The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1860-02-02
From the New York sun.
A SEWING GIRLS APPEAL FOR SEW
ING GIRLS

TO Tie Public: We, of the MANY oppressed
and down'trodden, have. from the repeated in
justice done TO us, apii to hundreds of others
by employers in thi2 city, ct last determined To
RAISE our voice o. complaint, in the hearing Of
the friends of humanity.
Most OF the FUR dealers, and manufacturers
OF turs, in New York, are Germans. who en-
Pioy hundreds of poor girls to prepare their
goods Tor sale by lining and trimming them in
various styles, and who promise TO pay certain
prices per piece, for certain kinds of wOrk
There are also hundreds employed in making
cloth caps and hoop-skirs, who are weekiv cbeaS.
ed out of part of their earnings, who, no doubt.
are compelled 10 submit TO it our. II we attemnt
10 claim our rights, are often insuted by replies
III coarse language, and arc not unfreuuently-
toid To leave, II We don't like our paw, &c. /
speak from my experience, more particularly
Oh The fur manufacturers yet there are few
who s'!Nertise for sewing girls " who do not
al some degree pay them off in the same way
as these German fur dealers do.
We, AS every one knows, by thousands. in cold
or neal, ram, snow, or sleet, walk the streets
early IN the m0sning to our work pace, carr 9
ihg' perhaps IN an old newspaper, what we call
our tiAuer, often only bread, or al best ,;,tIa
cold meat, with bread and potatoes, and worl,
from eight Up The morning until five AID some
tunes SIX o'clock in the evening, (stooninp oplv
1T noon to eat our cold lunch,) for these MOI,
who have made and are making fortunes from
our labors, and who, besides stintingly paving
US, taik 10 us as though We Uere what MANY Of
them seem to he, brU,es in human shape.
ana here let nye say that our slavery, and
mat OF tens o. thousands North, is far more
miserable Shan is that of the well-fed. well
oiehhen, and well-cared-for colored slaves of ,he,
SOUTH, whose condition we hear so much sym-
Pathy expressed for, even from the pulpits, and
no doubt, otien, too, by the very mSa who op-
press us, and even cheat us on. Of our hard
earned shlIings.
Bat, 10 make our case more clear TO vonr
mlhd, let me try ia picture to you the scene of
oa'urdayng&s settlement with one of these
GERMAN employers. See hundred or more
gRls, Of all sizes, many of thep, tb;n,y Clad
and with ieaky shoes, huddle around the, nav.
ing desk, shivering with cold, hand in Their lit
We books with their weeks work account. BIZ
winch they know they have earned 81 CT $3.50.
OF perhaps three dollars. The book is taken.
name called, and mock figuring made, and
then comes the trial IVY, Miss Shane, VOC,
hav only make yon dollar tree shillin dis vesk.'r
" Oh" she Fephes, " I've made more than that
SIT, let ne show you" NO." says be, 81 nos
vos IS night" Then come sharp words. Then
labbering of Dutch with sopDe accomplice in
this robbery. And then BE SAYS, Oh, yes. 7
make Won little mistake, It's six cents more.n
" %, sir. can't take That let me show you,
ST." attempting to take her book. al made so
many caps at when he harshly, says, {" stop
yoar tam tong; | nos my business \ don't
cheat you, and if you don't like de pay, you can
go next week some vars else The poor girl
takes the pittance and the insulting language.
and leaves, to walk, perhaps, miles in the rain
snow, or mud, to her miserable boarding place
Same number two Veil, Miss Lizzie, you
makes shnst Won dollar an seven shillings dis
week." The girl replies, why, you see, air.
nay book it's two dollars and six shillings.n IN
q loud voice, he replies, | nos peter. He.e's
de money you can take it if you likes" She
counts it, and finds INSTEAD of the xls7I
which he said she had made) that he only cave
her $50. She shows it to him. He saw sshe
can't make de shange." She demonstrates.
lie says, Oh vel, If you want dat little seven
cents, you must shange dis Gill" showing her
a three or five dollar BILL which he well Know
she cannot change, and so ends her weeks set
Element. Those scenes run throagh and hold
good visa hundreds. And there is no dopht
aat many of these noble Germans mako q
calculation, even IN this little way, to save. or
ather rob, hundreds of dollars per year from
he poor work girls, because " dey can't make
lie shange For them, keeping cents, G cents
CENTS &c, from most every one.
Now, let me assure you, kind reader. that
What l write IS no picture of the Imagination
'ut IS a real truth that have seen and felt. a.
ave thousands of other work girls. True. yo,,
Vill see here and there girlthat is genteelIv
ressed, making lady-like appearance. who.
may be, is not compelled to pay a weekly
.oard, having some relative with whom s,,e
ives; and hence she gets along far better than