The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1892-02-04
SWEAT" SHOPS.
Things Seen from New York Editor's
Window.

Opposite the windows of this office
are two sweat shops. One is in the
attic of building which must have
been formerly handsome private
residence. The windows are what
might be called three-quarter windows.
In this room directly under the tin
roof, all last summer have been about
half 4 dozen women employed in max
ing trousers, says the CHRISTIAN Union.
In one window is woman WHO cer-
tainly is old enough to be Il grand
mother. Her thin gray hair is parted
and brushed smoothly back.
A skirt. evidently black alpaca.
and calico sack. held in place by an
apron. have been the everyday cos
tune, the waist evidently washed at
night aud puton the next morning.
She sat there when the thermometer in
the large. airy offices of the Christian
Union has been nearer 80 than
80 stitching patiently, never once
looking out, all day long, At lunch
time, perhaps. the misery of these
wretched shops is most apparent. The
workers seem to take turns in max ing
tea on gas stove used to heat the
irons for pressing.
If they are not Il community in purse
they are Il community in the owner
ship OF utensils. rs two broken cups
without handles are passed from hand
10 hand. while the workers. without
laviug aside their work take bites from
bread that has been brought rolled up
in newspaper and drink from these
two cups. These lunches are laid on
,I,,,t -tll L. In Of tln
table, aud there, without stopping, the
midday lunch is eaten. This seemed
the depth of misery, but the onlooker
saw what WAS greater depth when
work began to grow slack and the dear
Old woman came each morning and sat
with folded hands waiting for the bits
of work 10 be dealt out.
The women, not one of whom was
under 10 yeats of age. sometimes sat
three OF four hours waiting for work.
1t made the OnlOoker understand what
a working girl had said TO her short
time before: "Oh. you can't make
people understand what it is to have
your heart sink when the boss says
there is no work.
Within Il week in the next building
auotber sweaters" shop has been
opened. This shop occupies the story
below the attic, SO the physical con-
ditionS promise to be more comforta-
be. About twenty girls, between the
ages Of ID and 70, have come into this
room. Their work appears TO be the
making OF mems trousers. There just
the same lunch Is eaten, without stop
ping work.
. There seems to be a woman in con-
troll; in The other sweat" shop it is "A
mau whose clothing all summer long
has been rs little is the law allows and
whose only employment seems to be
watching every movement of the six
women, any ope of whom was old
enough to be his mother When we
think that Charles Kingsley fought this
evil III 1918 1t becomes perfectly dis
couraging that so little progress has
been made in public sentiment, and
one who wishes to have faith in the evo-
luton of good is forced to turn to-
ward the bright eXamples-the factory
in Newark and several well-known
factories in New. York-to preserve his
faith.
On the line of the Sd avenue elevated
road, between the city hall and 9Th
street. at least one-half dozen sweat"
shops are passed where artificial
flowers are made. In these shops the
workers are mere children, and once
in while. as the trains are brought TO
Il standstill or slow up in front of these
windows. Il vision is caught of the boss
in these shops. who is always great,
Fat, coarse, blowzy, Grutal-looking
woman. The very Way in which
tie children sit proves their con-
sciousness of the all-powerfuI con-
irol that is over them. These evils
must be fought and the law is almost
powerIess unless supported by public
sentiment Would it help matters if
every made garment was stamped with
the address of the place where it was
made?