The Indianapolis journal., 1885-05-25


women. They beat them down to the last penny,
and try to cheat them out of that. The woman
must deposit dollar or two before she gets the
garments to work on. When the work is done
it is sharply inspected. the most insignificant
flaws picked out and the wages refused, and
sometimes the dollar deposited not given back.
The Woman's Protective Union reports case
where one of these poor souls, finding place
where she could get more wages. resolved to
change employers, and went to get her pay for
are going to leave me9" "Yes," she said, "and
have come to get what you owe me-" He made
no answer. She saidl "Are you not going to
pay mel" Yes" he said, 81 will pay you" and
he kicked her down stairs.
Oh, that Womans Protective Union, 10 Clin-
ton Place, New York. The blessings of heaven
be on it for the merciful and divine work 1t IS
doing in the defence of toiling womanhood!
What tragedies of suffering presented to
them day after day. A paragraph from their re-
port
''Can you make Mr. Jones pay mel He owes me
for three weeks. at two dollars and half week and
can't get any thing, and my child is very sick The
speaker. young woman lately widowed, burst into a
again the next afternoon and repeat her story to the
attorney, at his usual weekly hearing of frauds and
impostions Means were found on which Mr. Jones
was induced to pay the seven dollars and g half.
Another paragraph from their report
"A fortnight had passed when she modestly limited
desire to know how much her services were worth.
Oh my dear he replied, you getting to be one
of the most valuable hands in the trade; will al
ways get the very best price Ten dollars week you
viii be able to very easily And the girls fingers
few on with her work at marvellous rate. The pic
ture OF $40 a week had almost turned her head
few nights later while crossing the ferry, she
heard the of her employer in the conversation
of girls who stood near. What! John Sulpes! Why
he don't pay. Look out for him every time. He'll
keep you trial he calls it, for weeks and then he ii
let you go and get other fool And thus Jane
Smith gained her warning against the swinaler But
the Union held him in the tolls OF the law until he
paid the worth of each of those days of trial +"
Another paragraph:
Her modification may be imagined when told that
of the two ive-doar bills which she had just
ceived for her work counterfeit But her morti-
fcation was swallowed up in indignation when her
sultingly asked her to prove it. When the Pro
tectve Union had placed this matter in the courts the
judge said You will pay Eleanor the amount of her
claim $5.S3, and also the cost OF the court.
THE BALLOT NO REMEDY
How are these evils to be eradicatedl Som e
ballot might have on other questions, am not
here to discuss; but what would be the effect of
female suffrage on womens wages9 I do not be-
lieve that women will ever get justice by
woman's ballot Indeed, women Cypress women
as much as men do. Do not women, as much as
men, beat down to the lowest figure the woman
who sews for them2 Are not women
as sharp as men on washerwomen
and mlliners, and mantua makers! 1t a
women asks a dollar for her work, does not
her female employer ask her if she will not take
ninety cents2 You say ''only ten cents differ
ence, but that is sometimes the difference be-
tween heaven aid hell. Women often have less
commseration for women than men, If a woman
steps aside from the path of rectitude man may
forgive, woman never. Women will never get
justice done her from woman's ballot Neither
will she get it from mans ballot How, then! God
will rise up for her. God has more resources
at Edens gate when woman was driven out will
cleave, with its terrible edge, her oppressors
But there is something for women to do. Let
young people prepare to excel in spheres of work
and they will be able after while TO get larger
wages If it be shown that woman can, In a
store, sell more goods in year than a man. she
will soon be able not only to ask but to demand
more wages, and TO demand them successfully.
Unskilled and incompetent labor must take what
is given; skilled and competent la
standard. Admitting that the law of supply
and demand regulates these things, l contend
that the demand for skilled labor is very great
and the supply very small Start with the idea
that work is honorable, and that you can do some
one thing better than anybody else. Resolve
that, God helping, you will take of yourself.
If you are after awhile called into another rela
tion you will all the better be qualified for it by
your spirit of self-reliance or, if you called
to stay as you are, you can be happy and self
supporting. Poets are fond of talking about
man as an oak and woman the vine that Climbs
it; but have seen many tree fall that not only
went down itself but took all the vines with it.
l can tell you of some thing stronger than an oak
for an ivy to climb on, and that is the throne of
the Great jehovah Single or afianced, that
woman is strong who leans on God and does her
best The needle may break: the factory band
may Slip the wages may fail; but over every
good woman's head there are spread the two
great, gentle, stupendous wings of the Almighty
Many of you will go single handed through
life, and you will have to choose between two
characters. Young woman. am sure you will
turn your back upon the useless, giggling, ire
sponsible nonentity which society ANONYMOUSLY
make you humble, active, earnest Chris tian.
What will become of that wolnanly disciple of
the worldl She is more thoughtful of the att-
tude she strikes upon the carpet than how she
will look in the judgment; more worried about
her freckleS than her sins; more interested in
her apparel than in her redemption The dying
actress whose life had been vicious said THE
scene closes; draw the curtain" Generally
the tragedy comes first, and the farce afterwards
but in her life it was first the farce of useless
life. and then the tragedy of wretched eternity.
Compare the life and death of such one with
that of some Christian aunt that was once a
blessing to your household. l do not know that
she was ever offered the hand in marriage. She
nved single, that, untrammeled. she might De
every bodys blessing. Whenever tine sick were
to be visited, or the poor to be provided with
bread, she went with a blessing. She could
pray, or sing "Rock of Ages for any sick pau
per who asked her. AS she got older there were
days when she was little sharp, but for the
most part. Auntie was a sunbeam-just the one
for Christmas eve. She knew better than any
one else how to fix things Her
every prayer as God heard it,
was full of everybody who had
dropped from her fingers. She had peculiar no.
tions but the grandest notion she ever had was
to make you happy. She dressed well-Auntie
always dressed we'll; but her highest adornment
was that of meek and quiet spirit which, in
the sight of God, is of great price. When she
died you all gathered lovingly about her; and as
you carried her out to rest, the Sunday school
class almost covered the coffin with iaponicas;
and the poor people stood at the end of the
alley with their aprons to their eyes, sobbing
bitterly. and the man of the world said with