Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-02-04


cloth several times in the bleaching process,
ironed II smoothly before cut the work. which
| uld with as much care and economy as IL I
| had been doing it for myself. 1 did not cut
| ana Slash into the cloth, as I might have done.
| Pleced the sleeves neatly from the strip toro
| on the side OF the bodies and was as saving as
| II had been limited to small patterns; and
then after the garment Is were finished, washed
| starched, and ironed them, according to nv
usual custom, and really, Mrs. Clinton, L think
| that admitting me to be n quick workman. I
must have spent all of forty hours in your ser.
vice, which would be four days work for a
| m IN, and why should not women avail tbem
selves of the ten hour system? Calling it then
| TOUR days, have worked hard for ffty cents
per day and boarded myself am sure these
are low wages. L cannot certainly afford to
take less. wish | was able TO say, when NV
employers disagree with me in these matters,
| U well then, never mind give me what YOU
think IL Is worth, and l am satisfied But
| ain not able to do So, L should wrong nv chill
| dren who depend upon the labor of nv hands
Ter their subsistence. i do not like TO appear
| mean and exacting, but am obliged to seem
so sometimes l know, because every penny is
| worth a cent TO me, and cannot conscien ntiously
| say, ~ let 1t go, 1T is but little any howl
| am an honest woman, Mrs. Clinton; my hus-
band used to say that l was too honest for nv
own good, and sometimes think that be was
right in one sense, and l don't know but the
| world will teach me to become less so. for if
cannot get what feel to be fair price for nv
work, shall have to slight it more in order
that may do it for less. / am glad that Won
are pleased with my work; knew from what
| you said that you were particular about your
| sewing aud did my very best with il. Here ia
the remainder of the cloth bleached for you: il
looks nicely think l will take wbateyer vou
think it is worth Mrs. Clinton, do not wish to
offend you, but to tell you the truth when say
that cannot possibly live upon such prices.
II others can, they do il by means of some Sc
cret of which l am not yet possessed, but which
/ may be driven to learn
Mrs. Clinton had unfolded both bills and
spread them upon her lap, and sat smoothing
| them ever with her hands, during the latter
| part of Mrs. Grey's somewhat long speech. AT
the end OF which she slowly bent forward and
placed them within her reach, saying, sI wish
you to feel satisfied Mrs. Grey / wish to nav
you all you think il is worth. can get work
done cheaper, however. Excuse me for disput.
ing your price, judged it by the standard
which has been set up by your own class. ;,
"Not my own class, Mrs. Clinton, as much
as their employers; if we were permitted TO
set value upon our own time, we would GER
tainly place it at a higher figure than from
three shilllngs to hfty cents q day and we find
ourselves, but if we cannot get what we ask
we must ask what we can get and live as best
We can upon it. / do not think that have sat
an unreasonable price upon my work, but I
know that it seems such to you, and Eli take
what you think is right"
"Take the money, Mrs. Grey; 1 dare say you
have earned it, wish to have you feel salts
fed. like your work, and you may take the
rest OF the cloth home. believe You set an
honest price upon your labor; work we'll done
Is OF course worth more than that done shah
biiy"
Dear me ! what foolish, soft little heart
have got exclaimed Mrs. Clinton, as she
looked after Mrs. Grey from between the sbut-
ters. GLOW George would laugh at me II he
knew how soon lost my dignity and become
convinced by seamstress's argument. /
don't care, believe she was right. She an
pears like an honest woman and I am sure she
Is. don't like to feel so distrustful of those in
my employ, and 1 won't either. Dear me.
how mean must have seemed to her, but the
truth Is l never thought enough about sucb
things. l might have known had couside, ei
how long it would have taken me to have made
that pair cf shirts, and of the hard aches and
all the trouble aud vexation should have had
before got them nicely laid in the linen closet
IL had just thought about 1t little more I
should have seen that poor Mrs Grey had
earned her tive dollars. and | could we'll afford
to pay her. l will talk to George about these
things, and get him to encourage his employ
ees by paying them good prices for ther work. ;,
4" And so she found fault with Your price
did she :" asked Mrs. Clarke, a neipbbor of
Mrs. GIey's as they sat together that evening
lHdustrOusly sewing by the light of a talloW
candle, and recounting to each other the events
OF the day; Well! know che would: and
you know told you you would have your Ia
Dor for your pains on those shirts fused to
be just 50 conscientious whom / first began TO
take in shop work, but L found it didn' nav,
Now here have been working all day as hard
as could on this pair of pants. shall get
hall dollar for making them. Now, do You
suppose am going to put in as many stitches
and take as much pains with them as would
If was we'll paid for my work. Not I. I
slight my work all that can, and have it pre-
sent good appearance, and by doing SO I
manage to earn fifty cents day. Now how
now much do you suppose the cloth in these
pants cOst?"
- do not know; il seems to be very fine and
soft; 1T must be rather expensive, is it not?"
We'll, you know, my husband used to be a
tailor; and that is the way | came to learn the
trade am pretty good judge of cloth, und
L know well enough that this cloth never cost
over dollar yard at whOlesale-now that's
- say for the pattern, and don't take three
yards-then the trimmings never cost over %
cents, which, with the making, makes 81 Is;
AMI tomorrow they will lie folded upon CIin
ton 5 shelves, with a little card tied TO them
marked 81; and if the man who buys them finds
FAULT with the price, and finally beats down,
to So so, he will be told that those pants are
sold ut ruinousy low profits; that they are lust
about the same as given TO him. and all that
sort Of stuff. Oh, know how the rich and
well-tO-do people of this world make their
money; they want to make great profits them.
selves, and they seem to think the working
people are made on purpose to help them get
get rich Now Mr.. Clinton, you know, is the
first merchant tailor in town he is getting
rlcn fast enough to turn his head almost
What enormous profits he makes, because he
has capital TO begin with. He lust rolls IL
over and over, and it accumulates very fast,
but 1t In my opinion he had better make little
smaller profit, and pay the poor women in his
employ little more for their long weary days
OF toll; it looks to me little too much like
getting rich on blood money"
do not think people mean to be SO hard
with US Mrs Clark. ap sure Mrs Clinton
does not seem like penurious woman felt
sorry to have her think hard Of me; have
seen the time when L was not obliged To be so
particular about few shillings dislike TO
appear mean, but most of ali do feel hurt