Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-04-12
THE WHITE SLAVES OF LONDON
The Horrible "LiVing-ln Systems" as
1t Is Forced Upon Clerks, Both Men
And Women, in the Big Stores Of
the METROPOLIS

If any clerk in any big American
dry goods store thinks ne or she has
hard lines let such an one read of the
conditions prevailing in London and
then Weep tears of JOY to think that
the English "living-in" system, as it
is called. is practically unknown in
the land of the free. There are eN-
ceptiuus to every rule but the state
ments made here apply to SO large
number of the great London shops
that they fairly represent this remark
able system, taken as a whole. BY
the "Hvingin' system the employees
are lodged and fed together at the
employers expense and are under his
jurisdiction night as well as day.
The system has many advantages in
theory but in praCtice-well. the read
er can judge for himself
The grievances of the shop assist
ants who have to "live-in" begin with
their sleeping rooms. OF all the big
London shops there are not more than
one or two where every assistant has
a bed to himself or herself. The
general rule is two, and sometimes
three, in one bed and eight or nine
in every room. The rooms. too, are
about as bare and unattractive as it
is possible to make them. Iron bed
steads constitute the furniture.
There are no chairs no tables. no cup
boards. Every assistant keeps his or
her clothes in trunk under the bed.
and if inadvertently any article is left
lying out it usually is Conti-catcd. 1T
is against the rules to have any pic
lures. photographs or ornaments on
the walls or any flowers either in pots
or vases. The girls are forbidden
10 do any needlework in their dormi-
tories Cold water and basins are
supplied by the generous house. but
the clerks have To get their soap and
towels If they break any article
OF furniture or crockery they have it
to pay fOl. No assistant is allowed
to visit any other assistant in his or
her room. none is allowed to receive
a friend from outside anywhere in the
building. But the hardest rule OF all
is that the clerk cannot choose his
bedfellow or fellows but is forced to
bunk in" wherever he is put. and If
his bed mates be of bbulOus pro
clivities and come home drunk, or
happen to have any disease, why. so
much the worse for him.
This uBbreakable rule is the same
in the girls department as in the
mems There is a sitting room for
the girls and a smoking room for the
men. but they are both always crowd
ed To suffocation. and the assistant
who would like to read a book or
write a letter has no chance at all
1t is one of the bitterest cries OF what
its victims have dubbed The white
slavery" that there is no such thing
as priVacy-that one is never alone
Everybody must be out of the living
rooms by o'clock in the morning and
in again by II AT nightly u on sun
days. The living rooms are geneI
ally in a building in side street near
the shop. and al the street door there
is a Cerebus who lets in the young
men and women as they arrive. up to
the forbidden hour. when the door is
shut. and if a girl has been delayed
in getting back it's 10 to ] she will
have to walk the streets all night un.
less she can find friends to put her
up Just u minutes after the clos
ing hour the gas goes out everywhere.
and anyone who has light later than
that time is discharged. Not even
candle is allowed. In most houses
it is a rule that all rooms shall be
uuocCupicd on Sunday. and most OF
m. assistants arc glad to live. nm 10 il
Inn sometimes whom rho seventh day
l,.,,,o,,s o., "a, r,ir, IL COME. hard
NJ, ..a,,,.,.,, -t,.iug-- n,Ii,,. rs tlI. as
-i.+.,,t ,.u- 30 .,+.,.. inf. ..,-,,.,.
49, 4, r,,. az tl,.,,, u-,rt- ?, b.
l,,,+ ou MN, b.. no. ~ how. "a nae
and If h.. rsgI.,ts to per ono IN. il
6u.l b..,.il-- f,, tb. rr-t t,-o ou,f-.
siars and H. disgbsrg.d fo,. the tbird
TN Ln,,.. rbat aIiou.s in holm to
,o,,,- Iat,bl,.,..' ba. an, ,,n.a,.or,. ranu-
to+io,, ana got. +bo credit of doing
~. MI +, .r,,,I. tho yi,l. tn *
,rt tbair maagra incomes
No rarriaa. is tolerated where "liv-
i-,ir' 0I,tojn. Ifrba f,.,,, s,at. wind
~ an effoc+ion hatraan a man and
OWL one of Tho tvo is nromntI, dis.
cbargad Srrb bousae viii MOI em.
NOV n married man if they know il
Inn sometimes the, ars outu-ittad nv
mon who saa tbeir batter halves only
from, Cat,,rdav IN Nondar There
vas an instance of q vouno fellow
Who deceived bis or,nlova,s in mis-
vav for civ vaare When discovered
altborob he had oiven faithful ser.
Tice fo,' oil that time he was ais.
gbarqed instantly II is another hard
and Fast rrra NAT none of tho mall
ernlovae of these sbons may vote
Tbe dinino room il usually darn
ona in the callar and NOT invoriahlv
frea iron, co,l,roacbae l,poup in FnG-
land a. hlacl haotlas Tn meals are
served on Ionq oiIcloth-coverad rabIas
hare of anvtbino bavond tho essential
imniamants of pastronoric warfare
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