The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-04-23

M&-denS from the Country 1enerBly hav0
Hard Time Because They Are Unable
to Give Satisfactory References-Adviee
to Those ut Home.
OF the 100 600 females engaged in various
occupations in New York city very large
number consists OF young women who
have come here from the country near and
far to seek their fortunes. The constantly
widening field of employment for females,
combined with the allurements OF city life,
causes q perpetual stream Of applicants
from those who are country born The
numbers Of such applicants are far greater
than can be supplied with work.
The story OF the various employment
agencies and of the societies that seek 10
furnish employment to women is the same
that the field Is overcrowded. The num-
Der of applicants is so many and the neces-
sity for refusal so frequent that the Young
Women's Christian association has been
compelled to adopt and print circular,
which says:
SOBER WORDS
Almost every attempt to aid those who
reside out of the city has ended in disap-
pointment to the applicant, and often
caused the loss Of the situation 10 another
young woman, TO whom ii might otherwise
have been given. The reasons for this are:
First, that employers greatly prefer to hire
young women who have references from
places in New York city. where they have
been recently employed. in order that en-
ployers may be able at once to assure them
selves of the capabilities OF the applicants;
and second, that employers will not wait
f,r- e..t h. do rRf
town When the endeavor has been made,
the places have generally been filed before
the applicants could reach here. and be-
sides the disappointment 70 the applicants,
the expenses Of the journey are all lost
And even If young women take board in
New York, the probabilities are that they
will use up all their money before they
succeed in obtaining employment, and per-
haps not even secure a place in the end,
because of the preference given by employ
ers to those who have city references as 10
their capability. The experience Of years
proves that young women can do better
where they reside and are known than to
take chances in this overcrowded city"
One Of the greatest disadvantages for
country girls seeking employment in the
city Is the cost of living. Wages which
seem large to the country girl at home
dwindie very much when compared with
city expenses. There are never enough
boarding houses for these poor girls, for
the prices they are able TO pay are often
not such as will secure decent accommoda-
ton. The Young Women's Christian as
ISOLATION has started special home for
such girls, with accommodation for about
a hundred, but it has been found necessary
to make it a temporary residence and 10
limit the time the occupants are allowed 10
remain.
WHAT THY DO.
1t ia with girls, perhaps, more than with
men that the ranks OF unskilled labor are
overcrowded. While there are thousands
upon thousands Of these country girls who
can sew, the number of experts il quite
limited. Many Of them have no definite
idea of doing any particular kind of work,
but have merely a general notion Of becom-
ing self supporting in some way. II Is
almost the rule that they have neither the
capital nor the disposition TO serve a proper
apprenticeship to anything. They want to
90 TO work and earn good wages at once,
unmindful OF the strong competition for
remunerative places.
There are many country girls OF good
families who apply for work in the city for
the winter, intending only TO earn pocket
money for the summer. Some OF them
have artistic accomplishments that they
turn TO advantage in one way and another.
A wide field for the work ofoountry girls
has been opened By the comparatively mod
err method Of exchanges for women s work,
where products may be sent for sale; but
By far the larger part Of country girls look
TO the city, aud they almost unanimously
prefer almost any work, however poorly
paid, rather than domestic service Among
the occupations represented az q womans
meeting were these: Artists. bookfolders,
bookkeepers, boxmakers, candy makers,
carpet sewers, carpet veavers, cashiers,
chair seaters, cigarInakers, clerks, COM
panions, copyists, dressmaksrs, engravers
wood and uetal). feather makers, tower
makers, fur sewers, gold polishsrs, hair
dressers, housekesperx, janitrssses, lsdles'
maids, medical nurses, uaslllrers, mission
aries, musicians. nurses, passsmsntsrie
makers, photo colorists, proofreadsr.,
saIesworaen, searfnzkers, s>aras.resses,
silk vezyers, spectacle case makers. st>nog-
raphers, straw workers, studeuts. tailor
essss, teachers, telegraph ard telephone
operators, ty2ese.ss-s, typeTriters and ~
holsterers.
Many Of these country girls get tnpo>~s
UPON AID have 70 20 % The Working Wor2-