New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-09-15
THE ADDRESSING SEASON
HOW SOME GIRLS EARN POCKET MONEY

HOW SOME GIRLS EARN POCKET MONEY
"Wanted-Young ladies to address wrappers"
ASK novelty dealer how many answers he re.
oeNes 10 such an advertisement and he VIII promptly
| reply, Just one hundIcd.S Not many of these an
| swers come from girls who are obliged 10 work for
'helr living; these are on the lookout for steady
| employment and they know that the addressing
season short one at best though the novelty es-
adjustment may have million or more circulars TO
emu out. 1t Is the young woman who works only
Tor fun who eagerly scans the morning paper I'm
search OF addressing to do The novelty dealer Of
ooufso, advertlses his attractive wares ais seven
uoHar gold watches, his halfdOllar jewellcd rings,
o'' etc.' In bity or more of the daily and weekly
papers but as thousands of possible purchasers do not
SuoSrlDe Tor newspaper Of any kind, they must be
eached In another way and he sends out and buys
letters by tho box and banelful from his brethren in
c novelty trade letters halling $50 one might sup
pose Judging by their number and Variety from
ever! Town, village and crossroads posoce through
OUT the land; and to each and every one of the
writers Of these letters he proposes TO send an ad
vertislng circular
Inc boxes and barrels are slowed I'm one end Of
large room; beside them airs piled great packages
Vi wrappers, and then (chairs and tables pens and
INK having been provided the young women adver-
Used for make their appearance the scene, and
very good appearance they make In their stylish hats
ana Hadlng7 wells, their Directolre7 coats cloth
SUITS, and iTeproachable gloves and boots; indeed
they are not at all in keeping with the dusty barn
IKE loft in which they settle themselves for work
various reasons do they give each other for being
there One is In search of congenlal companonship
iccnng lonesome at home; another IS sent by the
doctor who thinks she needs occupation of sort
another, if we may believe her, Is audaby working
lor money TO give to the poor Others there only
ior tun. AT length one, more candid than the rest,
gives the most plausible reason of all which Is some
thing like this I going ~ get sealskin sacque.
Papa says he will pay a hundred dollars toward II
II earn the rest myself The being thus broken
and candor being contagious, the girls, one by one
begin speaking of the purchases they have IN view.
With one it is pair Of expensive kid boots another
has set her heart on twenty dollar hat that her
mother positively refuses to buy for her; another Is
saving up for a silk Dies
As soon they get acquainted their tongues go as
fast as their fingers, and the latter very rapidly
indeed, quantity and not quality being the desider-
alum In work OF this Kind. The letters have been
taken from their envelopes, opened out wde and
tied up in packages Of five hundred As 1t IS piece
work there is set task, but the copyst who can.
not address thousand wrappers between 5 a. m.
and p. III. is usually requested at the end Of tho
first week TO vacate her place and make room for
some one who can. About three girls out of twenty
will 90 up to fifteen hundred wrappers per diem
who will 60 as high two thousand, or even twenty
five hundred; but these marvellous writers are re
garded with some suspicion by the superintendent
for If their count is honest, their scrbblng is apt to
be illcsible More than one rapid writer has como
TO grief when her scraws have been sent back from
the postohice, labelled Hlegible,' by being obliged
to admit that she could not read them herself
There is danger, too OF writer's cramp, which often
compels the overrapd scrtbblcr to give up work
for several days, in order to rest her fingers.
The copy IS sometimes extremely pulling "San-
tafy, sanrany,7 murmurs copyist; Give me the
Postal Guide, somebody. l never came across sucn
before, and can't make out the State either.
The first initial Is y, but the other might be
either an II, or ALI NJ Then perhaps somebody
Instead of passing the Guide, suggests Santa Fe,
New-Mexco, "santafy7 being the local pronunci
ation
1T IS a shame for to spell his name J-o-r
Ie, George'7 exclams another, taking up letter
from some postoiice among the West Virginia mount
aims. shall teach HIM how It ought 10 be speti'
Follow copy" returns her vis-avis :" and let the
man spell as he likes
"Tvve got a long list of names in Leavenworth.
Kansas" says another, and am going TO abbreyiae
the name of the place as ! once saw 1t done in a
Dor looks, and sees it written, 11worth, Kan' A
remOnstrance is met win the assertion that Will
get there all the same ana then the writer gVes
prone 10 use this vulgar appcuaton when they
find themselves below CanaI-st.! wants copperPlate
he ought to pay more than dollar a thousand for
Wrappers , ,,.
am lust sick and tired Of looking in the Guide"
COMPLAINS another The next time ] cannot make
out the name OF a place, III direct the wrapper TO
Boston. Mass. Then know IL will 90 through the
postolIce and that Is all | care for
From which II may be seen how much some OF |
these workers for fun (aas fnery have al heart the
interests Of their temporary employer. girl earning
from six to nine dollars per week. living at home. and
having no expenses except cariare. can az me end
OF few months of scrIbbling have sufficient ready
money 10 make her the envy of her friends whose |
things7 must all be bought with the consent OF man
aging nammas and whose bills are scanned by un |
sympathetic papaS Her silk throws their cashmeres |
quito INTO the shade and her hat bought ready trimmed
,Jnt,,y kills their home trimmed headwear she |
cannot of course dress up TO the -Four hundred Dut
She can ouf-drcss many girl whose father outranks
hers on Bradstreet' books and this repays her for
her toll and makes her Happy,