The record-union., 1898-09-16
A CASE IN POINT.

A San Francisco paper publishes in
full two letters, written by two young
girls in confidence to their father, from
whom they were separated by some
miles. One of the girls, probably II
or 1S years of age, and, as she herself
says, standing five feet six inches in
hight, is employed in a store along
with a number Of other girls and a
number Of young men and boys. In
the letter to her father-and it is a
most affectionate and touching epistle,
truth and feeling-this young woman
complains bitterly, and yet with a low
ing emphasis, that is profoundly touch
ing, that she works in the downstairs
department of a general store, and
that she receives for her services SIC
a month. Out Of that she must sup
port herself. If she had not a mother
and sisters, the group keeping house
evidently the impartial reader might
be curious to learn how young woman
could clothe herself, pay for board
laundry and room rent, and meet the
other absolute necessities Of the COM
n1onest kind of living on so a month,
the assumption being that she must
dress neatly to serve in a store, and
has no time to earn money by any other
labor.
But this undercut in wages is not
the only feature disclosed by the let
ter. This modest girl pours out her
soul to her father, by saying that her
employment involves very hard work
and much severity. She is not allowed
to sit down in working hours, and she
adds: THE influence is vile. Oh, how
the boys and girls in the basement do
act. The boys kiss the girls, and hug
them and tickle them, and then they
hoot and act. It is something shock
ing It disgusts and shocks me. The
girls think I am very prim and silly
because I refuse to talk slang, read
wretched novels and act as they do.
And, just think. they laugh at me and
tell me that when I have been there
awhile I will be just like them"
The young woman goes on to express
a desire to find other employment,
where she will have wholesome sur
roundings. A younger daughter of that
family writes also to her father at
about the same time. She refers to
her sisters letter and writes hopefully
Of the outlook for attending the gram
mar school next year In the mean
time she relates she receives 81 a week
for assisting in household work in a
reputable family. The only complaint
good clothing to enable her to attend
services at a certain church to which
she inclines.
Here we have striking illustration
of that which the Record Union" has
for many years insisted upon: That
employment of women in commercial
houses tends to decentralization. That
where it does not have debasing effect
in particular cases. it has a tendency
10 destruction of domesticity and un-
fltS Tor nome ne ciA0 HSdQSiilD OI the
home in all cases. That, despite her
best endeavors, the woman in COM
mercial life cannot preserve the fresh
ness. natural refinement and finer in
stincts of her nature Tyhat do what
she may her entry into commercial life
has the effect of underwriting wages
and displacing the natural caretaker
and breadwinner, and thus employment
of woman in commercial life is bad for
her. bad for men and bad for society
generally.
Here we have in the case of this
Young woman the direct evidence OF
one who never dreamed that her let
ter would be seen by other eyes than
those Of her father, upon whose dead
body the epistle was found, that en-
ployment of girls. boys and men to-
gether in large mercantile and other
commercial houses tends TO debasemen1
of the female, and that the atmosphere
of such environment is demoralizing
Every mothers daughter who enters il
is exposed to temptation and liable to
taint. At the very best she is likely
to lose. by reason Of such business at
triton, freshness, innocence and mod
esty, the love for domesticity and at
tachment to home and home life; that
she will acquire habits and cultivate
tastes, despite herself which will tend
to unfit her for the high offices of wife
and mother or to adorn society or serve
it in humber or lofty spheres for its
and her own greatest good.
On the other hand. the younger Sis
ter of the letter writer, it is disclosed
by the correspondence, is employed out
side of the commercial circle and re-
ceives higher wage than her elder
sister. She has 50 week and pre-
sumably her board and lodging. She
Is in the atmosphere Of domesticity;