THE SOCIAL TRAMP.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 400, 30 September 1911, Page 5

THE SOCIAL TRAMP.

There is no woman, perhaps, who is a greater menace to society as a whole, or mere of a nuisance and drain on busy women, than the idle woman with no family or home to take up her time and attention. It is a delicate matter, in the minds of many women who value their time and energies, to deal with this type of woman. At the same time no woman who has work to do can afford to bother with this type of the social tramp who runs in upon her at any or and all hours and literally steals away the precious hours that belong to home life and home duties, and whose only topic of conversation is either idle gossip or complaints of troubles which arises only and solely out of sheer idleness. Jt is difficult to close the door to this type of woman, and many conscientious women will not stoop to the untruthful "not at home." Yet one fact must not be forgotten: there is no excuse for any woman in these days to be idle. If she has iid home, C- her children have grown and gone into homes of their own, there are countless homes on misfortune and multitudes of sick and homeless children needing care and attention, presenting problems that will engross to the very limit every moment's attention of a woman, free from family cares. And the sooner such an idle woman is shown —by diplomacy and tact if possible—that there is work for every woman in the world to do, the greater the likelihood that she will iook around and find it. But just so long as this type of woman can find comfortable places to drop' into, and willing ears to listen to her troubles of idleness, just so long will she continue to be a burden to herself and to others. We should be careful not to wound any fellow being, even the idler, because more often than not she is to be pitied than condemned. On the other hand, we all owe it to ourselves to do that part of the work of the world that has been given us to do, and to allow no one to waste ruthlessly the few hours that are ours. And very often it is just as much cfur duty to show some unhappy idle woman that the way to health and happiness lies in work as it is to continue the constant use of the velvet glove.