New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-02-17
TO UPLIFT WORKINGWOMEN
GOOD WORK OF THE CONSUMERS
LEAGUE
ITS "wHlrE LIST CONTAINS THE NAMES OF
TwENTY-FoUR RETAIL DRYGooDS STORES
IN THE CITY-METHODs OF THE
ORGANIZATION.

ORGANIZATIONS.
The annual meeting of the Consumers League Of
the City OF New-Yo~k was held Thursday, ana
Mrs Josephine Shaw Lowell. Of No. ~ East
Thirtleth-st., reelected president Tor 1871
Other officers of the League ale Mss y
Stone. treasurer: Miss Caldwell. Of No. li
East Thiry-cighth-st. recording secretary. and Miss
F. j. Pomeroy, OF No. lOl Park-ave.. corresponding
secretary Among the members Of the ADVISORY
Board are Mrs Lyman Abbott. Of Brooklyn. and
DIR. Mary Putnam Jacob. of this city The vice.
presidents include Mrs George F. Canield MIS-
Edward Lauterbach Mrs Seth Low and MISS Edith
Minturn The declared object of the League is TO
ameliorate the conditions of the women and cnl'dren
employed in the retail mercantile houses of this
city by patronzing as far practicable only such
houses as approach in their conditions 10 the
STANDARD of a fair house adopted by the League
and by other methods.
The annual report Of the work Of the League. pre-
pared by Mrs. Lowell, states that The white
list of the League embraces twenty-four retail
stores in the city. among which are several
of the large drygOods establishments during
1890 the attention OF the Governing Board OF
the League was directed almost exclusively
10 the question Of the enforcement Of Chapter US
OF the Laws of 1881. requiring that seats shali DE
provided for employed in retail houses.
Unfortunately this law. although 1t has been IN eX-
istencc twelve years, IS Il dead-letter IN some Oh
the largest shops of this city.
Inspections at some Of the large retail stores
were made by members Of the Governing Board or
the League recently. and II is stated that the pro-
portion of seats to employees in no one of these
stores car he considered - be such as would make
possible their TO such an extent as may pee
reasonable for the preservation OF me heath OF
The EMPLOYEES nor can the boxes which are counted
seats be considered to be suitable seats wlthln
the meaning O: the law. The city Improvement
Society has also attempted to bring ABOUT tne en-
forcement of the law and in DECEMBER iSs5 ~, a
stores. As suitable seats were not PROVIDED In any
OF them according to law complaint was ma ae
witnesses prepared 10 TESTIFY ABOUT the VIOLA
tons of the law. but no action on the part oil the
At The close of the report Mrs Lowell says;
1.-THE part of the community which the Consumers
League is intended to serve Is very lWportait
part Almost all people who take an interest IN
helping their felowmcn have to deal with people
who have failed in life with people who are SICK
equal TO the struggle. but have fallen by the way
for one reason or another. But these working
women have not failed they are bravely working
and bravely striving They belong to the class who.
by head work and hand work, by Intelligence or
strength or skill are keeping the world alive, cloth
ing feeding housing themselves and everybody
else OF course we must not fall into the error of
thinking that hand workers produce all the wealth
the workers produce all the wealth (since those
who do work produce nothing, and the work.
ingwomcn do at least their share in the work OF
Besides our gratitude. however. for the services
they render they deserve our pity because OF their
heplessness and the peculiar hardships to when
they are exposed They helpless because they
are women, and they are helpless also because they
young. and they are moreover exposed to
peculiar temptation from the fact that. when wages
fall below the living point, the wages OF SIN are
always ready for them.
There are said to be 100000 workingwomen in
New-York City, and # the Consumers League can
help to raise the standard Of the conditions among
10 labor. il will have done something toward rails
ing the standard for all