, 1873-10-12
Homo would bo groat blessing. Dy whom
Ii It denied her ? Respectfully,
Cu1oAuo, Oct. 8, 1879. M1HANDY AlEANs.

Homo would bo groat blessing. Dy whom
In 1t denied her ? Respectfully,
Cu1oAuo, Oct 8, 1871, M1nANpy AIEANs.
Tho I.nsv of supply ana DoMilllds
~ Tho Editor af The Chicago Itibaaa.'
Sin Unless you think tint sufficient space
in your Columns Inns arondy been giyon to tho
discussion Of this subject, plcaso allow mo n
few words moro. somo Of tho girls seom quito
put ont by my former suggestions. 1iloy should
not find fault Will, Alpha" but with tho TIL
welcome truth Tint ho presented thom. They
should try to daprovo lis conclusions before
thoy donounco him az stno friend OF tho work.
ing-gir]s."
They are worry indignant because say that tho
girls are Themselves to bllme for their low
wages, "as IT." thoy say. tho poor yowing-girl
could dictate torms with hor employer" II
seoms, then, TINT tllcy admit that tho shop-grl
will tako for llor labor watovor is offered, pro-
vided 1t will furnish a baro Bubaatonco, nnl Is
Tho best her employer will do. ThiB, rroAu1ne,
is faot Now, let TIL aeo how this fact will
work III connection with those proposed Homes
whcro girls can get tllor living at reduced price.
Tho great lazy of supply and demand regulates
tho labor-market, as 1t doos every other market,
and Tint too, beyond tho interference Of tho
Un:ler the presont eyDtem antl dtapoaition of
Torliug-womcn, tllore iB II constant supply OF
sowing md ahop labor offered ut tho bareo cost
OF plain and frugal living. The cost Of board
to DO figured up by theuo tollers, and situations
accepted roadily at wagea only sufficient to coyor
that sttttt.
Lot uH now suppose T. case These Homes for
working-girH ara established. Martha, with tho
others who avo secured tho beneiiss or one, gets
her living for .1.6U II week less thnn 1t used to
cost hor. Sho IL, VIC viii suppose, ono Of /, toz-
cn minutes who arc employed in the ostabfiBh-
mont Of Blltrt.lnAker,. getting their a7per weok.
Panic comes. shirt-maker fails, and girls aro orlt
of employment. Itey1ook around forotler alt.,a.
tionB, but find lille encouragement. All tint
employ aewing..girls seem to hava nil tho tands
thoy need. Martin ut last becomes nervous
Her purse is empty, alla board-bills must be
vasaoa ull Tho establishments she knows Of, but
tho same story meotB Aor: I" 1Iard tinloB -
"no aclnand for goods" tail tho hands We
want" etc. sho reflects that she can work for
formerly lad ut 81. She returns to one Of the
shops, aud Interviews tho - boss"
Martha-" Couldn't you pay SO for good
hand 7"
II you want to work ut that
Martha (rofecting tl1at this would be vira,l-
ally the same as her old situation at 81 aud full
price for loard)-"Well, guess TIL como aud
Wy lis
She tries it, and the "boss" soon finds that
about ten more girls would like to Try it, too
"for awhile, nny way" Consequence Is, ho an
nounces 20 luis old employees that. aB he can get
hands at $780, they must work for that, or yield
4 rival establishment across tho street
apondont Employer" wiho i sure ire that t'iS no
"resrectdo!a" lir1n. would roduce girls' wugoa
9 When thoy got Their lying cheaponed: He soon
ilnds his rival il selling shirts ut 922 d dozen
that it costs rimsof 823 to manufacture. How
| work.
What is, the roe,llt7 Mr.. E. Inns to reduce
! not very "respectao!e only rs low-lived old
follow !" but hts goods rule the markot, aud our
! kind,hearted Employer" must succun,b.
It is tho working Of q laW az unloading as that
Of gravltation,-hB remorseleHa Us Fnte. Martha
! and Miranda must see TINT. rs long as human
nture is aA it il, thoBo results must follow from
those promises.
Tire furnishing Of cheap Homes to ahop-girls
would eventually bring down tho wages giyoli
nnsnhcr Of girls thus provided The inmates Of
| cach such Homo would be standing menace to
the situations Of othor girls rho could not live
| SO chcaply. No one would ba benefited eYoutu-
Tho secret Of "Chinoae cheap labor," wLose
introduction our laboring clusscs 80 much dcnro.
cute, is, tlat John can 1.-Two 10 clleap,-can thrive
Oh boilc! rats, il need bo.---a,1d titus cut, and
will, work ut Il meagro compensation.
skllod labor can protect itself by combining
in tradea-..nions mud tho like; but llnskilled III,
hor has no resource except when field Of labo1
| is crowded aud WagoS too low, to seek othel
branches of labor whoro hotter wages are OF:
fored.
Yon might today, by grea! charitable or leg.
is1atiyo movement, furnish tho e1atire labor,,e
caaheH Of tho country with their food a,,tt 1o,1s
] ing, free Of EXPENSE, and, within q week, the
Fr Il &~- kIAIt
more tAan sufficient to provide necessary cloth.
| inS.
But whit should thcoe ill-paid al,op-sirls do !?
Those who aro .playsically capab)D Of doing
t4at kind Of work should. think, seek tho fold
OF housework, whoro good wagos arc offered,
nnloAs tlloy have substantial objections to it.
Thoro ara serious objections entertained by
many; and I hoped some Of these objections
would bo stated 10 us BY tho girls, TINT they
! might be considered, aud perhaps removed.
One of tho most serious objections TINT occurs
to my mind is the custom Of requiring those in
domestic service to give most OF their evenings
aud most Of Sunday to thoir household duties.
Tho shor'.girl looks All day toward tho evening
a. her own time, and forward to tho Sunday al
lor own entro day for whatever uso aho desires
placed on the same basis i'll this respect be-
lieve thousands Of good girls would gladly avail
which they now 10 Roroly need. movement to
accomplish this would be Of far more benefit to
working-womon tlan tho building for them OF
free honos, or tho furnishing their living ut loss
than cost. ALPHA
Scrvsantgalissn.
70 TIE Editor of Tac cAtcayo gribuAe:
S1R: Or thls subject there seems to bo no
end. At loaAt, after all that has Eeen writton
and spoken upon 1t, no conclusion has boon
reached that is ut all satisfactory 10 tho Amori-
can fcmale mind. Every right-n,inded mistress
of house expects, aud is willing to perform hor
share of domestic duties. She dcsircs to rule
her own house, and, Us TINT cannot be wcll lono
by merely Issuing ordors, sho nssnules those
cares which are most neglected, sud calls them
hers. But tho difficulty is, tlat, as lonlestio
Horyitudo ia ut present arranged, her share OF
caros bus grown yoar by year to such multitude
that sfo ta in danger OF being overwhelmed, as
she is already dishonrtonol, by them. She haB
noithor time nor strength to conquer thom all,
anil NJ }irr,n H.