New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-07-20
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
THE woRKINGwoMEN AMONG THIEvES-THE
GOOD SAMARITAN.


GOOD SAMARITAN.
To me Editor OF The Trf6"ne'
SIR; The side hint of doing our best toward
any good work. thrown into the story OF the Good Sa-
maran is not the least significant part OF the paraDe
When the Samaritan, sort OF NewJersey man III those
days. picked the unfortunate individual up, AFTER suffer-
ing worse than Erie collision he left the poor fellow at
a hotel, with payment Of two pence, and promise
that for whatever else needed when he came ag'h
he would pay. Probably he meant to make the money
on the next trip This particular story may bear Oh
class which in these days has fallen among thieves III
was not then q Society with two Vce-Presdents Coi
responding Secretary and large complimentary Board
which rescued the fallen man. II he had depended OH
Society to rescue him, his bones would have whtened
the highway The efficiency Of work is sometimes In
inverse ratio the number OF those engaged in It, In
case where clear-headed woman, with no nonsense
about her, who has thought out plan ana grown INTO
it, could accomplish work inthree months, II people
gave her only needed help and otherwise let her alone,
Society will waste years and dissolve itself In discuss
ing measures and waiting for its own movements.
To-day the workingwomen have fallen among thieves.
Why shall we take pence from pockets and est
mate how much Of beginning in the right way IL VIII
make is well understood that their great wants are
direct communication with consumers, good homes at
low prices and popular amusements. As any plan for
the help and uplifting of whole class in the economy OF
the world springs chiefly from selfinteres it may not
be requisite to appeal 10 any higher motive Neither
Magma Charta, nor American independence, nor the
freedom of granted from any other than pr-
Dental considerations and the dispute between capital
and labor will adjust itself no other grounds There
Is hardly need yet to turn questioning glance upon the
first Of the Womens Trade Unions which are springng
ND I'm manufacturing localities. There is compressed
nervous energy enough in thu thin sharp faces OF the
leaders OF these movements to promise an unscrupuous
and close contest should they ever struggle Tor the
mastery revengeful extorton in their turn should
they evergan control Of the markets Slaves make the
worst tyrants. A Trades Union fight among men is
serious affair." both Charlotte Bronte and Charles
Reade perceived such battle between women, should
the world ever see it, would be simply unen-
durable. 1t is evidently simple selfinterest Tor
some to start a plan to throw more OF
the profits of their labor into the hands OF the work
women. Take as example household clothing, which
is sold by Wholesale the shops shirt which sells
requires u yards Of cotton at 20 cents half
yard OF lnen worth 40 cents, and 10 cents worth or
thread buttons and tape. ft Is not made up by single
person. The linen il stitched by one, the cloth cut by
another and tho finishing done by two or three others
Say the fronts bought readymade as they can be-
for 40 cents less, and woman with machine
makes the shirt 1t is poor operator who cannot make
two shirts in day Deducting the cost Of materials at
RETAIL 81, and 30 cents profit can afford to give the
seamsress the selling price 81 % for each shirt she
makes Improvement this, on the stories OF shi-
ling apiece I know that quick worlwoman can
have put the cost OF materials just high as retail
BUYERS will find them When bought by wholesale they
are much less No woman need suffer on SIS week III
New-York, unless she has family. Take again the
linen dresses for women which sold generally at $40
apiece. The material is coarse and can hardly cost Is
cents yard at wholesale, as the manufacturers bny.
Twelve yards make the skirt and basque with rufes,
and there NAV be dollars worth OF alpaca braid and
cheap buttons ON the suit OF which the making Ia not
more than days work s. for materials, and " pr0nt,
leaves s. fair price for ten hours work, quite as much
a. a reporter on city daily has for his breakneck exist
ence Yet nobody pes the latter though he may have
q family 10 support, well as the needle woman.
All OF this tends to show that ii would pay somebody
TO open shop the sale OF readymade articles allow
ing sewing women themselves TO furnish the materials,
and to set fair price upon their work There are many
small places Broadway and the where needle
work is sold at exorbitant prices $50 is asked for an
organdy dress the material Of which cost $50, and which
has but three days work upon it, At such price these
dresses sell by hundreds though the work will hardly
bear inspection. Were such robes TO be found in
modest neat little shop, block from Broadway, better
made for $40 apiece, would carriages be long in finding
the way thither Yet this would give fair profit to
the person who merely sells them 1t Just true that
cheap things sell most probably III the OF dresses a.
OF carpettacks. We're the profits on all ready made
goods marked down to 10 per cent expenses and
fair price TO the needewoman people could afford TO
buy three dresses where they now purchase one.
single who thinks of taking boar ders should
Victoria lawn, and trimmings and advertise FOR sewing
women, naming her prices, ~ 50 and s. day. She
would want drugget in her rooms before the first
day over there would be such crowd of applicants
Suppose she should send cards TO her acquantances
naming the style Of dresses Sold and their moderate
price with the guarantee that every article should be
finished in satisfactory manner. BY cOntenting herself
with moderate profits she could underse the large
dealers, and by the rates paid could command the best
workers. think the business would pay well some
boarding houses do and, compared with literature, which
nowadays holds the next place certainly much better
most powerful writer's this side OF the water, and IL
recognized by the reviews foreordaned genius She
SEQ for it, and gets the neuralgia beside at the rate OF
three headaches a week Mrs. -, block away, keeps
furnishing store, and doubles her money every
little thing that leaves her hands She always in state
pleasant busy activity plenty OF catches
the last gossip her neggees in way delicious to
the soul Of woman don't believe she has head
ache. She her shop and sends family into the
country early In the which the novelist cannot
do The latter has seriously considered the desiraby
OF changing places with the lawn-seller
Suppose young woman with capital OF IS chooses
to buy and make dress Of linen OF the quality sold for
40 cents yard busy day, from to o'clock finishes
il neatly. She carries II to neghborng shop with the
understanding that Is to he sold for sl2 seller keep
ing 81 profit. Dresses of this description, by the by
sell for from SIS 10 $40 In the Broadway stores Such
suit placarded with price would hardly stay in decent
shop window day. The purchaser would he likely To
want more OF the kind In the course OF n year
young woman could earn quite much by such Indus
try she could chief assistant teacher ordinary
school.
The stimulus OF reasonable. hours and good wages
would inevitably raise the standard OF work A woman
might accomplish more in ten hours than In fifteen for
what she makes up IN continuance she sometimes loses
In speed When the difference between passabe work and
pce work matter Of 81 day even the most careless
will improve. The Samaritan who lays out his two
pence nowadays makes pretty of getting back
with at least 10 per cent interest In all Industrial enter
prses But this enterprise may return profit and pence
In even greater ratio. SHIRLEY DARE.
Nen York, July Is, 1870.
NEW YORK AS 1T WAS ANn ia