New-York daily tribune., 1858-07-09
Nswqlork Dail1 Gribn,rs
iTTTERS FR.JM THE PEOPLE
THE wc,eKwoMEN OF NEw-YoRK.

l1ere need not tfemOe u l'i's ~ WI
E And ,nuader q. al meet
,-Sis M rnioS II tbeyd only gre
Ana ,usrs me iiiis tune 10 siie'e'
Add H.,le while 20 pray ,er, ,e ~. ss,,os.,,s,
.. a, Editor sf TA,M j. I''eH"e
e. Or Il the secret song Of many taousands o'
80, vo,tipg girls Of New-YoTk. The world snd
.L;I,,oDs Keen on their way. Dsys, months, years
n .on,d and amid all the questions of the hnes'
-, ana small discussed in the newspapers we rarely
vc,d relating to that large class OF beings whch
=. s.n,ssl call shop girls. Pretty, naturally n'ei-
I,.t and q. the sges Of fourteen and sixteen, very
,ssht and healthy TO look st. their tate IS pi'aoe
IN snv person acquainted with the inner lie OF the
@Aopo Why are they in their hard lot passed BY 50
.a.,,v Tn these days there is q great noise made
! .,0ut Wonan's Rights and Womsns Wrongs; but l.
,rssrs 10 me that if those who expend so much time
,,d breath in proclsinipg the right OF woman to the
6..sc,ng room. the bench and the ballot box were TO
tpn Leir attention to the lanes and alleys, the isc
l,re, ard wokshops Of this end otter cites, they
,od find wrongs more cruel thsn their isncieo ones
10 claim their voices-wTongs whloa the pencD anu
A., ballot box could lot wipe away--wrongs, IN some
s,,es the result Of the very things these tsKers
Iwifb. Sir, you would be good erough to place be-
s. The Do bic mind the fsct that the rst aud greatest
reb women care 20 have accorded them is tins rlgat
bbe htIe better pad for helT IdboT or, II tnat Is
inroesbIe 70 have some mercy bORn them by those
mo have the power TO tighten their burdens aud WHO
,Ioy in 90 many ways the fruits Of their labor Do
rope ever trouble themselves with thought OF no"
such Of the worlds work Is done by women Ihere
\ scarcely an article of clobiGg worn by msn or
,on Ar n the land for which the wearer not indebt-
,d IA the taste and industry poorly psd) OF woneo.
there is hardly article IN their hOusehoIds Rnch
soman has net assisted TO mske-tnen poosS, eqeH t
,s.n,es. their InsmeDts-ndeeO, can think Of but
Il. things except the cOarsest manual S0Or, WDich
a. nnE Psss through the hands Of women. surely,
hey deserve some consideration. And That Is t1elT
4 Efel They live silently, tney woik sLenIy, HIu
a great MANY Of them die silently aud sadly
Tbev 90 10 their workshops ] would be willing TO
saw pR ere the political women are Oat OF their Deos
great many of them AIRY lltte Dunoies Oi sswin8
vita them that they may work Tor themselves oullre
The hour or hall hour allotted them for dinner; Tor
tmssuueh as the dinner rarely amounts to more then
sHce Of bread they being obliged because OF tnen
slender pay TO be their own millners anddressmskers
cannot afford to ose any time. AT Blk or seven clook
tley 90 home 10 tea which generally in girls board
pe he uses on par with their breakfast thin coffee
sd end bad butter. After tbis strengthening meal
At ght o'clock at night they go to WORK as last as
they cen 10 keep their own little wardrobe in good ap
peGrance for the working girls all like TO dress WELL
After remaining up till midnight seging, washing or
iror Ing their few things, they 90 to rest
Locking at this, one may say their work commences
.uly in the morning. and ends early IN the morning
Where is their time fer recr alton or Improvement OF
no place for them to CO. and nothing for then to do
Tie bOokkeeper, the clerk, the mechanic, the hod-
carrier all grades all classes Of men have their amuse
nsnts, their exercise, and their food ior the mind
tb,r lodges their societies, their military and fire
companies their debating clubs their large and hand
ZONE libraries; but the poor girls have nothing'
They ,edOm go TO place Of amusement, ana as ior
,Ttey cannot afford TO buy the works OF refined ana
nitfuctve authors, and il they read at all land most
Of them have a love for readingl, they must reaa
cheap Lovels or trashy newspapers. Where is y1u'
tAeior your Society, your Historical your Mercantiie
let even your APpreDtices Library for your gMis
Where is your elegant reading room FOR them hlled
NTH the current literature of the world
phuspthrOpists are constantly devising ways and
means for the elevation and Improvement OF the ne
gro tie heather and the criminal. AL this is very
we'll but no philsnthOpist ever thinks, 10 practlca
vsy, Of the work-wOmen; or II they have done 60,
il iss BEE confined TO such email numbers that as
cs they not benefited, ihs Is very sao 10 taihA
upon; will it continue
lwent few days ago into famous printing house,
There great number of girls are employed. In one
room the heat was so intense l could remain only a
few minutes. The temperature outside was nioety'sX
il the shade, but in that room, where, without Its
berg at all necessary, the girls are seated near hot
machinery and obliged, besldes from the nature OF
their work handling gold leaf, to keep ell the win
dove down, the mercury ranged from to lib, three
dsrees above fever heat Where Ii the slave or the
bsthen who suffers than do these girls, In their
native land Of liberty They get seventy-hve cents
snd their employers (sll members of Christian
sehurchesl think them exceedingly well paid. IL is no
order that the Recording Angel ia said TO weep over
The ms axes Of those who call themselves the children
Of the Lord for the cruel mistakes" practice1 upon
the poor work women by some of these children
might well make heaven and earth weep.
In the busy season the majority of workng-women
get but one. fourth the wsgts Of ordinary male me
less than ab5ut$2 20 a week, and they have, tnen,
the comfortable sum Of ftty cents week left taem
for al their other expenses. In the dun teaeon thou
ssrds Of them are IDLE and of course get nohms ihe
snt ysges Of their busy does 10. permit them
n save shilling, SO that when thrown cut OF employ
eDt they cast entirely upon the ehsrty ana Tor
esrance Of their lsndlady, or the dreadful alternative
III the streets. We have grave philosophers aud
l,lormers, who cit in council and wonder at the
hcease Of "a grea. social evil Let these philoso-
piers ponder the above facts, Many sad history OF
nttkuess patience and long suffering, ending in ui
nSe less Of purity, has come under my notice, spd
nave often had great desire TO get tue Press tnsted
advocating some ameioration, which, IT il could be
accomplished, would be a great benefit to them, and
ltihsps save those who are now in the same path.
nave always thought, az the rate women are paid for
utr labor nine hours day are more thsn equal ID
pevsges they receive. l am sure the Press viii
S'ee with me in this and were thu question put to
te good feeling OF employ eTs, an confident they
nast acknowledge its justice. Employers are very
uaeh blamed-yeiy much abused some lnleS--fJr the
us1geT salary paid TO women Bat il is no. go much
lie employ yers-it Is the Tlle--wh'ch deserves CEN
sre. L, is a Recognized rule that women should
ey get enough for their lsbor TO keep taem from
saving, and one employer gives his gIls :? %, 50,
little oyer not becsuse he is too poor Of SOUL per-
hsps TO give more, but because it is tee usual sum
fp.S, and no one must expect him to give more hsn
Everybody else gives. Thus the poor gitls are bound
by this iron rule And perhaps It would DO saie
Nay there are better times in store for them. Il
Useless, perhaps, to offer arguments for raising the
pn,es Of woman labor while there 60 msuy thou
snd women crazy to work ct any pnce. rme and
eees mercy must work out the redemption Of the
tsFs sves who n this scorcbBg, eneIvating season,
fts Of them in comfortable psces but many in dark,
..aiy lofts, in moldy cellars, in fiery garrets, where
Nut sun Ole zee III he shins les