The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-07-25
THE BILL ARP LETTER.
Speaks Of the Movement to Give
Shop Girls Rest.

Speaks Of the Movement to Civ,
Shop Girls Rest.
The Hard Life of Women Employees Il
Mercantile Houses-Social InsincerIty-
Responsibility of the Employer
Look ON the Bright Side.
Let the good work go on. The shol
girls of Atlanta are now allowed to 81
and rest their weary limbs for brie
time when not waiting on customers
and their working time is out at 81,
o'clock in the evening. This is reform
that means much to them, and oul
sympathetic people will all thank thu
Chamberlin house for starting it. TIL.
girls have not demanded it, nor have
they uttered word of complaint, blu.
we know that they get tired, very tired
and sometimes they are sick, and some
Of them have work to do wher
they get home. But they never
strike-no, they had rather suffer
end endure and always look CHEEKY
and try to be happy and content
ed. l have wondered why they did not
organize and choose their leaders and
sometimes get on strike and walk out
and make demands on their employers
like the men do. No, they will not dc
that. 1t is not their nature, and for that
reason, if no other, those who employ
them should be all the more consider
ate. Every shop girl and every shop
woman has an individual history, and
could tell a tale of sorrow or misfor-
tune, and some of them would be in
tensely sad and pathetic, if written and
published. Many Of them belong to
that class who have seen better days
many are orphans-some have a wild
owed mother or an invalid sister to sup
port. All are dependent and have nc
bright prospects of lettering their con-
dition in the years to come. Some OF
them are not strong, and often go to
their work with headache or heart
ache, but they must not complain-sad
faces or sick faces or very homely ones
are not wanted. l know four sisters
who are shop girls at different places.
The eldest is only 16. They have neither
father nor mother nor brother, but they
live together aud work by day and COM
fort each other by night.
Some merchants are hard task mas
tiers; "only a shop girl" is their motto
and their service is worth what 1t will
bring-that much and no more. They
fix the price and keep it there. There
is no promotion in wages. know one
who kept a 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 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 $40 by another
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? know another
large, wealthy house that kept young
man for three years, promising at in
tervals to raise his wages, but it was
only a promise. At last he quit and
sought other business, and then they
offered him nearly double what he had
been getting if he would come back
That is what the prophet calls "'grind.
ing the faces of the poor" Why wear
q poor girls life and health away by
feeding her on hope until it turns to dc.
spair? Only a shop girl! A young lady
who had once been independent was
forced by the common calamity of these
hard times to become shop girl-and
she told me that the hardest thing to
bear was the stately GOODNESS of her
former friends-the lack of familiar so
,ial recognition; when they traded at
The counter they hardly knew her
hey said good morning, but not in
Inc sweet old way. After Job had lost
'is property, he said: "But now they
hat are younger than hold me in de-
ison-whose fathers would have dis
lained to setwith the dogs of my flock"
1t is the same old story of social in
incerity. A man never knows who arc
lis friends until misfortune overtakcs
iim. Thank heaven. there are some
TO this rule, and these shor
iris do sometimes find somebody TO
owe them and share their sorrows.
here is nothing more unbecoming to
than her disposition to rule
money into her social set and rule pov-
rty out. No real, wcll-bred lady will
10 it. My observation is that this fool
sh vanity is generally INDUCED in by
he shoddy aristocrats-those who have
othing else TO their credit except
noney--those whose fathers got rich |
y questionable means. Peachtree is
med with many such, and SO are the
ashionable quarters of all cities. This
oily is mainly feminine one; the men |
re not given to it; no man tlares to |
nub another because of his poverty,
r his humble origin. With men there
J no aristocracy except that of intel |
ct. 1t is related that when Douglas
nd Lincoln met for the first time ON
ne hustings Douglas, who was great
ristocrat, said he had not had the
onor of an acquaintance with his op
onent, and, in fact, had seen him but
nee, and that was when he was SELL
lg whisky behind the bar in a cross
dads saloon. When old Abe rose to
ply, he smiled from ear to ear, as he
That's SO, my fellow citi-
ms. That is the only time ever saw
i'm until now. He was on one side of
lie bar and was on the other. He
'ok drink and took the money. We
hn1rf 1xat l