The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-18
THEY MAKE CIGARETTES.
Little Children Who Toll Ten Hours G
Day for IL Cents


NEW YORK, Dec. 6.-"Nell Nelson" tells
a pathetic story Of the slavery of the girls
n the cigarette factories of this city in the
World She says:
| was in the hurrying, shivering throng
skurrying along Sixth avenue last Monday
morning, and my heart ached for the little
martyrs | was following. We were going
TO the Consolidated Cigarette Company at
AS East Tenth street, in answer to an adj
yertise1nent tor learners In a shop
which occupied two floors of four story
building l found possibly 200 persons-men,
boys, girls and little children-preparing
tobacco for the rolls or wrapping it with
the precious leaves that convert a scrub
Missouri cigarette into the Cuban article.
All the stripping was done by children
from "Little Italy, who wore stout shoes
and dresses purchased in the old country
less than six months ago, and who were al
lowed by their parents and the public au-
thorities to work from s a. M. to p. m. for
II cents day, when the law requires them
to be at school,
AT the rear end of the second floor the air
was poisoned and the senses stifed by the
horrible smells from defective plumbing.
Both sexes used the same sink and toilet
room, and pushed and crowded to get DOS
session of the cloak boxes, into which hats.
wraps, lunches, and occasionally pair of
overshoes were thrust. Between the Sitting
effiuvia from the lavatory and the choking
clouds of the tobacco dust we were made
most uncomfortable. and for the greater
part of the day coughed like occupants of
an infrmary for throat diseases.
The foreman received us, thirty in all,
the agreement being that we should work
three days for nothing at the expiration of
which we would be put on our time. About
ten applicants all Americans and of more
or less experience, declined to accept these
terms aud loft the factory to try something
else. By IL o'clock
WE WE'RE ALL AT WORK,
seated before Il rubber covered snap roller,
the size of hand coffee mill, with the aid
of which the tobacco was shaped into the
little cigar. Each girl was provided with
form containing twenty moulds, into
which the cigar was laid as it
came from the roller. Another foreman,
who never ceased smoking, passed along
the aisies from one girl to another, and,
taking her stool, gave her private lesson
in cigar punching, and a great deal more
tobacco smoke than she could inhale with
out losing her breath. After rolling a
couple of punches the teacher surrendered
the stool, and stood behind the pupil to see
her manipulate and gauge the brown scraps
and push them through the roller. As
might be expected, the novice invariably
handled the materials awkwardly, but, in
stead of correction, the foreman illustrated
his method by getting his two arms about
the pupils neck, SO that while his fingers
were busy with the weed and roller, his
face was so very close to the cheek of his
prisoner that her confusion and embarrass-
ment robbed the lesson of its value
had watched this remarkable method of
instruction for some time, and when my
turn came l was ready to rebel. After the
man had vacated my stool | took the pre-
scribed amount of filling between my
fingers, and just as l was about to deposit
it in the receiver of the roller the expected
embrace was levelled at me, but lodged,
That maneuver came near costing me my
apprenticeship
Few of tho girls about me could speak
English. Some had been in the country
two years, and some less. Poland, Russia,
B5hemia, Italy, Germany and Denmark;
were represented, as well as Ireland and
Sweden. Many were wives of Is and 10.
met and spoke to some who were working
for winter clothes. Girls of II and IS who
had left their husbands or been deserted by
them were by no means rare, and one, 10
wears of age, had three children whom she
had left in the day nursery while she was
at work, which in the present instance
Melted SO cents day, the price paid for
punching 800 cigarettes. This unfortunate
mother had separated from her husband
BECAUSE HE WHIPPED HER
and was living at home again, but her
mother worked in q laundry, and the little
ones were put in the Wilson mission, where
for Is cents day they were fed and washed
by the good matron.
The only square meals these girls get, as
q rule, are the Saturday night supper and
the Sunday dinner. A girl who has been
wiosow three years. and who counts herself
happy when she makes "a a week, told me
she paid 81 so for her room and board, and
spent 81 week in the restaurant.
''But why do you do this if you pay for
your board at homes" asked.
There is no fire in the house. The land |
lady cooks with an oil stove, and when the
lamp will not keep my hands warm go to
there unless l order something, and / gen
orally drink tea all the evening, because its
the cheapest thing on the bill of fare. Some
times go to church, but the buildings are
not open every evening nor always warm
have tried the clubs for working girls, but
there is too much red tape about them for
any use.n
Another cigar bunhcer under 90 had been
married year and was the mother of
child. She lived with her husbands rela-
tives and worked because she could not
save enough out Of her husbands earnings
to dress her baby.
Another of these girls-"Liz," as she
called herself-allowed me to give her an
orange and some ideas about the salvation
of her torn dress. Reluctantly she gave me |
her story:
II am 10 and have been married two |
years. My husband is no good. He loafs |
all day and used to take my wages every
week to throw dice with. l don't live with |
him any more Sometimes he meets me at |
the door down stairs and
TRIES TO GET MY MONEY,
but hide it and get some of the men here
to take me past the corner. oh, l don't |
care what becomes of me. Every year |
about 500 factory girls are sent to the |
charity hospital. They can't get in till |
they are about ready to die, and once |
they're in, that's the end of them. That |
will be the end of me, know, for Pm not |
very WELL"
Ispent day at the loathsome work,
tanned my hands rich brown. coughed
III my throat was sore, and got so
thoroughly permeated with dust and smell
that had to be disinfected before l could
mlngle with my friends again.
The next day applied to Kinney's as an
hand, where found the same
condition of wages and morals, the same
class of shabby girls and ghostly pale
women, the same insolent men and boys
and the same set Of greedy eyed, stoop-
Shouldered children working for 20 and 30
ents day. By system of fines by the
ndomitable foremen and through the anx-