The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-08-22

Il Wy u1nOunU VI tacb ana
willingness to learn from contact with
all sorts and conditions Of human ma
ture might do much worse than to
choose the occupation of machine teach.
er 1t is an employment which gives
plenty of outdoor exercise, variety and
fair pay as women's wages go.
There are two distinct branches of
this brand new pursuit. 1t is dozen
years or so since women were first enl-
ployed in the retail sewing machine
business, but only lately have the man.
ufacturers of industrial machines opcr-
ated by women taken to hiring women
to follow up the workmon who set up
the machines i'll factories and to teach
the operatives the proper way Ct run
ming them. Men did this work formerly,
but along with the woman factory i'll
| spector and the greater consideration
! given generally to women factory work
ers came the feminine machine teacher.
Even the manufacturers Of cigar max
ing machines now employ tactful young
women to follow up their labor saving
tools and to teach the factory girls how
to use them The pay of the travelling
| teacher probably averages $15 week
and expenses, but after the novelty
wears off most women consider the lack
of home life, the knocking about from
hotel to boarding house, serious draw
back to the occupation.
The sewing machine teacher, on the
other hand, receives smaller pay, but
her work lacks the wear and tear of
clothes and nerves which attach to the
travelling woman's calling. The sewing
machine teacher is not employed direct
ly by the manufacturers, but by the
managers of the agencies through which
the machines are sold at retail In the
large cities from 10 to 20 women are
regularly employed by each OF these
agencies. Their business is to teach the
use of the sewing machine and all its
newfangled latest Improvements. A
few are employed in the offices to ex-
plain the workings of the machines to
possible customers who come i'll. AL
most nine out of ten sewing machines
are sold on the installment plan, after
having been introduced into a house
hold for a two weeks trial, and it is
the work of most of the teachers to
visit the houses Of these possible GUS
; toners and to teach them the proper use
of the various attachments, the proper
way to thread needle and shuttle, how
to run the treadle in order to get the
most power and the various other things
that go to make a first class machine
operator Incidentally, Of course, she
points out the superiority of this ma
chine over all other makes, puts in a
good word for the just dealing of her
company and does her best to influence
the customer to keep the machine 1t is
also her duty to use her eyes and her
Judgment as to the care the machine IL
likely to receive and the condition it is
likely to be in if the company is obliged
to take it back because of the failure OF
the purchaser to keep up the payments.
Occasionally an INSCRIPTIONS house
wife who has a lot of sewing to do gets
machine on trial with no intention OF
buying it, but merely to save the rent
she would otherwise have to pay for Its
use. All these things the teacher is eX-
J pected to note. She must carefully re-
cord the results of her observation Ill
her notebook after she leaves the house
{ and report to the superintendent OF the
office the next morning. In the large
cities the sewing machine teacher is as
signed to regular district comprising
certain number of streets. She is ex'
:, pected to report at the Office each morn
ing about o'clock. She makes report
| of the places she has visited the day be-
fore with the results of her observation
: and is instructed how to act i'll each
case. A list of the machines sent out Ill
her district the day before is then given
her and she begins her visiting again.
She is expected to make about 20 calls
1 each day. In New York the sewing ma
, chine teacher needs among her Other
qualifications knowledge OF German
as well as English, and if she happens
to be employed i'll down town Office
T she must manage to acquire enough
I Italian and jargon to make herself un'
derstood in the sweatshops
/ The purchaser of machine is entitled
to four lessons. When she gives the
fourth lesson, the teacher expects to re-
ceive the first installment in payment
for the machine. On all the money she
, collects she receives commission IL
addition to her regular wages. Alto
gether she will receive on an average
about $l2 or $13 week. Most girls
who take up this work are under 2(
, years old when they begin. Many Of
them stick to it too. In one of the New
: York offices there is woman who has
baau a taacher for X wears