OCR Text |
Show Women Who , Lead the7, Way The celebration of February ns the T. W. C. A. semi-centennial Jubilee month has brought before the public a knowledge of the Immence work done bj Miss Blanche Geary. It Is a peculiar fact that Miss Geary, who Is suld to have dono more to Improve tho living conditions of American women than any living woman, Is herself not an American. Hefere she began her work In the Interests of better housing conditions she wns a music teacher of London. Her first experience In home building build-ing wns acquired In England, whero she 6pcnt four years voluntarily stud1ng the management ot a model tenement building In London, While thcro ehc met an American woman from whom -jhe lenrned or n model tenement nnd suburban homo colony near New York. Sho at once decided to come to the United States to learn more of the new venture. Sho applied to tho suburban -home company and afjer some time sho succeeded in convincing the olllcers that a woman could mannge the enterprise. en-terprise. She began work with ISO At the end of eight yenrs she was In charge of 2.S04 houses with all ot the responsibility of hiring employees choosing locations and tenants, tho collection or rent nnd mnklng repairs The movement that has been but city wide In Its scopo become n notional not-ional movement when tho national bonrd or Y. W. C. A. asked that sho accept a position of economic building build-ing specialist with that organization Almost 1,000 associations now de-pond de-pond upon her for advice In the matter mat-ter of building and In tho choice of sites. In nddltton sho advises tho materials to be used In tho construction construc-tion of the hufldlncs. She plans tho equipment nnd occupies tho position or super critic or plans. All bluo prints of proposed buildings nro tlrst HUbmltted to her to make any changes that sho deems necessary to promoto efficiency. Miss Geary Insists that the object or tho Y. W. V. A. Is to promoto u complete family eplrit among tho young women under ono roof nnd that the question of housing tho business woman must tnko Into consideration the factors that will grant (ho greatest great-est degreo of freedom nnd independence. independ-ence. To meot tlu needs of wng-earn-lng women nwny from home who do not reside at tho Y. W. C. A. homes, Miss Geary nnd the depart-roent depart-roent of the organization which cho represents, aro endeavoring to Inter, est Individuals or groups of peoplo to erect rooming nnd boarding houses hous-es conducted on tho satno plans ns tho association, A few factors which Miss Geary considers essential to any woll man- I aged Y W. C. A. or boarding house are rooms for fun and frolic of an Informal nnture, n recreation hall lor larKer social nffnlrs, rooms for the entertainment of men callers a kitchenette kitch-enette for "spreads," nn Infirmary for temporary illness and a kimono parlor on nn upper Moor, where tho women mny congregate nfter a day's toll. Tho expenso of housing should not average over $.1 for each woman, according to tho expert. This Is nlso to include board. Tho cost should range from $3.D0 to IG.G0, thus meet lng all expenses of the organization and aiding tho lncfllclent girl to Ivc comfortably until she has acquired the ability to earn n greater wago. -Mario Dlllo. ? AM |