Evening star., 1899-07-29

made at ornamentation in the way of coZy
hooks or of wall decoration.
The bed rooms are fitted out with iron
beds covered either with canvas or with
wire springs, upon which thin comforts
are spread for mattresses The mattresses
are usually not long enough to allow your
Whole body to lie on them without touch
ing the wires In my hotel here in San
Juan the springs either scratch the flesh
of my heels, or, if I protect my heels, my
shoulders have to suffer by the sharp wires
between the mattress and the pillow.
The Ladies' Aid Society of San Juan.
The Porto Rican ladies are now coop
Grating with the wives Of the army and
navy officers to improve the condition of
the poor women of Porto Rico. A ladies'
aid society has been organized. This So
ciety is non-seCtarian, and it is supported
by voluntary contributions. One of its
chief officers is Mrs. Col. J. r. Hoff, it's
vice president, the president being the wife
of the governor general. 1t has offices
just outside of Fort San Christobel, and
holds meetings twice a week, at which
hundreds of the poor women of Porto Rico
come for aid 1t has now about five hundred
work women on its list. They are paid for
making clothes, which are given away to
such of the poor as are unable to work.
They receive from IS to 80 cents for max
ing dresses, and are very glad to get work
at these wages.
Many of the work women are the
widows of officers who lost their lives
during the war. Some of them can en-
broider beautifully, and the Ladies' Aid
Society takes orders for embroidery and
drawn work, paying these women what
they receive, with the exception of 10 per
cent for the treasury of the society. This
drawn work is beautiful and exceedingly
cheap, and any of our women who are
benevolently inclined might get beautifully
embroidered pillow cases or napkins and
table cloths, handkerchiefs and other
things by sending money to the Ladies
Aid Society Of San Juan.
The women have already established
free medical dispensary. They also give
many of the poor people tickets to the
Y NJ G. A soup kitchens, where a poor
man can get dinner for cents.
Women's Work and Wages.
Speaking of the poorer women, there is
little chance here for girl to make her
own living. Outside of school teaching or
acting as governesses there are no open
ings whatever Women not employed
in the stores Porto Rico has not up 10
this date female typewriter, and the work
in the post offices and telegraph offices is
done 10y men. ! some women in the
dressrnaking shops. The most of them use
hand sewing machines, and l am told that
they sew beautifully with the needle. The
wages are such, however. that the Amer
lean dresSmaker could not live upon them.
Sewing women who come into the house
and sew all day from in the morning un
Guiding their breakfast and dinner. You
can get a fine dress made for $40, and
lady's linen night dress, including the ma
terial, tucked a. the yoke and trimmed
with lace and insertion, with buttons as de-
sired, costs only 40 cents. This represents
more than enc days work. Linen is very
cheap here. and the American women who
visit Porto Rico fit themselves out with
linen underclothes, getting them for about
one third the prices they pay at home.
All kinds of servants are very cheap, es-
pecially women servants. Maids get from
81 to $50 month, and for this sum they
will do anything. They are willing to work,
and never strike. Some of them are white
and some colored. Not q few come from
the neighborins island of st. Thomas.
Some speak a little English, and all, as
a rule, are clean and nice looking.
Ordinary servant girls get from to Z
pesos a month, or from $500 to s4.20. You
can hire a first-class cook for from Sc to
81 month. and such a cook will do the
marketing
Washing and WasherwOmen.
The cook, however, will not wash and
iron. This, a rule, is done by profess
sional washerwomen, who carry the clothes
to the streams and wash them in cold wa
ter. There is such thing as clothes
line on the island, and nothing like an
American washboard or Washtub. The
clothes are dried on the grass or hung on
cactus bushes or wire fences. They are
sprfnkled while drying, and usually come
back beautifully white. The Porto Rican
Washtub is box made of pine about a
yard long, half a yard wide and about six
inches deep 1t has slopIng sides, and the
woman puts the clothes in it, dips it in the
water and rubs them between her hands
with soap. Sometimes she tits the tub
against stone, so that half of it is in the
water, and then, kneeling beside it on the
edge of the stream, she rubs and scrubs
to wash out the dirt.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.