The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-10-16

least felt, but where the next-dOol
neighbor shall not find it out
Brown, finding his shelves full O.
goods which sell too slowly for hil
needs, retains his ornamental pla.
toon of statesmen, but docks the
number and pay of his hands who
work out of sight. His wife
CUTS DOWN THE WAGES
of her seamsIress, dickers with the
washerWoman over every weeks
bill, but drives as usual in the park
behind her biooded bays and liver
led foOtmen. The same system of
petty scrimping and ill-judged ex-
penditure runs into every class and
grade. The master carpenters wife,
pronounced among her neighbors as
q generous housekeeper aud Con the
basis of her dress aud parlor furni-
ture) ga perfect LADY," finding her
allowance cut down one half, turns
of the poor woman who has sewed
for her, and buys her underwear
ready made, saving enough in this
! way to treat herself to a Parisian
winter dress, mass of coarse cloth,
gaping stitches, and taWdrv bead
| work. The sewing woman in her
turn is driven to these ready-made
clothing shops, and will make for
the rest of the winter calico wrap
pers at twenty-five cents for each,
and other garments in the same pro
portion. The female employees of
the mills recently closed or running
on half time, crowd the doors where
this work is given out, glad of this
poor chance to escape starvation
The other chance which offers itself
TO both sewing woman and mill
hand, decent, faithful domestic ser
vice, they turn from as involving T.
loss of caste. The cook or chamber
maid at Browns, or even the car
penter's house, is paid at nearly
double :he rates of "sales-ladies" in
the smaller shops The sales-Iady
lodges ia garnet, and lives on starry
alton diet. while the cook has at her
disposal all the comfort and deiica-
cies which her employer can COM
mand for himself. The motive in
this madness lies in the much -abus-
ed name of "lady;" and it is this
motive which accounts for the hun
dreds of women driven, by their |
own showing, TO the brothels OF
New York for bread. This appe-
tite for vulgar display, and struggle
for sham position. have served the
Tribune aud all other social Ment |
ors as a never-failing text for years
in their crusade against tho short |
comings of our half-educated class
es. 1t was apparent enough in the |
days of lavish expenditure, but it is |
oddly more noticeable in the recent |
attempts at economy. The man who,
when in Europe, filings his money |
about to the Amusement and gain |
of all shopkeepers, and when at |
home dares not dispute an extortion-
ate bill for fear of q suspicion of /
poverty, is the man who In the hard |
times coming this winter will dock !
the wages of his workmen to spend
the money on opera or ball tickets.
Any appeal to him would be vast
ed. When wealth is held to be the
sole qualification to rank or respect,
we are not likely willingly to be-
tray our lack of it.
There is class of rational and
cultured men and women whom it
may be worth while to remind Just
now that the saving of money is not
sometimes the best humanity or the
b economy, We fail to see the
wisdom of discharging workmen
or servants whose wages would
amount to hundreds during the
winter months, and before the win
ter is over subscribing thousands to
beneficial societies or souP-houses.
Nor is 1t better policy to deny our
selves suddenly the comforts and
luxuries upon the manufacture of
which the majority of city opera
Lives depend for their daily bread.
These remarks, of course, only ap-
ply to the wealthy class; but there
are none ofus who should not care
fully consider how our small sur
plus funds could be expended in
wages rather than in aims,