Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1860-12-01
Picture Of White slavery i. n. -
Metropolis,

A correspondent of the London Tim,
describing one of the great mantua. m,k;.'
establishments in that city, communicated
following facts:
Work is commenced every morn;,..
seven o'clock, and continued till elavaN
nIght-a period of sixteen hours, the onlu u
%tervals allowed being about ten m;nutay ~
each meal-the total amount of time aIlan.&&
for-eating their food, | was going t. .a
but surely "boIting," it is the most NY
;riate phrase-being forty minutes nor 1rg g.o
thus leaving fifteen hours and twenty ~,
utes as the period devoted to work A A
this, be it remembered, is not merely d, a1
the busy season, as at the west end hn. MIN
all the year round, from January to d.
Der for you must understand that at ~
Enlistment to which refer, the great.,n
OF the sewing IS given out to slop.w orf.,''
IN the busy season, and all that is don. i
doors is the original %cutting-out and ult;m,.aa
hitting together OF the separate parts: H..
wnen the slack season comes, there is a .sS'
as much sewing reserved as will keen 4.
girls Of the establishment employed m toM w.
full pitch, so that there is, in fact. No s.i..ss
season" at all Tor them.
And yet for his continued and un,el.,...
pressure of sixteen hours work NJ, S.l
from years end to years end. this firm
sumo to the nselves the greatest nosssi.
credit. They thank God that thew ara ~.
as other firms are at the west end-onn,..
sors and d%estroyers of young women. H.,
never-not even for a few weeks in III. h..
season-make their people sit up til tb,a.!
or four in the morning. Oh, no! tbe:r 80.
is always turned off in the work-room e
eleven o'clock. Why. sir, the west end .!l
TEN, With its few weeks of severity. foHo.sa
as it is by months Of comparative Iei,rm
mercy itself when viewed alongside Of rs.
unmitlgated, never ending, still be%sinnin.s
slavery to which | am referring.
The only day of leisure which the Girls
this establishment have, is Sunday. Pn~
Monday morning to Saturday night tbey !,
as a, complete prisoners as any in News,k.
They know not whether the sun shines -
the rain falls at that time. They .e M
allowed to cross the threshold even 10 pur.
chase a pair of shoes or a new gown e,
themselves, and must employ their friend,
outside to do this for them.
Nor is the accommodation indoors sucb,
IN any way to reconcile them to this cloe
confinement. The work-room. in which t.n
or twelve Of them are employed, is oul1
about twelve feet square, and is entirely d.
void OF arrangements for ventilation. which
is the more to be deplored, as during the eve.
ming they have to encounter the heat and
foul air Of three flaming gas-burners rieat
over their head, every door and window
being shut By which a breath of pure III
could possibly enter. The bedrooms ,r
equally uncomfortable. no fewer than six pei.
sons being huddled into one, and four in N.
other.
1t is impossible to contemplate the condi
ton of this class of work-women las dis.
closed by the facts quoted) without keenly
-sympathizing with it, and wishing that some-
thing might be done to mitigate its erils u
misery.