Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-04-19
Ei.c Official A &c.

any SIcdltI aDAittS HDu Fa'Hiui 'u1pShsC lnau
there was among the employees OF The Bureau
Of Printing and Engraving, as they awaited
the announcement OF the three hundred victims
who were to be dropped from the official rclIs.
Many poor girl and weary mother rose from
their beds yesterday morning after sleepess
night and wcndCh their way with heavy hearts
to tho scenes OF their daily bread All day long
there was scarce Il smile on the c0uutcnance oil
q single employee They all felt lorebodings
Of the misfortune that was about to break upon
them. a;1'l each and all, while they hoped to
escape, still experienced Irresistible fears OF
being am0uS the doomed. There never was
such dismal day in that bureau before. One
cut Of every two knew that he or she must 60,
AMI 50 they regarded each other in silent agony,
wondering which would BE- the victim. Finally,
about i y. H., the signal was given, and the
chi1iS OF the respective sections appeared
among their charges. aud III a solemn voice
read the names OF those who were requested
to remain, sign the roll, get their Fay to date,
and 90 home to return 10 more. The nrSt
name may have been that Of an aged woman
with helpless children at hnmc, or perhaps OF
young girl, whose daily earnings kept alive
some dccrapit parent. I'M few minutes the
dreadful suspense was ever. Those who had
escaped We're all smiles and joy, while the un-
fortunate ones were dOwncast and miserable.
There vas scarce single one but who antlcl-
patcd the worst, ard yet those who realized
their itas became almost irrecoucilable. GroaDs
and sighs came from all quarters, and many @!
them INDUCED in The most agoniZlng hysterl-
cal sobs. The joy Of the escaping ones soou
vanished AZ they strorc by Kindness TO tighten
| the burhens Of their moro unfortunate asso-
| cia!cs. The staunchcst heart became touched,
and Mr.. Jewell, though directing the execution
Of the Secretary's orders, exhibited unmls
| taxable signs Of regret at being compelled to
&c! in so unpleasant duty.
There were some dlsmlSSa!s oil male en-
poyccs, printers, cngravers, &C., but the SYM
pathy Of all seemed directed towards the te.
male unIorIunales. What these girls and NO
men lose is very little. yet if denied them it is
enough to bring upon many Of them want and
misery. or all the different branches OF the
treasury service, the female employees Of this
bureau work the hardest and get the least pay
They report Tor duty at ! a. IL. and work untll
between and p. III. Their pay is but from
$l.2j to $3.50 a day, and upon this small
rittancc Of Il salary mauy OF them support large
families Onc CID widow lady has family OF
six children entirely dependent upon her, and
out Of her salary Of $50 month she pays
|
aud to what extent, heaven only knows. Anoth-
er feeble old lady, who lives 10 Unioutown, was
compelled to daily walk 10 and from the de-
partmcnt iu order TO save the expencc Of car
fare, until she became so run down from sheer
exhaustion that she was compelled to get sick
leave without pay, and but for some charitable
institution that rendered her assistance star
walton and want might have ended her earthly
career, and that of her dependent children.
One poor and beautiful looking young gIl
sobbed most bitterly over her aiicton. She
was the only support OF mother who was
quito i'll, and there was not 4 dollar saved.
When the little pay she drew yesterday Is gone
it is for bcnitcent Providence to guide her
| honest efforts toward obtaining means whereby
TO keep alive her poor mother, now almost 10
the thrors Of death. Besides those depressed
with grief there were some defiant and bold
Ufc0ursc very complainant had ! special equity
and gn1i reason for retention. But alas !!
they must all fare alike uudar the axe Of civil
service reform.
The worl; 10 this bureau is not Of that light
nature As to allow iasidious girls to leisurely
while away th: munGtony n spare moments
with acme pleasant talk Hence, a.; j rnll,
Eonc but those absolutely compelled to work
arc usually louuh there. OF course The duties
of the counting aud clerical force arc no harder
there than elsewhere 10 the Department. but
aside from this. there is another and more re-
rulsvc class OF work For instance there arc
two plate printers rooms. ln each rOoln there
are over one hundred presses, and each press
| has attached Kerosene oil stove. There is q
printer to each press and girl to each printer.
! when these presses are all IN operation, the
stoves all heated, and the general hustle at its
height, ii Is impossible to concGl7c OF hthlcr,
more uuwh0lcsomc, or mcancr place TO work
in, unless it be the cesspools oil Il coal mine.
And yet these girls, for $l.2j day, work
land ac0rira Is nothing compared to this par
IicuIar branch Of Tic service here, and prob.
ably nowhere else IN the country would girls
regard dsmission from such duties misfortune
over which 10 gricvc. There are many private
families here who would gladly employ good
honest girls ard give them pleasant homes.
But, unlike New England, girl here, however
poor, seems to regard mculal labor OF this bind
as degrading to HE instincts CT her nature.
Those Of them who can afford to discriminate
as to the kind OF work they will do arc well OFT
One thing is certain, however; they must look
elsewhere far employment than to The Bureau
Of Engraving and Printing. The reduction
has been made without regard to political IN
dorscments Or personal consideration. The
basis was that Of competency alone, aud
the matter was decided by i commission APP
pointed for the purpose. hlr. Jewell declined
| to Interfere 10 any case whatever, leaving The
entire question Of di=missals to the commits
sion and the Secretary, 50 that he caanot now
be accused Of any Partially. There will be a
further reduction Of two hundred on the Goth
inst, and therefore, the suspense Of the bureau
is not yet over. Tie reason Of this is owing 10
the fact that the reduction Of five hundred at
one time might have had detrimental effect
upon the work Of the bureau. This partial re-
duction will give the officials time to organize
the new system Of work for the the reduced
force, and the additional dismi5sals can then be
more easily made.
FRENCH LADY's EXPERIENCE "A lady Of
thirty, Il plump and jolly brunette, secs with
some an icty dark, downy line pencillng itself
on her superior lip. She docs not caro- TO COM
pete with tho bearded woman, and consulLs tho