The sun., 1895-04-21
HOIE.S T.iGE E.iRSERS.
Range OF Their Pay aud Opportunities
offered to Them.

II Il
Eange OF Their Pay aud Opportunities
offered to Them.
Sevcra! large dry goods retailers recently tcs-
titled before II committee OF the Assembly that
some girls and women in their employment
earned from 81 to Sl+ "A week. Had the iuves-
tigation been more thorough. doubtless it would
have shown that women azd girls in the busi-
ness life Of this town earned as little $50 and
a. much $1,000 year. The range OF wOfnpn's
earnings is hardly great rs that of mems, brt
it /. great, though the average seems exceed
inEly small to any one with moderately high
standards Of comfort. The Young Womcn's
Christian Association OF Brooklyn found some
years ago that tile shop women of that city
earned on an average but s. 4 week: that girl
sometimes had scarcely any other decent gar
mcnt than the gown she wore to business; that
many were nimos. without undertaking and
that some. when i'll, had not "a much night
gown 10 so to led in. Eleven Of these girls were
found living together i'll one not very large
room. where they cooked. ate. and slept. Il was
also found that these and other women who
came to the notice Of the association often had
little or no houscwifely knowledge or skill, and
that especially their ignorance of needlework
would have made it impossible for them to earn
the miserable wages oi the least skilled profess
sional necilcwoman.
Women and girls employed as house servants
In this city ard its suburbs from SIS to 81 0
Il mouth. Perhaps the average wa-cs of fairly
Skilled house servant is below $l2 a month. II is
certainly below Sll. In other words the poor
est paid house servants have nearly 81 a year
above board and lodging. the best paid more
than $40 above. and the average perhaps $50
above. Their material condition i on tie aver
age much better than that Of the shop girls.
But OF shop girls many are too proud to be scr-
wants. and others are so ignorant Of Euuscwi!cly
arts that they could not Ind place save at the
lowest rate Of wages and IN families where the
WORK woUld be slavlsh the lodging sIua.Id, and
the food poor.
In Other occupation. where competition is
open 10 women and t.c wnIuru : h. Usc!Scs make
TO such objection to tic wUr- - lH-y do To tha.
B "i house servants. The pay on the average IS
probably not much better Than thnr rl the ship
girls. There urs u hundred and one light trades
employing many thousands Of Gtris and women.
In many Of these trial o. t"o weeks enables a
girl Of iair Intelligence 10 earn average wages.
In others manual education in the shop OF u
year = more is ncces AIRY Inc week IS pay Of
average Of shop woGen's wapcs. bur in many
sucn trades the women are employed only pHrU
Oi the year. some women learn two or more
trades arH manage TO bg busy most 9t the time.
Any one that has watched the conduct Of shop
Whatever the cause that makes the average
low. he relatively high wages Of some a"a low
wages OF others are owing 10 differences in
knowledge, skill. and attention 10 duty. coed
speech. neat attire. agreeable rnnntrs. trim
figure. and n pretty lace all help "a girl to y
place and To wage. above the lowest. These and
other qualities differ greatly in degree in diiier
ent shops, All shopwomen IN New York are
cheap shops, big and little. are sometimes a bit
dlngy, but they may he earning only 500 year
at ana hoe he !. To IN s sy a% ina
ner between the saleswonen Of the cheap
er tr, shSrf & &nEh th",e IN the & great M shops n
gain counter Is au interesting subject OF
study. The purchaser that, drops .nio one
Of the first mentioned shops before the
gossip Of the day has been completely exchanged
rs likely 10 be treated to Curious reyelut ions.
places. Every woman thai does much shopping
comes to renllze that the best Of the shop women
have surprisingly good manners speech. and
show Of womany good will, sympathy. and un-
desstanding. Admiralty well-dressed and grace
cry houses. and one Sew York woman is con
stantly threatening to invite her dressinnker
to being IL most successful and capable woman
Of busiycss is pretty, well dressed. OF charming
tt" NotwtthstnandinG @ h ni ~ % tie fact that women have
cut IA considerable figure III the business life of
this town tor man years, and are clamoring, for
oilisc by far the larger number Of women wsge
oarners regard thCir employmeni rs a tempo
rary thing, TO cLd sooner or later with mar
riage. There are few women over twenty
five years OF acc, employed in the skilled lignt
and Ire nycrae @y GEeh nW Se below n yet
rather than above, one secs many grlz;
I!eu salcsmen, but seldom a graN-halrei
shOpwOmuu. The average age Of sh0pwUmca
leaving cash girls uui ot account, must
be below that at whiuh wonl~n commonly
marry. S!cn have the !nost lInpIrtani AMI
best paid places IN those TRADES that are mDsi!y
in the hands OF women. This is nor solely be-
cause such places are unsuitea to the physique
OF women or because women are mentally nls-
qualified for the work, but as well because 80
few women remain long enough in The trade to
all employmGnts INTO which women come
When y Rpablr woman passrs the age OF thirty
in commercial occupation hrr chance OF pro
motion must pc pretty good. There arc "a few
women, mostly no isHEer yOurg, who act as
heads or departments, ,S buyers, ana the like in
important houses and receive high pay;
II would be an interesting thing Ia know the
average duration oc wonlen's employment in
business. In the case OF house servants, who
seem TO lie restless class. it, is said that three
months 10 long stay Ia one pace FonduesS
for change marks the conduct Of the unskillod
or incompetent In most trades. The cheaper
sort Of wnitsrs male and female. are in constant
restaurant, from hotel to hotel.
The marriage of capable shopwoman, earn
ing good wages. and especially of n head 0f de-
partnent. is a really serious loss to Pn employer.
Cash girls may bs had by the thOusand and
ordinary saleswomen by tho hundred, but the
number OF really capable women willing and
anxious TO fill the higher places within the
smaller than the number OF men available for
corresponding places in mems ernployments. he
cause q man goes on working so long as his
strength permits. W lille most women marry and
quit no matter what the seductlons OF their
business prospects, unless they attain All i'm
u0rtunt place only after passing the age When
they may reasonably hope to marry.