Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1893-09-02
SADEYED LITTLE WOMEN
Not the Petted ones, but Those Who
Live i'm the Poorer Districts.

Not the Petted ones, but Those Who
Live i'm the Poorer Districts.
The poverty of our poorest tenement
house districts is both better and worse
than people imagine. The touch Of per
sonal pride, the love Of decency and or
der. the qualification in achieving per
ton Of clean apron-these things that
color and mold the face of life on
Prairie avenue in the same way effect
it on South Halsted street
That's what | thought as / stopped
to look at a group Of little girls crochet
ing on the sidewalk. They were sitting
in front Of door on Ewing street and
the atmosphere Of the group was the
atmosphere OF n tea party. There were
five of them. Two sat in little chairs
and three on the steps, and they were
all clean, and al had their halr wet
and cOmbed as slick as if slick hair
were the fashion. Not one of them
looked as old as 10 years, and yet there
they SAT, crocheting and gossiping rs
selately as if they were 80. The
ncighborhood is one Of the poorest in
town, and on these hot Summer days
the sidewalk is the casino of the poor,
ana you don't need to step inside a
house to find out how dark and hard
life il down there. On one side, near
the little girls, sat a woman in torn.
dirty cotton gown land, | am sure, not
another garment upon herr with a
death-stricken baby gasping in her
arms. and I'm front OF them three boys
were fighting for some pieces of water
melon rnd that some CroeSus had
thrown into the gutter, and in the
midst Of a scene of which | can merely
hint there sat the five clean little girls
crocheting, and their work yards and
yards there was Of twas cleaner than
| ever succeeded in keeping piece of
fancy work in my life. one had a lot
VI patterns printed on blue paper, and
she was teaching \ new pattern to the
1 least of the dock.
May | see?' | said. II used to do a
pattern almost like that
| A. the first move toward inspecting
. their work the little women drew back
/ glanced soowliuSly up, and put them,
selves generally on the defensive, but
when l spoke as q sister crocheter and
began to talk about daisy patterns and
chain stitches they softened to me-
I've got seven new patterns here
said their proud poSSessor,
4 And YOU are teaching the others
That's very nice"
"She amt teachin' no one but Biddy
She charges"
The young { eminine Napoleon OF
finance looked closely at me with an
expression divided between pride IN
her powers ana defiance Of me II
should criHcise her use of them.
1 was not disposed to criticise. / on
IL asked what Biddy paid for her les
SON
Me mither has a baby buggy pipe,
no Biddy, and then halted before the
difficulties of explanation.
"Sarey's ma has a baby said anoth
err
she's a-goiug to femme take de ho
out in de buggy for a ride for two day'
rnuiu. Sarey herself thus completes
the story Of the deal
such groups of little worNwomen arr
TO be seen 10y hundreds all over tn'
east side tenement districts. Nearly
always lhay are crochetins. and nearly
always doing Ii very we'll and thar 3
what shows Of such a pity they are NO
doing something better Ordinary
crochet ns with coarse thread and com
mon ugly patterns IS absolutely value
less flom the point to view Of eithe
arr 81 trade But children who can q
II - well could dc work that woui'
IL valuable both artistically and imam
cially. The utter waste q energy un