New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-11-28

eau NC cutlTcly Ql3peusel WILL lAo
remains necessity, aud rs Hnishsr sometimes
passes slightly beyond the rate obtsined when
merely sewing girl. Only slightly, however IT.
a dseply-rooted conviction among these workers
that tact or even il may be formal understanding
has been settled 1on By employers in general
II don't know how ii is" said one of ths most
intelligent among the many have talked WIN,
there's any troub about getting work
I've even had them send after rue when had gone
somewhere else in hopes of doing better. used TO
earu ten and twelve dollars week on salts.
chilArens or Indies, but If earn five or some
times six do we'll The work goes on with rush
| It's q whole building except the first 1oor rive
stories and suits Of every kind. The rooms ara all
crowded and they give out plece-work, bat they We
managed it so that all earn about alike. When
the rush of the fall and spring is over they
do white work and flannel skirts and such things,
| and a great many are discharged In the lulL But
| 60 where you WILL uptown or down, IL doesn't
seem 10 matter how well Won can turn oil the WORK
| OF how long you have been at it. They all say, II
we ask for better pay It can't be had az long as
there is such competition. We're losing straight
ahead don't understand. We don't any OF ms
understand, here is the great rnsh OF WORK
! and il must be DONE They can't do without us ana
vet thew are grinding us down 30 that get half
distracted sometimes wondering where 1t Will eni
and If things will ever be better"
"Would not private sewing be better' There is
always a demand for good seamstresses"
al don't know anything about private sewing.
You have to cut and plan and never learned that.
I like to work things that are cut by cutter
| and inst so, and eau make M nv dozen after
! dozen with not M eighth Of an inch difference in
my measurements. I'm m expert you know"
I" But if Won learned TO do private sowing perfect
" you couli earn dollar and = quarter day and
board and have your evening quite free"
| The girl shook her head I've had that said TO
me before but you know it's more iudepenien as
am. Maybe things will be better bv and bv"
There Is no obstinscy like the obstinacy OF
dsep-seated prejudice and this exists to bewilder-
ing deg-ee among these workers. who. for some
! inscrutable reason filed with the conviction
/ that private employ of any Nature whstever is
inevitably despot'so filed with unknown horrors
There appears to be also a certain esprit du corps,
| that hUlns sustaining power. The girl likes TO
speak OF herself as one OF such and such firms
hands and to regard this distinction as compensa-
tion for over bours and uHderpsy and all known
wretchedness encompassiDg bel trade. The speaker
| have cuoiel was an American girl of twenty-six.
tad hal three years III public schools and regarded
the city as the only place III which LIFE could be
considered endurable.
" shouda't know what 20 do in the country II /
were there,7 she said. Il don't 10 ike it
SOMEHOW. Ii isn't the company, for mother and NE
| keep 10 ourselves "A good deal, but somehow we
know how get along IN the city. ana the country
scares me. / Ike my work if only could get more
pay Tor it,"
/" Do yoa think that if all who work in your
/ line joineI together en- made Common ceuse you
might even things little; that il might be easier
| for all OF you p
ave wouldn't dare" she answered aghast.
"Why. do YOU know, thered be ten for each one o!
~ that WAS turned OFF Women come there by
the hundred. That's what they say TO ne III our
! hrin. . WHAT'S the of fussug when here are
dozens wsting to take your place. There isn't
/ any use. They say now that It is the Hull season,
| ard they We put flannel skirts; two
| tucks and hem, and muslin yoke that has 10 IL
gone ronnd four times with the stitching. One day
i made ten, but rine is all oae do without
nearly killing themselves and they paw Us one
dollar a dozen for making them IL used to be
81 81 and that was fair enough It's the kind OF
work IKE. shouldn't be content to do any other.
hut it's bringing rs all down TO starvation pout.
and think something ought 10 be doue"
In a casa Ike this and II is the type OF many
| hundreds of sgillei workers. who regard their
| calhog wt0 certain pride. AMI could by no
possibility be induced 10 sees other Ices OF work
other methods OF living. there seems little 70 be
accomplished. They are, however. bnt a small
portion OF the army who wait for deliver
auc- aud who, if they had been born to trihe
more common sense. would turn in the sole
direction from winch relief is certain. And this
| brings me 10 a point winch hal not intended to
touch upon till the presentation Of eJ sting
dtions bad been mach more fully made. Nor shall
| now, believing it distinctly best to carry out the
! plan originally formed, beyond stating for the
| benefit OF nv naDy kindly correspoudents some
! speaking IN the columns OF TAG TRIBUNE itself.
many more Sy private Letter. and all with the
! question: ~Why don't you suggest household
service. and what is the that OF those
| girls and women be persuaded 10 enter it n
Many speak more imperstively and with
undercurrent OF wonder at the writer's apparent
evasion Of a great opportunity.
"Nou do appear e. have considered that all
| this snfern, Is unnecessary. save in cases where
there young families to support and the Chill
J dTeus AID Society could attend TO them Why don't
you say soP
For the reason, good friends one and all whose
interest deli ghts NE. aud whose criticism il always
welcome that the Op-pi3g paper stated fully that
till facts had all been pIeSen tod there would he
attempt Ia explain or suggest methods of dealing
with them. Tie writer's convictions strong
bose OF her correspondents hat hef first charge
IS 70 present the cass as sne dads it. There is
aIgUmeut against the household service urged
solution all prob ems. ana that this so
Stunned shows that some genuine ground exists
for tho feeling. In good time this argument viii
be given "a it has from workers % every
| grade. and with 1t Will be gwen such suggest sns
as to hold way of escape from its dominion.
TIE CENT IN DkA1ND.
ON The Defrod Journal