The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-10
ON THE ETHICS or SHOPPING.
League for Political Ehucntiun Hear, Mrs..
Percy W iddrincton.

Peroy WiddrinEton.
The Ethics OF Sho piping was tho subject on
which the League for Polliea Educa nc n pondered
q, lis NEE ding yesterday morning atthe American
institute rooms, % wes, Forty.four,h street
Mira Percy widdrington OF England did most
Of the talking. She Is q travelling authority
tho condition Of shop girls She began by say
ing .ha' the be,ter people Of ,his country and in
England were getting over the idea that their
shopping concerned no one but themselves ihey
were learning that the shopper had a moral re-
sponhbility that was higher Than such considera.
don Of difference Of two conts yard In a three
dollar silk In two stores the width OF aciy apart
There Is much immoral shopping done among
u.s. said Mira Warrington Il do not exnsger.
ate in calling It immoral. for there Ia no othor
word strong enough to characterize the behavior
OF many people who frequent the shops Ifwomen
give way 10 the craze for cheapness and run abou,
from 70 store seeking out the cheapest things
they can nnd they create . demand for shoddy.
sham. and tastele,s wares They arc making IL
necessary for working people 70 be democrat
iLod and degraded By working on unbeauufui
and nwdry things They arc in!unng and re-
tArding the educa ZION Of the proper artistic senso
ness docs adec. .he culiva,ed aud refined "a.
rons Of the stores as it docs the masses VI tie
people. There are no victims Of that craze here.
There was peroepuble stir In the audience at
this announcement but at least by making
our influence felt In tho shops We can bring abUut
a reaction against the great and overwhelming
demand for goods that are cheap. no matter what
their other qualities are
10 considering the duties Of Shopper to tho
people among whom they shop Mr. Niddrngton
divided IL under two heads hrsL the duty H. thueo
whom sho called shop assistants AID. second,
70 THO working people who produced the goods
/ Mrs WtddangtOn SPOKE with very hghuy-
yelled SARCASM " the methods Of investiga alton
| OF SORES adopted In some cities by branches Of
the Consumers' League, which she sod acce pied
the word Of the shopowner as final and belicy ed
everything he told them q gospel truth. Mrs.
WiddringIo ton seemed W think that tho only way
to find out the truth obou, Ihe .reatnienI nf tho
ASSISTANTS in ang particular shop Iu pc uade
them org nnlze atfadc union and let the walking
delegate be the ono whose word 70 be ac-
copied
Mrs. Frederick Nathan, president Of the Con.
su nors League OF this city anid that shc didn't
know whether Ma Widdrington means 20 refer
10 the Consumers League in New York Tho
way she said gave her hearers the idea that sho
thought Mrs Widdrington did mean to make
Just such a reference. Mrs Nathan said that
the league In this city had ALWAYS taken the en-.
ploycr's statement first and had verified II by
circulating II privately among tho en- ployees
As for trade unions, II was Mrs NhthAn'a cIpcri-
ence that the clerks In Now York stores had their
own sick and benefit funds, and that they wanted
nothing 70 do with tho other features OF trades
unip