New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-04-27
WORKING WOMEN.
THE SCARF MAKER.

ayes, kerosene is awful cheap Just now observed
tho industrious virgin she carefully filed her
lamp: and good thing 1t Is for me, a, burn such
a lot Of f. There's hardly night that put ont my
light before II O'Clock and in winter | am sewing by
lampight for nearly hour every morning.
needn't go TO the shop TN . or 10 o'cloch. but
the work has to be done all the a, ani got 10
notion Of starving at my time Of Ne look, sort
o. Ike 1t tho.eh. working for ~ week. and. a. true
as live there are weeks when don't make that,
matter how steady stick Ia my work.
Now that my lamp is lighted III have 10 and
talk together "a, these scarf, must be finished 10 night
Why don't | cut my thread. instead Of breaking IT
because il takes too much time To pick up and put
down my scissors. | didn't know enough 10 do this
tin they told me down az Tie shop that wasting
an ful lot of time by stopping To cut my thread
Look tired do - Then my look, amt telling no
lie. I've been tired for two years past and hate
the sight of these scarfS If they was snakes. The
folks who sent me io the seaside cottage la. summer
thought had a good from scars: they didn't
know took "A lot Of 'cm with me. We had big
order Ill about that time, and couldn't AFFORD to
hold my hands.
so you think am nrstratc worker I wish
forclaiy thought as You do. but She don't. ana
I'll tell you why There's a bot OF girl, working down
at our place who live in their homes. and they
fetch and carry great piles Of scarfS. letting her
believe that they make cm all themselves. Instead
telling her Of the help they get from their folks
Now amt got nobody to help me. and the forclady
thinks ! am poly. amt much - Mvorite with her.
and il there are any Of lis bounced when the slack
season comes shouldn't wonder II was one. though
she knows amt got no folks and have my room rent
10 paw besides feeding myself and buying my duGS.
That's lust the II i I'm them scarf place, IN the
busy season they work YOU 10 death. ana IN the dull
season Won may 60 aud jump OF liroohlyn Fridge Tor
ANYTHING they care. If thought I'd come out alive.
I'd 90 and do IL tomorrow. for then ia get my 9'o
A week I'm Bowery muscnm the Great American
remale Iumncr sometimes feel like throwing
down my work and going and Offering myself 10
Iarnum for an Early Christian or something OF mat
kind You know he is continually advertising Just
now for supc, III up the scenes IN the Destruction
Of Rome II his season wasn't So short. I'd do II a.
truc a. I 1--we. Afraid Of the Wild beasts No.
mint afraid Of nothing but of falling behind with my
room rent and being turned out on the street.
"What do Won suppose | am paid dozen for the
kind Of scarf, | am making now dollar Nou
missed il a long way that timc Just forty two cents
and il | get this dozen finished by bedtime I'll be
doing ,vcll These are the cheapest kind that arc
made at our place. ana !, seems ~ NV No' no'o wa"
my share Of them, though ! Srose the fore
lady tries to do the right thing by us all.
sinfully cheap! Yes. that IS Just IT,
rhcy are sinfully cheap. And yet the men who
huv em will talk about the hardness that women
show 10 women when they run after the cheap things
that working girls make. \ irIcnd OF mine runs
- machine In "A Sop shop that pats cheap underwear Ill
tho market and she more than do. for she
4. maid by the weck-SJ week all the year round
All such shops amt like that though. In some OF
,hem rs piece work. and the operators are pau
AMY u cents dozen for some garments. Fifteen
,.uts .apicce' don't mean No. | mean Just
.xactly what say. \ girl told me 50 who WORKS
In such a place. and though girls may lie about
other things you can depend on what they say
vhen they tell you how little they get for their
york It's awful hard. though. To hammer the
ruth into some folks heads The other evening |
a,tcnded "A meeting OF our GilS Friendly ooclety ana
my did sunday hOol teacher came u ID me- bringing
nn,othcr uptown lady along with her; Here's
"nor dear girl Mrs A., says she. VINO supports
ferscu by making scars. and sometimes size II
mid only 10 cents apiece for them. ISM IL 100
"a I didn't like to contradict her, out saws to
va" sen No It's too good II could get 10 cents
nn y for scarfs I'd put money In the bank told
~ teacher as plain as | told yo Just now mat for
' n,,e scarfs was paid only three ana hau cents
n,nce~and that's how she remembered H.
OPP No mine isn't all hand-work what ! am doing
nov Is slip stitching and that Is always done
hy hand. but In the mop we machine
lome of our work. and there's where
,, trouhle comes In There's only one machine
,r baU dozen girls and sometime, there's two or
ibrce after wanting II all once ana thcn some com
nain that they fix Ii when IL Is out OF order while
pthr only wait Tor il TO be fixed for them The fore
ihnr! get for her sometimes Tor she mates