, 1874-05-17
WOAIAN'S WORK.


WOALAN'S WORK.
A Defense of the Shop-EirIs.
70 The Editor Of Tbs Chfedoo Tribune:
S1a: In your last Sunday paper poticed an
article under the caption, " Womens Work, " and
feel myself impelled to reply to it, because the
writer, heuself workine-woman, has thought
lessiy done injustice to class Of women who, OF
all others, need the help patience, and consid-
GRAFTON Of their own sax. since thoy work harder,
have longer hours and obtain less pay for their
services, aud have moro responsible situations,
than any other a1tistes, as they are required to
be intelligent, educated, moral, 1ady-like pre-
possessing and weI1-dressed, at an averago Of IS
a week to pay board, buy clothing, pay for having
it made, feed their starving educated tastes. and
help support = younger sister or an invalid
mother. AL day long those weary girls-for
they are never rested-stand behind the counter,
and wear smiling faces, society-maska; while
Mrs. Poppinjay-herself = woman and ! sistor-
looks at them with hard, cold, unfeeling eyes.
and orders them to drag down everything on the
shelves, all Of which must be Immediately
restored to their places, to avoid reprimand.
She does not care for the weary foet and break
ing back! Why should she They are paid to
wait On her. She loila back in her carriage, and
does not trouble herself with other peoples
woee, unless she finds them recorded IN violet
ink on tinted paper. IN which case she weeps
little fvpocrticai tears, till her sharp is aa
pink as her pet poodlee- It is upon such women
tnat the shop girl waits all day, and every day :;
women who have good hcarts, but are Thought
lees; women who do not care to hnov that any,
body in the world is starving, while thay are
we'll fed; and women who have no hearts at all.
They pnss in long procession by the counters
where these girls wait on them,-young, old, and
semi-old. and they are hung with rich dra-
peries, which Garnet 3. Freeman herself must
respect. The Mil!enniam u long vaF od, and,
lust as long as we have bodies, We give all defer
once to the outer hush: and, il wa were not,
every one Of Us, working for the lnxuTies Of lie,
along with its necessarles, We would all stop.
and Eft down in sackclcth and ashes to beWRl
what we had done.
Now, l belieye know the shop-gi1ls of this
city ~ q class, and I am just as sorry for item
sometimes US can be but think I can coll
scientiously say that never mid feather OF
additional burden on any one OF them and. II l
was ever enubbe1 BY one, l was SO obtuso as to
fail to see it. have waited till my turn came.
more than once but never VAS treated with
premcditated rudeness. laughed when once
pretty blonde turned her back on me and per-
mitted ME to finish nv speech to the air but
forgave her, because she did it to ill her mouth
with chocolate-earamels, and hare Weakness
for them myself. / have seen them, possibly,
with catznine on their cheeks but it waa done
to hide the pallor Of ill-health, to make them
selves fresh and attractive to the very women
who derido them for it. never saw them dirt
with gentlemen ushers for, as rule. there is
fierce war raging between tll3u1, rather tOan the
civility OF Irritation.
think, after all, there is mistake about the
waterproof and old-hat business The ereat
average OF regular custom in stores comes from
tho p!aipt unfaahionAb]e women; and have
seen the quaintest, queerest people, in tho most
ufs tef NJ A
betting Duchess. Even the regulation water
proof presents itself every hour III the day, and
surely, it & lady wear 1t, will command proper
attention, though all human nature may be
dress rather than serge. WLat them It is
not peraonA insult nor premeditated slight;
it is simply one OF those ugly, treacherops flaws
OF character, such rs you or l have, dear
madam, in common With I'LL coming to tho
surface when for moment re are OF guard
From in the morning till 6, Z, and oven Q in
the evening, those shop-girls-yoang ladies'
many Of them brought up in atduence-the
daughters and sisters Of Senators, clergymen.
doctors-stand at their post; and have been
frequently told that they could not eat or rest
when they got home, until they had bathed their
tired feet ia cold water: and ehnt, night after
night, they dreamed over the days work, and
arose 10 the morning, unreffeshed. to go the
same weary rounds. II they have no home,
they are at the mercy OF any one who can board
them iQf less tH1Q lUelT 1ODQ CDhls- n 1bN "
them are pleasantly situated,-th arc young
and hopeful; but the older and more expa-
rienced know that they cannot have time for
either pleasure Or recreation, without taking
from their hours Of sleep, and sapping the life
forces, already sufficiently low.
It is always to tho interest, Of clork to send
in the largest amount Of checks, and to sell the
most she can II she is not able to mako for her
employer every day as much us her wages come
to iu week, her head, fgurativoly, rolls into
the basket.
The natural antagonism IF women to each
other may account for al occasional lack Of in
terest on the part Of the female clerk to female
customer. and it would be most desirable foa-
ture in the dry-goods stores to give every Jack
to Jill, and vice versa. There is q magnetism
in the suggestion. Mrs. Il. l.. hAYSE'