The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1885-10-03
THE WORKERS WOES.
A GLANCE AT THE WORKING clG..5
OF NEW YORK.


it +, light u thew winters mornings; tur-
ric- down a mor,al Of brcl,ius. and is uur.
riej toh,r shop, p.~sib,y miles away in an
elevated roG ear, crammcI with hunahoj
not all thoroughly washed and iGIi with
the emlnatol3 Of the hunl,c already
carr cI IN ihi, heated box Two on .hroe
active lum1nitarian' could fnl much food
for reflection, though probably no appetite
70 ler, g., LASTS through q Winters morn
in : O'Clock ilslcc lol OF those labor
trans. The working girl must be on time.
She stands before her wOr@hou,e door ten,
fifteen, twenty minutes awaiting th' ppr-
tiers pleasure to open it, exposed to ram or
the keen, cutting blast raklng the street.
Could you take in tie whole situation at
glance you might see on winters morn gS
Thousands Of girls, many mere children, 50
congregatcd AMI exposed before their work
shop doors, whil1 the daughters of their en-
ployers are still i'm luxurious bets. The
wealthy mother uptown would deem it an
outrage so TO expose her l2-yearolI girl.
Let US look in at few places wh'rc these
girls earn their s. and s. per week.
This IS a large establishment. Dry goods
at retail. The show win low Is filled with
ready mad, dresse. Ladies in their car
riages at the door AMI an army of employees
inside. Down stairs under the pavement
are the girls Whp SOW lively are al work
III 4 anal. 10 N. In Che center is stove on
which ere paced the irons used il pressing
clothes Summer and winter this stove is
kcT' almost rcd hot Ventilation here Is an
unthought of nacrS-i5r. Tho air /, n COM
pound Of Objectionable smells. The girls
breathe this from in the morning till 4 ut
uight--,om times in the busy season ill or
20 p. IN. II the Worsrr - tnrce minutes late
she is fined. If she leaves the door open
she is fined. If sic leaves the shop more
than once morning or afternoon sac is
fnel small 10y guards this work room
door. He taxes note OF all such violations
and jots them down. The fines are reporte
to the bookkeep,r. The system is an in
genious one for yielding tue proprietor
good percentage weekly, lOpp'd of tho
girls scanty wages.
Tho premium here is not for careful, CON
scientious or artistic work. The stout
coarse fibrad girl who can rush her
ne,lls through the most yards Of cloth, AMI
so give it the stimulation of being maize up
prope ", Is Sue who gets the the NEST
praise from the forewoman and the N 81
pay.
Tho proprietor of this establishment !
when asked what wage tle girls in his On.
pIoy received, was flank enough 81 reply: !
- ia ., I,,I n.,t ,,,tl 4 .
-,ether, AMI hardly that \ g.rI, after
working in his leatel basement room a
few days, was made sick She was absent |
from the shop for the rest Of the week.
For this reason the wages due her were re-
fused Tho wealthy proprietor robbed her
yf - on the pro.eAt that her abieIca in |
jurel his business ! quote lis words. |
Furthermore, hc argued that she was net !
sick enough to Leave OH work, because ON |
certain evening during her alb cnce no laI |
.lnn her All "A moaying of 'hboraI,"
Re,uu @, il You work for Twin; at low
va es yol hive n business to b. sick I'M
Jess va are IS, X alci' or too sick IL t.y |
aud cure yours,li by n change o. scene or |
IN roun i.ngs. Wealth onlj has the PRIV. |
lsso Of bong md sp'aal' AMI of guarding |
ayoiust serious iIlG1,s by he, ling prtmori. |
tory symp owns.
Th, Is n larg, Broadway establishment |
II n or. Of cago SIS tho pretty delicate
co,hi'r girl CLoJt Il years OF ago. Hun
drris, probably tEol aads OF dollars y S.
daily through her hani% Hers is a glcnt
resp visibility. she pos 50 per week. |
spoons hiuty many a ciorH in bank, lpsur- |
aun, or o'har Ollie, get from $1,000 to
al,2JJ per aunum Saa bea,he from
morning. til night The c,o5', ,tall, ar Of
the -tore--n,var swept by n br'e2' f-om tho
outside, never purified 10y sunlish., sut. !
charged with the brcaths and cmlnatipnS
from toe thousand; constantly coming AID
gong. She is far from we'll She Is pale.
The lines oil wear and tear are already form
inss on hor fac, Sh, is complaining" and
says she got, tired OUT long ere nght.a all.
Were this rich mans child sh, would
probably be speedily talen from the city
and sent to tue seaside or mountains to re-
cuperate Yet she has whole weeks va
cation in summer. She is II part, a ncces
6aIy lHuuou IIuSho I'dit va WV punli''H
machinery VI thi, great establishment She
is wearing out So are the axles of her EN-
ployerg delivery wagons The axle5 and
the girl will both be replaced when no Longer
lit for s,rvca. There are plenty Of new
axley-pcuty of new and fresh girls
This i fashionably dressed girl buying
Rncry ut Ibis sam, establishment. Her at.
tire is sufficiently pronounced to attract At
tcatiol on the Broadway p,omenaio, whore
she appears regularly every afternoon. She
tolls not sic spins not, ami receives hcI
change for purchas d kuick-knacks out OF a
$50 hill at the hands of tbs pale lit
tie imprisoned cashier. She lives in e,o-
gantly furnished apartments, can lie in bed
till noon and nouTShcs ! or body with tho
best an expensive restaurant can give her.
She tried once to live by honest labor and
found that labor was killing her. She is
not sensitive to the opinion Of 'the world"
because she lives in world OF her own and
does not bring herself in contact with the
society who hold disagreeable opinion con.
corning her. When a work girl at 81 a
week she was as much Stunned by the