The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-12-11
WOMEN COMPOSITIONS.
TIE PRINTERS TRiDE ~ AN OC-
CUPATION ron WOMEN.
A Woman with Thirty Years Exp rtcnce
Tells What She Thinks OF It-t'ompnrca
WIN Other Occnnniinn IL L. II l.n al ilur-

| with Other Occupations II IL n Good One.
Tho girl who is thinking about nm occupa-
| tIon with Wow to making IL support her
! might do a great deal worse than to learn the
| printers trade. At least that's what n woman
who has work oil at 1t for thirty years says Of IT,
and sho ought to know what she's talking
about Shc lives In pleasant little homo in
lIrooElyn and works In n biz printing house
near tho downtown ferries In New York. and
| s,,o isn't an old woman either. II she d!i begin
| her apprenticeship In 1890. She is one ci tho
| few women who have proved that women can
and do rise above the rauks. She Is ono of
about four women In Now York city who ars
| forcwomen In printing establishment.
She hns charge OF tho book department, "
| her house. and is RESPONSIBLE for the work
done by from seven to fifteen employees. uc-
cording to the amount Of work on hand Most
OF them are women. All tho steady hands are.
| Men object to working under n woman boss.
| Her pay Is SIS a week. which is n very good
salary indeed. as women's wages rum though
| IL may be remarked in passing thut she re-
placed a man mt So.
| But here is her story. rs she tells IT,
| when learned the trade there were not
as many women In 1t as there are now. und l
| learned It thoroughly. I can do anything
| almost that man printer does. l won't In as
| tho printers devil. aud swept up and did
everything required about the Office. II was "a
country newspaper in Rochester. by the way
served an apprenticeship OF four years. in
fnct. before felt myself to DO printer Now.
odays girls go into an Office to learn. and they
are put to setting typc They don't want to
know anything else. They won't lift the cascs
or tho forms: a boy or man has to DO hired to
do 1t for them. When they're about three
months at the case they think they ought to
get the same wages as an cxnerien :ed hand.
n md MOI ln M ~ "a
office to learn. and arc paid about twenty
| cents a thousand ems for all the tyne they set
up. If they're bright, smart girls they cRn set
UP about seven or eight thousand n day at thu
| end OF three months Then they go TO another
office. represent themselves ns experienced
conts n thousand, unless it's a union orru.
forty or nifty cents
Very few women are employed as regular
don't esactiy object to them but ali tho bosses st
nre men. and they always ray women don't
me- basness to Ss taxing pncss S
things, The assistant Sc sesre,ary Of ne yno:
offices. and. q course. they have to beion@to
| dailies. There are about hundred women
in tho union and ! was regrc,tin: that tho
pnrnly2ed mo by saying there wrlc too many
| III it already; they had no business to De tax
= Ali men do not seem to realize that women
| must and VIII have equal opnor;nnitir. in Tho
mattrr Of Course That 10 'H r. a"s
| less wages than men,. In many "nires women
| are p!nced on level with two-thiracrs. an!
receive the same wnEes.
trade rang from nE 3! to sa5. Twelve o. i%nr::
so much waiting on. II an 9Nlce, employs iye
i things for them. or they will hother thr', men
| employees So much asking 10 have things
| lifted OF carried that the men won't work in
THE men OF course are hardly to Re blamed
They do injnre the trade because they accept
far less waG 'han a man can support hs
family on As e%mposi'Trns they H,r are n,!y u.
structions more accurately: Their homo trnin-
ing in neatness has its effect on thoir work.
They are steadirr workers. too. and don't rul
Usually they start o.t TO learn the trnde
have worked u. cash girls; in ~ store. They
s ss and is who Only t gets s. or ST week. so
thsy sSnsiisr sly in printing Sf nee as re-.
Is nSss n"s
for being a few minutes late. The work is nor
are IN condons or the place. Is %
dark they have to work al DAY ~ ga na
| the girls have good health.
. Fl tho blg newspnper Offices women com;
posters are cen enpoyed as s., dstrihm,srs and
to vary more. though. ,hun il they wcl" en-
Eloyel as regular compostors. ,a"mc,ims,
the girls to throw it in or distribute i. they
write the name Of the rartisulnE ciil thy
they want done on u slip Of paper. and mt i.
on hook provided for Tho rurrose Wien
sr Ss her JOCKS OK them ' III.
ray tho girl .one.third OF the pr'"n They re-
,slye for h setting up the tyre H.. en- di.,
set VI. Those girls make about SIS week
unless the compositors get an Industrious
Other branches OF the printing trade in
which women and girls nre cm!I"ycd j. "roof
nswsiara m'' The S" Ter IL" ciu""'i h '
proof reader has the higher wages 81" ant
range H from tWsiy, 70 T sw""Sfpnr ' doIar1;
There ARE higher prices. bu. they are pad
aHG1l rs a; S.s on the hay arHr n ,ne
aSnG to he ny in h"yan1 ny %nn
others !: In ns coy holders. Press feeding
i. no, 70 well paid It is not hard work. They
| activity. and the constant moving Of the arms
is very ilrs9m" at lrs' Ih- l",dimg Is InrgmIy
good many girls and women VII" 20 a!,oIs
from one printing honsn IT, nno'l,rr wh"r"
ting a day. or tw" o. three days worn ~ enrl.
They are raid by III" hundred Iarcrs folded.
and brroip" very "Ni"il. !nhklh. I!io OF Ven
| dollars Il week or more.
',ri, AZ" also employed on the tyrcset-
| ting MACHINES receiyln. from Slao' o 81
| women NJ" no, employed thrr'.
within tnr insi 1.-Two years NOR" women
| than ever hc'ur- have com" into I'll. traGe. Inc
than il ut,y other trade in which they lind nnl-
| pluymrnt. Most Of tho girl. begin when
| they're about sixteen years old, and rontirr.
at il mt th"y'ra twenty-five or 50. md then got
married. Therearc many o!dor women in III"
trade II marriage hasn't leon n success, 'T
| il they're widows. they come back 10 tl!r
trad. again. ana they always iivi WORK; It's roy
like factory work or various kinds OF s"wlnG
work 1t doesn't 90 out of fashion. i printer
has u trade that is always in demand
| Il. with the exception oi nine years. wlile nay
husband was alive. Wncn he died and LETT m,
with thrr" small children t" SUPPORT; made
Printers cri mnr,' wages in New York than in
smaller places. 80 came here answered ap
,Iyrr,i.rmcnt and went to work nj ST. q week
NJ, m, week VA. here, I've been In the