The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-07-11
WOMEN WHO SEEK EMPLOYMENT

for month in searching for woman who
left her home in New Jersey, inserted an adj
vertisement, asking for a housekeeper and
companion to refined lady, thinking that the
missing woman might answer it, as she had
often expressed desire to fill such position
The first day twenty letters were received
in answer to the advertisement, and more
than 100 the next morning. The following
day over 200 letters were in the box and others
kept coming by every mail from all points,
between Boston, Baltimore and Albany, for
several days. One fact shown by the letters
and culture who have lost their money and
are now dependent upon their own efforts for
a living. There were all kinds of letters and
every description of writing. Many of the
crests or monogram of the writer's, and num-
Der were sealed with wax bearing the impress
of family seal. Nearly 200 writers stated
that they were Every agreeable" and they
all offered to give the best of references.
Some of them referred to several persons.
Among the references were bankers, brok-
ers, wholesale merchants, several well-known
clergymen, publishers of daily papers and
magazines, prominent physicians, members of
the best known families of this city, Boston
and Philadelphia, members of Congress, col
lege presidents and officials of every grade.
Many of the letters were short and business
like. One of these read as follows: . Madam,
saw your advertisement, and think / could
fill the position. I kept my own house for
thirty years, but am suddenly thrown on my
pages in saying the same thing"
Many of them referred at length to the
''once happy home of plenty and refinement,
now broken up by the angel of death. !"
Some of the writer's had kept house for their
fathers for years, but had left their homes
upon the occasion of their second marriage.
One said ~ have never held a situation,
but have kept house for my father for the last
ten years. His recent re-marriage resulted
in our separation, all of his children leaving
the old home in which our mother was mar
ried, and where we were all born"
Some of the letters were from persons with
whom the reporter was well acquainted. One
was written by young woman belonging to
one of the most prominent families of New
Jersey. Her father had held several positions
of note, and amassed considerable wealth.
His daughter and sons were educated at lead
ing colleges. The father died few years
ago, leaving large property to his wife,
daughter and two sons. The latter engaged
in business in this city, ran through their own
money and then failed. In order to save the
family name, the mother and sister gave up
their property and became almost destitute.
The two young men are drunkards, and the
mother and sister are living in three rooms in
small house.
One of the writers was a schoolmate of the
reporters mother, and was graduated at the
Rutgers Institute with high honor. She was
an unusually handsome girl, and had many
admirers. She married while in her teens,
and became the happy mistress of large
house. A year and half after marriage her
husband, with whom she had lived most hap
PLY, disappeared, suddenly. Nearly 500
were spent in searching for him, but no
trace of him was ever discovered. Three
months after his disappearance his wife be-
came the mother of twins. Ten years ago she
was married to another man. Her second
marriage has been an unhappy one, and she
is now separated from her husband and is
earning her own livelihood.
woman who had moved to this city with
out paying a bill that she owed to a member
of the reporters family was one of the appli-
cants. She could not be found at the address
she had given, and her home had not been
known until her letter was found in the cor
respondence Only one of the $50 writers
gave description of herself, and she frankly
stated that she was mot young, quietly cheer
full, and plain looking"
One curious and interesting feature of this
case was that several of the women who wrote
the most touching and pathetic letters, and
who seemed in the greatest need of employ
ment, with that utter disregard of all rules of
business or correspondence which is some
times shown by members of their sex, sealed
and mailed their epistles without signing their
names or giving their places of residence.
EXPERIMENTING WITH HIS
CANNON.
II.