Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-04-12

out of bed. but after a tusse they
forced him back and sent for the doc.
tor three times He did not come.
and the boy died in the midst of his
terrOrizpd chums. The records are
blim full of stories as pitiful.
A woman who has seen service in
the London shops says that in one of
them she remained only d weeks.
In that time three girls had been
obliged to give up on account OF ill.,
ness. The speaker worked with IG
others. ana reports that of them one
was anaemic. one had variCOsc veins.
one had chronic cough. one chronic
headache, all suffered from lassitude
and four often lost their voices
through weakness. one girl who had
tainted away with exhaustion. but
who an hour after was back at the
counter showed this witness her feet
which We're blistered from long stand
ing and said that she had not been
able TO battle them for three days. as
there had only been enough water
III their dormitory for ordinary wash
ing.
Critics Of the "living-in" system do
not hesitate to declare that it is one
of the best paying departments of the
| stores in which it exists. The EN-
ployer tells his assistant that his
board costs him Cthe employer So a
week-a sum that otherwise, in the
| Dry, would be added to the assistants
wages-but it is estimated that many
employers, by practicing economy,
really pay about half that sum and
pocket the balance. In some cases
the clerks are boarded and lodged at
a total cost to the proprietor Of Sl.25
week. The proprietor makes
/ another nice little thing by running a
laundry and washing his assistants
/ linen. and likewise 10y providing lit
tie injuries at the table which they
can add to their slim repasts-if they
are willing to pay for them Each
/ clerk has to pay q shilling every
month toward Tho store doctor and
! it hda been caustlCaily remarked that
| if that tunctionary receives all this
money his practice must be one of
the most remunerativc in London
| one thrifty soul who owned a large
west end shop annexed a stock farm
| and supplied his kitchen with meat
| being finally prosecuted by the au-
| thOuties because most of it was faint
| ed. Another insists on his help
wearing a style of collar only to be
| found in his establishment.
The London shop man draws a sal
| AIRY OF from $3.50 to S225 a year in
| addition to his board and lodging:
| the shop girl So a year less They
! have to be well dressed. and their
! little income is drained by all sorts
| OF fines. to say nothing OF the small
| sums they often have TO spend to
| exc out their scrimped meals
The system is a growth of the old
! custom 10y which an apprentice was
/ practically a member of his employ
| ems household. Five years ago a so
oiety was formed to abolish living
| in and generally 10 befriend the shop
| assistant and it has now about 5000
! members. This society hopes to ac-
! cOmplish its object by gathering all
! the shop assistants in London-who
! number 100000 To its standard. but
! they don't come in great numbers for
| the simple reason that they despaired
! long ago Of getting any reform Thev
| have seen such men as Sir John Lub-
| book introducing bin after bill in their
behalf in Parliament without their
| gaining anything by it. and they
| doubt if they could succeed. even in
| their thousands, where such men have
| failed. Sir JoEi has offered 13 diff
| ferent measures to Parliament only
/ To see them defeated. The only tan
| gible result of such efforts was the
| law passed last year compelling shop
! keepers 10 provide seats for the'r
! clerks. Special Correspondence OF
/ the Springfield Republican.