Morning journal and courier., 1889-09-05
PIN MONEY
often Obtained at the Expense Of she Wages of Bread Winners.
 IFrom Harpers Ba5ar.]

1u6E6 was u IlLu0 WucA lb WAS buOukuG budG & married woman who worked for money in some way reflected discredit upon her hus- band, by an implication of his lack of abili- ty to support her as she wished to live. That period is past, both happily and unhap. oily. Happily, because many man has had cause to bless tho slender hands of the wife, which, by their skill in welding the pen, the brush or the needle, or in doing other womanly work, have, backed by the willing brain, tended of want and disaster when he, the usual bread winner, has been disabled or prevented by loss of employment from supplying the family with bread and butter.
 But the change of public opinion on the score of home living women working for money has been unfortunate, because, in the struggle for funds with which to indulge taste for dress or for other luxuries not war raAted by their husbands Incomes. some wo- men have taken the sewing that should have been given to those poor creatures who find in it their sole means of subsistence. The sheltered wives and daughters whom hus- bands and fathers support can "accept work to pick up at odd moments" at rates that would mean semi-starvation to those women to whom such work is the only means of sup plying themselves with lodging, food, fuel and clothing.
 The wife of a small farmer was heard not long ago reoounting complacently the suc- cess she had had in laying aside neat little sum in the bank during the past winter. "We had a good deal of spare time even ings," she said, land Jane and Sarah and thought it was 8 real shame we shouldn't make something by it. So when father went down to M we made him go to a store | there and get us some things to make. He ! brought us mems shirts and little boys knee | pants. They were all cut out and stitched, | and 1t was easy enough to finish them of, V fhnuoh if xraa bind of fadf0na Wark Tharo | were five gussets and nine button holes to ! each shirt, and 1t took the three of us pretty \ near all day, working steady all the time we | could spare from our housework, to do 8 ! dozen of the shirts. could do two pair of | the pants in @ day"
 "And how much were you paid" queried | an interested listener.
 "Oh, we'll, it wasn't much," admitted the other; "only thirty-6ve cents a dozen for ! the shirts, and dollar and sevsnty-fiv | cents a dozen for the pants. It did seem
 rather little to me at first, but says to the girls, If we weren't doing this we wouldn't be doing anything to earn money And by
 keeping at it all winter we'd made forty dol- lars by spring, between the three of us, and
 "I should say sol" ejaoulated the auditor.
 "I declare to goodness, I believe I'll try that same plan myself next winter. I only wish
 I'd thought of it before"
 To neither speaker did the idea seem to suggest itself that in the city there were
 struggling women to whom that forty dol lars would have meant thrice the sum that 1t did to the we'll clad, well fed wife and daughters who gave only their leisure mo- ments to shop work. The degraded order of humanity possessed by the proprietors of sssweating" establishments is of a sort
 that makes them ready to take advantage
 of their ability to have the work done al
 the lowest possible terms. Everything that
 by causing the supply to exceed the de
 hailed with joy by these human sharks. ! Still it seems rather hard to veto tn, | earning of all wages by a woman simply
 because she has @ husband or 6 father
 The gifte, the charity that the gains iron
 her labor enable her to bestow, grant he
 double the qualification she would deriv. from anything bought with money that hat
 been given her. But let her seek some oth
 CT outlet for her industry. That is an exoep
 tional woman who has not some speciality, b. it never 50 humble. To this let her turn a
 means for earning her extra funds. Some
 times she may possess an accomplishment oftener knaok at some branch of handiworl of which takes employment from nobody. One delft little woman, who had no ineem
 except the slender allowance that was all he 1: husband could afford her, used to make tn , money for his Christmas and birthday gift by orooheting silk shawls in peculiar stitol of which she alone held the secret. Anothe earned all her donations to charitable enter . prises by putting up piokled mangoes, by a old family recipe, for friends who could no obtain these dainties elsewhere and wer glad to pay her liberally for her trouble Still another, young girl, assumed the con 3 coction of bouillon for a certain caterer
 achieving a preparation that became fs
 nous in the little city where she lived
 Homemade French candies and salted al q ! monds became the industry of another
 Such avocations as these impoverish no on,
 and their practice enables a woman to fe
 that independence dear to all who are nc
 contsnt to fill only ornamental places l 7 life.