San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-04-28
THE MILL OR THE STORE.
One Girls story of Why She Prefers the
City with Less Pay and Freedom.

City with Less Pay and Freedom.
"Here, Cash No IL" The writer had
just entered one of the large dry goods
stores of Boston during the holiday sales,
when he heard the above Cry, and turning
to look at the speaker a young lady of 10
years, the recognition WIS mutual. Less
than q year J. for ST. as sewing in a
wooden mill il me or many mill towns
of New England. T.: W...Ih the writer had
been employed. sac was a good sewer and
was paid $l.?5 per day, and although she
was an orphan she had a good home, and
paid but $3.50 per week for board, which
left her s. every week clear.
Now the question came to my mind,
How came she here? And having desire
to hear her story, and there being no chance
to hold long conversation with her at
that time, she made date with me for the
next afternoon, which was Sunday, to call
at the house where she was roOming. |
called, and net there two other girls, whom
she introduced 20 me as her ''chums."
After cOnversing for some time upon diff
ferent subjects | asked her how it was that
J found her --Orking here in store in Bos-
ton, or if she liked it, and il she got more
pay than she got in the mill. She told me
the following story, and | have no doubt
that il is the story of hundreds Of store
girls in all the large cities. She had visited
the city short time after | had left the
mill, and while in one of the large stores
she got the idea she would like to be sales
lady, the work seemed to be SO easy and
they all dressed so nice.
So, after going back to the mill, she could
not keep her mind on her work. Her mind
was in the city as saleslady, and at last
she could stand it no longer. So she left
her position in the mill left her nice home,
and came into the city. She applied for a
position as saleslady, and was offered 81
per week.
Why, how was she going to live on thats
She could not get any kind of board for
less than 50 so a week. Where were cloth
ing and shoes and other things necessary
for her to have coming from? Not out of
the other fifty cents that was left. Oh,
that was none of their business, and if she
proved competent after three months they
would give her S. per week. She had
little money saved, and had enough of cloth
ing for the present, so she would take it
rather than go back to the mill.
To the question of which was the harder
work, the mill or the store, her answer left
no doubt in my mind which was the harder.
In the mill she was treated respectfully,
while in the store she had to put up with
all kinds of cheap talk" from many GUS
toners, some of whom were those cheap
kind of dudes" To the question of why
she did not so back to the mill, she said she
could not, she had got so used to the city
that the quiet life of the mill would not do
for her now, but she wished that she had
remained in the mill, where she was happy,
instead of coming to the city, and her adj
vice to all mill girls who thought that the
mill life was hard, if they wished for a
harder one, come to the city.as saleslady.
Tourist,
Paper Mills Of the World.
The production Of paper in the entire
world is estimated to be 3,OOO,OOO,OOO
pounds per year. There are SS4 paper mills
and !, 1O6 paper machines in this country.
Germany has 500 mills and sol machines;
France, 400 mills and SIS machines; Eng
land, SOL mills and 54l machines; Scotland,
so mills and 9S machines; Ireland, IS mills
and 10 machines; Russia, 1873 mills and 1S7
machines, and Austria, go mills and 90
--..L..o. Dos+on Transprint