Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-12-12

FEMALE LABoR.-Female labor, its sphere
and inadequate reward, has of late years &C.
cupied largely the attention of the wise and hui
name. Alta recent opening of the ST. Nicho
las Schools, Nottingham, the Bishop of Lon
don made some practical remarks, the applica-
ton Of which will be felt on this side of the wa
ter with as much force as in England and we
extract -
| was told by my late lamented and reverend
friend, Bishop Armstrong of Grahams Town,
and he had every right to speak on such a
subject, from the time and labor he bestowed
on the establishment of pententiaries, that, so
far as he could judge from his experience,
more than onehalf OF the class for whose re-
formation he was concerned, had been brought
to the state in which they were, not so much
by vice and passion as by destitution. L re-
member that, some time ago, society was
formed in London for the purpose of endeavor-
ing to meet these evils by procuring higher wa.
ges for the women who were working there. 1t
did not succeed, and, of course, it never could
have succeeded ; and it well worth while to
consider what are the reasons for this state of
things, and where, as | believe, the remedy
lies. Why are not women employed in ha-
berdashers and other shops more generally
than they are? One reason given is that they
are not strong enough to move the heavy
goods but, if that is ALL the difficulty can be
easily met by employing one or two men for
that particular purpose. But the only real
correct reason i'll my opinion, is, that very
few of them can add correctly bill of parcels,
or can do the summing necessary without
making constant mistakes, and, therefore, shop
keepers will not employ them. The remedy
for this lies in their better education in our
schools must say it is no natural defect |
know in mixed schools, where boys and girls
are taught together, especially in the matter of
al rif hp o. hpaf
and out daughter and cheers.) The only
reason, as | can see, why women should not
be more generally employed in these shops in
the greater part of England, is either that
they do not stay long enough in the
schools, or that the schools do not suf-
fciently fit them for the employment they
get there. Well, then, take the case OF the
needlewomen--of the needewomen, who, as
said before, are starving on 4d. day. The
real explanation of this sad fact is, to put it into
technical language, that there is glut OF I'M
skilled labor in that particular branch. Lon
don is full, as | dare say most towns are, OF
women who want plain needlework. Now,
plain needlework is very often another term
for bad needlework. They want such needle
work as no careful thrifty members of a fani-
ly would put out because they can get it done
by their own servants. No frst-class shop
keepers require it. Such work. therefore is
uInllCu 10 Will uTc culicu III lJOnuOn STOP
shops, which are kept by those who sell cheap
goods of very inferior workmanship. That
there is no lack of employment for really good
needlewomen know. In my own parish there
were many shops where they dealt in boys
clothing, shirts, and articles Of that kind, be-
longing to men Of capital and responsibility,
who took great care Of the women that work
ed for then and paid them good wages.
have been told by them that they would be
very glad to give employment to as many
needlewomen as could send them, if they
could do their work. There were hum
dreds of applicants; but they were unable to
employ them, as they could not do their work
properly. The fact is, there are greater
number who cannot do work of that sort than
of good needlewomen, the consequence being
there is u competition amongst the former tor
such work as they can do This kind of work
is given out by necdle-men, who are very Of