Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1865-09-22
Needle and Garden.

TIC Monthly, which should excite the hor,
ror and disgust of the American people
They are relative to the sewing women
OF our country, and the writer speaks OIL
what exists in Philadelphia. He says i.
One widow taking out shirts at the ar.
senal, earned two dollars and forty cents
in two weeks, but was denied permission
to take them in when done, though urg-
emily needing her pay, being told she
would be making too much money. A
third, whose husband was then in the ar
my, found the price OF neutrality-suspicious.
reduced FUN Iorty-two to twenty. seven
cents-reduced by the government itself
but she made eight pairs week, took
care Of five children, and was always on
the verge of starvation. She declared
that, if it were not for her children she
would gladly lie down and die. A fourth
worked for contractors on overalIs, at five
cents pair Having the aid of sew
ing machine, she made six pairs daily,
but was the object of insult and abuse
from her employer. An aged woman
worked on tents, making in each tent for
ty-six button holes, sewing on forty,six
buttons, then but;oning them together,
then making enty-eight ayelet holes,
all for sixteen cents. After working
the whole day without tasting food, she
took in her work just five minutes after
the hour of receiving and paying for the
weeks labor. She asked them to pay
her Tor what she had just delivered, but
was refused. She told him she was with
out cent, and that, if forced to wait till
another payday, she must starve. The
reply was, "Starve and be id That
is none of my business. We have our
rules and shall not break them for any
-" a tailor gave to another sewing
woman a lot Of pantaoons to make up
The cloth being rotten, the stitches of one
pair tore out, but by exercising great
care she succeeded in getting the others
made up. When she took them in, he
accused her Of having ruined them, and
refused to pay her anything. She threat.
ened suit, whereupon be told her to "sue
and be id" and finally offered her a
shilling pair, which her necessities fore
ed her to accept.
Now for the doings of those who
to belong to the religious class.
One public praying man paid less than
any other contractor, and frequently al
lowed bis hands 10 60 unpaid for two or
three weeks together. Another would
give only dollar for making thirteen
shirts and drawers, of which a woman
could finish but three in day. What
but fallen women must some of the sub
iects Of such atrocous treatment become /?
1t was ascertained by letter sent BY one
Of this class, that she had given way un-
der the pressure ofstarvationl She said
Il was an innocent girl, the daughter of
a clergyman. Left an orphan at an early
age, | tried hard 10 make a living, but,
unable to endure the hard labor, and live
lpon the poor pay / received, l fell into
in. Tell your public that thousands
ike me have been driven to want and .
,rime." Yet the men who thus drove
women to despair, were amass-
n G large fortunes. Their names ap-
'eared in the newspapers as liberal con-
ributors to every public charity that was :.
sanitary fairs, to women's aid
ocieties, TO the sick and wounded sold >
ers, to everything that would be likely
o bring their names into print. They
igured as respectable and spirited citi-
;ens. Of all men they were supremely
oyal. Some of them were church mem .
'ers, famous as class-leaders and exhort- II
RS, powerful in prayer, especially when |
made in public. o