The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1865-02-03
The Pay Of the Needle.

sweep our streets, doing their work In
the most sloycnly and shiftless manner
imaginable, receive per day about
triple the sum that an expert needle
woman can earn in the same time with
the aid Of a sewing machine by making
shirts. Why thick headed louts of the
male gender should be more literally
rewarded for their lubberly labor, than
smart, active women, for doing what
they are hired to do in the best posi-
bic manner, is a question that admits
Of but one solution. II is easier to
cheat and Cypress women than to
grind the faces of men, and therefore
to the shame of manhood, not to speak
of chivalry, masculine lazinpss is better
paid than feminine industry. When
employed ON the same kind OF work
the sexes are never equally remunera-
ted-the men, even if less skillful than
their fair competitors, invariably GET
ting "the lions share"
All wrong, however, is comparative
and it may be some consolation to our
needle-woman to know, that they are
not so hardly dealt with rs their sisters
on the other side of the ocean. In
England, according to the last Public
Health Report madeto the Lords of
Council for the information of Parlia-
ment, the average income of each adult
seamstress is only about eighty-eiglt
cents per ,oeek, and very often the poor
creatures remain unemployed for
weeks together. Sometimes wonder
full benevolence the needlewoman re
ceives a weekly loaf of bread from her
parish. Only one out Of every three
workers can afford to buy milk to the
extent of one farthiag's north pc,
day Here is their bill of fare I; ''Of
meat some buy t,co ounces daily, others
quarter of pound three times week
and half a pound on Sunday; others
only one penny-worth of sleeps brains
or penny-worth of black pudding
for dinner or supper. Such are the
rations of scores of thousands of I'M
dustrious, virtuous, church-going wo-
men in merry England. >" Meanwhile
the Archbishop of Canterbury preach
es a charity sermon now and then, on
an income of two hundred and fifty
thousand dollars per annum. ffa
The wages of American seamstresses
have not yet been beaten down to the
British level. Our shirt makers and
tailoresses have not yet been reduced
to the pauper loaf and the Sunday
dinner of sleeps brains. The pay is
not, however, in decent proportion to
the profits oftheir employers. Never
theless, they have reason to be thank
full that their lot is not cast in land
where the price of fourteen hours
work will only purchase two ounces Of
meat, slice of bread, two cups of ter,
a farthing's worth of milk, leaving
almost nothing over for clothing, shell
ter and fuel, and absolutely nothing
for slack times and sickness. No
wonder that two-thirds of the English
needle-women die of consumption in
their case a polite name for starvation.
MAeYIFIoENr PROJECT. 1t is stated
that u number of the capitalists OF
New York have in contemplation a
plan to present two thousand millions
Of dollars to the government, and thus
relieve the nation from indebtedness.
The gift is proposed to be made in
100000 shares of 100000, of which 4.
I. Stewart will take fifty and VIM y.
Astor fifty, and many others in pro
portion, and it is thought that quar-
ter Of the amount might be raised in
New York city. Gould this project be
realized il would compel the respect
of foreign countries, and place the
United States of America in the proud
est position ever occupied By any pa-
ton of the earth. 49,, ssefr p.r y.
DoN'T Complain Don't complain OF
your birth, your training, your employ
ment, your hardships never fancy
you conld DO something il you only
hada different lot atmosphere assigned
you. Ciod understands his own plans,
and knows what you want great deal
better than you do. The very thing
that you most deprecate as fatal limi-
tations and obstructions, are probably
what you most want What You call
hindrances and discouragements, are
probably Gods opportunities, and il is
nothing new that patient should dis
like hS medicines. or any certain
proofs that thcy are poisons. Not a
truce 10 all such impotence. Choke
lhaf Ia.yit n apvv ,xhfch .rna,.c ~