The morning call., 1892-08-23
LUCKY MILL GIRLS.
Nothing Among Them Indicative o.
Down-Troddeu Labor.
Albany ,Journal

Albany Journal,
There Is marked degree Of independence
in the way that the Little Falls miS 4Il
swings herself and carries her head. She Is
earning wages which many men might feel
proud TO command and she is above patron
age. A dollar day is not very good pay for
her, and she looks in pity at the poor male
unfortunate who has to be content with
that sum. "Oaly mill girF' is lot employed
as a slurTing term in Little Falls for, if the
truth must be told, there are many of those
who by reason OF their position are entitled
TO carry themselves on a higher social plane
than ordinary folks who began life in the
Rocky City, as one of the seif-same mill
girls are doing. The girls know this and
| they are not to be snubbed by any upstart
| from among them who by fortunate mar
| riage or otherwise finds herself lifted above
| mill drudgeTy.
Then again this is desire that rarely ex-
| hibts itself In any OF these lucky ones.
! Their sympatnies are with their working
! sisters, consequently there is ali equality
Of social plane here that is rarely found
elsewhere. The girls employed in the
mills are generally bright. pretty and
intelligent OF course there are mash
ers and fly" girls among them,
but they are not by any means plenti-
| full. There are, perhaps, a few girls who
think there is grain more of respecta-
bilty behind counter at a wage rate Of
| 81 week than there would be in their
| entering the mills, where they would
receive from two to three times
that amount for their labor. II might
be added, however, that these girls with
| the high and mighty feelings are usually
! those not TO the manor born, aud derive
there lofty notions from their places Of emil
grafton. Character" and Responsibility"
| frop a girls Interpretation of the terms,
are past the comprehension OF the ordinary
| genus homo.
Said bright little miss to the writer.
with proud toss OF her head: 81 am earn
ing 81 day, aud l don't have to ask father
| or the boys for any expense or pocket
money; / can earn it for myself None of
| our boys are earning NEAR as much as
am. am looper, and there are num-
| Der OF girls in town who are earning
| from 81 30 10 81 Is day. That is pretty
| good for a girl. don't you think?" she
naiyely asked. Good for girl! How many
work ngmen are there in Little Falls who
sIteaTning that sum? These girls live
ecuno micaliy. or course they dress we'll
| and with taste, but the most of them have a
| nice little sum put aside for the event that
nearly all maids look hopefully forward to.
The married woman perhaps works with
her husband, but the husbands pay enve-
| lOpe looks mighty mean aud insignf-
can when compared on paynight with
| the bulging one of his WIFE The
vile III many cases Is the bread
winner, but she bears the Independence
| to which her labors entitle her with a
graceful condescension most pleasing TO see
| and in no way CALLING TO her husband. In
| deed, he looks with pride upon his happy
/ POSSESSION OF wife who can earn perhaps
| twice the sum with her hands that he can
| bring forth with his own. This will account
| 70 the inquiring stranger for the apparent
| thrift that is observable throughout the
| village Most of these working couples own
their own coy homes and perhaps nice
| little bank account besides Another thing.
| these girls and women are not in the least
ashamed to be called mill girls" There is
no sting to them in that appellation. They
| carry themselves in a dignifed and re-
| spectacle manner, the social doors OF the
| village are open TO them and they are
! looked upon with all the respect and
deierence that saleswomen, milliners,
| dressmakers, etc, seem to think Is COM
| manded by their employmeut