Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-08-31
SAD-EYED LITTLE WOMEN

SAD-EYED LITTLE WOMEN
Not the Petted Ones, but Those Who
Live in 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-
sonal distincrion-if only the distinc-
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 l 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 tea party. There We're
five Of them. Two sat in little chairs
and three on the steps, and they We're
all clean, and all had their HAIR 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 as
sedately as if they We're so. The
neighbOrhood is one of the poorest in
town, and on these hot Summer days
the sidewalk is the casino of the DOOR
and you don't need to step inside a
house to find out how dark and hard
life is down there. On one side, near
the little girls, sat woman in torn
dirty cotton gown land, am sure, not
another garment upon her) with a
death-stricken baby gasping in her
arms, and in front of them three bows
were fighting for some pieces of water
melon rind that some CrOesus had
thrown into the gutter, and in the
midst of 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
l ever succeeded in keeping a piece of
fancy work in my life. One had a lot
of patterns printed on blue paper, and
she was teaching 4 new pattern to the
least of the flock
May I see?" said. Il used to do a
pattern almost IKE Ut1aC.
At the first move toward inspecting
their work the little women drew back,
glanced scowlingly up, and put them
selves generally on the defensive, but
when | spoke as Il 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.
And you are teaching the others?
That's very nice"
"She amt teachin' no one but Biddy
She charges
The young f eminine Napoleon of
finance looked closely at me with an
expression divided between pride in
her powers and defiance of me if |
should criticise her use of them.
I was not disposed to criticise. I on
ly asked what Biddy paid for her les
son.
Me mither has baby buggy" piped
up Biddy, and then halted before the
difficulties of explanation.
'tSarey's ma has a baby" said anOth-
er
She's a-gOing TO femme take de kid
out in de buggy for a ride for two days
runnin." Sarey herself thus completed
the story of the deal
Such groups of little workwomen are
to be seen by hundreds all over the
east side tenement districts. Nearly
always they are crocheting, and nearly
always doing it very well. and that is
what shows OF such a pity they are not
doing something better. Ordinary
crochet!ng with coarse thread and COM
mon ugly patterns is absolutely value
less, from the point to view of either
art or trade But children who can do
it so we'll could do work that would
be valuable both artistically and finan-
cially. The utter waste of energy I'M
der the present circumstances is
piteOus.
! Here is chance for some American
woman to- do for the tenement dis
tricts what Mrs. Ernest Hart does for
the rural Irish. Let her start these
industrious infants on good embrOider-
! les. No child wants to learn plain sew
ing; embroidery is both easier and
more interesting, and no less an au
thority than Charles G. Leland says
that the beginning of the education OF
the eye and fingers should be fancy
work. Only see it is good fancy work