The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1869-06-02
THE WOMAN QUESTION:
THE WORKING-WOMEN OF BOs-
Z .l TON IN COUNCIL.
THEY RELATE THEIR EXPERIENCE
THE MONEYED MEN IN THE
LAND OF MORALS,

I The following are extracts from some o.
the speeches made at the meeting of thI
Boston's Working -Women's Association
held last week: .Tra.
STARVATION IL WOMEN AND LIoRN11oVsSHs,
4 IN NAN.
Miss Phelps then called upon Mrs, DR.
Setcheil benevolent looking, elderly lady,
for some remarks. She said: The subjeci
OF woman has occupied my mind for some
years. am . woman's friend. and I stand
here to day to speak something concernino
poor working women and their disadyanta.
ges; and 1t Is subject which, for the last
ten years, have come in contact with
poor, degraded women, many of them
and why were they degraded9 Because
| they could not earn enough to pay for their
board. People are 10th to board women ;
they say they are too much trouble, and can
not pay as much as men. will relate an
instance. Some time since q lady came to
me and said, 'EMy heart has been almost
broken to day; for the first time for twen-
| ty five years I have been tempted to do
wrong. said why2 Because I have not
q place to lay my head. am a stranger in
the city, and / came here to get work. /
went into shop, and though I had to nav
| five dollars q week for my board, I could
only get four dollars for my work. and I
came out and haYe been travelling for sew.
eral days, and I had TO day only one small
piece OF bread. met gentleman in the
street, and he said, 'FWhere are Won 90
| ing :" said was hunting for work and
boarding place. He said, come with me
and he showed me room splendidiy fur
nished, and he said: You may stop here
and III pay your board. ! said~upon what
terns-that you may come and visit mel
He said yes; that may spend an evening
with you. I said no, sir. [Applause. +
That Is the way that many women go astray
-Decause they can not get anything to buy
their clothes with, or pay their board. And
my heart has ached, and have longed for
this opportunity to speak to the public thro'
the press. l felt for them as Il my soul
would burst within me, and said TO her.
trust in GOd and His angels, and a way
viii be opened for you. l gave her board
and lodging with myself. [Applause. So
1t Is with hundreds of thousands, could I
tell you secrets. And now, friends, fathers
and mothers, what If that had been one of
your daughters3 1t is time something was
done When pass out into the evenings.
and have been out late, my heart bounded
when have heard the resistance of door
girls, saying: 81 can not do this Wrongi
| can not do this WronCI" Yet it was ne.
cessity that drove them to that situation. I
do not believe that my sex are so bad-thas
they are 30 sensuous as they of themselves
viii go Astray. Applause Very many
OF the town ladies, as they are called, have
hearts that are pure, bnt it is necessity that
drove them to their course of life and keeps
them there. They feel thst their charsc-
tiers are gone, and thst no one locks upon
them with compassion. Now, it is time
that all females are aroused to the subject.
am glad that something has commenced
to be done, and l pray Almighty God that
il may go on until there is q home for the
women of Boston. If some homes were
provided until they could get work, it wo'd
be beautiful thing. / feel that our race
Is running out. Many come to me, and I
have treated them for no disease. I only
said, Show do you dress q take that first;)
has nobody said anything to you about it 7''
They say, 'tNo." l treat them then in
this respect, and send them away rejoicing.
am thankful to day for the privilege of
telling these things, that people may know
them. People may speak disrespectfully of
the girls in the street, as they pass to their
work, but they are innocent, they are inno-
cent. They come from the country, and
ind that they can not clothe themselves,
and my soul bleeds for them. The old LADY
sat down much affected.
- REMARKS FRoM THE CHAIRMAN.
Mr.. Thayer laid that he was sorry to
have heard the remarks of Doctress Setch-
ell, it was painful to think that right there
In Boston those things were so.
TKRmLR ooEDITIoR or AFFAIRS.
Mrs. Thsyer said she had q young lady
friend who, after trying to get situation
As book keeper, where she was offered
two dollars q week, went to christian man
who employed girls TO make over ais. II
took the speaker two hous and half to
make one of the garments, and she consid-
cred herself a good sewer, and how much
was given 70 her friendl Only five cents a
piece. She found that she would have to
WORK twelve or fourteen hours q day for
her board. She could have got into base
ment kitchen, but the speaker said she
advised her not to go, as they are very un-
healthy, receiving all the bad maIarious air
from the cellar She then took her young
friend around to several places to get sit
uation as servant in q good place, but the
answer returned was, 81 prefer Irish or col
ored girls" Some of the ladies in the town
told friend of mine, said Mrs. T., that
they could not take real decent, good look
ing, Intelligent girl in their houses, on &C
count of their husbands. have known
women whose flesh on the lower limbs has
rotted on in consequence of the great amount
of standing In the factories, and never
knew q afactery girl who was able to rear a
healthy family. Those who work for few
years are ruined. would not advise any
girl to go into cotton factory and work
eleven hours . day, they might as well COM
NIT suicide at once. There are too many
girls in Boston. If girl is learned she can
become 9 teacher, but then she only re-
ceives one quarter what the men get. If
she Is handsome and attractive she can 90
on the stage. A young friend of mine took
thst course, and she got 81 3 week, but
managers look upon them all as girls of the
town. .l fla at4 Eu.4sin rIsa-ut-
CUTTING DOWN. f.EHts
Mrs. Rodgers, an old woman, said -
When ask price they always cut me
down. Every. niece of work thai I do thew