The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1867-12-20
Working Women.

seventy thousand women on Manhattan
Island and in Brooklyn, who earn their
livelihood by honest labor. Their wages
average only FIVE dollars per week. a few
receive four or five tunes that amount, but
many do not get half Of that miserable pit
lance. Most OF them arc girls between the
ages of fourteen and twenty years. About
twenty FIVE thousand are engaged IN the
various branches Of machine and hand sew
ing. Fourteen hundred are compooltors In
printing Offices Three thousand are IN the
hoop skirt manufacture. The balance OF
the number are engaged in at least two hun
bred different occupations.
The small proportion of these women
who are experts, are regularly engaged at
the various establishments. They are never
out of employment, and command liberal
salaries bvt in times like the present,
when trade is dull, and consequently
manufacturing Interests more or less
stagnant perhaps not more than two
thirds Of the whole number OF women
find regular employment even at reduced
wages. Factories which last summer en-
ployed as high as fifteen hundred girls,
have reduced their force Of operatives one
half. OF course large numbers OF male
artisans and laborers are also out OF en-
p,oyment; but they do not enlist the public
sympathy Ike women in similar dilemma.
Men can generally turn their hands to
greater variety of employments than
women. They can also moro readily seek
work at distant points, and, If the worst
comes, and absolute wants threatens them,
the can never be driven TO the desperate
resource of sacrificing character and posi-
ton for bread
There are and always viii be numerous
branches Of industry in which the sexes
are rivals There are some kinds of sewing
formerly monopoized by men, which now,
thanks to the invocation of the machine, can
be performed equally well by women, al
though they invariably get less pay.
Employers are often blamed for making
this distinction between male and female
operatives; but they claim, with some show
of probability, that, although female labor
may be equal in skill, yet it is far less rel
able than male iaber. This is owing to the
fact, that workwo,nen frequently marry at
short notice, and withdraw from service,
40 that their employers can never be sure
of their services when they may be most
required. Consequently, an energetic bus
mess man generally prefers to hire and pay
larger sums to steady going employees OF
his own SEX 1t is too much to expect that
an American girl will give up all ideas of a
husband and become the vestal virgin Of
any trade, handicraft or profession.
In France, however, it is said to be
common thing for girls to devote them
selves to ,bor, forswearing marriage. In
consequence of their self denial they be-
come exceedingly skillful, command hand
some salaries, and live in case and com
fort.
We are inclined to believe tina, the OK
trayagant love of fnery so common
among, American women Is one OF the
principal reasons why girls who get good
wages are hardly ever able to save any
thing out of their salaries. The regular
employees OF millinery, dry goods, hoop
skirts, printing and publishing house s, tel
egraph offices, etc, will dress SO as to APP
pear like "other folks" Meet them on
Sunday, and it is sometimes difficult to
distinguish them from wealthy la lies.
This indulgence in dress costs many Of
these girls far more than all their other
expenses their outside snowy adornmeEts
being to the solid comforts and necessaries
of life as Falstaff' sack was to his bread.
Some of them admit and regret this weak
ness The superintendent Of one of the
largest manufacturing establishments In
the city, relates that several female en-
ployes deposited a week. proportion of
their earnings in his hands last summer for
the purpose of buying dresses valued at
$40 and $50 fearing as they said, that if
he did not keep it for them they might bs
empted to spend it for ''luxuries.
Suppose that by some commefclal reVui-
SIGN or monetary crisis these girls are sud-
denly thrown out Of employment. In nine
cases out OF ten they have no resource to
fell back upon-nothing laid up far rainy
day-and what are they to do? The
Devils agents in the shape Of employers,
employer clerks, chance acquaintances met
upon the street cars, or, more dangerous
than all, former female friends who have
ventured out on the broad way that they
are solicited to walk in these tempts them,
and is not wonderful that the grand army
of prostitution is annually recruiting from
their ranks
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