The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1885-05-09
Twenty Cents a Day.

From the Brooklyn Times.
This is the title of one of Will Carrie
tons latest poems, and it is founded
on fact. A poor sewing girl who made
this enormously large salary per day,
overcome by the exertiOnS necessary
to keep body and soul together, soon
died. She left behind a diary, describ-
ing the various stages of living as they
were unfolded to her and the poem is
simply Der sutferings in verse. But
am not going to speak more of the
poem, but OF the subject, which the
reading OF it suggests to every thought
full mind, namely; poorly paid labor
among women. Think there is no work
which is more tedious, or more trying
to the nerves, than plain sewing, and
yet there is none which has such a
miserable equivalent in money. Think
of making shirts for thirty-tive cents a
dozen. Did you ever make a shirt? II
you have you know how many stitches
there are to be taken before the article
is finished. Well, but you will say,
these shirts are not neatly made, and
are not finished off very well. But still
if you examine them you will find that
all the minuti9 of scanning, telling, etc,
have been attended to, the same as in q
frst-class article, although in coarser
manner. | have intimately known
women who have been compelled to
earn their living, and were proficient
in sewing, yet could hardly make
enough to keep themselves from starva-
ton. Stepping into a store recently, my
attention was attracted by a placard
which said, fifteen cents pair; and on
looking a second time found that little
children S canton flannel drawers were
selling for the small sum of eighteen
cents a pair. | examined them and
found that they were scanned and felled
the bands neatly stitched and button,
holes partly worked. Then | remem
bered how | had made some of the
same size, in muslin, and recOllected
how long it took me for each pair, and
| am not slow either. | made a mental
calculation as to the quantity of ma
terial needed, the profit to be made
and | wondered how much thegirl got
who put the pieces together. Turning
to the lady behind the counter / re
marked that it was cheaper to buy
those articles ready made, than tC
buy the material and make them your
self. "And yet" she answered, "w,
have people come in here and want
them for less" Dear me, exclaimed
why they don't want to allow any
thing for the making" "Oh no, sh'
returned, "they never think of tn,
poor wretches who work so hard anC
get nothingfor it" And then she citeC
I :, 81,
working hard and getting nothing TO
it. But think that | hear some on
sneeringly say, "Why don't they dc
something else" All yes, but we can
| all be teachers, clerks, laundresses
etc. We must do that which we ar
best fitted to do, and work well don
should be well paid. Where Is tn
! trouble and where is the fault? All
| ladies, are younot to blame? Do yol
not 90 where you can get the cheapes
\ articles? But you answer, wha
harm is there in getting thing
! as cheap as weCan. There Is no harm
/ in it Perhaps | am over sensitive
! but whenever ! buy a cheap undergar
ment and see the amount OF work OF
! it, | always feel as if | was purchasin
! some woman's flesh and blood, know
/ ing, as ! do from experience, tn
amount of work there is on such a gar
ment. What $50 surprisingis the nun
ber OF girls and women who engage /
/ Just such work One would think tha
the small return would disgust an
frighten them, but it doesn't. Som
stick TO it, because they are not titte
for other work. and others because it j