Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-09-04
TIE NEEDLEWOMEN or LONDON
fPall-Hall Gazette.l


At 6 High street, Shadwel. there was re-
Gently witnessed the first beginning OF an
enterprise which, il supported ~ il de-
serves, will do much TO tighten the lot in
life OF some OF our workingwomen. At that
address pbilanthroplc lady OF unboundei
energy, but, alas, OF delicate health. has
started what il is hoped will be the first OF
a multitude Of woikingwOmen's cO0pera-
/ tive associations, where the public will
be able to enter into direct cOmmunca-
ton with the needlewomen, so as TO OBJ
viate the Intervention Of the middlemen or
sweaters. At the simple little shop in
| Shadwell, Hugh street, Mrs. Rockford sells
| articles OF dress made on the premises by
needlewomen, none OF whom are required
| 10 work more than eight hours a day. in a
! healthy work-rOom, at a decent wage. The
| small capital OF G500 needed TO set this
modest establishment going has been sup
| piled by some friends interested in the lot
OF worklngwomen, and the success OF the
experiment will be watched with the Keen
est interest by all who are acquainted with
| the sad and often terrible condition OF the
East.End needlewOmen.
How many women there are in the East
End who live by the needle do not know.
Mre. Rockford told me that from where we
were standing you could 90 east, wes;,
north, and sonih, and in almost every
house you pass you would find a. ,tast one
ncedlcwOman. In all London. according
to the last census. more than quarter OF a
million women were returned ss making
their livelihood by that means-an army OF
wOrkiugwOmcn more numerous than any
other class, excepting those engaged in
domestic service. The more'S the pity
that their lot should be 80 hard.
In face Of general and most
indisputable improvement in the condition
OF labor. il would seem incredible, II il
were not only too horribly true, that the
condition OF the needlewOman iseven worse
than il was when the " Song Of the Shirt"
stirred the nations heart. That song OF
woe might have been composed yesterday
and every word Of it might be applied to
the needlcwomen, thousands o. whom are
crowded together in that solid block OF
misery, the centre OF the East End. II IN
Hoods time the needlewomen were chas-
tised with whips, they are to-day chastised
with scorpions. Should there be any who
doubt that this is so, let them take the
train from Stepeny to Bow road, and
plunge into the endless mass OF low,
rCd-roOfed houses which spread TO the
right and LETT a. far 81 the eye can reach,
and miles further down the riyer-banks.
In most OF these miserable ab0des the nee
dlewomen are at work. Any time, any
season, will do; they know no holiday, ex-
cept that involuntary one, when there Is no
work to be had. and when grim death itself
is their guost-death Of starvation. But it
is perhaps better TO 20 on q gray wintry
day, for when a reflection OF the sunlight
Toll intn al
ghastly picture TO look at. And
this is how they live and how their work
Is done. They begin early, as early
as possible, for a days work with
them means fourteen or fifteen hours
stitching II they mean to earn
shilling a day. The work Is done for
large London firms, but before Mrs.
Heckiord's courageous little experiment
there was no direct communication be-
tween employer and employed; il is
almost all done on the sweating"
system. A sweater" al call them
middlemeD, it's more polite" said gentle
man the other evening at the meeting OF
the Nomen's Provident and Protective
League; but sweater" though less polite.
is term more to the point) receives
quantity OF work from the employer, which
he has to deliver at a certain time and for
certain price-a moderately good price,
hear; he gives the work out
either TO the women themselves or
TO another =" sweater" Ii is often
the case that the second "sweaterv
subjects the work again. and the third once
more, each OF course profitiDg by the pro-
cess. Can it be surprising, then, that the
wages OF the poor women are low! They
receive lSd. for a dozen shirts, sd. for n
dozen petticosts, Aid. for pair OF trousers.
which last sum is divided between ma.
chinist and inisher," and Sd. for n
braided knickerbocker suit. How pretty
they look in the show-windows, the airy.
lace-trlmmed children's fancy frocks and
aprons! Aworker who with trembling fin
gers stitches them together can earn Is. day
by them, Is. Cd. IL she works from s A. Nj.
to midnight. No wonder her thin fingers
tremble with haste, with weakness. and
with the constant tear that her work NAV
get soiled or that some little part is not
done exactly a. prescribed. Woe he 10
her II the latter be the case! For 4 walk
to the shop TO deliver her work means the
loss Of half day; 1t often means a pre-
cious penny for the loan OF pair of boots.
and at times, when she is too weak 10 walk.
the sum OF fourpence for riding, and n
there Is the least fault In one of the articles
the whole dozen-they are usually taken
In dozcns-comes back aud has TO be re.
turned by the worker.
What has been said above applies only to
the "honest" needlewoman. There Il a
way by which she can escape poverty and
hunger, and II Is, alasl followed by the
majority. "Liie In the streets,n provided
the girl has any personal avractiyeness, Is
more rcmunerative; II pays 80 well that