Thibodaux minerva. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 18??-1858, 1854-01-07
Our New York Correspondence.

New YORK, December, 14th 1853.
DEAR MINERvA:-On Saturday afternoon, the
immense publishing establishment ofthe Brothers
Harper, embracing twelve large buildings, with
very large and valuable stock Of books &C.,
was totally destroyed by fire. Other adjacent
and opposite buildings were also consumed by
this extensive confagration; and the total loss
of property is probably not less than One Millien
Of Dollars! But the Harpers are rich, notwith-
standing the loss The most pitiable suffering
is that of the one thousand poor men and women
who are thus thrown out of employment at a
season Of the year when it is difficult to procure
work. Provisions of every kind are so dear,
now, that few can earn more than enough to pay
their current expenses of livelihood. Poor
people find the present times hard indeed. They
pay for -four 81 cents for seven pounds, which
is equal to 1875 per barrel. Forpotatoes. they
give from Is to 18 cents per half peck, which is
equal to So, 20 or $3, go per barrel; as barrels
turn out from eighteen to twenty half pecks.
The rich, who buy food in large quantities, get
things much cheaper, and thus enjoy the double
advantage of having the most money and the
least expense for the necessaries Of life. Unfor-
funately for themselves, poor men must eat as
much bread as rich ones.
A late and novel feature in the employment
Of women is the commencement of their career
IS compositors, in the printing business Some
time ago, the Day Book of this city, and one
small job Office, commenced to employ female
labor in type setting; and an experiment of
few weeks demonstrated the fact of women being
quite as well fitted for that branch Of industry
q men. Since then, see by the country pa
pers, that printers in other places have employ
cd female compositors; and there is reason to
believe that ten years hence, handsome young
uIa =
The strong minded women. are arrogating to
themselves the credit Of this enlargement Of the
sphere of woman's usefulness but little
thought in another direction will convince any
candid investigator that the womans rights
movement has but little to do with it. Hereto
fore the principal remunerative employment ac-
corded to woman has been sewing; but, since
the invention Of Wilson's celebrated Sewing
Machines, thousands of the seamstresses Of New
York have been thrown out of employment, and
compelled to seek new means of earning liveli-
hood. When it is taken into consideration that
Wilson'S Sewing Machine, which is regarded by
New York ladies, and by our manufacturers, as
NE best that has been invented, will perform
tnelabor Of some dozen Of women, it will not be
thought strange that it has been introduced into
% many families and manufacturing establish
nents. A young lady Of my acquaintance told
=, last evening, that she stitched, the day be-
Me, ffty-fve dozen Of collars with cne Of VIII
ms machines, and that any young lady Of or
enary capacity can average thirty dozen day,
Nth ease. About two thousand OF these ma
ehines are in use in this city.
4 was recently stated that Mrs. Harriet
beecher Stowe and her husband had commenced
q action against German bookseller in Phila-
eeiphia, to secure damages for m alleged viola