Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1888-04-14

warm, new things she may be wear
ing this winter" He acknowledges,
also, that when girl commits to
the control of an employer her hands
and feet for something more than
ten hours day for mere pittance,
she gives him control of more than
that. The speaker testified to his
appreciation of the damnable condi-
tions under which poor girls live
when he said;
"Reduced to plain English the forego-
ing facts read as follows:
"(a). Thousands of women are unable
to earn enough at honest toll to keep them
selves from begging, or shame.
"(b). Abundant money waits in the
pockets of men, young and old,--many
of whom are granted full recognition in
the best social and business circles, to
purchase the virtue of these starving
women, on terms which, at the lowest,
are far more remunerative than honest
labor.
at is also on record, III many cases,
that men who control the commercial
value of the honest labor of these women,
| deliberately plan their destruction, driv-
ing them to starvation. that lust may be
the sooner gratifed. Our civilization
has destroyed human slavery in its an
cient forms, but the commercial immor-
ality which is accepted by most as un-
avoidable, and defended by many us de-
sirable, is in many respects more wicked
and and Infamous than African slavery
was. That sometimes left virtue TN
| touched and was content to take man
| ual labor alone while the combined ac-
tion of low wages and commercial I'M
| morality results in making woman vir-
tue and purity the most marketable eie-
mem Of her life"
With such an evident understand
ing of the facts one would naturally
expect that the speaker could sug-
gest adequate remedies. He sees the
power welded by the employing class
and the weakness of the wage-slave;
he sees the lustful desire made tyr
amy by opportunity, and the victim
compelled to choose between starva-
ton and the sale of her person; in
short, he sees the capitalist system
in it's flower; wage slavery in its hid
eousness. Does he recommend the
emancipation of Labor? The aboli-
ton of capitalism? The destruction
of the cause ef the disorder he de-
plores? Does he recommend any
aetion calculated to take power from
the hands of the brutallzed capitalist,
or to place in the hands of Labor the
means which would preclude tempta-
ton sharpened by hunger? Oh, no !
But here are his "rcmedies":
| REMEDY |.
"By all possible means the intellectual
| culture of laboring women must be in
creased. You noted that only fOW out
of two thousand sought a livelihood
through intellectual pursuits: one artist
and three teachers. Industrial training
must be associated with intellectual and
social, so that greater efficiency and ex-
pertness may aid in compelling better
remuneration. The crowded state of
the market in which unskiIed labor seeks
a place does much to keep these evils
alive. Wise and philanthropic women
must devise means and influences which
will remove girls from the temptations
of great cities. To this end their preiu-
dice against country homes, and more
wholesome forms of service, must be re-
moved.
How are you going to increase III
tellectual culture among girls receiv-
ing two dollars a week? Will YOU
help out the bosses and pay them
the balance necessary for decent liv-
ing? And as to the "tour out of
two thousand" who pursued "intel-
lectual pursuits" is that not the
proportion of the whole number in
"intellectual pursuits" to the whole
number of the others? Why call
upon "wise and philanthropic ~onen
to devise means to remove girls from
temptation? Is it not true that
men have more power to devise
means and put them into practice
through the ballot than women:
And as to the Country homes and
more wholesome forms of service"
what do you mean? Make servant
girls of them? Yet you showed that
that occupation furnished more pros
titutes than all others combined :
Besides, who is going to hire all
these girls in country homes? Half
the farmers can't support themselves