The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1888-10-20
THE DANGEROUS wAsHERwoA,AN
How Disease Germs Are Distributcd-A
Timely Hint to Citv Pcoplc.

10 the average American housekeeper the
weekly wash day is constantly recurring
trial of patience. Every domestic arrange
mcnt must give way to it. OF course in those
families where several servants are employed
and there arc convenences for laundry p,lr.
poses the day is one of less hardship. The
great ma jority of tho middle classes, how
ever, arc forced to bc content with one SEP
want girl, who is generally assisted by Il
washerwomln. That humble and very use
tul individual deserves greater consideration
than is usually given her Where she comes
from is, as II general thing, a matter of alb
Soutc indifference tothc housckceper, as long
as her charges arc as low us possible. That
sho is very poor all know, for no one would
do washing unless i'll needy circumstances
Very probably she lives in Il cheap tenement
NJ III tho cellar of some rookcry in tho sluns
of tho city. Now. it is these very places
which are the hothc'ls of contagious and in
fcctious diseases, and consequently tho center
of distribution of disease germs.
An instance of the truth OF this statement
will he given, ono which will also show how
such diseases may he attributed To tho wrong
source. AT the south end, on SWEET street,
there is n row of ramsilackle houses called hy
the neighhors "Buttcrmilll block Tho in.
habitants are mostly ragpickcrS, who ply
their vocation Oil tho n"iShhoring dump
where the ashes and refuse collected bv the
city wagons are deposited The health ar.
thoritics have condemned the block timo and
time again is uni< TO live in. Somehow OF
other, however, it is still occupied Some
four years as" Il family LIVING on West New
ton street regularly employed Il washer
woman who lived in tins I5uttcrmilk block
Tho eldest daughter WAS first attacked with
typhoid fever and died Then the second
daughter had it and ,li,d. Tie father also
fell IL victim to the fever. lut fortunately To-
covered The physician in attendance as
crtlrd the trouble tu detective ,irau,l.r, and
although tine wor; had been done hv n com
prent plumber, all the piping in tho house
va: torn ont and replaced at an expense ot
several hundred dollars.
In the worry incnlcnt To the sickness in tho
house, the fact that the w;lshcrwonlan had
stopped coming every week. lis WAS her wont,
was not noticed, some months later it was
learned that she had died of typhoid fever
Further inquiries developed tho fact that
wlHlc sho was Washing for tho unfortunate
family there were three eases of fever. in the
hous. where She lived, and two of then,
proved fatal Now there Is no,lolbt but that
sln, WAS III the early stageo of the disease when
sh" came To her employer, house for tho lust
tinic, and that sh" lift there the germs from
winch sprung the fever that cost two lives in
hls family. TIs is but ono instance of tho
danger winch i. incurred 10y hiring washer
women llliscriminatcly. u, is safe To say
that ii the housekc"per in question had eone
to the place where the woman lived and had
seen the filth and sgualcr with winch she was
surrounded, sho would not have employed
her, All these possibilities of danger are
calmly overlooked by tho majority who
latroaI'. tIlcs,. people, and SUN, by paying
them starvation wages for their work, they
compel Them to live in wrrtchcd places, and
so almost from necessity, become the bear
r's of disease. Tho whole thing is wrong
For Very little moro than is Ir,i, To the wash.
crwunan the heavy family washing can he
doncnt steam laundry, and only tho snnulle,
and delicate pieces need he washed and
ironcd i'll the house. boston Herald