, 1884-08-30
in MINOR KEY.
The Song of the shirt" Still
Chanted in London.
wretched Lot of the NeedIe-Workers
OF the Great cIty-Movement
10 Better Their Com
diuon

dillon.
Pan Mall Gazette.l
At 5 High street, Shadwell, there has just
been witnessed the beginning Of an enter
prise. which, II supported as IL deserves, VIII
do much 10 Tighten the lot in life OF some of
our working women. AT that address a phil
anthropic lady, of unbounded energy, but,
alas OF delicate health, has started what ia
hoped will DO the first Of a multitude Of work
ingwomen's cooperative associations, where
the public will be able 10 enter into direct
communication with the noodle women. SC
as T. obviAte the Intervention Of the middle
mon or sweaters. At the simple little shop
IN Shad,vell, High street, Mrs. Rockford sells
articles Of dress on the premises by needle
women, mono OF whom are required to work
moro than eight hours n day in n healthy
work room at Il decent wage. The small
capital Of 800 pounds sterling needed To set
this modest establishment going has been
supplied by some friends interested ia the
lot Of w-orlingwoinen, and the success OF the
experiment Will be watched with the keenest
Interest by all who nre acq TAINTED with the
sad and often terrible con1ition Of the east
end needle-women.
How many women there arc in the east
end who live by the ne edo / do not know.
NifNs 1itthINiu Nplu me LtluI liDim Wutft We
were standing you could 90 east, west, north,
and south, and in almost every house that
You pass you would find at least one needle
woman. In all London, according TO the last
census, more than "a quarter Of n million
women were returned ns making their liveli-
hOod 10y that means-nn army OF working
women more numerous than any other class,
excepting those engaged in domestic service.
The more's the pity that their lot should be
~ hard. In face Of "A general and most in
A.nLH.NAIlA q. HhA aAUItNtAp -
labor, II would seem incredible, II 1t were not
too horribly true, that the condition OF the
needle woman IS even worse than it was
when the Song Of the Shirt stirred the
nations heart That song Of woe might
have been composed yesterday and
every word of IL might bs applied 10 tho
needle-women. thousands OF whom are
crowded together In Tat solid block OF mis-
cry, the center Of the east end. II in Hoods
time the needle-women were chastised with
WHIPS. they ARE to-day chastised with scor-
pion-. Should there b. any who doubt that
flIs 81 70. .tt Them take the train from Step
icy nu huW road, and lunge into the end
i.g mass 81 low, iei-!oofed houses which
spread 70 the right AMI left as far as eye can
70 ich. and miles further down to tbs river
banks. In most Of these miserable abodes
the ncedlo-women are at work. Any time,
any season will do; they know no holiday,
except that involuntary ono when there 1 no
work to DO had, and when grim death itself
Is their guest, death Of starvation. But it Is
perhaps better to go on n gray, wintry day
for, when a reflection OF tho sunlight falls
into the dens, they are almost too CHASTITY a
picture 10 look at
rHE SWEATING" SYSTEM.
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, IL they
mean to gain IA shill ng "A day. The work Il
done for large Lunaon firms, but before Mrs.
H.nIrf.rlfu IA naefdtta 1fft1a awnnrfruanf fharn
was no direct communication between EN-.
rloyer and employed; 1t Is almost all done on
tho sweating" system. A sweater cl call
them middlemen, its more polite said a
gentleman the other evening, at a meeting Of
the Women's Provident and Protective
league, but sweater, - though less polite, is a
term more TO the point receives a quantity OF
work from the employer, which he has To de
liver at n certain time and for a certain
price-A moderately good price, | hear; he
selves or to another sweater. II Is often the
case that the second sweater" sublets the
work again, and the third once more, each
of course p~rotiting by the process. Can it be
surp rising, then, that the wages of the poor
women nro lowi They receive lspence for a
dozen shirts, 9 pence for a dozen petticoats,
4el pence fora pair of trousers, which last sum
Is divided between machinist and "fnisher
and 3 pence for a braided knickerbocker suit.
How pretty they look in the ows
the airy lace-trimmed children's fancy frocks
and apronsl A worker, who with trembling
fingers stitchei them together can earn l shill-
ing a day by them; l shilling, q pence IN she
works from < a. IN. TO midnight. No won
der her thin fingers tremble with haste,
with weakness, and with the constant fear
that her work may get soiled, or that some
little part OF IL IS not done exactly as pre-
scribed. Woe bo to her II the latter be the
case' For n walk to the shop to
deliver her work means the loss of half n
day. often 1t means a precious penny for the
loan Of "A pair Of boots, and at times,
when she Is too weak TO walk
the sum of fourpence for riding,
and If there is the least fault in
one OF tho articles, the whole dozen-they are
usually taken in dozens-comes back and has
to be returned by the worker. And let her
beware OF coming To her destination IN hour
later than ordered. Drilling is then her
ahara-"drilling" means waiting for days,
and waiting means starving. Some times in
tho case of married needle-women the man
earns something toward n living, and then
the misery IS not quite so great The fact,
however, Is that in the east end thousands OF
men are always ont OF work, and If not ont
OF work many Of them in the class which live
with the poor ueedle-women are ain trouble
caused by legal authorities, which trouble
cOmpvls them to leave their homes and set up
IN other quarters.
THE TEMPTATIONS.
What has been said above applies only to
the honest needle-women. There is a way
by which she can escape poverty and hunger,
It is, alas followed by the majority. Life
in the streets. provided the girl has any per
sonal attractiveness, is more remunerative
It pays 50 well that tinery can be bought in.
stead Of rags, and idleness and ease take the
place OF toll and worry. No wonder they
fall, the temptations are strong. Here, for
Instance, is a little low room. A sewing
machine stands before the window. In front
Of It sits ii tall, pale girl, with
large beautiful eyes, full Of brilliant
light The girl is in a decline. By heI
side sits an old lady, also busy with her nee
die "She can not always do the machine
sewing now, size fnints away SO Often tho
old woman says. looking at her Mon.
"She goes to the hospital, and they say she
must have nonrishing food; but all last week
we had nothing but bread. How can we buy
nourishing foodfi she adds, with a humble
smile. There is one way OF supplying that
need. but the girl would rather die. 1t is no
phrase, but a stern reality. She is dying
now, one among unnumbered examples OF the
silent heroism Of the east end, the unn9ticed
martyrdom Of the abject poor.
WHY 0 II KITCHEN.
Why, | ask. in the name OF wonder are
there still So many women engaged in thi.
work while domestic servants are Away
wantedl Because, l am told in reply, 10 be
come a domestic servant a girl must at least
have some idea Of decency and order; before
she can lay O table she must know what it Is
TO sit at a covered table; and before she car
make u bed she ought To have seen something
else than q ragged palllasse, or, worse still, d
bed filled with dirty rags, the only bed oi
many Of the poorest. This is said to be The
case with many. But there are many we'll.