The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-03-09
WORkF0R MEM ONLY.
A ST. LOUIS EMPLOYER WHO WON'T
GIVE JOBS TO WOMEN.

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Give Men Work and Let Them Take
Care of the Women, is His Motto.
Says That His Business Was Made
BY His Employees, and He Owes
Them Something-WOman's Place
is at Home. IT, i
There are no women in the wholesale
spice and tea house Of Julius Schotten
& Co. of st. Louis although it, has an
office force of IA, factory force of 80
and Il travelling representatives, to-
tai of 11S persons. -. .
The stenographers of this house are
young men. The bookkeepers are men
The factory workers are all men and
boys. Seventy-five per cent Of them
could be replaced by women and girls.
The stenographers could be replaced
by girls without lowering the standard
of work, girls and women could take
the places of some of the bookkeepers
and more than half Of the factory
workers, but they do not because Ju-
Illus J: Schotten, the proprietor, says:
"This place is for men:''
The private office of julius j. Schot-
ten is a parlor. He resides with his
family at Hotel Beers. Concerning his
methods of business and the fact that
he does not employ women Mr.. Schot-
ten said to The Post-Dispatch: 4
A young lady came to me one day
and asked for work. She said she had
a younger brother she had to support
I told her to send the brother down.
She did, and gave him employment at
wages enough to support himself and
his sister.
I do not want any one to think I am
the enemy of the women and girls who
work. I am not. am seeking to help
them. I may be wrong but believe I
am right. There are women and girls
working in st. Louis whose husbands
and brothers are doing nothing. There
are young men doing housework and
washing dishes whose sisters provide
the family income. This is wrong.
There should be work for the men and
boys. The mothers and wives and sis
ters should be comfortably supported
at home. The girl who works down
town every day cannot become much
Of housekeeper. Housekeeping makes
housekeepers. Girls working down
town are not acquiring much expeAi-
ence in housekeeping. The home be-
comes to them place of too many re-
strictions.
So I never employ women or girls.
If every business man employed none
but men and paid them mems wages,
St. Louis would not be full of girls and
women compelled to work. The young
ma : he %ah fn& ms l<a ann oh
money to enable them to marry the
ginls and take then.
sI could proba bly, save 81, 800 a year
by discharging some Of my men and
boys and putting women and girls in
their places, but I would not do it. T
have no right to do it, and have no in
clination to do it. do not care to get
rich that way. The men I employ are
paid enough to enable them to become
providers for people dependent upon
them. Their mothers and sisters are
not compelled to work. ,~
There is not an employe in my office
force who is paid less than SIS a
! month. I start capable young man at
$50 month. He is worth that to me.
My stenographer is worth to me what I
pay him-$75 or $100 a month, forget
which. could put good, capable
girl in his place for $40 month, but /
would not do it. If I did, would de-
stroy his field for usefulness and divest
him of his power to be a provider. A
man cannot have family and be much
of provider on $40 a week.
I have no criticism to make upon
! business men who do employ women
and girls. That is their business. Nei-
ther have any criticism to make upon
houses which pay their, employees less
than they can comfortably live on.
That, too, is their business. Occasion
ally, though, do wonder whether such
people enjoy getting rich in that way.
Not long ago representative of an
eastern concern came here and wanted
to buy me out I would not sell. There
are men here who have given their
whole lives to this business. 1t has
been built by their work. Have I a
right to sell this place to people who
might turn these men outdoors? I do
! not believe have. This business is
the support of these men and those de-
pendent upon them. They look to it.
They have a right to do so. They built
it up. providing here a place where
they might earn a livelihood. I am not
the man who would take it from them.
1t would not be fair for me to do it.
I have here a young man who came
to me after working five years for a
st. Louis house at $40 a week. Five
years at $40 a week in one of the big
gest cities in America! He is a bright
capable young man too. ! asked him
why he left. He told me he left be-
cause the proprietors had recently put
their two sons in the business, giving
them the places Of two old employees
who had good positions. He said he
did not care to stay with house which
threw men out in any such heartless
fashion to make room for members Of
the family. So he left. He was q SEN
sible young man. He was looking into
the future. ,,S... I'LL, 5.t. ss
| A young man came in here one day
and asked me for a position. He was
the son of wealthy man. He had de-
] termined to leaye school. Il asked him
1 to sit down and prepare his application:
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