Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-03-02
SONG OF THE SHIRT.
LIFE OF THE AVERAGE SsAMsTReSs
IN A LARGE CITY.
Working Day and Night aud Able to Earn
Only Two Dollars u week-A Message
from the Garret to the Other and Hap.
pier Half OF the World

from the Garret to the Other and Hap.
pier Half OF the World
You'd think, to near him talk, that a sew.
ing womans life WIS pleasant one, or else
his hearts Us small us his excuses for putting
us of. Come, I'm going to hunt another
shop"
The speaker was shabbily dressed woman,
under middle age, evidently widow or q
careworn matron. There was in her face the
familiar traces of care prelnaturely and alb
normally developed by a hand to mouth ex.
istence
The words of the woman were overheard
by reporter and he shadowed her to her
miserable home, description of which it
would be impossible to give and do the sub.
ject justice A rickety bed, two crippled
chairs u table as unhealthy ns its owner, but
unlike its owner in that it had something to
lean on-the window sill--a cook stove with
the oven door off and two legs gone, yet fully
capable of performing all the meager offices
TO which it was ever subjected Here lived,
or, to borrow famous authors satire, here
had not yet died, u family of five in single
room.
The woman was not in any sense hero
inc in rags" OF tho typical sort She was
neither educated nor refined but she was
woman with a sou, and-more's the pity--a
stomach also.
STITCH, STITCH. STITCH
The writer does not pretend to give her
language, for, like her gown, it was sadly out
of repair. Clothiuy her statement i'll his own
words he offers il to one-half of the world
who don't know now their fellow Inortals
live, as message from the other half:
Yes said she, forty cents for dozen
shirts without and fifty cents for a dozen
with collars is all Solomon pays, and can't
live ut it. | just old Fanny so, and we are
going to look around. Some managers fur
nish the thread; he does, and he doesn't re-
quire deposit, either. All in all he's one of
the best men in the business"
These shirts must be very easy to make,
aren't theyF
Not SO easy "a you would imagine, - re-
piled she. Those at forty cents must have a
yoke put on, tho fronts both faced, wrist
bands on the sleeves, and on the neck band
They must he henmed and three cornered
gussets put on both sides and on the joining
of the sleeves, and there are five buttons and
button holes. Those at tifry cents are the
same, except they have collars instead Of
necibands"
How many do you manufacture in a
day2n
That depends On how early commence,
and how late | sew ct nights. By beginning
at Z in the morning and sewing until in the
evening ! can max one dozen in day, but
this is q good days work and is seldom ac-
complished, as it is only by constant stitch,
stitch, stitching ran do it at ell. Then I
must lose the time Of carrying home the shirts
and bringing back the bundles, SO | find the
work very, very slow indeed, and am satisfied
if ! make five dozen forties or four dozen
fifties week. ="
That is So a We els, can you live on itRn
Yes; we mana &c, when Johnny tnodding
TO the boy earns enough to pay the machine
rent, which is IS cents: if he does not, we
have hard time.
Here was another revelation How would
it do for some Of the St Louis Jellibys to
make an effort at The soul df they can find it,
of the monster who charges this woman one.
tenth of the talue Df a sewing machine weekly
for the privilege OF wearing out her life 10
front OF II.
rs there plenty of this kind of workf'
No, indeed. Why, when / first started
out 10 find 1T walked myself down every
day for more thar week | watched the
daily papers and answered every advertise
ment | saw in them. ! found some Of the
proprietors gcntlemanly and some rough and
mean. One fellow on South Twelfth street
wanted me to make deposit and furnish my
own thread and II AXE drawers nj forty cents
a dozen. | found a few gentlemen, a very
few. One on St Charles street | shall re-
member with gra itude es long us l live.
had been hunting work since early morning
and had been spo zen to so roughly that l was
ready to cry when | went into his establish.
10 ->rfoc+
kindly, although they were shut down for
the dull season and could not give me work.
lie told me when 70 come back; went out of
there with much lightened heart The next
day got the sewing you now see. I have
kept IL ever since. try to do my work prop
erly, but they are always on the lookout for
mistakes. / suppose all are alike in this re-
spect, though" and she turned to her ma
chino and went to work at breakneck speed
to mako up for lost time.
NOT a SCIENTIFIC ECONOMIST.
How the work did 0y through that ma
chine! One could not help recalling, as he
watched the over7vorked seamstress, old be-
fore her time and bent with care, Hoods
Song of the Shirt and wondering what a
tale the linen could tell if endowed with life
Don't sew, ] want to ask you fow more
questions, and | will pay you for your lost
time see, here is a days wages in advance, ~
snip the visitor, aying q half dollar on the
machine. The wOman's eyes fairly sparliled,
and she turned ler face for the first time
lighted up with real expression.
How about the other branches of the bus
mess tho pants and oyeralls, for instancef'
inquired the visitor, returning to the subject.
They are much worse. | went to several
Of these manufacturers and asked for work,
but obtained none, as they were supplied with
seamstresses. But | asked the price, and was
told that from $50 for the lowest class of
jeans pants to 81, s. and 80 per dozen for
cashmere was thu usual price paid / can't
see Low any ono can make pants, of any
quality Gt all, be it ever so poor, for ST. so
per dozen, hut that there are hundreds of
women VINO do 50 and arc glad Of the chance
is certain. ! supDose in the factories where
the machines are run by steam or electricity,
they can work much faster, but where the
work is taken home, and the only motive
power Is Il weak ToInan's strength, they get
along just as slow as The shirtmakers, If not
slower. Think o 1t, l2}G cents for making a
pair Of pants! 1t ought to be worth that
much To sew On le buttousn
The reporter suggested that competition
kept down the prices, and that tho popular
uSAiesi4u t'i N!1c thiiiSN was spOAisipit pUt
the woman WIS not scientific economist
She knew nothin5 OF the cause, but was woe
fully and cXper mentally cognizant of the
effect.
How much rent do you pay hereY' in
quired the visitor.
Two dollars month. Sometimes Johnny
makes enough to pay therent."
The woman was evidently proud Of
Johnny"
Tho reporter withdrew, resolved to place
on paper u picture, not the least bit over
drawn. of what he had seen and heard.
These things exist in the midst of plenty, and
poverty, punching, hollow eyed and con-
tagious, is driving many souls to ruin In st.
Louis every year.-St. Louis Repubiic.
D.. Ia honl