The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1896-07-11
THE BILL ARP LETTER.
Speaks of the Movement to Give
Shop Girls Rest.
The Hard Life of Women Employees in
Mercantile Houses-Socla1 Insineerity-
Responsibility of the Employer
Look on the Bright side.

L EiDch III tiit i Ills II Il
that means much to them, and our
sympathetic people will all thank the
Chamberlin house for starting it. The
girls have not demanded it, nor have
they uttered n word of complaint, but
ne know that they get tired, very tired.
md sometimes they are sick, and some
of them have work to do when
they get home. But they never
strike-no, they had rather suffer
md endure and always look CHEEKY
and try to be happy and content
ed. / have wondered why they did moi
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 do
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 -
their work with headache or heart
ache, but they must not eomplain-sad
faces OF sick faces or very homely ones
IRE not wanted l know four sisters
who are shop girls Mt different places.
The eldest is only 16. They have neither
father nor mother nor brother, but they
live together and work by day and COM
fort each other by night.
Some merchants are hard task mas
ters; ''only shop girl" is their motto
and their service is worth what it 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 girl down to $50 a month.
She was refined, diIigent, 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 $50 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 IL 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 promise. At last he quit and
sought other business, and then they
offered him nearly double what he had
been getting II he would come back
That is what the prophet calls "'grind-
ing the faces of the poor" Why wear
poor girls life and health away by
feeding her on hope until il turns to de-
spair? Only shop grill A young lady
who had once been independent was
forced by the common calamity of these
hard times to become a 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
cial recognition; when they traded at
the counter they hardly knew her
they said good morning, but not in
his property, he said: "But now they
that are younger than hold me in de
rison-whose fathers | would have dis
dained to set with the dogs of my flock"
1T is the same old story of social in
sincerity. a man never knows who are
his friends until misfortune overtakes
him. Thank heaven. there are some
exceptions 10 this rule, and these shol.
girls do sometimes inG somebody to
love them and snare their sorrows.
There Is nothing more unbecoming to
woman than her disposition to rule
money into her social set md rule pow
erty out. No real, well-brtd lady will
do it. My observation is that this fool
ish vanity is generally INDUCED in by
the shoddy observation-disclosures who hay
nothing else 70 their credit except
money--those whose fathers got rich
by questionable means. Peachtree is
lined with many such, and so are the
fashionable quarters of all cities. This
folly is mainly feminine one; the men
are not given TO it, no man dares to
snub another because of his poverty,
or his humble origin. With men there
is no aristoeracy except that of intel
lect. 1t is related that when Douglas
and Lincoln met for the first time on
the hustings Douglas, who was n great
aristocrat said he had not had the
honor OF an acquaintance with his op
ponent and, in fact. had seen him but
once, and That was when he was sell
ing whisky behind the bar in cross
roads saloon. When old Abe rose to
reply, he smiled from ear 10 ear, as ne
remarked: so, my fellow citi-
sens. That is the only time ever saw
him until now. lie was on one side of
the bar and l was on the other. lie
took drink and took the money. We
are about even on thai score" What's
the difference a nice, sweet, we'll
hammered girl or young woman who
waits on the customers in a large dry
goods house is on one side of the coun-
Ter and a rich aristocratic lady is on
the other. One had money, the other
had goods and they exehaHged-that's
all. Which is ahead in .he comedy o.
life and which will be ahead when the
play is ended and final judgment is rem
dered? With one life is fashionable
farce; with thu other a struggle for
bread. "Giye us this day our daily
bread is her morning prayer.
The position of these working girls
Is a hard one az best, bnt kind words
nrI fam uorrac SOFTEN ~ 1~,,.,, .~,..... = l,-