The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1901-01-10
Miss Lester Makes a Plea to the
KenOsha W0man's Club for Better
Industrial Conditions.
OUR DUTY TO THE EMPLOYED
Miss Lester Urges That Reforms be Intro
duced for the Benefit of the "Wo-
men who Work

The Woman's club held its regular
meeting Wednesday afternoon with
smaller attendance than usual. After
the routine business and a short drill
by the President in parliamentary
practice, the club passed resolutions OF
sympathy over the death of Mrs Ellen
M. Barns.
Mrs. Abbie Whitaker was the essay
ist of the afternoon, and she read
carefully prepared paper on 'Our So
Geological Relations to the Wage
Farmers" dwelling especially on wo-
men who are engaged in the struggle
for existence. She said in part:
"Modern civilization has brought
us into closer relations than ever be-
fore with the so-ca11ed 1aboring classes,
and it is the duty of every member OF
a community to consider how he shall
best discharge his obligations to those
who supply the muscle and s1neWs Tor
the wealth production of the world.
CAPITALISTS, manufacturers, merchants
in fact everyone employing any sort
of labor. is, to a certain extent, re-
sponsib1e for the physical comfort and
the condition of those whom he en-
p1oys.
"Most of us women are limited in
our experience with labor, being re-
stricted to the ever-engrossing prob
lem of the servant girl. And yet even
here we can do much to ameliorate the
condition of those with whom we are
brought into association. For my
part have found that the problem
demands a great deal of diplomacy. A
little praise, little f1attery often wins
more ready and willing service than
the most rigid discipline and the sever
est sco1ding.
"Individua1 ambition is crushed by
the fixed wage of the daily laborer.
Beyond that pittance he sees that It is
impossible to rise, and so renders often
but a ha1f-hearted service. Some
benefcent manufacturers try to relieve
the condition of the employees by open
ing club rooms, by establishing lunch
counters and by other means that are
so many free grants to the working
men, Commendab1e as are these
1aborer, they are only makesh1tts.
What is needed is that the employee
| should feel that his wage is due pro-
portion of the value of the product in
which his labor represents consider
able part of the skill and effort neces-
sarv for the output of the comm d1ty.'
The paper was followed by an inter-
esting discussion under the leadership
of Mrs, Curtis. Several new ideas on
| the questions of domestic service"
and CLOSING hours" were brought out
during the afternoon.
Great zest was given to the discus
sion by plea from Miss Lester for the
clerks of the city. Miss Lester is de-
voted advocate of the early closing
system and has made business OF
making observations and gathering
data relative to the results of the pres
ent long hour system. She stated that
the clerks in the stores of Kenosha
were working from twelve to fifteen
hours a day, with only half hour
rests at noon and evening, and cited
one instance of a young lady whose
working day consists of fourteen hours,
whose wages are only fifty cents day.
She dwe1t upon the righteousness of the
work and gave the side of the clerks,
as she had gathered it from inquiries
and interviews among the girls who
are engaged in that work. She
showed that the responsibility for the
long hours of work of the clerk rests
with the people who do the buying and
exhorted the women to refrain from
their evening shopping in order that
the overworked clerk might have op-
portunity to rest at least four nights
week, and that the too busy merchant
might have time for leisure and free
dom from the toll and monotony OF
| business.
Miss Testers remarks aroused a
very animated and general discussion
in the course of which several interest
ing facts were brought to light.
Among other things it was learned
that one young lady clerk in Kenosha
had worked so continuously and SO
late the day and night before Xmas,
that she had been unable since to re-
sumo her duties. Among the women
present at the club there was only one
voice dissenting from the proposition
of Miss Lester.
The afternoon closed with the usual
serving of tea, Mrs. Nathan Allen and
Mrs. Rowe presiding over the tables.
The next meeting of the Club will
be held Wednesday, January 10.