The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-08-22

The thousand other ways In which the thrifty
adustry OF the New England girl developes
ITSELF They have usually no resource but their
'wn exertions for their support; and in many
Instances they have the additional burden OF
aged parents, or helpless younger brothers and
sisters dependent upon them. Not lew are
widows OF soldiers fallen in battle, with little
hildren orphaned in their countrys cause. 1t
would seem scarcely more than reasonable TO
.sk for these that they shall have food and
shelter, yet this is precisely what in the pres
mt state OF affairs they cannot get. There is
work enough for them to do, and they are anx-
ious to do it, but they cannot flnd suitable aud
decent homes to cover them.
II any one doubts this let him ask some
young lady of his acquaintance for an account
Of her experience in hunting board" He will
oe likely TO hear something like the following
Accustomed at home to some degree of com
fort and refinement, she has made her first es.
say in the genieeler class OF up town" board
ing houses. The mistress receives her in a
snowy parlor respondent with gilt picture
frames, and graciously listens to her GRAND.
She has at present but one vacan; room. 1t is up
several flights, but she will be happy to show
IL TO her. The several flights are mounted,
aud the room exhibited; an implanted, unpa-
pered attic, destitute Of fireplace or closet,
aud lighted and ventilated only by a small flat
~indow in the root! She inquiries the price OF
board with these sumptuous Accommodations
&c.; Iafl a MEL
sum is considerably more than her whole week.
stipend. She ventures TO suggest that the
rate is a little high, and is graciou.ly reminded
BY the mistress of the establishment that it is
very genteel locality, and that her boarders
are all OF the very first class.
Resolved TO try something a little less gen.
teel, she proceeds to make the rounds of all
the second class boarding lhouses in town.
These are in nearly every instance crowded to
repletion already. or il there is anywhere a va
cancy the price is still too high for her slender
means. One kind, motherly woman, compass
-ionating her weary search, says, 81 am sorry
for you, my dear. i would gladly take you If
could; but you see can ill all my rooms
With men at four and five dollars per week,
aud cannot afford to take young ladies for the
price they are able to pay. have my family
to support, and must do the best can" She
admits the justice Of this plea, and turns away
half despairing. The next person to whom
she applies is of different temper. She sur
veys the applicant coldly, barely listens to hear
the conclusion OF her request, and then with a
sc ri full, 1--WE don't take lady bosrders," shuts
he door in her lace. With this pleasant dis
nissal she goes on to the next place. 1t Is din
gy wooden house in shabby street. A group
fdirty children are quarrelling upon the steps,
and the entry is redolent of the mingled odors
Of fried meat, cabbage and onions. A slatternly
woman with hair uncombed, the waist OF
ner gown stuck full OF pins, and arms dripping
with soap suds. appears as the mistress of the
establishment. She eyes the applicant sharp
ly from head to foot, scrutinizing every arti-
Gle Of her dress as il suspicious that it has not
been honestly come BY, questions her with i'm
pertinent minuteness as to where she came
from, what are her means OF support, and what
church she attends, and then proceeds to in
form her that her rules are very strict, that her
sirl boarders" must eat at the second table,
and that she "allows no goin' out evenin's nor
foolin' round with the men folks" As soon
as the young lady can recover her breath, she
Informs the good woman that house in which
such "rules" are necessary will hardly suit her
purposes, and regains the street as quickly as
possible.
After various vicisitudes,she at last succeeds
In obtaining board In nominaliy private fam
lily at $500 per week, and congratulates her
self on having found a hone. But weeks
experience serves to dispel all such Illusions
She finds that private family taking boarders
combines all the annoyances of boarding
house without any of its freedom, and that
ch dp board means starval ion from scanty and
ill-cooked food, and lodging with three or four
strangers in a narrow. ill-ventilated room,
where moments privacy is impossible; aud
she Is exceptionally fortunate il her nights are
not made hideous by the assaults of the insect
which waketh in darkness, and profaneth with
its presence the most sacred domestic pene-
{ ALA.
This is not an imaginary, or -litary expe-
rience. Its parallels are of daily occurrence;
and the difficulty under which the class refer
red to are suffering increases every day. It's
foundation is the wholly mad. quate compen.
alton given 10 women for their labor. Take
sfaw Instances. Girls Of good appearance and
address. employed as ssleswomen receive from
50 10 80 per week. A smart tailoress sunn,ied
with custom work" can often earn 81 90 ner
week, but the supply of that Kind of work ia
limited. and girls doing sale work cannot av-
'rage So. Cloak makers range from "a IN 20
$3.50 and workers Observing machines from a
to s.. These are the branches of labor which
pay best. There are lamp and brush makers
earning from 40 to 60 cents per day, shirt max
ers from 80 to so cents, makers of army pants
about the same, Of army drawers from l6 to 25
cents per day! Take in connection with such
a scale of prices as this, the fact that Tor res
pectable board they must pay from &. IS to
$3.50 per week, that many OF them, rs for in-
stance sales women, are required to be well
dressed, though pair of gaiter boots cost 81.
tne plainest street dress $40, and other things
III proportion. How is such girl to meet her
necessary expenses on the painfully narrow
margin that remains to her after her
board Is paid? She pinches and saves. but for
all that the trial TO which she is exnosed o.
pecially ifyoung and pretty, is a frey ono and
she who walks through 1t unscathed shows a
rectitnde OF purpose and patient COURAGE
which cannot be too much honored
When from any cause, such as the nrosan,
depreciation of the currency, the prices of all
articles rise In the market, the last thing to
follow that rise is the wages of women. Men