Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-08-26
WORK FOR LADIES
What Is The Decayed CentkYoman 70
Do For a Living?
"OUR BUREAU OF IHFoRHAYIox.'
New Departments Opened by tho Chrisuaa
woman's Exchapgc-Briiiisnt Record
of True Philanthropy.
Correspondence Of the Dispatch,

New York Exchange for Womans Work
Is settling In It's new quarters In Thirtieth
street, Just or OF Fifth avenue. II 10
paying particular attention 20 tnat tenn
porary and most difficult of all social
problems, What Is the dec1yel gentle-
woman TO DO for livingT'
To this end a new department has tfen
started. called our Information Bureau"
A positive need demanded Il. In former
years educated women preferred ~ stivg-
gle along, deprived OF many necessities,
in order to keep up a good tppcasanco
before the world. But now Z s,>ms
these women are quite willing 20 come
out sensibly and work wherever employ.
ment Is TO be found.
The advantages OF this baNau cannot
be overcstimated. For example, a young
woman from the South came 10 Tia Tx
change during the dun season lnst sum
mer with decorated china which she
wished to dispose OF. hoping to reat,ze
enough money to be able to take moro
lessons In painting. IL was us sless 80
accept the china then, and the would-be
conslgnOr was sent TO tho fnf)rmatiOn
Bureau. There her capacity was tisCov.
cred for position which mad teen wait.
the place. has tided over hard time,
and now. with the earnings of those few
months, Is able 10 80 on with her chosen
study.
Another woman applied 20 the bureau
for position az companion. There bein{
no opening OF the kind just then. II wat
suggested that she DO fine sewing, foI
which there Is always a demand. Sha
undertook tho needle-worS. and by thls
means supported herself until a position
offered.
1909 APPLICANTS.
The Employment Bureau during the last
year has registered more than
thousand applications for wOrk-work OF
almost every kind which women have
done or can DO Most VI these applicants
are thoroughly efficient, but as 4, all em-
ployme1t offices they outnumher the po-
stions offered. However. the Exchongo
has placed during the year more than
three hundred women ana girls, being at
the rate Of placing one woman for every
day IN the year.
was told at the Exchange that even
educated women have been found glad III
take domestic positions rather than re-
main needy ana homelc less. and thus tho
| Exchange has often been utilized by good
families for the obtaining of trustworthy
domestlcs
The financial statistics OF the Wcman'S
Exchange Offer some very interesting
| features. Since It's organization. sixteen
| years ago. Tor instance. It has sent %
| consgnors more than $4,000. AMI has
| besides. paid for salaries. always tn gen.
| tlewomcn remember. more than 10000.
making a total amount paid out for sales
| and salaries OF more than 10000 This
shows an atnual business averaging ST.
| 500. and this. be IL remembered, upon q
capital represented entirely by clphers.
ABSURD CRITICISM.
The Income Of the Exchange from all
| sources for the year 1893 was Sls,S59.
while the expenses were $eoo22. leaving
| a deficiency for the twelve months of
! about $il3 On account Cf this deficiency
| It has beer limited by certain oyer-wise
/ people that the Exchange IL not a good
| business house. These people give the
public the erroneous idea that the FIX
! change Is business house only. ana
| ought there f0re TO be self-supnortlng.
| But these critics forget that the Exchange
| f. benevolent society. and that the IL
| per cent. charged for making sales doe,
| not pay even for their correspondence
| The absurdlty OF crit cising the ESchang
| as a business venture - apparent who
| one considers that II grows poorer In pro
| portion as its business Increases. for IN
| more IL cnlargos is work the harder II
| to- meet its bills. And 20 charge NOR
| than 10 pr cent. for selling would Kill -
bene0lont feature az the work. simpl
because Of the very small profit now mad
| on handmade goods.
one OF the most serious embarrass-
ments under which the Exchange al pres
ent labors Is that IL has no working cap
tai I'm which 10 cash sales for consignors.
and thus allow tardy payments from
patrons 10 be borne by the society. IN
stead Of by consgnOrs. THIS unavoidable
delay In paying consignors IL often So.
rious matter to them. and IL a seeming
Indifference TO the their welfare on th'
part of the Exchange. which one OF the
managers recently said 10 me Was moss
difficult to explain.
SIXTY BRANCHES.
Besides the New York Exchange there
are some sixty branches established
throughout the country. In fact. there IL
one I'm almost every large city In ths
United States. The aggregate amount OF
money paid to gentlewomen for their
work since the inception OF the society
from all these branches. including head
| quarters, Is about sl.3Oo.ooo This small
| fortune which has been paid into tho
hands Of needy gentlewomen. means that
these same women have been taught the
dignity OF labor and how to use their
varied talents. Some. under the direction
| and advice OF the Exchange. are managing
| farms, others are raising poultry, somo
sending early vegetables 10 market, others
decorating houses or keeping ladies' par
| lors In order. while stl others are In real
| estate or acting as companions, gov
ernegses, or housekee pers. Again, num-
| ber includes artists, while others make a
business OF ncrdlng clothes. Writing let
| ters. addressing envelopes. making lace.
keeping accounts. practicing stenography.
| or shopping for ladies' are included in thu
| list OF employments.
II is Impossible 10 give more than a
vague idea OF much OF the work done by
| the Exchange without betrayng private
affairs. There are instances without
number OF women who have for years
depended upon the Exchange for their
| entire income. one woman who Tor
thirty years had supported herself by fne
| sewing became untitled for this work.
eyes and nerves failing. then began TO
makes pier and cakes for the restaurant
| department. so that she Is now as success
| ful in this line as she was In needle work.
UNIQUE BRANCH.
The Exchange has recently added
| rather unlque branch Of industries 10 IL
| list, which consists OF a department for
II
| pets.
People going away for the summer can
| take to this department their dogs. cats.
| and birds; I'm fact. any sort OF pet. and
leave them behind. knowing they viii be
| wen cared for. The society sends the
| animals 10 a young girl living In the coun-
| try who Is devoted TO pets, and who gives
| up her entire time 20 caring tor them.
Then the millinery department. - an
| other new feature. Here several freneh
| girls make hats and bOnnets ani rt'rim
| oid ones with as much taste as he f.''n-
| avenue experts. Then there nre dftss-
making classes in which women may
| study that fine art with a View TO ear''ns
their own living BY the profession. No,-
| withstandlng the hard times. he ssles
| az the Exchange for the last yea h,Io
| Increased. though at the present tine tha
effects OF the general dep.es,'on are oe-
| ginning 10 be felt In the INCREASING num-
| her OF gentlowomen who come 10 'he TX
| change for advice and nelp IN fnsis its
| effort TO earn money.
The president OF the Exchange nna
| perhaps It's most active worker. 10 M'ss
William G. choate. ,,.ys