St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-06-10


had promised me room for myself and
she was as good as her word. There
was a basement connected with the
| house and in one corner tiny apart
ment was partitioned off. There was
| no furniture to speak of and the place
| smelled damp and muSty, but [ didn't
| object; if other girls could live there
| and not complain | would do the same.
Next morning 1 was called at
5 o'clock to get breakfast and do
up the housework so as to be ready
| for sewing at 7:30. I have de
cided objection to early rising; so'had
extra nap while the "new grip did the
work. did my best to make present
able meal out of the scanty materials at
hand. 1t was not success. Madam
sharply admOnished me that if didn't
fly around lively and do the work she
wouldn't give me my board. At the APP
pointed hour in the morning the girls
came to work. There was another ap-
prentice beside myself, but she lived at
home. / was rather awkward at the
work, often having to ask the girls
to help me, but 1 did put in
my time as steadily as l knew
how. If | asked questions of madame
about the work, she was always too
who were paid by the day, the answer
would be that they didn't dare waste
their time showing me, for they were
always rushed with work, and maybe
they wouldn't get full pay, if they
stopped. So it didn't seem that there
was much chance for me. The first few
days that | was there madame would
say:
Nov, Eva, you look tired; just run
out to the store and do me some err
rands." Or, perhaps: $50 out in the
the sewing" When evening came and
1 presumed to bring out book
to read, there were always some
basting threads to be pulled, or pack
ages to wrap and deliver. Sometimes
the customer didn't have any ready
money. / wasn't madam'S paid col
lector. so didn't urge the matter. When
ever such an occurrence happened there
was stormy scene when | came back,
and an extra lot of work next day as
penance. Neither the other apprentices
nor myself were learning much about
sewing: our time was evidently of no
account, but it was handy to have us
around. We worked in the shop ten
hours day, then l gave six or seven
hours extra for my board. OF course,
bending over work with the needle all
day is trying to the eyesight and the
general health.
The girls only laughed when com
planned. They said:
You think you have hard time,
don't you? How would you like to live
in one room, do your own washing and
cook your own meals? That's what lots
of us do. We don't earn more than 81
week. We can't even afford the luxury
= III No ,o1-
our own clothes, when we can afford
any, after we get home at night"
was convinced by investigation that
many girls do live in this way, so that
the work is not alone responsible for
their worn looks, but the conditions of
home life have much to do with it. These
girls who have to support themselves
are often too proud to admit what
l have found to be the fact; that they
don't read because they have no time;
they go neither to entertainments nor
church because they have no fit clothes
to wear. When life is only round of
mechanical drudgery what wonder that
they become hardened and Indifferent
to their own condition? Of course, it is
not sewing girls alone, but many other
classes who suffer the same hardship.
However, the matter was brought more
forcibly before my mind lately because
| was trying to devise some way of leav-
ing madame'S service and still living
cheaply.
She didn't wait for me to leave. One
day she said:
'You can pick up your traps and get
right out of here quick: you've done
nothing but ask questions and make the
girls discontinued since you came here.
What business is it of yours when pay
{1,ar ,,lr hot 7 nf oil
You're always grumbling that you can't
work evenings because it hurts your
eyes. You want to have work all day,
just as if an apprentices time was
worth anything! You're too lazy to do
my homework when you ought to be
glad of the chance. [ can get lots of
girls that have none of those sassy, in
dependent ways like you. They're
thankful to get a chance to sew, and ask
no questions. Why I've had appren-
tees work four or five months without
pay, and never think of making fuss"
pleaded guilty to the whole charge
and made my escape without any
delay.
was ready to look up the condition
of other girls with my eyes wide open.
In several shops l asked the same
questions. The result shows that other
conditions being equal. wages average
about the same in all shops.
How much are you paid after the
three months apprenticeship"
sometimes we don't get pay then,
but usually about So OF s. week for the
next three months, if we are faithful
workers." was the reply.
"Would you be able to earn 81 day
at the end of a year?" | asked.
Mary claimed that they could, but
others claimed that their employers
would keep them working for So week
as long as possible, then discharge
them and put another lot of apprentices
in training.
"Why don't you teach girl cutting
and fitting during the three months if
she be already good seamstress?n l
asked some of the employers.
Because that isn't the way we do
business they said. eff you give six
months without wages we teach you
our system. You can then go out and
you can't do cutting and fitting in the
shops where you learn"
why not?"
"You see you wouldn't know enough
about it in that time to be able to suit
our wealthy and stylish customers, but
you could probably do very we'll among
the poorer classes"
do you always pay your help
promptly?'' asked of some heightened
employ ers, whom l had reason to sus-
pect were rather ''slow."
Certainly" would be the answer.
but after some discussion several adj
mitted that they kept their help wait
ing, but alleged that if customers would
only pay promptly when work was
finished that they would be glad to pay
promptly.
My researches thus far had been only
among the larger shops. 1t seems to me
that l walked countless number of