The morning call., 1890-05-08
THE DOLL WOMAN.
A Graduate Of Rutgers Making
Dolls for a Living at 40.
Saved From Want by Child's Purchase.
Gentlewomen Assisted by the Exchange
for Wcman's Work.

She is dainty little gentlewoman-"an unap-
propriated blessing'-70 years old. Once she
was itch and lived In swelldom and had her
maids 10 serve her and coachman ana q
carriage. She graduated at Rutgers and was
winsome BELLE gladstone and gracious, ana the
dispenser of many joy giving hospitaties.
Lacking the prudent genius OF Numbering
after her parents died one way and another she
lost a great deal of money and one day she
realized with keen forebOding that she was
almost alone in this big world with very little 10
keep her from starvation. She was only learned
In gracious household ways, which are of little
money value in the practical work-a-day world.
She finally invested her bit OF money in goods
hoping TO make u living by keeping store" Sue
established herself In quiet street in Brooklyn
and for time her enterprise succeeded but
gradually The large stores grew more attractive
and the street less desirable for the better class
OF people and the little old lady was forgotten,
and The problem of getting living was harder TO
solve than before.
LUCKY SALE.
The store began to look seedy and empty, and
the store keepers courage was almost gone
when one day child came ln to buy 81 The doll
In The shoe" 1t was rag doll with group OF
gay pgmies about lit old woman in the
shoe (Which kind friend had made for her
window when she first opened The store. She
was glad 10 sell it now. but soon replaced 1t with
another, which was also sold, and SO on until the
worrying problem of how 10 earn her bread
solved itself IN this happy, provdentia way,
and she decided TO maze :ag dolls Tor living.
Her aged sister sewed the dresses on The ma
chine until she had the old fas hioned rheuma-
tism" so badly she could do nothing and u
helper had to he hired 10 10 them.
The dolls are very cute and chic, notwith-
standing they ale made OF stout corset jean,
stuffed with cotton ana dressed in simple wash
calico; but The dresses are pretty. and so are the
eoquettsh bonnets made OF The same material.
DAINTY bit of lace at The neck and sleeves and
artistic touches here aud there add an air oil del
lcacy 10 The rig, which tells in subtle yet con.
Ynciug way that long ago the CHEEKY little gen.
tlewomau delighted IN pretty femlninities of
exquisite style aud Of texture dainty and sheer.
GOOD CHANCE FOR ROUGE ARTISTS.
A society belle OF Brooklyn paints the faces OF
the rag dolls. She has many social demands,
but makes time TO do this work Of love and
Charity with unvarying falthtulneSs.
Kind friend took some OF the rag beauties TO
The seaside, and the orders from fashionable
resort kept the workers comparatively comforta-
Bile during the summer. The dolls sell for Il
apiece at tile home Of the worker and tribe
more than that i'll the different exchanges for
wOmens work where they have found place.
They are in The exchange OF the Young Woman's
Christian Association and IN the WOman's EX-
changes OF Fifth avenue aud on Madison avenue.
aud III the Mutual Benefit and Exchange for
Nomaus Work on Iwenty-third street. The
orders from these places support three people
and contribute to The support OF fourth one.
They do not live In lu1uty-far from it-Dut by
most eXactng economy they manage 10 exc out
a living.
At The Mutual Benefit and Exchange fer
W Omdu's Nurk Tie aged maiden Is hHeCllOH-
atey called "the CHEEKY little doh woman," and
the name suits her signally well. She has no
mIsgivings, no repinlngs, aud Ike true little
genIlewUman that she is, never refers to the
days When she was better on" Her only
wUrry-a great one TO her-is 10 get clothes for
her rag dolls. This question absorbs her
thoughts more than anything else, aud she has
TO buy with eXacting judgment aud cut her
cloth with close economy.
In her sunny personality one forgets how pa
thetic her life history IL. 10 be making rag dolls
IN dismal, sunless, stufy little store IN for
lOrn, unnyiting by-Street III Brooklyn at the age
OF 20 Is Il hearlacniDg contrast TO the time when
she was costly housed IN luxurious surroundings
not 1al ION The LoilllaIds some fifty years ago.
UPHILL WORK.
This story is but one of the many pathetic his
tories OF struggles 10 earn living told 10 the
lhIlanlhropic women at the Mutual Benefit aud
Exchange for oman's Work." where The strug
glerS seem 10 unbuiden themselves more freely
than any where else. Two able, laTge-healted
women rs AZ the head OF this place ON Twenty
third street Mrs. Dart is magnificent wo-
man aud knows just how TO talk 10 you" said the
"cheeIy little dUll wUmau." ana that Is lie YER
dict OF The visitor who listens 10 her while nous
ing around among tue delicious looking JellleS
and palate-ticklng home made gastrouonic deli-
caeies OF all Sizes kinds aud descriptions.
These workers have no Board OF Managers.
Boards of managers are excellent personages,
but sometimes whea they dlsagree-they ulSa-
gree. There is no patronage from ladies bountt-
fu which, even when gwen with tile sweetest IN
tentlOn, oittlnes piques aud wounds the less for
tunate gehIlewOmAn who receives II.
There is no initiation fee, which Is a consldera-
tiou OF no small weight Five dollars is a very
large sum for many 10 pay III who may not be
able TO sell their cOnsguments for many months,
II ever. A certain per cent is taken of The price
obtained for The goods sold, which helps 10 sup
port the good WORK.
We have succeeded beyond my widest
dreams OF expectation" said AIRS. Dart, " but it
Is uphill WORK yet. Our Ient Is $4,000 year."
Most exaggerated stories of their success get
newsed around, and not infrequently letters OF
this purport come: :" Please send me $1,000 TO
pay OF the mortgage on our farm. We hear you
are charitable women and are willing TO help The
needy"
There is room for an exchange on every ten
blocks" said one OF the women
MYSTERIOUS BACHELORS.
The Woman's Exchange on Fifth avenue,
under the patronage OF so many society ladies',
perhaps does the most hOurishiug business OF
all. Not only ladies patroniZe II, although the
lunchers belong mainly TO The fair SEX but men
come IN to buy all sorts OF things. Some, OF
course-the benedicts-aTe sent on commissions
for their wives; but 1t Is no inirequent sight 10
see bachelors uosng around among the pretty
things, who 90 to buy for tHeir own delight.
A fiftn-ayeuue bachelor was IBouslng around
there The other day selecting dainty fancy work
for his bachelor quarters. He ordered an ele-
giant bunet cloth and several handsome table
furnishings in the napery line, besides dream
OF eXfrayagant dalniineSS Ill The form OF tidy
or two. Whether lie enjoys these airy femlninl-
ties or whether he wishes 10 Impress his good
comrades with tile idea lie is IA beau ideal OF an
old bachelor with his DOM decorated with love-
wrought trophies for his admirers among the fair
ones is mystery. Tie fact is however, lie
brings delight to many feminine hearts unknown
TO him by purchasing so many rich, rare and
dainty things.
Another frequent buyer Is conundrum. 1t Is
an unsettled question whether lie Is Il widower
Or a bachelor. He buys tile most eXqusitely
manipulated chinaware lie can see there.
There is d most gratifying pleasure in buying
IN any of these places III The knowledge that
some needy gentlewoman is helped whether one
buys never so llttle or never SO much.-DOrothy