The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-03-23

Many OF them had no breakfast except
the crumbs that were left over from
the night before or the crumbs they
chew on their way through the street.
Here they come. The working girls
of the cities These engaged in bead
work, these in flower making in milli-
merry, in paper box making; but, most
overworked Of all and a compensa-
ted, the sewing women Why do they
not take the city cars On their way
up? They cannot afford the 5 cents
If, concluding to deny herself some
thing else, she gets into the car, give
her a seat. You want to see how Lat
inner and Ridley appeared in the fire.
Look at that woman n behold a
more horrible martyrdom, a hotter fire,
a more agonizing death. Ask that wo-
man how much she gets Tor her work,
and she will tell o s cents for max
ing coarse shirts and finds her own
thread.
PITIFULLY SMALL PAY.
Years ago, one Sabbath night in the
vestibule of our church, after sci vice,
a woman fell in Commissions. The doc
tor said she needed medicine not So
much as something to eat. AS she be-
gan to revive in her delirium she said
gashingly: Eight cents! Eight cents.
/ wish / could get il lone. 1 am 81 tired.
/ wish / could get some sleep. but I
must get it done. Eight cents. Eight
cents" We found afterwards that she
was making garments for 8 cents
| apiece and that she could make but
three of them in a day. Hear it, Three
| times eight are "a. Hear it, men and
women who have comfortable homes,
| Some of the worst villains of our cities
are the employers of these women.
They beat them down to the last penny
and try to cheat them out of that. The
woman must deposit a dollar or w
-&&- ~hn H-nr
on. When the work is done, it is sharp
ly inspected, the most insignificant
flaws picked out and the wages refused
n some times the dollar deposited
not given back. The Women's Pro-ec-
tive union reports a case where one of
the poor souls, finding a place where
she could get more wages, resolved to
| change employers and went to get he~
pay for work done. The employer said,
81 near you are going to leave me"
"Yes," she said, land / have come to
get what you owe me-" He made no
answer. She said, Are you not going
to pay me?' Yes" he said, Il will
pay YOU" and he kicked her d'wn
stairs.
oh, that Women's Protective union,
The blessings of heaven be on it for
the merciful and divine work it is doing
in the defense of toiling womanhood.
What tragedies of suffering are pre-
ented to them day by day! A para
graph from their report: Can you
make Mr.. pay me? He owes me
for three weeks at $3.50 a week, and |
can't get anything, and my child is
very sick" The speaker, a young wo-
man lately widowed, burst into a f1ood
of tears as she spoke. She was hidden
to come again the next afternoon and
repeat her story to the attorney at his
usual weekly hearing of frauds and
imDositions. Means were found by
which Mr.. Jones was induced to pay
the $780,"
Another paragraph from their report:
"a fortnight had passed, when she
modestly limited a desire to n how
much her services were worth. oh,
my DEAR he replied, you are getting
to be one of the most valuable hands
in the trade. You will always get the
very best price. Ten dollars a week you
will be able to earn very easily And
the girls fingers flew on with her work
at a marvellous rate. The picture of $40
a week had almost turned her head.
A few nights later, while crossing the
ferry, she overheard the name of her
employer in the conversation of girls
who stood near: What, John Snipes?
Why, he don't pay! Look out for him
every time. He'll keep o on trial, as
he calls it, for weeks, and then he'll
let o go, and get some other fool!'
And thus Jane Smith gained her warn
ing against the swindler. But the union
held him in the tolls of the law until
he paid the worth of each of those days
Of trial."
Another paragraph: Her mortifica-
ton may be imagined when told that
n Of the two SIS bills which she had
just received for her work was coun-
terfeit. But her modification was swal-
lowed up with Indignation when her
employer denied having paid her the
money and i~nsultingly asked her TO
prove it. When the Protective union
had placed his matter in the courts,
the judge said, You will pay Eleanor
the amount of her claim, 1888, and also
the costs of the court"
PROPOSED REMEDIES.
How are these evils to be eradicated?
Some say, Give women the ballot
What effect such ballot might have OF
other questions / am not here to dis
cuss, but what would be the effect of
female suffrage on woman'S wages?
do not believe that woman will ever
get justice by woman's ballot. Indeed
women oppresS women as much as men
do. Do moi women. as much as men,
beat down to the lowest figure the wo-
man who sews for them? Are not wo-
men as sharp as men On washerwomen
and MillinerS n mantua makers. If
a woman asks 81 for her work, does
not her female employer ask her if she
will not take 80 cents? You say "Only
10 cents difference" But that is some
times the difference between heaven
and hell. Women often have less COM
miSeration for women than men If
a steps aside from the path of
rectitude, man may forgive; women
never! Woman will never get justice
done her from woman's ballot. Neither
will she get it from mans ballot. HOY?
then? God will rise up for her. God has
more han we know of. The
flaming sword that hung at Eden's
gate when women was driven out VII
cleave with its terrible edge her OPP
preSSorS.
But there is something for women tC
do. Let youn people prepare to exec
in spheres of work, and they will be
able after a while to get larger wages
Unskilled n incompetent labor must
take what is given; skilled and compe-
tent labor will eventually make its
own standard. Admitting that the law