St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-22
week at dressmaking. Then another
brother and sister 60 to school,"
GLOW much have you earned?"

brother and sister 60 to school,"
'HOW much have you earned?"
''Never more than IS week."
''What are you going to do now?"
81 don't know" she said, despon-
IDENTIFY. THE doctors say have ruined
my health by running the ironing ma
chine. am not able to work any more.
When l earned SIS week we just man-
aged to pay our rent and live on the
plaineSt fOOd.'
Here was girl only twenty years old
unable to work and compelled to drag
out a painful existence, and likely to
end her life in the hospital. She had
literally worked out her life in those
five years and for S. week.
MUST EAT ROUGH FOOD.
A girl l knew invited me to share
dinner with her one day. l stayed
through the noon hour. All the girls
had very plain fare, but among the for
eigners l noticed the regular lunch
seemed to be a few crumbs of rye bread,
occasionally garnished with slice of
raw bacon.
Thinking must be mistaken, went
over and said: "What have you got to
eat girls?"
The girls scowled and pushed their
lunches aside, pretending they had
finished. l knew they hadn't, and also
saw that my question was too direct.
After waiting a moment L said:
''Girls, I think you're rather stingy to
pretend you are done eating. | haven't
had my dinner"
That remark had it's effect, but not the
one l anticipated, Each girl pulled out
her lunch and offered to share with me.
found out by actual experience that
they had only rye bread and bacon to
eat. l didn't feel very hungry, but
didn't dare say so after asking for it, so
had to eat my share. / didn't forget
that meal for two or three days. "But,
girls, you ought to have better food" I
demonstrated. IA little dry bread is no
fit meal for girl that works hard ten
hours"
eve can't afford no BETTER" said one.
eff we eat all our pay we won't have
any money for room rent, nor anything
to year,
eff you're too heightened to eat with
us. go over there to some of the girls
who live at home and don't have no
board to pay. They can afford to bring
good dinners" said another.
protested that l wasn't bit high
toned, so stayed right there, but
couldn't help plying girls that lived on
that sort of fare every day in the week.
CLOSED AGAINST DUST.
Noticing that it was very warm in all
the ironing and polishing rooms wher-
ever [ went, asked one girl why they
didn't open the windows, as there hap
pened to be several windows in the
room.
"IVe don't dare to-
"Why?"
because the dust will blow in the
windows and speck the Clothes"
''Surely you can have the windows
open in SUMMER?
mo; we can't"
l said | thought it was unreasonable
for employers to ask girls to work in
the heat of summer without giving some
means of ventilation.
''It's pretty hard, ''she said, "but you'll
find it just that way in every laundry.
It's no uncommon thing to see a girl
drop by her machine in dead faint,
just from the heat"
places, the girls said that they didn't
think the employers were to blame SO
much as the people who expected their
laundry work spotless, and wouldn't
pay for it otherwise.
/ admired the fairness of the girls, but
it seems to me that people pay enough
for work and have right to expect it
we'll done. What is to prevent the pro-
prietor's providing, at little expense,
system of ventilation that will supply
fresh air, yet do away with the draft
and dust from open windows.
SPEAKING OF PRICES,
reminds me of few figures l obtained
from the proprietor of small laundry
one day. | asked; What is your price
to wash and laundry 100 shirts. without
lorc fhcj
1OO," he answered.
In the course of conversation, / Incl
dentally asked how many girls he en-
ployed.
II employ four girls" he said, "they
do all the work, from the marking to the
tying up bundles for delivery"
''CaD you furnish those 100 shirts l
spoke of in day with that force?"
''Oh, certainly"
''Now, paying his help regular wages
for laundrying 100 shirts day, that was
81. He would charge me SIP for the
work, leaving the neat margin Of So for
incidentals, profits of capital invested,
ETC., over and above the price of labor.
notice by one Of the girls. She said: !
Our work is hard and wages low
enough that our employers might do us
one favor if they would"
''What is that?"
"You see the rules in some places are
so strict about admitting visitors. Now
an employer never is that
PARTICULAR ABOUT THE CHARACTER
of girl when she asks for work. If she
is strong, and will work cheap enough.
he don't think it any of his business
whether she is fit to associate with girls
Of good character OF not. If you have