The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-28

one OF the members Of the League board,
,mno recently congratulated n ~salcswoman IN a
thnrke snop on tho increased number of seats 10
himu me counters. received the answer,
hoou ferhaps, you do not know that there has
oeeh a OF ladies working for us, They
VIII never know the good they have done
moreover, the manager OF n well.known
store told another member OF the board that
nna.nout doubt IL was due to the efforts oil the
LEAGUE mat the standard in many stores had
ployees,"
is the League ngitating any special reform
porter.
=, We arc h3mmerinE away on that question
oIlcklayer gets so cents an hour and double pay
when he works overtime. In many caies sales
women get only SO ccnts a day, and throw in
extra time for nothing. Is there any justice in
.nati III tell you one thing the League L. do
ing: we arc trying very hard to get the shop
per OF hrms send out almost nothing after \ or
Q o'clock. in the afternoon. We urge all menu
S ayers Sel iR h 5oS sf,ss 3, 8 d decline n. There & TSc Is sc P P%Sfh,
competition In New York that firms will do
sa5ycning to please customer, The thing y to
right things; Every, merchant in, this city
would be only, too glad TO have all his deliy'
instead Of exacting that their goods shall he
delivered on the same day as purchased, even
when not required, should s~tipulate to have
than after that hour. The delivery men are
out until, 9, 3. and 10 o'clock every night, and
until HllunlHnt ana later IN nOll0ny times. lney
never have an evening, at home. and it rests
with the women Of this city to completely
change this state of affairs.
Inc League also proposes to work through
the shops to the sweatshops and factories. We
want to know whether the goods in the stores
are made under good conditions or not. We
want to educate customers up to asking How
are these, goods made that you can sell them
so cheapf. We ask how cheap meat is slaugh.
such figures. Why should we not ask how our
undsrgarments can be made so cheapi
headqear tS@'q in the U niit"sapec Qualities ars s'' buiIdins,
lO5 East Twenty-second street. Any suggos-
tons or complaints sent there are promptly in
vestigated. We are doing our best to help the
girls and women in the shops, and they can
help, us and themselves by giving us points,
so0d or To bad ABOUT aSo the conditions under which
communications, though when a shop girl or
anyone else makes a complaint we prefer that
faith. OF course, 1t would under no Circum.
stances be made known. for our main object
ing Gl 'h somse's IS cor ihi Se''e Gur ONCE &c The is T open
every day between half past IL and half past
Mrs. Cornelia s. Robinson devotes the best
part OF her time to the interests of working
"The Mercantile Inspection Act" she said,
is conformed to in most part, but this law Is
not adequate for the protection of working
women. What we want to do is to make an
or no. II the merchants feel that they have to
keep open overtime let them hire another set
of employees to do the work. However. the
natural progress of civilization has made the
working girl much better of in the last few
years. We are not willing ourselves to go IN
and purchase things III stores under the condi.
tions that existed twenty-five years ago.
"A great point in lettering the condition Of
the working woman will be gained when we get
her to the point of demanding the improve.
ments. The women employed in many OF the
shops now are better of than they were for
SERVANTS @eTly; l Rso d RsT nos ws sene sheiF cS a1S d0% 1o g be:
come domestics because experience has taught
them there is little Of the social side to the life
evenings aud Sundays. The girls who were in
the stores are now typewriters, cashiers, office
So1o os snd !, 50 2, on sr.. The ! d GniE way = to get ia them mi to
thing higher and that can't be done at once.
lin my opinion. the Women'S Republican
real advance OF business women, because IL is
the drst indication of o consciousne- s of her re-
I poins Of e in Pei1ltaS arc dev rh5s beings h hes to Sla 1bs
for working girls are OF a social nature. They
do not afford the real social life. for the real So
cial life Is the intellectual life. As soon as a
business woman comes to the point of desiring
an Intellectual life 1t raises her business p ane,
S DsfaSss sff Sz se sffses si Sse 6u shs sse oendiiioss n anS
learns to demand her rights. Anything on
earth that brings the people together is good.
lation is death. 1t is a great pity that there
should be any opposition to business women
cannot disassociate the trades union idea from
organizations Of any kind. Organization is
bound to come IL has got to com with wom-
When an intelligent saleswoman was qu-s.
toned about the improved conditions under
"n nYes' sa we Srs snd USbts iSe s great deal better
on than we have ever been before, and the girls
in IT,. higher class shops would have little to
shops :op.n too early and close too late. We
have to DO In our departments at 8 o'clock.
That mea ans,, se must be in n the ir house Us euhnft!te"ean,
or across. one OF the ferries in New Jersey,
Staten Island. or Long Island, as most Of us
means that we have to get up by 8 O'Clock at
the latest, and rush at that, in order to get a
5,a5 and breakfast and be at the store in time:
get Q seat going to or coming from business,
and standing is hard work to an already tired
woman, you know, 60 we really work under a
twelve-hour law.
Employers expect saleswomen to be; well
and an I; .tSyIiSshi Eym dressed Sc d. to ebs DO wel, ii for %sai and
and rested. and what time do they give us to
do 1t inl II all the principal stores closed at
town. AS O rule shop people don't begin to be
busy until 10 or half past 10 o'clock, except in
We would be glad to stay overtime at
Christmas II we could go to business at Q and
stores will close at noon on Saturdays the year
round; The merchants would really make by
i. They work their emp'oyees too hard and
the stores closed earlier and gave n weekly
holiday it would put money in circulation, for
the shop girls would get n chance to spend some
thing. How can we be suave and eternally
polite to customers when we are tired to DEATH
An hour seems a very little time. but it is a
great deal at either end OF the day
Even with the, limited spare time that the
working woman has at her disposal she can be
aided In many directions II she will only per.
nit herself to be helped. She has amp.e OPP
portunities to develop her intellectual, social.
and physical side and thousands of bread win.
ners are enjoying these advantages. Such or
CARNATIONS as the Young Wolnen's Christian
Association, with its extensive library. read.
ing rooms, and classes, Mis- Grace Dodgc's
working girls clubs. with their social and in.
features; the Working Women's
Guilds connected with the various churches,
the evening classes in physical culture at Or.
sayage,s inSiItute, where a, inc end OF 2 sea
into splendid physical condition for a song. and
the Republican Club for Business Women,
where the languages. typewriting, stenogra.
ply. bookkeeping. and so on can be learned free
OF charge, leave the working woman no excuse
for living a life Of drudgery and stagnation.