Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1875-12-24
THE sHoP-GIRL QUESTION.

THE sHoPGIRL QUESTION.
The shop girls are moving for heir
rights. 1t appears that they are ecm-
PEELED to report for duty at a m, and
stay till ?. IA, with an hour for lunch
at noon What they complain of nov
is the regulation that IS made in all the
stores, from Stewards down, that thew
cannot sit down during trade hours. No
matter whether there be customers or
not, no matter ifthere be not soul in fba
store, the poor girf must stand on her
feet till the welcome stroke Of twelve
gives her an hours respite. And then
from one TO seven she stands again. fin
worn out with fatigue she crawls to her
greiched lodgings, only to 20 through
the same torture the next day. Anum-
der Of influential ladies, the most promi
nent in fashionable circles in the CITY.
have taken the matter in hand, and have
! petilioned the leading merchants 10
abrogate this rule, and permit the girls
/ to sit when it can be done without in
| terfering with their duties They have
examine d some OF the girls and flund
| them all afflicted with Faucose veins
/ weakness of the spine, and more or less
with female diseases, all of which medl-
cal men say, Iesnlts from this pracrice.
| The merchants, in defense, say that 10
alter the rule would be to do away with
! discipline, and impair the efficiency Of
their heip, and that they will not change
the rule Fhe girls do This fearful
amount of work fsF wages ranging from
] $3Ae % 500 per week, Rnd severe as it
Is, were they all to quit .to-moFFaF, there
wI,uld be tep thousand not only willing
but anxious to take their places And
they have inhmated 20 the benevolent
ladies that they had better mind theiE
own Business
But what ] wanted to get at IA Ais.
what kind of life is il that q pirl lesds
that compels her TO work Twelve hours
per daV for So per week? She pays S6
tor her board, Tor which she gets Z Hide
hall bedroom, without fire, and rhe
vilest table imaginable. Her washing
she does part ly herself, but that which
she has 10 have done costs her at least 81
per week. This leaves her a dollar for
clothes, medicines, and what luxuries
she has. And miserable as this life Is,
there are twenty thousand girls in this
city to-day who would cry Tor Joy 10 get
it. The numbers who live in garrels on
such food as they can get for almost no
thing is appalling. Is il any wonder
that the 'bsgniOs are fnll 10 oveFeOwng,
and that suicides are of daily Occurreneel
Il seems TO methsi life on such terms
would hardly be worth having.
TWEED
is still non est, aud the meaning nf it Is
no one knows or can imagine where to
look for him. The officials have q dozen
theories, but as not one Of them lead 10
the place where he is, they might as
well have none. The general impression
Is thst be is in good hiding in this city,
waiting sill he can make terms With the
city for Rn unconditional release. This
NAV, or not, be the correct idea, but
whether the Yene-s BILE thief is in New
York or BeIrium, be is doubtless wait
inc for A settlement inavery sale ieplace.
his counsel are preparing the way in The
courts already, and WheA they get
th rough work the BnsswiH make his ap-
nesrance and take charge Ofthe city once
more. There is no danger OF his eFeF
being caught. BE had his plans too we'll
laid, and there are too many eromlnsat
men in his escape for thsl
sEEcHER.
Plymouth Church is AZ last, acting On
the offensive. Beecher and Shearn,sn,
his lawyer, have decided 10 no LONGER
be quiet but 10 strike back. They have
refused Mrs. Moullon's demand for an
investigation. they have squelcked
DeacQn West, and they have said to he
other Congregation al Churches that were
interfering with P lymouth, What are
you going to do about il In short,
Bro. B eecher proposes to pa ddle his own
canoe wi ihout any Interference from the
other Churches He feels that Plymouth
Church is irOng enough to go on alone,
and he don't care a straw whether the
Congregational body recognizes L or
not OF course, the other CHURCHES viii
refuse to consider it IS q amember Of the
general body, and Plymouth church VIII
stand slOne-an independent hodv-an
association all BY itself Mrs. Tslton as
keeping q bo arding in Brooklyn,
and her daughter, Florence, IL doing
copying 70 T lawyers. Theodore Is leclur-
ing In the West. Beecher, now that he
has taken the step, Il happy once more.
BUSINESS
There Is no such thing as business.
The merchants are doing nothing, thar
Is. the wholesalers The retail people
are doing a fair holiday trade, and Inst
Is all. When I say, fair, l should cay
Night for II Is not so heavy by half as
at of former years. All other lines Of
trade are as dall as dull can be. Thank
your stars that you are not ia New
Nsw York, Dsc. siss 1879.