Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-02-04
TEACHING SEWING.
YOUNG WOMEN STOW BUYERS OF
MACHINES HOW TO USE THEM.

An Occupation which Has Grown Up |
within Few Years-Every Sewing |
Machine Headquarters Now Employs
Girls Who DO Nothing but Teach.
The sewing machine teacher is an indis-
pensablc ad unct of the sewing machine
blice. She is invariably a young woman.
You seldom hear of her, it is true, unless
you have bought u new machine and want
to learn how to use some of its new and IN
tricatc attachments Yet there are several
thousand of her in Gotham. From fifteen
to a hundred teachers are employed in each
office, according to the business done.
Her work consists in following up every
machine sent out either on trial or sold on
the installment plan. Her work ts partly
to teach its uses, partly to see that 1t is
properly cared for and that it has not been
taken on trial with no intention of buying,
and simply because the family had some
sewing to do and saw chance to do it
without paying for the use of the machine.
As yet no statistics have been gathered
about the sewing machine teacher. She
has not even attracted the attention of any
of the numerous societies which devote
themselves to Investigating the working
girl. The sewing machine teacher is one
Of the newer of the four hundred or more
occupations into which women have en-
tered in The past three decades.
It. is also one in which women have a
monopoly Except IN the case of heavy
factory machines, all the teachers are Of
the gentler sex. She has some interesting
experiences too
HER DUTIES.
At 8 in the morning she Is expected to
be ut the company's Office. There she re-
ports the number of places where sho
I called the day previous, how long she spent
In each place, what sort of care is being
given the machines, if it be machine
placed on trial whether the party is likely
to buy or not, or whether they have just
got it because they want the use of it Tor
nothing. Then she is given II list Of new
machines sent out in her district 1t il
marty 8 o'clock when she starts out. She
is expected to call in twenty or thirty
places before quitting work at & O'Clock.
Is u matter Of fact, she manages to give
seventeen or eighteen lessons on an average
each day.
Her salary is not an eXorbitant one,
though she seldom complains OF it. She
s9lesgirl. Sine must be able to speak two
lansua., es III least. In the up town districts
English and German are Indispensable.
Down town, English and German and abil
ty to make herself understood to the ltal
iuus and Russians of the sweat shops are
requisite.
As u rulc Il girl takes up the role Of sew
ING machine teacher when she is between
seventeen and twenty years old. Usually
! she Sticks to it too. In q large up town Of
flee is one young woman who has been
thirteen years in the business. She re-
coveS u salary for her wor.,, and in ad
dition is given an agents commission for
! ali the machines sent out Oh TRIAL which
shcsuccreds in selling. she likes the work.
and considers herself pretty well fixed
Her estimate Of her earnings gives an
average OF twelve dollars Il week.
The beginner is given six dollars week.
This is increased gradually if she seems
likely to be a successful teacher, for there )
Il iluack abuut teaching the intricaces Of
cr-sct and seam as well as in every other
trade. until the maximum salary of nine
dollars is reached. Some Of the teachers
become very expert in their knowledge OF
the machines, and are - capable OF taking
them apart and repairing them as the ma
ChuiSt who constructed tuam
OPPORTUNITIES FOR GOOD.
The sewing machine teacher has some
interesting experiences in the rounds OF hcl
work She gets knowledge Of HE, n'iSer
nHi. and unc~ IL. usually. and an Insight
iutotba home lille of the poor. strange Gus
to-nsnnl General human nature that she
could aro.,j,e mo other way. 1t requires d
cartqin an,n.,rt of p,,jlosopbv. too. to malt
hrrn ~nc"p.. nj tcachcr As likely rs no,
ho,. ,i,..t ...si.,,n,.rt win bo to dark and
drna,, b,cl. room in a tenement house
where - u,or mother il try;uy to support
st're. >,,,L,s Lrn~l.s = s,uiD.. machiu,
win never inproyametas wHh which she
b,,,es IA accomplish more.
t,,, =. ...,,l,,,r , ,,e+ IN - /