The Labor enquirer., 1884-02-23
DENVER, COLORADO SATURDAY. FEBRUARY %, 1884.

Nearly all of us have to room with one
or more other womento be able to make
both ends meet. Many women who
work at these peculiar industries have
families and generally one or more of
them earns something, which of
course helps along. Those who work
like / do must devote their entire energy
to it, and cannot spare time to clean and
scrub or scarcely cook their food. We
have to buy our food in the very small
est quantities and our coal by the bucket,
and we pay for it at the rate of about
$14 a ton. - "
Gas to groceries-well, think if Van
derbilt had to pay for all the food used
in his house at the same ruinous rates,
he would be bankrupt ira year, for the
smaller you sub-divide the articles the
more they seem to cost. For instance, a
pound of oatmeal is cents, half pound
costs you 4; a pint of beans is 8 cents,
while whole quart costs II cents.
"What DOVE eat? Oh, dear, not very
much not enough to give one the gout,
I assure you. l earn $2.4O week, and
the rent of my machine brings it up to
S265. Out of this 1 pay rs cents for rent
and 40 cents for coal and wood, which
leaves me $L50 for food, clothes, medi-
cine, car-fare, theater tickets, and box
at the'opera. Seriously, though, l buy
quarter of a pound of tea, half pound
Of sugar, one pound of oatmeal, one
pint of beans, two 10-cent loaves of
bread, one soup-bone, and perhaps it
costs couple of cents week for salt,
pepper, and herbs for my soup. l buy a
quarter of pound of butter week, and
sometimes l get little milk for my tea.
The things haYe enumerated generally
form my bill of fare for week. l have
tea and bread for breakfast, and have
beef soup two days from. one bone, and
soup two days from the beans. I have
tea and bread for supper. l forgot to say
l buy half a pound of liver for Sunday
and half a pound of bacon for some
other day. Once in while l buy
quart of potatoes, which 1 bake, in place
of the liver. The oatmeal, l forgot to
mention, l cook and eat cold for break
fast, for l cannot work hard all day with
out something more nourishing than tea
and bread. spend about $1.25 for food,
and 1t costs me cents week for kero-
sene. l must save and pinch very
closely to be able to buy shoes and
clothes. Only that l had some don't
know what l shonld do. l don't know
how the other women get along. Some
times four and even six club together
and pay room rent, and they say they
find it costs less for food, but l am not
sure about that. 1 never waste particle
of food, and l think if had it l could
even eat more than l do, and l doubt if
they getit cheaper than l do.
1T is indeed hard life. You will
find among those who do what is called
'slop work more decayed gentlewomen
than those who have been born to pov-
erty, for those who were born of poor
parents are generally put to learn trad les,
which, though none too we'll paid, still
afford better living. Those who were
never obliged to learn trade in youth,
when reverses came were only able to
do such work as this. You may be sure
that tried to do better than this, yet
YOU see me here glad when have health
and work. One of the greatest trials OF
this kind of life is that one is almost
obliged to live in dirt, for the woman
who works for her very bread must not
leave that work for minute. Sunday l
generally employ in cleaning up my
room, mending my clothes and those OF
a poor woman two flights down, who
washes mine in exchange. l don't 60 to
church. The washerwoman l mention
earns $1.5O day, four days in the week,
besides which she gets many little pres
ents from the people where she works
and her meals. She is strong and well.
1 wish I could do washing.
"Did eyer try for any other work but
this?
"For one year tried to get position
as governess. housekeeper, copyist in a
store, and received only insults for my
advertisements. then begun answer
ing advertisements, as my money was all
gone. still found no honest position.
l don't say honorable, for l only as ked
for honest employment. l was too old
for saleslady, to unattractive to draw
custom, and too particular was tol d on
two occasions when l sought employ
ment as housekeeper, and asked the men
about their families and refused to 60 in
the capacity they offered. 1 have been
book agent and prefer this life. Oh, it
was not without a long, hard fight
against fate that drifted into this slave
life, and worse, for slaves at least had
food and shelter and care when sick but
here am, and 1 only form one out oi
an army who work as I do. don't COM
plain. l ought to be content for L am q
capitalist in small way, as l own a sew
inp-machine. A firm for whom 1 worked
making mems underwear sold it to me
on installments to be paid for in work
1t was second hand machine, and