athletic . field would
be used for weekly meets on the Sat
urday half holidays. It was further
recommended that a steamer be char
tered for Sunday excursions. Many of
these" recommendations - have been ac-.
cepted by the government. The Sunday
water excursions, which, X undsrstand.
are free to employes, have become very
popular. * X expect of course to take
all of these trips myself that X may b«
able to make a sympathetic as well as
Intelligent report. . .
"I am not going to Panama In a
spirit % of criticism. . It I* entirely a
sympathetic errand which we believe
will be to the best Interests of the
government and of every workman.
X shall go armed with letters of Intro
duction, which will of tfourse afford me
every facility for making Investiga
tion* and of entering Into the social
life of the colony. X carry credentials
from Secretary Taft a* well aa from
several prominent men in labor circles.
I hope to b a the mutual friend there
fore both of th« employer and the em
ploye. It will be by no means a holi
day trip, but on tha other hand. I do
not think I shall shirk tho most dis
agreeable duties. During my investi
gation in the anthracite. coah fields my
work was probably- quite as trying as
any I shall face at Panama.
, "In this work I repeatedly w«nt
down into the mines and . visited the
workmen. in the poorest bouses. I had
ii similar .experience in Investigating
the \u25a0 child labor . problem In the south.
In this trip I visited the most remote
sections of the mountains and literally
the . most humble homes. I ate and
slept In huts which had merely the
bare • earth for \u25a0 floors and the crudest
sanitary conditions. And I feel well
repaid if I succeeded In winning the
.confidence of tho3e people and perhaps,
however remotely, of benefiting them.
No, Panama, for all its tropical climate,
has no terrors for me."
agency the other day will prove tha
assertion. ,
Take a good upstairs . girl, for • in
stance. The least she receives for her
work is $23 a month and she works
hard for 10, months, earning the sum of
. $230. It costs her nothing for board
and In large ' establishments much of
her laundry work Is done by her or for
her. In the 10 months she will spend
. no ; more - thari $50 \u25a0 for clothing, which
leaves her 5200. She will not average
W a week for incidentals, which Is $40
more.» ' She will ; send $»0 horns Christ
m«s. or where there are several sisters
sbe wilt divide with them, aendtng no
more, than $25. .She will have at least
3100 ahead wnen the time comes for
her to give notice Of leaving.
' • She can jgo across and back In "ths
steerage nowadays for $40 and , select
a good ship, \u25a0 and that will leavo her
a : clear . $60. . . She won't spend more
than $15 at the outside at home, and
this will leave her a nest egg to start
th* winter *wh«n she returns. If «n>,
Is a well trained servant she can get
' a job .the moment : she ' sticks' her head
in the door, of a first class agency. And
after paying its charges she can bc;in
saving .' again.
They are flocking to tha ticket asen
ci^s now for their t*4liets, because thj
winter homes are beginning to close.
They are -all, old acquaintances and
there fa a .startling similarity In their
greetings and 'conversations to con-*
- versa tions you have heard before."
When the hour of departure arrives
their pier without any fusa
formality, go to their appointed
"places] and, bestow thenrselves and "their
luggage^coolly, and. deliberately. Th^re
are .few - at -the pier to > gWe' them
goodby,." because aboot everybody : they
•knowls'golnjf along (or has gone. They
;"make"lthem3Clves r at.home at one% acd
don 'costumes .which are most comfort- •
fable ;for.^the .voyage. "They ar« not
troubled t wlth any fear of illness..and
uiaallr ar» taklr.g a nap when tha ship
goes "down Uhe harbor, it Is an old
? story,! to * them— an ; incident %In tnelc
lives without particular interCTttegJj
