Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1893-11-04
cuR sAIURsAY NlGHT.

doue 10 elevate and improve the eODdi-
tion Of nearly every walk Of iife. The
farmers have alliances and granges
The te4cbers have associations The
churches have entertain nIeJts, ,sOeiaoles,
chatanqnas, young peopIe's clubs
The young men have Y VI. G. A. GYM
na.ium, free baths. reading ro1ns, night
schools and the freedom Of the debating
81 detie=. Society p-Ople have balls.
wbists, receptions and operas. There
are mechanical schools tor mt mtehanics.
prayer meetings for the religious, cla-ser
for the mothers, and almost everything
for everybody.
We have q ministers association,
bar association, the clerks early closing
association. the gro ers protective asso-
citation, aud lodges for social, moral, pe-
cuuiary and charitable purposes. There
is even a Wilson Avenue organization
to project the grass, aud fruit growers
society to protect the trees. Society l.
protected, nature is protected, all Is or
ganIzed for helpful upward tendency.
There is however one class living In
his age of combined associated help
fulness for whom nothing is done st
Salem. In many cities much has been
done and the cause is growing one.
The class we refer to is the working
girls. They are as large aud as worthy
a class as can be found in the cOmmu-
nifty. TLey embrace clerks, dressmak-
ers, house-workers, factory hands,
tailOresses, type setters,-in fact any
woman or girl who performs an honor
able service or manual labor Of any de-
scFiption.
There are different grades of WORK
requiring varying degrees Of intelli-
gence. The ranks of the working girls
embrace the daughters of the weIl-to.dO
and the poorest. In one respect they
are all on an equal plane-they have
very few opportunities for mental i'm
provement or intellectual progressaside
from whai their occupation aft jrds. OF
culture there Is little or no oppOrtu-
nifty, after working eight to sixteen
hours day, getting their meals, repair
ing their clothes, seeing their friends,
and taking exercise In the open air.
If their work is not in itself Instructive
and the toll IL at all hard the result is a
slow process Of degradation Of the in-
telIect, bunting of the social aud
moral faculties and often destruction Of
the character. There Is nothing in
such life to carry the daily round OF
existence past the dead center where
the wheel Of life comes 10 stAndstill.
There Is too much friction. There il
more necessity for little lubricatioD
Of the hard grind.
1t Is argued by some that to do any
thing for the working girl 10 educate
aud elevate her is to make her discon-
tented with her condition. 1t is said
that If educated people or the higher
classes, so-called, were to show any
such attentions to working girls they
would no longer want to work, or
would not do their work well, but
would sOOu feel above working and
would be unhappIer than before. This
HAS DCTn NhE VI obNACA1 lOi
ages and Is still. But the conditions
haYe changed. The sphere Of employ
IN. nL for woman has been wonderfully
widsued and her independence is great
ly enlarged.
The argument that anyone Is unified
for work by being elevated in the scale
Of intelligence aud culture Is not true
Of any other class and need not be true
Of the working girl. With Improved
mentality labor would become TO her q
stepping stone TO something higher, in
stead Of a weight TO pull her down.
Life would have a higher meaning
than merely existing to toll, eat and
sleep. She can do her work better,
more cheerfully aud with less mental
aud physical depression IL she has en-
larged faculties for enjoyment and the
hope OF something before her besides n
life of drudgery.
Ten women are wage earners where
formerly one was 50 engaged. Where
formerly the field was limited to school
teaching and house work, now a hun
dred avocatIons open wide their door
AS rule the money earned Is more
wisely employed than that employed
by men. The working girl spends
little or nothing for liquor or tobacco
aud gives MS much TO church aud chari-
ty AS any who work for n living.
Society, with all It's burden Of help
ful associations could we'll afford 70 dc
something for the working girl class
II will be said nearly all the helpful
associations have their origin 10 self
lsh desire 10 better the condition a
those bsnefltted by them. Even ths
ministers are not organized altogether
for the good OF olhers. PERHAPS, u
Dooiety can or viii do nothing TO help
worhiog girls the working girls could
be Induced 20 organlzs and help item