San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-03-03
LIVESOF WORKINGWOM
FACTS CONCERNING THE WAGE
EARNING GIRLS OF THE CITIES.
Hard Work and Small Pay-Making
Small Income Go a Great ways-work-
ing All Day and Studying at Nisbt-An
Army of Brave, True Women.


young women who are bravely taking up the
burden of self support, and who with patient
courage are meeting trials, hardShips and
temptations, such as can never come to those
more favored Within the last fifty years
the working woman has become power in
the community The cities could not do
without her. Go into any great store and
see the fruit of her laborS. Every counter
shows the work of some group of girls or
| women; broCades, silks laCeS, embrOideries,
| muslins, wOOlenS, notions, fancy articles-all
represent the toll of women's fingers. Very
| few think of the workers and the lives they
| lead
A most valuable report has recently been
| issued Ly the department of labor at Wash
| ngtOn, which gives personal statistics of
| l1,427 wage earning girls engaged in 343 dis
| tinct industries out of many now open to wo-
| men, and comprising the result of study in
| twenty-five different cities. The tables bring
out very telling facts. The average age for
beginning work appears to be ID years and
months; but l29out of the number commenced
| under years of age, and the largest pro-
| portion, 3,5O3, began to support themselves
| at A. For years they continue the weary
| round of labor, rising at or &, and shortly
after going to the factory or shop, where
| they remain, with but little recess, for ten or
more hours Often their work does not end
| when they leave the place of their days labor,
! for out of the whole number questioned by
| the agent of the department, 9,Sl3 not only
work at their regular occupations, but also
assist i'll the Eousework at home. More than
! half give their earnings to the head of the
| family, while very many have to care en-
| tlrely for several others beside themselves.
| The average wages of the l7,427 was found
! to be So and yet with this small amount
| 66l4 do none of their own sewing, and in
variably the girls present a respectable APP
| pearance.
| These wage earners are women with ideas,
| high impulses ambitions and desires such as
| all other women have. One Of the ladies
| who collected the above statistics and who
personally met and learned to know about
the lives of over II 900 of the girls, was ASKED
| How many of them have ambitions and an
| inner life of desire for better things, and how
many, if aided in the development, would
| turn out earnest, true womenP Quickly
came the answer: Every one. have yet
to meet viii working girl who could not
be lifted to a higher level" Instance after
instance was given by her of the heroic lives
! hundreds of them are now leading, and of the
| pleasant cooperative homes she had found.
| Many Of Us who have been hOnOred by be-
| coming the friends of our grand working sis
| tiers could echo her sentiments Nowhere else
can be found in greater degree the noble i'm
! pulses of heroiSm, self sacrifice, patience
checrlunes7 and aspiration.
| All over the city, after hard days work
| thousands are gathered III evening schools
| working girls societies, or other rooms opened
| to them, where they can study and improve
| themselves. \ lady visiting down town
evening school saw tired, sickly looking
| girl busily engaged with a copy book. The
! teacher of the class said: THAT girl comes
regularly each night after eeven hours of
work, and without any supper. The lady
| paused by the girls desk with the remark:
| why do you come to school; are you not
| toe tired She looked up with a smile, say
| ing: "Why, must work, and | must also be
educated, 50 what else can | 10! BY and
| by, though, | am going to rest How few
| girls in sheltered homes would have shown
such courage and ambition.
| Here is GuothCr instance: girl was left
| as the sole support and care taier of an in
| firm father, and she bYavely assumed the re-
| sponsibilty. Rising each morning between
and ), she ml' = the fire, did the household
fast, and after buying paper for her father
| and making llln comfortable began her days
work at tine loom before o'clock. She
WORKED in a silk factory, and when the II
O'Clock Waislt ra.easel her she hurried home
| to prepare dinner stopping at the butchers
and grocer's on the way. The dishes were
| left to be washed mp at night, for l o'clock
must find her again at her loom. At night,
| after preparing supper and clearing up the
| house, she had TO get her father to bed, and
| it was after before she was free. On Ger
| tain nights of the week she would be found at
| a class where she could improve her mind, and
on other evenings she was busy caring for
| sick and tired neighbOrs. She took out
flowers, fruit, etc, for distribution from a
club room, and was one who was always
| ready to do kindly act
One worker in a factory had legacy of
| s, 900 left her by relative, but, while le
gally it was hers, she felt it did not belong to
her, as she was not the nearest of kin, and so
she relinqushed it and went bravely back to
her drudgery. These women and girls, with
their heroism and bravery, have hard lives
and few opportunities. They crave outside
interests, fun and means for self improve
ment Some years ago one of them went to
friend saying: How can working girls i'm
prove themselves and have a good time in
the EVENING"" by cooperation, self help
and mutual interest" was the answer The
result has been that all over the city rooms
have been opened by the working girls soci
| cites, where groups Of from 80 to 300 wage
| earners find bright cOmpauiOnship, books
music, etc. Glasses are also formed in useful
studies and industries Musical drills, or