New-York daily tribune., 1857-10-17


dry other newspapers, have taken upon themselves
The recruiting service among the London shopmen
and apprentices. Mr.. Punch, like a new Tyrteus,
seeks to inspire them by his martial lays, while the
Thunderer strives to shame them into the ranks BY
the force and keenness of his sarcastic bolts What
success these volunteer Sergeant Kites have had
among the shOpkeepery of London, we have not
heard; but we imagine, it is not great. The temp
taton to take the Queens shilling, and subject
themselves to all the hsrdships and privatons OF
common soldier in India is hardly strong enough to
counterbalance the attractions of London LIFE
the cider cellars the musical taverns, the CASINOS,
the cbe,p theaters and whatever else comes within
the range of the purse and the taste Of linen
draper's assistant. 1t is not unnatural that these
lad, should prefer dancing attendance on the capri
ces of the ladies' of fashion, and carrying their pur
chases after them to their carriages to being put
under the command of their aristOcratc sons and
brothers. with the certainty of hard living and hard
fighting, and fair chance of being knocked on the
head. They might, not illOgically turn upon their
adversary, and say: "Why don't you and your un-
derlings, from Printing house Square and o5
fleet street, go yourselves
One of the main arguments is, that the business
of waiting on women is one that properly belongs
to women, and that it is beneath the dignity of
bearded manhood to engage in it. And Punch has a
very pretty cartoon of the girls marching with
Bloomer captain in procession, saying, "Well tend
the shop" This is thing which has often occurred
to tEose who are desrous Of enlargng the sphere of
woman's activities, and much has been said on the
subiec! of reform behind the counter in this re-
spect. But it has prevailed to any great ex-
tent In Philadelphis, we believe, the experiment
has been tried with more success than elsewhere;
but We are without sufficient data to found gen.
.rsl inference upon them. But, generally, young
men have absorbed this branch of industry, or of
occupation. There must be q reason for 30 com.
mon q result and the cause must be changed be-
fore the effect can be modified. We believe the
principal reason to be that ladies prefer to be waited
upon BY men than by women, because, as they say,
these last much more apt to be impertinent and
saucy than the former. In fact, women cannot
bear with the caprices and unreasonablenesses Of
shopping ladies as well ss men can, and can less
easily refrain from giving them back again as good
as they bring.
The London Spectator gives another very good
reason, which is probably as true in this country as
in England, and that is, that il il really business
that requires more strength and physical endurance
than the average of women possess. beaide the
reaching down and handing about Of merchandise,
there is the necessity Of standing for many conaecu
tive hours which s more wearing and fatiguing
than much active exercise. In seme establish
ments the assistants are forbidden to sit down at
all, lest it should look as il business were slack.
There must be sufficient practical reasons for the
preference given to men over women behind the
counter, or certainly the shrpkeepers themselves
would choose to employ women, whose labor il 80
much cheaper than that Of men, in business re-
curing the exactest economies to be profitable If,
therefore, this species Of employment isto be trans
ferred from young men to young women, and there
seems to be no resson in the nature Of things Why