The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-05-08

not, sometimes, be even clean We cannot
buy soap to wash our clothing. This is one
Of the bitterest things that women suffer
Il is worse than hunger, for neatness, clean.
illness Is one Of woman's strongest instincts
Sometimes we cannot. | have seen the
time when could not buy the soap and fire
TO wash my clothes. Ii il not always thai
we are imprOvident and shiftless. It Is be-
cause our work Is so fragmentary because
We have not facilities for getting employ
ment at remunerative prices. Often when
we 20 70 tie shop we have to wait one, two
three hours for work to be given Us. W.
work for half an hour, an hour, two hears
and then have to waite again. When va
younger girls were taught full trades. They
made pants. eoats. overcoats, and then they
learned to cut. Now one stitches the seam
another makes the button holes, and anoth
er puts the buttons on. And when the poo
girl stitches up the seams and finds hel
work slack she goes from shop TO shop, per
haps for weeks, before she can find the sami
kind Of work. have known girl under
such circumstances to 60 for week on q
FIVE cent loaf Of bread per day, or on thai
amount IF crackers. They do not complain
they do not mention these things. II you
ask bow they are getting along they say
very well, work is slack BOW bat it viii soon
get better Nevertheless their condition
none the less needs remedying- Women
love home. They will DO everything fol-
home. Home Is w0man's place aud sphere,
And for tina, reason ask that an Opportu-
nifty be given Us to make homes for our
selves. We cannot in our present condition.
Al-.N.- LII 10 haser kak
attach ourselves 20, that will make Us feel
that we have q country. IL has been said
that we can 20 anywhere and be at home.
Women cannot. Ii il because they have no
homes. They have a husbands or a iath-
er's home, none OF their. own. And to those
poor working women that have no husband
or brother. only think what boon a hume
Of their own would be. The price would
not be SO much. The whole thing could
probably be done fOT 5000 or 500. They
paw row 10 rent $7j to 800 year. You
see !. would not take them 80 long to pay
for their little bones. We ask in this De
tit on that these homes should pass to our
Female heirs, if we should have any that
thea should be kept 10 the hands Of women
We 90 not want that BY trick and ehicanery
they should pass into the hands Of speculR-
tors. This is 8 way IL seems 20 me By which
al women may gain homes And when all
the women have homes, no man will be
homeless. There are now in the state of
Massachusetts, It is vari0usiy estimated,
from Is 600 10 100000 more women than
men. These must have employment some
where. | am met often with the objection
that these women can 20 70 California or
H. t4ttk .tafl .es ~.
know NOT these distant places. We cannot
get work where We are acquainted; how can
We be certain to get it where sc are not
acquainted This is the invariable feeling
OF those girls. Why Do they not 20 into
the country and work in farmhouse Girls
love independence, gTls love society, Just
az mach az men DO. woman must have
some irtcllectual society or she goes down.
/ am I'd peechmaker-ouly a worker.
have worked hard for myself and others.
was thrown into this mode of life, and was
obliged u see aud feel The leeds OF working
women. And no one can tell how bitter
those needs are who has not felt it herself.
Especially when they are obliged To work
thus 10 live. Ii would be easier 70 bear il
ID were voluntary, and If they knew they
could get out 81 Il Rben they liked. But
when there is ne choice bat 70 work, it takes
the strength away to 90 il. | know il should
not be so, but women are weak, uneducated,
unframed. | do not know that | can DO
better now than TO ask some VI our girls
here &c give their Testimony on this subj ecs.
DISCUSSION On woRe AND WAGES.
Mr. A. Tbayer, Of Cambridgeport, ask
ed whether these women vho got such very
small wages were chiefly American or foreign
born.
Miss Pheps-Two-thiras Of them are of
American birth. Il j. they that suder most
that need most, aud that want homes the
most Many unskilled working-women OF
foreign birth we wish to give homes to, be-
cause Of the benefits IL would confer upon
them, but it is the American women who
E,cst feel the need Of il.
ONE CRACKER DAY.
Mrs. Sarah Ellis, a middle-aged woman, a
tailoIess by trade, being asked to speak, said
| merely rise TO state some facts. am an
American woman, vile and mother, Yet
have worked from dawn TO sundoNn-not
stopping to get one mouthlul Of fOod--tOF %
cents. | have lived on one cracker day.
because could not get employment, and
could not get any more food. though have
travelled from house to house, and rom place
tl place, set sing for work Other women 10
the house IL rhieh I've, have worked week
alter week for 81 cents day. Even " men
have asked Us X make shirts for two shil-
Iings apiece These garments-eXhsbitin
two sacks and tvs 'skTts-are from one of
the charitable iuHilutons Of Boston, ana
have been made entirely hemmed, lelled,
and gusscted, for 4j cents, aud
al The work done by hand.
The Pres.dent--Mhat charitable institu-
ton
Mrs Elis-I % not wish to say.
Mrs. l.. Warner-l have no objection to
tell Ii u the Proyideat Aid .Soclety.
The President How many work Rgwo-
men il Boston are there. do YOU Ihiuk, who
10 not get more than twenty Eve cents per
isy
Mrs. Ellis think there are hundreds.
The Presldent-Let va suppose these w0-
men get 80 Ger Is per day, still cannot un-
lerstand how they live on that amount.
That is only ten cents for meals, ten cents
'vr clothing, and ten for lodging.
Mrs. EliIs-Well, they do il often by go
rig without breakfast, and, perhaps, without
supper.
The Presiden;-What rent do YOU pay
Mrs. EilIs-l pay two dollars u week for
| room, without Gre.
TWENTY FIVE CENTS DAY.
Mrs. i. Curtis--The lady says she has
made shirts for ten cents apiece; have
made them for eight cents. | think that, by
Torklng early and late, woman might
make twenty five cents a day at that rate.
They might, with hard work, get three Of
hem made in day. Tue contractor from
whom | got the work remarked that he
1oped no woman was obliged to make her
wing at such work. TINS was, l think,
nv hardest experience in making my living.
do net suppose would be living now to tell
he story, ii my soldier brother had not help
q me.
The president stated that ne had received
-eauests from the audience TO be informed
low extensive this system Of extremely low
wages was. We wish TO know whether
yours is an isolated case or not. How
many women get as little as twenty-five