The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1883-08-09
GIRLS WHO SIGH FOB GUM.
A Millinery Store Who're the Delicaoy is
Supplied to the Employees. -

In Division street millinery store,
| says the New York Morning Journal, a
| small girl comes down and hands mad
am behind the counter a small slip of
| paper.
"Tell the forewoman she must cut
down on this. believe they carry it
off and give it away" said the madam
to the small girl, who went away with
package in her hand.
'Do you know what I have been Civ
ing to that girl?'' went on the madam.
s.No."
''It is spruce gum. There is curl
GUS thing about this business. We can't
| get the girls to work well without it.
This is how it is: The girls are all in
one large work-room. We found that
they talked so much that good deal of
time was lost from work, and though
| they work by the piece, when there was
a rush of business it often delayed Or
ders very much. Then my forewoman
suggested that an order be issued that
the girls do no talking during work
hours. We put this into effect, but you
might as well have tried to stop a flood
with a bar of soap. To see the tricks
they would resort to just to get mo-
ment of gossip together was quite in
| structive. They would make all sorts
| of excuses and try all sorts of expedi-
| ents to get out few moments and have
! their little talk on the landing. We
| then tried system of fines. but it did
| no good. They would lose their weeks
wages rather than not have their talk.
''After while found that it would
not do, and just racked my head to
know what to do. At one time had
notion of building lot of little rooms
like cells, where they would be alone
But was afraid 1 would have no girls
at all. Then I tried bribery. bought
| some spruce gum and got the forewo-
| man to announce that / should give
each girl one bit morning and evening,
ON condition they did not talk The
plan has worked admirably. You can
go up in the workshop, and all the
noise you will hear is that of a lot of
jaws opening and closing. Hardly
word is spoken. The girls are content
cd. The problem is solved. A girl
must move her mouth some way, and if
it isn't chewing it is talking. Every
house along the street has adopted the
same plan now. But l find that my
chewing gum disappears in alarming
quantities. 1 think The girls are getting
more than they are entitled to-"
In the upper circle of society chew
ing gum is frowned upon as being vul-
gar. But in East Tenth street there is
club of ladies called the Spruce Club.
They meet twice week in winter, os-
tensibly to chew spruce gum. But this
is an excuse. During the two hours
they chew they work on baby clothes for
poor people. Each member contributes
so cents week, which buys the linen
and the gum. A really benevolent OBJ
ject is accomplished, with chewing gum
| AS its foundation.
A Thirty fourth street dentist of great
reputation said yesterday: ''Of course
any kind of chewing gum is injurious to
the teeth, and spruce just as much as
any other. 1t is not the gum itself, but
the process of mastication which is bad.
The suction affects both the enamel and
tho nerve, and is often the cause of
pulling out the filling of tooth, no
matter how strongly it may be put in. I
will have nothing to do with a patient
who uses chewing gum, for it is labor
lost"