Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-10-21
The Story Of Working Girl.

THE New York correspondent of tn.
Baltimore american says: "The simple
funeral of a working girl which took
place yesterday was SO touching in some
Of its incidents, and illustrates so thor
oughly the real hardships which many of
them suffer, that it is worth mentioning.
have never pitied working girls for their
work. Work in itself is not hardship
it is blessing; and work to this girl, as
to most others, brought her all the COM
fort, all the relief she obtained from the
miseries of her home. Her story was that
of a thousand others. She was one of a
large family dependent on the labor of a
common, somewhat shiftless, drinking.
ill-condit1oned man. Her mother be-
longed to different order-she was GEN
tie and, as long as she could, worked and
suffered; but she could never get quite
enough Of any kind of food for them to
eat, or clothes to wear, and she died at
last, as much as anything, of starvation ;
for, if they had little, she had scarcely
anything at all. Yet they never fell into
the ranks Of the very poor, and few knew
or guessed that she had crucified natural
instinct and appetite until there was no
life left in her. 1t was said she died of
consumption, but really she died of the
want OF 1t Naturally the mantle Of her
mother fell on Nellie. She was the oldest
living daughter. She had been in great
city establishment since she was ten wears
old. 1t was the whole outside world to
her. As long as her mother was living
she brought her lunch and showed signs
OF care, but after her death she rapidly
grew thin and pale and shadowy. All her
earnings were absorbed at home; all her
time in the evening, far into the night and
even Sundays, was occupied in doing the
sewing of the family-that is, mending
and keeping together their poor substitutes
tor the usual garments and changes She
came to work with regularity up to within
four weeks of her death, and many were
the little offers made her of help, and of
shares Of individual buns and doughnuts,
for Nellie was a universal favorite. No
twenty-two); she looked so childish, and
had always seemed child to everyone,
that she was treated like a child at her
work, and her reserve was so great that
hardly any knew Of the woman's cares
and duties and burdens that were pressing
upon her. At last she was obliged to
stop and it almost broke her heart. Her
work, her companions and their society
were the bright spots in her life. She did
not want to die and it seemed unnatural
that she should. Life was strong within
her; it only had had no chance. But she
was buried yesterday, and working girls
those who had worked with her, who
knew and loved her-contributed from
their small earnings and bought her her
muslin shroud, her flowers, and supplied
the present necessities of the family-the
father having taken himself out of the
way altogether. 1t is this which makes
the lives of working-girls SO hard-the
want of comfortable homes and intelli-
gent, industrious fathers In nearly every
instance within my personal knowledge
they are obliged to contribute their earn.
ings to the support Of the family, and re-
ceive poor, insufficient food, inadequate
clothing and bare shelter in return"