The Russellville Democrat., 1885-06-18
j, Cruel Clleapness.
(Arch. c. Brown.1

Few citizens are aware how .loy
 are the wages paid to women wh
 toll with theIr needle for their daIl,
 bread. A few inquiries will prov
 that here where the cost of living |
 double that of living in Europe, tn
 wages paid to needle women is al
 most as low. Perhaps the following
 appeal from Baptist minister Q
 London may arouse Chritians to al
 effort to check the evil:
 '.Cheapr' .Very cheapw "Re
 markedly cheap" "AstonishingI,
 cheapr Who has not read or heare
 these words times without number
 To many there must be music ir
 this one syllable word, for It flows SC
 glibly, so gladly from the lip. Tc say that any thing is "cheap" is
 counted the highest commendatior
 that caa be uttered. The article al
 once becomes invested with charm. ing acttractiveness; peculiar pleas
 urc is experienced in the purchase,
 and yet greater pleasure in telling of the skillful bargain. The ''cheap'
 house Is praised to the skies. and patronized from far and near. "Cheapw It is the peroration oi many a laudation. The garment is not only ''well cut" we'll made, and well finished, but is so cheap. This
 is climax. It were folly to try and add another word. What more can any one want?
 This style of doing business is contagious, and when a few have caught the infection, it becomes compulsory with the many. One cannot afford to let the other outbid him..
 A war of prices IS carried on. Every lowering of figures in one house is answered by similar re duction in the other. Competition becomes keener, and the houses do what IS called 'cutting' trade-in other words, "cuttIng their neigh. bors' throats at the same time."
 Many who read these lines will doubtless reply, "True; but the pub lie reaps the benefit by everything being cheap" Who is this public" so distinct from every trade and class you can mention, which profits by others lossss2 There is no such body. We are all so linked in social life that no one class can isolate itself, and look upon the rest as mak- ing up the public. The social body IS not one member, but many. It takes all to make the pub.ic. In the body polite no one member can say, "I have no need of thee" Indeed, those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are most nee essary.
 The public" can never gain by others losses. whatever individual schemers may do. l confess to growing hatred to the word "cheap." So far rom being an ange! of mercy, it often appears to my eyes as a blood stained tyrant. Let those who find comfort in things being cheap make a little inquiry, and find out how it IS that they are so. Their comfort will soon depart, and their present solace become their sorrow.
 A few lines back l spoke ot tue cutting trade, and the ever lowering prices ticketed upon the goods. Does my reader know what that means? Has he ever looked into the bold figures, and thought what mercy things are so cheap? l tell him that, if he knew all, he would turn with shuddering from figures that ought to be written with blood-and in heavens sight are. He only sees the victory of cheaoness; he does not behold the battle field that has won it.
 Each fierce charge Tn the war of competitor which has succeeded in forcing back the prices has only won by forcing down the wages of the workers, who maxe large portion of the public supposed to be benefit ed by the reduction. The pressure of that forcing down IS passed on from class to class. The poor bid against the poorer, and the hungry against tue starving. The compla- cent puchaser says, Ut is cheap" The frenzied woman, with her tat tered children, cries, 'It IS death."
 l write that l do know, and see, and hear.
 l charge also the word "cheap" with being lie. If the money paid were all the article cost, perhaps the purchaser might congratu tulatc him self on having obtained it cheaply. But when boasting of his bargain, let him remember that others have