Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-10-11
HOW THE CITY GROWS
BY SWALLOWING Up THOUSANDS OF
COUNTRY GIRLS BYRRY FALL.
What Becomes Of the Women Who Enter Into The
Cuithroai Competition Of Broadway and
the Homesicknsss Of the Board
ing House.
copPYRIeHT 1889.

| COPYRIGHT 1889.
The influx of young men and women
into the city in October is like the sOu b.
ward fitting of the birds. By twos end
threes from every little country villsge
and town they take their flight, and as the
lines of them converge toward Manhat-
tan Island every train that swings into the
Grand Central Ststion reminds one Of the
swaTms OF pigeons that used to blacken
the air and break the tree bOughs when
they settled down il tbs Kentucky forests
Years ago this autumnal migration was
almost wholly masculine. Nowadays, from
mcrtgaged farms and village economies,
with the diplomas of rustic schools in
their pockets and the freshness of the
country breezes in their cheeks, girls who
have been drawn from every State in the
Union by tine great magnet New York,
which acts over wide areas even more
powerfully than did Lowell and Lawrence
on he New England rural districts in the
beginning of the f5ctoTy era, are hustled
on every block by the impatient elbows of
business on Broadway and begin their init
iation into the homesickness provoked by
boarding house hall bedrooms.
At least go per cent. of the army of peo-
pie at work in the dry goods stores, 40 per
cent. Of the telegraph operators, 20 per cent.
OF the type settlers and more than 80 per
cent. Of the type writers are women; VIC.
mems faces have become familiar as clerks,
bOOkkeepers, secretaries and even errand
girls in the larger counting rooms, in the
general offices and lawyers chambere,
and Of the army OF working women which
is TO be PARALLEL nowhere on earth, unless
in London, the country proportions ere
large, and yet the October swsrms are in
creasing
What is 10 become of this fresh young
blood that Is so eager and buoyant, though
so inexperienced. and that now gives
piquancy ana color to the work-a.day rOu-
tine? The idea of earning ones own liv-
ing and belief in the independence and
freedom which is supposed to 90 with it
has fascination for the bright eyed ad-
ventures for the golden fleece of fortune,
but as q matter OF fact, stripped Of the roey
halo which the life may assume il tbs dis
lance the bitterest dependence that 40
man can know, the most Calling yoke that
q womsn's shoulders can bear, the most
cruel annoyGnces that a woman can suffer
viii IN sll probability be the lot o. four
out of five of these rosy damsels who throw
themselves on their own resources and the
tender msreies Of the big city for liytli-
hood.
In spite of the talk about the widening
of Women's opportunities most of tbs pTac-
ticable avenues are cbOked with travellers
before the rights of way are fairly secured.
No class Of WOrkingmen can claim exper-
isrca of such cut-thToat competition SO
exists among women. The typewriter
who asks for place at s. a week will Il d
somebody ready 10 take II at S. from IN
der her hand. The goyerness who applies
for a SIS q month situation will meet on
the doorstep half a dozen $50 teachers.
The Would-be telegrapher who applies al
The Cooper Union free school for lnstIuc-
ton will be refused admission, in view ct
the crowded market, unless she has the
definite promise of a position at the end OF
her course. The Normal College turns
out every year hundreds Of teachers who
have 10 wait weary periods for scholars.
/ The average age Of women at marriage
which has a direct bearing on the labor
problem, ID increaeing and larger and
/ larger numbers remain unmarried.
Women lock hopefully TO the prOies-
sions 10 relieve the strain. Medicine 10 by
long odds the most promising How many
women doctors does New York support
handsomely? You may count them on
. Of
muse, though still gooc, threaten eontin-
ually to fall. How many women dentists
has the oity9 ThIOo. How many lawysr
Gee How msny clergy-WOmen? None.
How many newspaper women? A hand
ful who earn excellent wages, and q Skin
mish line OF free iances whose hoard bills
are often overdue. A young lawyer who
advertised for bOusekeeper OF SIC
month had over 200 women blocking he
. passaeewsys. A woman who advertised
Tor a music teacher for her little boy had
thirty applicants within four hOurs.
What does art work mean? Afew little
samples Of water cOlor5 or decorated menus
hopefully placed under glass for a sign at
the door Of the boarding house and
months OF hand 10 hand wreslle with fate,
with destituiicn il the background and
/ hunger ard cold snarling il the middle
distance. with fusl defeat almos certain,
if indeed the rout stop short of death on
drawingboGId stretched between two
chaire, as happened 70 a yong girl WI h
ambitions some time ago.
What is q woman TO do? Tais is what
one woman is doing. Ten years ago or
,hereabouts she graduated With honors
from one Of the best girls schools in the
country. Her father gave q graduation
party for her and o brilliant career was
predicted by the guests for the beautiful
and talented creature. By and by her
father failed and the care Of him broken
IN health sud needing Injuries and OF her
invalid mother come on the cafefully edu-
Gated girl. Six dollars a week is what she
ia able 10 earn behind a ribbon counter,
and there she stands In October there
are advertisements for salesTOmen for the
fall trade. I have numbered by couat
more than fifty waiting at 8 O'Clock in the
morning to ask the Superintendent fer enc
Of half a dozen positions.
College graduates are expected TO be sat
isfed with 5000 and 500 places at the
teachers sgeucies with fees and percent
age 20 p3y), and citen accept e5UO OF SiUu
10 private schools with corridor duty az
night after the dsy's grind is ground
Aud what compensation is there in the
public schools, for decks in which this fell
there are many applications from country
girls, for many hours work per day IN a
.oul atmosphere and with a constant strain
ON the nerve? In the New York fcdools
a wear $50 out Of 345 teachers, 3 12S were
women and 222 men, but for the first
years service mems salaries run mp from
S72O and women's fom S40S. Does not
svery woman knog that it is next 10 I'M.
possible for a seifdepsndent woman TO
live in the city on S40S a year in any de-
gree Of comfort and clothe herself with
sufficient nea,uess to insure the respect OF
. her pupils and associates? In Brooklyn a
woman who Is not a Normal rcnool grad
nate faces the same problem on $500. And
what stimulus is there 10 a teachers am
bitiop? Simply as 8 matter Of public poll
CIV. What encouragement do the cities
hold cut to the women who form the great
working force OF the schools to double
their efforts in view of possible prizes?
( Take two instances as types from among