Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 15.djvu/106

 92 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

This tent is deserving of more than passing mention, inas- much as it represented the crystalHzation of a desire to improve social conditions in the field. The very progressive body of women comprising the Oregon Young Women's Christian Asso- ciation desired to do what was possible to render hop picking in a big public field more respectable than it was usually considered, and for the reason that hundreds of young women in the state needed to avail themselves of its earnings but were sometimes in moral peril while so doing.

These women persuaded the hop owner to let them enter and conduct the restaurant on the grounds and maintain a social center. This appealed to him a good business proposition and he readily acceded to it. Thus it transpired that a beneficent in- fluence was introduced into the field and received the hearty in- dorsement of all concerned.

The women were beset with difficulties from the beginning, but one by one they were overcome, owing chiefly to the skilful management of the one ^ in charge of the work. Quite as in- teresting to me as the picking itself was the opportunity to study this experiment in leavening the crowd. One Sunday I saw a woman on the kitchen steps stoning a bushel of prunes for a pudding to lessen the burden of the cooks. I went up and of- fered to help her. She instructed me in the art, and while the work progressed entertained me with stories of Turkey, a coun- try she knew well. A day or two later she settled a strike in the kitchen and still later in the season, when the cooks failed to live up to their agreement, she discharged the whole force of men, telephoned to Portland for more help and put herself in charge of the culinary department till relief came. And the pickers got their meals on time and never knew anything had happened !

This woman, who stoned prunes, settled strikes, and acted as cook, opened up the big tent at night and in an amazingly short time mustered the "talent" of the field about her and gave "concerts" that made everybody happy. Undoubtedly such an influence in the field was good and it seems desirable that this

• Miss Frances Gage, state secretary of Oregon and Washington.