New-York tribune., 1886-11-14
PRISONERS OF POVERTY.
VvoMrs WAGE WORKERS. THEIR TRADES
AND THEIR LIVES.
BY HELEN CAMPBELL
Nv.
THE BARGAIN COUNTER

COPYRIGHT 1886.
Tina problem of week ago, is IL not Pia'n' Nv
ieast far palmer than then, and IL mas oecomo po'
.,hle 70 understand how the garment sold at twelve
"a . ,olf cents NAV still afford its margin OF
nro6t II has also been made plain that that proht
{s n. then stated, never on the side OF .ne
worker but that 1t is wrung from her oy 'no
sharpest and most ptiless of all the me'noa'
known to Inscriptions men ana the "''io" "
have chosen to emulate them. For 1t mas oo'n "s
evil fortune in this quest to find women NOV on''
6llsd with greed and as tricky and uncertain III
THAR methods as the worst class OF male empoye''
but even moro ingenious Ill specihc modeS u ,,n-
position. Without exception, so iar as eau u''
cover they have been workers themselves reieasoo
Co.. time II NAV be by marriage but taking up
The trade again, either from choice or necessity.
They have learned every possibility OF cheating
They know also far better than men every pos
s,bility OF naggmg, and as they usually own few
machines they employ women ON their own prem
ises and keep watchful eye lest the smaies.
advantage be gained The majority prefer to ao'
as sweaters" this releasing them from the uhco'
faipties attending the wholesale manufacturer anu
as the work is given to them at prices at or even
below the life limit" it is not surprsing .na'
those to whom they IN turn pass 1t on ma tneir
percentare to mean something much nearer death
than life. ,.
aOply blind ewes could have failed to see all this
before" some reader is certain to say. HOW is IL
possible that any one dealing directly with inc
ouestion could doubt for moment the existence OF
this and tbousand-fold worse fraudT
Only possible from the same fact that makes
these papers O necessity. They hold only new
phases of the old story The grain has had not one
threshng alone, but many. aud yet for the most
patient and persistent of searchers after truth is
ever fresh surprise at its nature and extent 0iven
one or n dozen exposures of fraud and we se'tle
ipstiDctvsy into the conviction that its power nas
ended 1t is barely conceivable to the Eonest mihu
that cheating has wonderful staying power anu
that not one nor a thousand exposures Will turn
into straight paths feet used to crooked ones And
when business man. born to all good Things a"u
owning a name known as the synonym oil the oes'
the Republic offers to-day states calmly. There Is
no such thing as business without lying, Wha1
room remains for honor or Justice or humanity
nmonc men whose theory is the same. and who can
c,ld II with no adv yantags of birth trainngf III
is q wonderful century, and we are clvlliZng Win
n speed that takes away the breath ana aims 'ne
vision but there dark corners still ana III the
shadow Greed and Corruption and Shame hoiu
hiVh carnival with nameless Shapes. before which
even civilization covers. Their trace IS found at
everv turn. bnt we deal with only one to-day help
less even when face TO face. to say what mo'nod
will most surely mean destruction.
can be as bad rs 1t seems. that moments OIL despair
cope n whoever wonld rouse men to action. Not
onr generation nor many can answer the cal
snunding forever i'll the ears OF every son ol lha"
Int he who has Needed has at least made needing
more possible for those that follow; and the tm'
comes AT last when the way must be PLAIN lor all
To make it plalner many popular cohVcto'
must b. laid aside, aud among them the one Una
follows.
.Iisa deeply rooted belief that the poor under
stand and feel for the poor beyond any poSslo''i'l
,n thoss who have never known cold and hunge
and racs. save as uncomfortable terms usec to-
freely Inv ipudicIous agitators. Like mani
cnother popular belief the groundwork is IN I'M
beIiever's own mind. and has its most tanglon
existence in story books There are isolateo case
ALWAYS of self-sacrifce and compassion anu al
gentle virtues, but long experience goes 10 snow
that il zoo great comfort is deadening. TOO nttie
brutalizing and that pity dies in the soul OF ma
nv w,uap TO whom no pity has beon shown. 1t
easy to see then, how the woman VINO mas Ioun
ininstice and oppression the law OF life. deals
A. sar,e fashion when her own time comes, an
+vrsnnizes with the comfortable conviction Una
sbe is by this means getting even with the worlC
She knows every sore spot, ana how pes' 10 ""h
the "a led Jade vince. and lightens ber own 'as
nv the methods practsed in the past upon nersel
This is one species to be dealt Wild, ana Id
less dangerous ono than the cTaftler ana less GU
snokeply brutal order. Just above her IN graue
Is by these last that some OF the cbiei ilauuS
women are perpetrated, and here we lind OIL
orrce of the supplies that furnish the bargal
counters.
We read periodicaly of nrms detected in impo
,ronron women and are likely to feel that sue
exnoslre has ended their career as firms once II
all In every trade Will be found one or more
THESE whose methods OF obtaining hands a
fraudulent and who advertise for girls 10 leal
the trade" with intention OF retaining the
bevopd the time in which they remain content
work without pay. There are Thousand metho
nj eyasion even when the law faces them and u
victim has made formal complaint. As a rule q
Is too ignorant and too timid for complaint or an
thing but abject submission. and this fact Is reli
,oop as certain foundation for success Bnt,
a.+eruined enough the woman has some redress
her mower Within few years. alter long a.
often defeated attempts the Woman's rroteoti
Union has brought about legislation against SUI
fraud. and sny employer deliberately withholdi
wages Is liable to 6fteen days imprisonment a
the costs of the suit brought against him. tact
which most of them seem to be still quite nnawa
This law so far as imprisonment is concerned,
m annlication to women, and they have learn
bov In evade the points which might be made
bear upon them by hiring rooms machines e'
and swearing t1at they have no personal prope
that can he levied upon. Or,sif they have any u
transfer it to some friend relative as in the cas
Madame NJ. q fashionable dressmaker notorious
escaping from payment seven times out OF ten.
has accumulated money enough TO become
owner of a large farm on Long Island, but
ingeniousy have all her arrangements been mi
that it is impossible to make her responsible,
her case is used at the Union a. standing illust
tiOp of the difficulty of circumventing won
bent upon cheating.
A firm, large pro portion of whose goods
manufactured in this manner. can well afior'
stock the bargain counters OF popular sto
They can afford also TO lose slightly by W