The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1901-03-09
WOMAN'S PHRUI QUEST.
STORY OF HER HUNT FOR WORK
IN NEW YORK CITY.


fled by Facts Dis eouragins Attempt to
Earn Support
There is a popular theory afloat that
any one who will may find work, ana
that she who is destitute and out OF
employment, If in good health, Is SUI
fering from self-imposed misery. In
a city of SO many and varied indus
tries as New York 1t Is, perhaps, not
surprising that this should be the con-
sensus of opinion; but the theo"r IS not
always verified by facts, as the ex-
perience of a woman, told to Tribune
reporter, proves. She said:
Circumstances made it necessary FOR
me to leave my Southern home and
come to New York, and when / arrived
1 had a snug little sum in the bank
and an assured yearly income OF sew
eral hundred. 1t never occurred to rue
that the wolf was even then creeping
ND to my door, and that l should be
forced to ask. nay, to beg, for work IN
this great city. But presto! the snug
little sum and the assured income van
ished into thin air!
but who cared? Did not have tai
ents?
II had not been in New York long
enough to feel the full force of such
disaster as loss of income, and so
didn't know that here money Is your
best friend
"And still had my letters. too! Oh,
those letters from high State aud
Church dignitaries were sure to be
telling things-were sure to bring me
lots of friends and great influence!
ARMED with these 1 couldn't fall to
the ground-I couldn't fail to secure q
position of some kind!
"In nv own home l had passed for a
| woman of more than ordinary inte'!i-
eence-had gained a modest reputation
| in a literary way-had written accept
able stories FOR different magazines
and periodicals, and had been paid fol
! them.
Gathering up my letters l set out
! TO call upon prominent Clergyman
He read them, looked severely at me
and said sternly:
"Now, what did you cone to New
York for?
.'As this was the first time / had
ever been spoken to harshly by man
| felt more bewildered than hurt, anG
| faltered out:
'Why-why, for the musical nd
vantases, and-and things
"Leave me your address. I'll de
what l can to introduce you to musica
people. 1 can't help you otherwise
Nothing ever came Of that.
Another clergyman was visited.
was courteously received, my letters
read, and 1 confided to him that hat
lost my bit of income and wanted
work. A panied look came into hi
eyes.
"'Oh,' he said, 4 have so many case
like yours brought to me. l am IL
despair
"But he wrote me letter Of intro
duction to the head of an employment
bureau, who received me affably, ant
who said he would do his best to Sc
cure me a place. 1 have never had Al
offer from him.
II went to a prominent magaZin
man and showed him some printe
sketches and articles cut from tn
periodicals 1 had written for, and toll
him that I had had some experienc
in a literary way and in newspape
work.
! eff you have done newspaper wor
! a magazine office Is no place for you
wares he answered, roughly.
81 have answered countless adver
tlsements, walking sometimes miles
the singing snow and rain-advertise
ments that seemed to apply to m
: needs. But the majority Of thel
proved to be places as book agents
with short hours and big pay, If caps
ble.' The salaries and commissions OF
fered were most generous-if you coul
earn them. I tried-and failed. l ws
either incapable, or no one ever earne
the salaries.
j 81 come of a long line of fightin
{ ancestors, but l needed all the acct
mulated courage of those ancestors
my trial efforts to earn that generou
salary. l even tried to sell books
Jersey City!
Next l applied for a situation 1
clerk in a drygoods store, one of I'll
: largest in the city. The day l apple
there was a double line of sad-face
applicants, middle-aged men and W
= men, young men and girls and JaI
q anese.
"'Sorry, very sorry, but we have I
;, room-absolutely no vacancies Of ar
. kind for anyone" said the man
q charge.
Il sought a church mission socie
a and told them l must have work; tn
I was penniless. l didn't want cha
Il ity, but work, work!
i Work of any kind-office wor
d writing, any kind Of mission wor
church visiting, oh, anything.
! "T am very sorry, my dear MADAM
# the man kindly answered, but we cal
: create vacancies, and We are nc
% straining every nerve to get the mon
: to pay those already employed. wi
-e could do something, but l can't al
n he really did look regretful and pitt
IL as he bowed me out.
v "Being told of place where tn
e employed persons to address e
10 velopes, 1 hurried there.
III "sWe never employ girls, the supe
iutendent informed me courteously.
AZ