The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-05-28
GIVE THEM AN OUTING.
Jersey City Sa1eswomen
Who Get Vacations
Without Pay.
NEED OF SUMMER REST.
A Proposed Home in the Country
with Board at Nominal Rates.

This is the time when nearly every
one is making some plan for recrea-
ton during the summer, and arrang-
ing to spend some time, if only week,
in the country, and try to regain a lit
tie of the health and strength that a
winters hard work has impaired.
I have been wondering how many OF
the young women who work SO. hard
in the shops of Jersey City through
the long winter days-and a good part
of the night as well-would be given
time for regeneration and preparation
for the new season of toll ahead of
them. So I made a tour in quest OF
information.
found that in almost every one of the
large shops the employees are allowed
a vacation, but in only one are they
paid for the time they are away. The
exception is the great dry goods shop
of II. G. Brown s. Van Anglen. There
the female clerks get a vacation OF ten
days, and they are paid their full sal
ary for the time they are away.
This is as fully appreciated as 1t Is
greatly needed. But few, If any OF
| the girls, could spare the money to
buy the doubly earned rest.
THESE ARE ONLY LAID OFF.
In the other large shops the girls are
| allowed a weeks vacation at a loss OF
| the weeks salary, and are often de-
| sired to take a much longer time, as
business is dull during the summer,
and they can we'll be spared, and
their salary saved.
This is all very well for the firm,
but it is a little hard on girls who
work faithfully all the year for small
| enough pay at the best.
When I asked some of the young
women whether they anticipated a
| pleasant vacation very few looked
particularly joyous, and they were in
| the store where salaries are not dis
continued.
OF course, I found some girls who
have good homes, where the small
| sums they earn are not needed to help
meet the household expenses. They
were ready to have a long vacation,
and they are prepared to enjoy 1t.
But to the majority-to the bread
winners-if a vacation be taken at all,
it will mean a week of denial and
privation to the dear ones at home.
WHY DON'T THE RICH HELP.
After | had left the stores | began
| to think over what / had learned, and
how weary and sick many OF them
looked. l wondered why so many OF
our charitable people who are always
ready to spend large sums on foreign
missions and for the erection OF hand
some churches could not join in the
good work of providing some way OF
rest and recreation for the girls.
A large boarding house could be in
some country place, where from fifteen
to thirty girls could be accommodated
at a time. :
This would not cost alarge sum, and
the expense of running it during the
months of July and August would be
less than some of the work not nearly
SO much needed, which would-be phi
lanthropists continually and freely UNI
dertake. The girls who are paid their
salaries during their vacation could
paw a nominal sum for board, and
those who are simply laid off could be
taken for nothing. They would be
among their own friends and asso-
ciates and would have an opportunity
to grow we'll and strong for the next
winters work.
That something of this kind is
needed no one can doubt who takes
the trouble to enquire into the mat
ter.