St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1874-05-01
The Sewing-Girls of Boston.
THEIR PITIFUL LIFE. DESCRIBED BY ONE
WHO HAS TRIED 1T.

When | first came here to Boston |
didn't have quite as much money AZ !
wanted. and 50 thought | would Just
90 down to-. and take my machine
and see what ! could make at that work.
| didn't need To do it particularly. be
cause could earn more money taking
care of the sick. and. besides. was
more used To il : but | went more than
half to see how the girls worked and
got paid and were treated. SO | took
my machine and started-l had to pay
for having it carried upstairs. and had
to climb 81 MANY flights that when |
arrived | was not tit to run Il machine
for half an hour Well. | supposed. of
course | should earn ;is much as Il dol
Ian and Il half day. didn't want /"
raise my expectations. 81 put 1t. as |
thought. low. thought. perhaps.
after got used to it | should earn more.
They gave me Il linen suit to make up /:
the stitching. bands. rutfieS. cuffs and
collar. all to bc finished complete for
sale. and the woman said to me (sceiu Z
probably that | looked as if | knew
how Ia sew Il suppose 90" can make
two of these III Il day. | am pretty
used to sewing. Wis Il dre>S-makel
when | WAS first married-but that
rather surprised mc-two in Il day
Well. | thought. of course shall get
two dollars ur more tuI them. and thar
will lie doing pretty we'll. | made that
on, suit in Il day. and how much do y"u
suppose | WAS paid for ii Serenity
cents And there were - girls or mole
III that room. some Young and pretty .
many with no homes. and with their
hoard Ia pay ont of serenity cents Il ddg :
None of them could make much more
than that. and many were wholly in
experienced 81 made much less. The
second day WAS there. they gave me
Il white wrapper To make. with lnSer-
tion stitched in and hcm> and tuck>,
and that took me IL day and Il half. and
| had tuI il HiHctJ cents. while Il white
suit covered with rutilc> and insertion.
which took me three days. brought the
enormous price of Sl.50. Then the
torcWoman and it does seem ;IS il the :
were always selected for their hardness
of hcart-gavc the work To the gir,>
merely cut ont. no putting together "r
showing how il should he done.
And these gonr girls. many of whom
had never even made their own clothes.
had to put these suits together as best
they could. often taking the best part
of the day. and if any mistake were
made it had 70 he corrected. and the
work WAS not paid for when made
wrong. OF part was deducted. One day
one of the new girls came crying back
from the workroom she had finished
Il suit and put the sleeves i'll wrong
(there was uo possible way for an in
experienced girl to tell how to do it,
and she had them to rip out and put il
again. 1t made my heart ache to Sc,
her cry. | thought of my own littl,
girl. and put down my work and help,
ed her to do it. and showed her 81 sh,
would not make the mistake again
Then | told her always To bring every
garment to me, and | would tell hei
how to put it together, and after a Will,
all the girls did So, and | helped then
all and tried to encourage them. "lor
won't earn much that way said the
forewoman to me. Il don't care" S;iiC
Il suppose if | worked steadily. al
day, | could make two suits, for know
how they should go together, but
| can't be selfish when | see these girl,
working so blindly and earning so lit.
tie. and after all getting it wrong.
Well, couldn't stand it long; climbin.
all those stairs, working like a mill
horse, all day. made me So weak that
had to give it up.
But that is the way the sewing gill
live (and i'll one store in the city thei
pay is even lesS). Truly, as one o
them said, they earn nothing and fin,
themselves" Then they sit, all da,
long, sewing, sewing, wearing them
selves ont, running health and perhaps
after all their efforts, driven to d,
wrong from sheer disgust at the fruit
of doing right. remember two very
pretty girls, who had worked there Ion:
and faithfully. One of them said t,
me, one day I'VE won't stand thi,
any longer. We can make more money
and not work 50 hard, and we mean t,
do it," GLOW ?" said |. ''Oh, never
mind how one answered. thought
in minute how they were tempted
and talked with them long and serious
| ly, but oh dear oh dear if our fine
ladies only knew how the life blood
happiness and homo" of many young
girl is stitched away with their ruff1es
and hens, they would he more mercitul
to their fallen sisters. And | suppose
this morning, both members of the firm
have gone to church, and devoutly
prayed for forgiveness of their sins, and
listened to the prayer for fallen women
and never thought or cared how many
of these have cried for mercy ut theil