The Atlanta constitution., 1896-06-01
LET THE GIRLS REST
Arp on the Movement TO Give the Shop
Girls Rest
AFTER STANDING UNTIL TIRED
He Saws It Is a Good Work and Should
Be Encouraged-The Hard Life
of Working Girls.

Let the good work go The shop girls
of Atlanta are now allowed to sit and rest
their weary limbs for brief time when not
waiting on customers, and their working
time is out at o'clock in the evening. rms
is reform that means much TO them, ana
our sympathetic people will all thank lhe
Chamberln house for starting 1t. Inc
girls have not demanded it nor have they
uttered a word of complaint, but we know
that they get tired, very tired, and some
times they are sick and some of them nave
work to do when they get home. But lhey
never strikc-no, they had rather suIler
and endure ana always look cbeefy ana
try to be happy ana contented l nave
wondered why they did not orsanize ana
choose their leaders and sometimes get on
a strike and walk out and make demands
on their employers like the men DO. NO,
they will not do that. IT is not their ma
ture. and for that reason, II no othet'
those who employ them should be all the
more cOnsiderate. Every shop giIl anu
every shop woman has an individual MIS-
tory. and could tell u tale of sorrow or
misfortune, and some Of them would De
intensely sad and pathetic If written ana
published. Many OF them belong to that
class who have seen better dayS-many are
orphans-some have widowed mother or
an invalid sister to support All are de-
pendent and have no bright prospects o.
lettering their condition in the years TO
come. Some of them are not strong, ana
often go to their work with headache
or a heartache, but they must not com
plain-sad faces or sick faces or very home
ly ones are not wanted. l know four SIS
tcrs who are shop girls at different places.
The eldest is only sixteen. They have
neither father nor mother nor brother.
but they live together and work by day
and comfort each other by night
Some merchants arc hard-task masters:
'only a shop girI' is their motto. and their
service is worth what it will bring-that
much and more They fix the price
and keep it there There is no promotion
in wages. ] know one who kept girl
down to $50 a month. She was refined.
diligent conscientious and popular and
had been reared lady in all respects but
she was only a shop girl, and out OF
meager wages must pay for her board and
clothing Not an hour did she ever lose
but by and by she was offered $50 by an
other house, and then, and not till then,
did her employers propose to increase her.
wages to the same amount. Why did they
not do it before? ] knew another large,
wealthy house that kept a young man for
three years promising at intervals 10 raise
his wages, but IT was only a promise. Al
last ne quit and sought other business, and
then they offered him nearly double what
he had been getting if he would 51me back.
That is what the prophet calls grinding
the faces OF the poor" Why wear a poor
girls life and health away by feeding ner
on hope untn it turns to despair? only
shop girl. 4 young Lady who had once been
independent was forced by the common
calamity of these hard times 20 become a
shop eirl-and she told me that the hardest
thing to bear was the stately Coldness OF
her former friends-the lack OF familiar
social recognition. when thcy traded at tie
counter they hardly knew her-they said
good morning. but not in the sweet old way.
After Job had lost his property, he said.
'Eut now they that are younger than l
hold me in derision-whose fathers / would
have disdained TO set with the dogs of my
flock"
1t is the same old story Ct social insin-
certy. man never knows who are his
friends until misfortune overtaSes him.
Thank heaven, there are some exceptions
10 this RUE, and these shop girls do some
times find somebody to love them and
share their sorrSws. There IS nothing
more uubecomin- 60 woman than her ois-
position to rule money into her social set
and rule poverty out. No real, well-hred
lady will do Il. My observation IS that
this foolish vanity is generally indulge in
bv the shoddy aristOcrats-those who have
nothing else 10 their credit except money
those whose fathers got rich 10y question
able means. Peachtree IS lined with many
such, and so are the fashionable quarters