The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-09-23
The craeIly le shnr GIrl..

From the London Lancet
THE causes u female disease distinct
ly traceahle 70 the practice Of continually
standing iu shops are so many ana va
rious that we have been compelled 10 take
action iu the matter" Thus We wrote in
1850, and The publication by us Of a black
list had considerable effect IN ann liora ing
the conditions under which certain shop
girls worked at that time. Since then
something further has been done IN the
way ~ early closing 10 mitigate the evils
~ long standing IN shops hy afforiing tho
girls opportunity for recreation. but Their.
are SIN firms. We are sorry 90 hear. who
compel their employees 10 stand all day
long and our statement Of nearly twenty
years aEo with regard 20 che evils OF this
practice remains as true to-day as ~ was
thsn AZ a recent meeting al ST. Martins
town hall held under the auspices Of the
Early Closing Association. attention was
called 90 the seats for shop assistants
tscotland) iiil. and the action OF LORD
sal =hurS In bringing about its rejection
in the House Of Lords WAS severely con
dsmntd 10 o. true a= Lord Salisbury
pointed out. that tho biIl was too small.
relating as 10 did TO Scotland only, but
We are at loss 20 understand his Lord
ships analogy when he says that the
hill causes the image OF the houscmaid
,o cross his mind. suggests that legisla-
lion Of this kind II once permitted would
have 20 be extended 20 hous holds, and
asks whether the public would be pre-
pared TO have an army OF inspectors 20
examine every house 90 see that there
were a sufficient number OF chairs placed
at stated intervals so that at each mo-
ment Of exhaustion the housemaid might
sit down IN comfort. Lord Salisbury
well-known causticity Of numor here led
him astray. Domestic servants are not
placed in the same environment a. shop
girls. and arduous as their work unioubt-
ediy IS ana overstr,ined a. too many Of
them are by inconsidcrate mistresses,and
still more inconsideratc upper ser
wants yet as class we think they re-
celVe and take oppor uuities q occasion
ally sitting down.
We as medical men maiutain that sit
ting accommodation and opportunities FOR
tho use OF that accommodation are ahso-
lutely necessary Tor shop-girls. especially
having regard for the conditions under
which they pursue their daily labors. The
only argument having even the semblauce
OF legitimacy which we have heard put
forward in defense 81 the non provision of
seats is that sitting o. conducive 60 idle
ness. but In this connection such pre-
mise cannot be admitted. for an employe
would be bound 10 come forward when an
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and moreover. the fact that a eirl was
able 20 sit down would not prevent her
from performing the many duties Of pack
ing and folding which might be necessary
after the visit OF a customer. This per-
haps does nos apply 20 the heavy depart
ments. but here FOR the most part men
are employed ~ does. however. apply 90
the light or fancy departments where
girls serve. Again. N the employe were
AL IN. su aha ka
able to recupeIate ia some measure the
loss Of strength cntailed by long hours
and thus do for her employer a great deal
better work than che IL AZ present able 10
accomplish. The very fact that ga many
shops she Is not ailoyed TO cit down Is
conducive TO idleuess--idleucss Of the
worst kind. the d.cncss OF pretending to
do something, while iu reality nothing Is
being done. and a g. noteworthy that
many employers encourage this They
fondly imagine that their customers can
be- cheated into the belief that n great deal
Of business IL being done n their employees
are made 10 he seemingly always "a work
and goods are packed and unpackei re-
packed and busted al innnitum Co This
end. The device Is ~ transparent a. Il Is
ludicrous.
Can nothing be done 10 stop this-as We
once called IL without the least cxaggcr-
alton or scnsationalism cruelty 20
women The women who are most con-
cerued dare not complain for fear Of los
ing their situations. What. then rs the
remedy The publication of our black
list was productive OF good results but
the real prevention OF this abuse Of labor
rests almost entirely with the women who
deal with the firms who are cruel TO
their employees. There are many women
we know. who alas. have no sympathy
with other members OF their sex. and
who for the sake OF merely passing an idle
hour compel shop girls 90 show them ar
tlcle after article. while az The same time
they know that their purchase win ulu-
matcly be a small one or even nothing
To these we do not appeal. but leave
them 20 be dealt with by the humane
and larger. majority OF their sex To the
true woman--the woman with feelings for
her sisters the woman OF love and sym
pathy the true woman In every sense OF
the word--we appeal for help In this mat
ter II such women would abstain from
purchasing at shops where they see that
the employees are compelled TO work from
morning tan night without permission TO
rest from their lahOrs even when oppor-
tuuity occurs. we rhould soon see the end
OF practice which ruins the health and
shortens the lives OF many OF our shop
girls To such women we feel that we
shall not appeal IN vain. especially when
we remind them that the physical vlgor
OF the future race depends even more up
on the health and strength OF woman
than it does upon the health and strength
OF man This and the fact that on the
health OF many OF these girls may ulu-
n,ately depend that OF the future gcner-
alton will. we feel sure. appeal 10 women
ar a majority. and their love. their sym
pathy. and even their loyalty 20 the race
90 which we are an proud 10 belong viii
stirnulate them 10 the utmost degree 10
uut an end TO this cruelty 10 women"