Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-12-02
TEACHING SEWING.
YOUNG WOMEN SHOW BUYERS or
MACHINES HOW TO Use THEM.

An Occupation which Has arewn ur
withia 9 Few rears-Every sewing
sIsshias ne.dsssrtsr. sew Empssys
eiris whs Ds Nothing bat Teach.
The sewing machine teacher Il an indis
pensRble adjunct Of the sewing machine
ofiice. She Is invariably a young woman.
You seldom hear Of her, Il L. true, unless
you have bought n new machine and want
10 learn how to use some OF ita new and IN.
tricase attachments. Yet there are several
thousand OF her 10 Gotham. From fifteen
TO 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 installmept plan. Her work ia partly
to teach its uses, partly to sec that II IL
properly cared for and that 1t 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 II
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 In one
OF the newer OF the four hundred or more
occupations into which women have en-
tered In the past three decades.
IL In also one In which women have a
monopoly. Except In the case OF heavy
factory machines, all the teacherS are OF
the gentier sex. She has some interesting
experiences too.
HER DUTIES.
AT . In taa morning she Is expected TO
be at the company's Office. There she no.
ports tho number Of places where she
called the day previous, how long she spent
In each place. what sort Of care In being
given the machines, IL IL be a machine
placed on trial. whether the party Is likely
to buy or not. or whether they have just
got IL because they want the use OF IL for
nothing. Then abe II given list OF new
machines sent out In her district IL In
nearly O'Clock when she starts out. She
In expected to call In twenty or thirty
places before quitting work at 6o'clock.
As 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 Il. She
certainly Is better of than the factory or
salesgirl. She must be able to speak two
languages at least. In the up town districts
English and German arc indispensable.
Down town, English and German and abil
ity TO make herself understood to the Ital
ians and Russians OF the sweat shops are
requisite
As rule 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 a large up town Of.
nee Is one young woman who has been
thirteen years In the business She re-
ceives salary for her work. and In nd
dition Is given an agents commission for
all the machines sent out on trial which
shesucceesis in selling She likes the work,
and considers herself pretty well fixed.
Her estimate Of her earnings gives an
average Of twelve dollars week.
The beginner Is given six dollars week.
This is increased gradually 10 she seems
likely to be successful teacher, for there's
a knack about teaching the intricacies OF
Russet and seam as well as In every other
tssde, until the maximum salary OF nine
dollars Is reached. Some Of the teachers
become very expert In their knowledge Of
the machines, and are as capable of taking
tuCAAi altaft anu TtIliFtnR NutIn As the INA
chinist who constructed them.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR GOOD.
The sewing machine teacher has some
interesting experiences In the rounds OF her
work. She gets a knowledge Of life, nliser-
able and poor life usually. and an insight
into the home life OF the poor, strange Gus
toms and general human nature that she
could acquire no other way. Il requires q
certain amount OF philosophy. too. TO make
her successful teacher. As likely as not
her first assignment will be to dark and
dresry back room In a tenement house.
where poor mother Il trying to support
her little ones making clothing for the
stores. She has bought sewing machine
with newer improvements. with which she
hopes 10 accomplish more.
The sewing machine teacher must In all
probability listen To the whole story. And
IL she be at all sympathetic, and the woman
Is unable to keep up her instAllment and
loses both new and old machines, the oc-
currence Ii apt to have depressing effect.
Or she may have to 20 to a sweat shop
where everything Is oyercrowded and gem
orally disagreeable. Or. again, 1t N quiet.
pleasant little home nest where a little
woman Is anxious TO help the strong right
arm by doing her own sewing at home.
Yet the many contrasts, the heartrend-
ing tales and the contact with hard. I'M
lovely poverty seldom makes the sewing
machine teacher unwomanly or bitter.
She Is jolly, happy. sympathetic wom-
an with great well OF thsnkfilness In
her heart because her own lot il 30 much |
easier than some others
Sometimes she makes good use OF her |
powers OF observation, and the results |
make startling little stories. For news
paper woman there Is nothing like the 90
cupation Of the sewing machine teacher an /
. means Of gaining useful knowledge
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