Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1871-08-31
The Song OF the Shirt.
by GAIL HAMILTON.

question is the wrctcledness OF their
sewing. 4 good scamstrcss is as
scarce as good cook, and as sure OF
good wages. How many of these
women who make shirts at six cents
apiece know how to fashion under
garments ;asteinlly, to cut them econ
omical,y, to sew them neatly and
strongly What they do is the
coarScs, and most mechanical kind OF
sewing When it comes to what is
called family sewing, they are utter
" deficient. There are plenty OF
mothers who would be eager 10 en-
care their services, ii their services
were worth engaging. Women At
the heads of households are put II
great laconyeniencc and annoyance
for want OF competent help at the
needle; and the help they get is Of.
ten so clumsy, shabby. and ineifcc-
tive that it is a question whether II
ought not to be called a hladrance.
Let all women who design or who
are forced to earn their living by
their needle become skilled needle
women. Let them learn how to cut
and fit and make all manner Of cloth
ING, outer and inner, coarse and fine,
and then let us see whether they will
be obliged to work at six cents a
shirt.
But ii is said they have no oppor-
tuni,y to learn this, They are poor,
and have neither time nor teachers
Tor any but the plainest work. Tn
doubtei'y this may be true but II
has nothing whatever to do with the
question. The world does not ask
how its servants came to be ignorant,
but, are they Wise? 1t wants ability,
not reasons for inability. Il may not
be woman's fault that her work is
poor; but she must not expect to
get the same price for it as II it We're
good. This law is memorable. Man
did not make it, and man cannot I'M
make it.
Here, also. comes the necessity OF
dong the work which society wants
done. There is inst so much serving
to be done: so much family sewing,
that needs trained hands so much
slop-work sewing, that unframed
hands can make shift to do The
trained hands are few and they com
mand the market. They are called
fashionable mllliners or dressmakers.
They open shops; they set up cloth
ing establishments; they ask great.
PEI haps exorbiant, prices; and they
make fortunes. The unframed hands
are many, and are a, the mercy Of the
market They must take what they
can get. Because they are many,
there is competition: and starvation
wages follow. There being only so
much coarse work to be done, the
greater the number OF workers the
greater the subdivision OF wages.
There being SO much fine work 10
do, the fewer the workmcn the larger
the portion OF wages to each one.
II the woman IS dissatisfied with max
ing shirts at six cents q piece, let her
make dresses at fifteen dollars. But
she does not know how What,
then, is she complaining of? Must
the employer who wants shirts, and
does not want dresses, pay for one
AMI receive the other? No, it is
SAID; but the employer who wants
shirts made should pay living price
Not in the least. Whether the price
be living or dead is no affair OF his
II is his solely to Fay the price nee.
essary to get his work done. It is
no; question OF morality. It is a
question of market price. You hav,
no more right to demand OF 4 man
that he shall pay twelve cents fol
work which he can buy at six than he
has to demand OF you that you shall
pay twelve dollars a barrel tor tlonl
when you can get 1t for five. Nor
atty and philanthropy and sentimen
tality are entirely out OF place here
they may come in to relieve indivil
uai suffering; but they con lbu,e
nothing to the solution OF tie prof.
lem. We pay for things what the.
are worth. Extra prices for extr:
quality. Extra price for common
quality may be charity or short
sightedness; but it is not trade
Trade is a law unto itself It need.
no outside interference. The fash
ionable dressmaker or the noted law
yer demands exorbitant prices. Tn
remedy is at hand-you need not EN-
ploy them. It they are really cx
orbitant, the withdrawal OF patron
age will speedily bring them t
terms. If they are so skillful tina
you must employ them, then thci
.erms arc not exorbitant. For thei
signal skill they have right to dc
mand signal wages; and you have nj
more right to say that they shall
bring their style and their sagaclt,
to cheaper market than you hav
to demand tina, tie owner Of Goa
mlne shall distribute his coal aroun,
among the poor, or sell it to work
lngmen at half price.
The suit lately brought by a dress
maker TO recover the amount OF he
bill from a customer exactly illus
trates my meaning. I know nothin:
Of either party to the suit Boil
may be innocent of any wrong in
tent toward each other. Two thous
and dollars seems large sum Tor |
dressmaking bill but l, for one, an
heartily glad when any woman is Sc
skilliul in any honorable calling thai
she controls the market, and dare.
charge high prices. She has precise
" the same right to do it that tn.
great lawyer has to charge his fees
lie does not necessarily bestow moro
thought on his cases than his lowlic'