Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1895-01-23

the room are cutting the ugly cheap Straw
board into suitable shapes. The prepared
pasteboard, with notched edges and long.
straight cuts, where it is to be turned up for
fitting, is laid in a great heap on a table be.
fore boy or man who stands on guard be.
fore great glue pot.
The heap is quickly arranged, so that ono
edge of each piece Of pasteboard is slightly
exposed, and with broad thick brush the
workman literally beglues all the edges at
a few strokes. Other pieces are deftly fixed
to the glued edges, the pile is brought to an
even edge, turned over and pounded with
the maliet at the newly glued JOINTS. The
opposite edges are then glued, and finally,
piece by piece, the pasteboard is stood on
edge and brought round so as to form the
sides of box. A pinch where the glued
edges meet makes all fast, and the box.
without bottom or lid, is passed to one of
the girls.
The girl stands by her table and rapidly
smears cardboard with glue. Upon this
glued space she lays half dozen long mar
row ribbons of paper. Selling the box she
Chaps on the pasteboard bottom and secures
1t by adeft and sure application of the paper
ribbon. She makes no pause for measure
ments, but tears off her ribbon when it is
too long and pieces it out when it is too
bon with unerring accuracy. AS each box
is bottomed it is laid aside to dry, and it is
interesting to see how rapidly the pile
grows under the girls flying fingers Her
pay. however, is only small fraction of
cent for each box.
Lids are fashioned much in the same way.
The lid reaches tho worker with edges
turned up, and her work is to apply the rib
bons OF paper that add strength and orna-
ment. The lid is rested upon a round
wooden post twelve or fifteen inches In di-
ameter. This stands on tho table. 1t is
simple matter to turn the lid as it rests on
the post and apply the RIBBON Of paper to tho
four sides Hundreds of lids can be COM
pleted in a day. When Id and bottom ara
finished the box must be labeled, so as to
indicate the article it is to contain. This
work is rapidly done by some Of the younger
girls
Boxes Of this kind are turned out nv tho
million and are sold at from one to five
dollars per hundred. Costlier boxes are
edged with gilt paper and covered with fig
ured material. Costlier still are the hon
bon boxes Gay photographic pictures are
imported by the thousand from Paris to or
nament such boxes. They are lined with
delicate paper and edged with an imitation
Of lace. The foundation material OF these
pretty cabinets for sweets is plain brown
pastehoard. 1t is an instructive lesson In
ghe striking results of simple devices to see
one of these bare, ugly pasteboard trays
grow under u girls nimble fingers into the
dainty receptacle that shall make sweet
meets doubly valuable. Bon-bon boxes
sometimes wholesale at twenty-five dollars
hundred, and wages for this work gre
somewhat higher than in other branches of
the trade.
One accustomed to the sight of the work
ing girls of New York at their daily toll
will note the absence of gay apparel among
the workers of the factories, Glue is an
enemy of pretty gowna, ana the girls either
come to the factories in their Oldest garments
or exchange their street dress for soiled
working clothes on reaching the scene of
their labor. Glue, however, does not injure
face or figure and In the box factories, as
IN others, NEST of the girls are ruddy and
clear eyed, while a fair proportion can lay
good claim TO beauty.