The Labor enquirer., 1884-08-16
|l|sIsl lli TEES I|xHoRrA!FIoN.
wxds Il gtuth md wisdon Ad-
dzslsea q ars ) Assembly y
ons Who xnows
CH1oAeo, August S.

hare answered it Immediately but my
mind and time usre taken up with
lecture, (if / may dignity my little essay
With such = titls) OIL THE evil effects of
Nathus doctrine, !" shich had to be got
ready by Sunday evening. have this
morning received tile latest copy Of TIE
Eaoy1RtR and resd the account of the
wpmanS assembly, ] am always par
ticularly glad when women organize or
make . good start III new Or independ-
ent line. for they have 10 long been
'secustomed to follow the dictates of
custom, public opinion, responsibility,
etc, without daring to assert their indi-
viduality, much lss any rights they
may be deprived of will enclose 9
letter to be read in their meeting, and if
you desire to publiah any or all of it you
are at liberty to do 70. like your paper
better and better. I wish you success in
your good work-nt't that ] expect your
path to be smooth-sno true reformers is
but that the seed may fall in good
ground and grow. Yours fraternallY,
LIZZIE NJ. SwANK.
TO THE SISTERS
To Hope Assembly Of Working Women.
DEAR SISTERS: You have taken a
noble step in organizing in your own
defense. tender you my hand with
my heartfelt wishes and deepest sympa-
thies, and can safely say that my sisters
in our assembly join me, though I have
not met them in session since I have
learned of your organization.
1 do not know what l can say that will
be most encouraging. 1t is scarcely
necessary to say that organization is abb
solutely essential if we do not wish to
submit to the Entertainments of capital
year after year.
Women and children are more poorly
paid and used worse than any class of
workers from the fact that they are
usually lonely, ignorant of the worlds
ways, weak and friendless.
Only recently they have dared to take
such bold step as to form themselves
into trades unions, ind already in some
cities the effects are apparent. Our
assembly has never missed an opportu-
nifty of showing up oppression and ere
ating stir about everything that could
be got hold Of The result is, employers
are little ashamed of being too mean,
and at least have the decency to pretend
to be Just. Some of the firms are adYer-
tizing this fall, that machine rent is
taken off q used to pay 30 cents a week
for machine) and saking great credit to
themselves for it. / have myself in
three different factories taken occasion
to resent certain wrongs, to other
workers and informed the "bosses'
exactly what I thought of them and
their systems, and got promptly dis
charged, and was looked upon by the
girls themselves as q bold, meddlesome
grumbler. But "all the same" as We
say here in Chicago, the girls were better
treated and 1 was not injured in the
least. ..s
The greatest difficulty you will find, |
think, will be in inducing the girls who
most need your sympathy and assistance
to Join. 1t is something so new, 30 out
Of the way for woman to do. 1t is
not proper" and respectable" some Of
them will tell you and false pride will
hold back many a weak sister from
joining a working woman'sp union.
Some are really too poor; and with that
proud reticence which leads many to
suffer alone rather than seek love, SYM
pathy and the comforts of social inter-
course by revealing their poverty, shut
themselves up in solitude and loneliness.
A great deal of tact and genuine SYM
pathy is necessary to deal with all the
cases you maYsmeet. Patronage" will
not dol have seen too much of that
tried in this city. You must be brave
and strong, enthusiastic, earnest and
loving. You will gain strength and
wisdom by union. 1 can tell you, sisters,
there is nothing like these meetings as
an educator and strengthener. | remem-
ber time when was stranger in the
city and could find no opportunity Of
using the education had struggled to
gain, and was forced 10 try the needle
I thought muslin some way be to blame
for my poverty and humble position and
how lonely, helpless, desolate and
ashamed felt l thought no one else
could be situated as I was, no one
could possibly understand my feelings
But when / found the old, working
WomaHs union" organized in II
believe, 1 found there we're hundreds
like me and / Immediately realized thai
Ihad many friends and that I and my
wrong were not one little individuals
but that was as strong as thousand
workers together. / have never fell
that helpless dreary feeling since.
Your one great stumbling block to
perfect organization is that foolish class
feeling among workers, or atleast we
have found it 80 here. So many think
ut will not do" to associate with workers
who do some different kind of work, or
that one will lose caste by belonging to
union. But, rise above that, my sisters