Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-10-08
WOMAN'S REALM.
By MRS. l.. Ii. BLANK. ASSOCIATE Ep1I Iot
Brooklyn Sewing Women.

w VA ~ IA OOhAJ AS AOAA AA e ANi ouu
portant part of that vast population
which makes a single ward in the tity
of Brooklyn larger, so far as the tim
Der Of its inhabitants is concerIl led,
than many of the best known proNn-
cial cities Of the Union The great
tenement houses givejo these womSn
a few square feet of living room whihl
they call home, and wherein they eaA,
sleep, work and, in many instances
nurse an invalid husband or child.
Some of these women live alone,
scarcely at any time venturing beyond
the four walls Of their rooms in the
tenement, except to 60 to and from the
tailor's, who furnishes them material.
Others are wives and mothers. I'll
they have male members of the family
working and earning wages, their lot
is comparatively easy, as is also tha;
of many young girls with male rela-
tlves who are able to save enough out
of tie pittance they earn to invest IN
odd dollar, now and then, in Il little
trace of hnery for a picnic or a ball
But all women, who work for tailors,
have to work hard and late to earn a
little money, and the widow; who is
compelled to take such work to support
her little family, tr the delicate young
girl with sick mother, Or the wife
with an invalid and helpless husband
are the women who know best what
actual suffering means; for they sew
from daylight till often nearly mid
night, and at the end OF u week receive
as wages sum that would not keep a
moderately paid dry goods clerk in ci-
gar,. One thinks Of Tom Hoods "Song
Of the Shirt" as being applicable to even
the present time when he enters one
of these Sixteenth Ward tenemerts and
peeping into the little box like apart
ments, sees the wan faces; the wearied,
listless eyes, and hears the monotonous
"Stitch, Stitch, Stitch" 1t is all to be
seen just as in Tom Hoods days, for We.
ry few of these woman use sewing ma
chimes. In fact much of the work can
not be done on sewing machine.
But there are some differences be-
tween the German sewing women Of
Brooklyn and the English women, of
whom Hood sang so plaintively. Our
sewing women don't make shirts OF
even whole garments Of any kind. They
do certain part OF the work on coat,
vest or trousers, and that ends their
interest in the garment. 1t then goes
to some German tailor in the neighbor-
hood who employs the women, and
who is himself employed by some of
the big firms. Besides the German
sewing women Of Brooklyn don't sit
at work all day IN "unwomanly rags
The poorest of them dress with some
attempt at neatness. They don't have
much money to spend on food, but the
cheap German soups and vegetables
which they eat are mostly nutritious so
far as the; go. Beer by the quart or
pint is cheap, and there is scarcely
even woman in "DnchtoWn" toe
poor to refresh herself some time dur
ing The day or evening with at least
one glass of the popular beverage. -
Brooklyn Union.
The whole world is convulsed by
tho horrible infamies exposed by the
Pail mali Gazette; infamies which are
rife too IN our own land, in cur own
country. And that Shiny brood Of in
famies are all hatched and nurtured
by the traffic we oppose. Every wcnlans
soul should burn with indignation
against this awful business Of make
| ing offal of the daughters OF the lane
and desire to save the innocent ones
Sisters your little daughter, almost :
baby yet, whose tenth birthday 20,
lust celebrated yesterday whose trust
ing, confding sweetness is the deligh
of your heart is today the lawful pre-.
of any villain who may entrap her. Il
will walk the streets unwhirped O
Justice. will you not arise and, ,::circu
late the following petition securing eve
ry name possible that we may roll UP
larger list of names than was sent t
Mrs Hunt for the Scientific instruction
Bill. Let every mother feel as thoug]
she was lighting fer the safety ct he
darling and mail the petition Wit
signatures to me, that ] may furnish
to the Territorial urerintendantSo Socia
Purity. Mrs NETyIE G. HALL
Pres. Jerauld Co. w. G. i. /
The following petition has just bee
issued by the department Of s:ocia
Purity. u,
"petition Of the ". c. 7. U. for I'll
protection of women. 70 the senat
! and House of Representatives,. The i
creasing and alarming frequency ct ai
saults upon women, and the frightft
indigrit:es to which even little g r
are subject have become the shame
our civilization. 4 study CT the sta
-, .,,,,o,lo,l tbnir rtt p,. fliil,r;,