Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1900-03-17

can earthquake ever took down city
God will catch these oppressors be-
tween the two mlilstones Of his wrath
and grind them to powder.
Wholly Unjust.
Why is 1t that female principal In
a school gets only $S25 for doing work
for which male principal gets $1,650i
I hear from all this land the wall OF
womanhood. Man has nothing to an.
swer to that wall but batteries. He
says she Is an angel. She is not. She
knows she is not. She Is a human be-
ing who gets hungry when she has no
food and cold when she has no fire.
Give her no more batteries; give her
justice! Oh. the thousands Of sewing
girls! Across the sunlight comes their
death groan. II Is not such cry as
comes from those who are suddenly
hurled out Of life. but slow. grind
Ing, horrible wasting away. Gather
them before you and look into their
faces. pinched. ghastly, hunger struck!
Look at their fingers, needle pricked
and blood tipped! See that premature
stoop In the shoulders! Hear that dry.
hacking. merciless cough. At large
meeting of these women held In Phila-
delphIa grand speeches were delivered,
but q needlewoman took the stand,
threw aside her faded shawl and with
her shriveled arm hurled very thun-
derbolt Of eloquence, speaking out the
horrors Of her own experience.
Stand at the corner Of a street In
some great city at O or o'clock In the
morning as the women 90 to work.
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 mil
linery, In paper box making, but, most
overworked Of all and least compensat-
ed, the sewing women. Why do they
not take the city cars on their way up?
They cannot afford the cents. Ii, con-
Guiding to deny herself something else,
she gets into the car, give her a seat.
You want to see how LatImer and Rid
ley appeared In the fire. Look at that
woman and behold a more horrible
martyrdOm, hotter fire. more ago
nizing death. Ask that woman how
much she gets for her work, ind she
will tell you cents for making coarse
shirts and finds her own thread.
Years ago one Sabbath night In the
vestibule of our church after service
a woman fell In convulsions. The
doctor said she needed medicine not
80 much as something to eat. AS she
began to revive In her dellrium she
said gaspingly: Eight cents! Eight
cents! wish could get II done.
am so tired. wish could get some
sleep. but | must get 1t done. Eight
cents! Eight cents" We found after
ward that she was making garments
for cents apiece and that she could
make but three of them In day. Hear
It! Three times eight are a. Hear 1t.
men and women who have comfortable
homesl 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
dollar or two before she gets the gar
ments to work ON. When the work Is
done. 1t is sharply inspected. the most
insignificant flaws picked out and the
wages refused and sometimes the dol.
lar deposited not given back. The
Women's Protective union reports a
case where one of the poor souls. find
Ing a place where she could get more
wages. resolved to change employers
and went to get her pay for work
done. The employer said, II hear yon
are going to leave meT' "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; II will pay you" And
he kicked her down stairs.
Oh, that Women's Protective union!
The blessings Of heaven be on 1t for
the merciful and divine work II Is do
ing In the defense Of toiling woman
hood. What tragedies of suffering are
presented to them day by day. A para
graph from their report: "Can you
make Mr.. Jones pay me? He owes
me for three weeks at $3.50 week,
and can't get anything. and my child
Is very sick. The speaker, young wo-
man lately widowed. burst into flood
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
imposItions. Means were found by
which Mr.. Jones was induced to pay
the $3.50"
Another paragraph from their re-
port: "A fortnight had passed. when
she modsstly limited desire to know
how much her services were worth.
oh. my dear he replied. 'you are get
ting 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 al a marvellous rate.
The picture Of $40 week had almost
turned her head. A few nights later.
while crossing the fe' y, she over
heard the name Of her hployer 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 you on trial, as he calls 1t,
for weeks, and then he'll let you go
and yet some other foolp And thus
Jane Smith gained her warning 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
one of the two $5 bills which she had
lust received for her work was coun-