The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1901-1903, 1902-12-14
WOMEN GOLD BEATERS.
A FIELD or WORK ABOUT WHICH
LITTLE is KNOWN.

Northumberland Opposition or tho
Mem reaters TO Women Employment.
The recent strike among the gold
heaters, the issues at stake being the
increase of wages and discharge of
women employed in the business. must
have caused good many people to
INQUIRE what woman gold heater is.
Gold beating is one of the smallest
OF American industries, as it is, in
some respects, one OF the most pecu.
mar The conditions under which IL
exists enable the workmen to dicate
terms to their employers, the latter
frankly admitting that they have to
either give In or go out of business.
Ihere are only about 500 gold beaters
IN this country; the work is expert
and not every one can learn it. The
English and German workmen are too
well paid to think of emigrating; ana
Of course the contract labor law stands
in the way of sending for them from
this side.
Inc recent strike was really on &C.
count of the women. The increase of
wages would have been granted the
men for the asking, but EMPLOYERS
were reluctant to discharge for no
cause women who served faithfully
for low wages, did their work better
than the men could do it, and were.
IN many cases, widows and orphans
Of the strikers fellow-workmen. They
held out for seven weeks, hoping TINT
the men would soften, but the hone
was not realized. The women had to
60 1t is pleasant to know that one,
hrm, the largest in New York kent
the discharged womens names on the
payroll, and will continue to send
thcm their wages until employment
can be found for them.
Small as the goid.beating industry
Is, and little notice as its troubles at
tracted, the results of them might
have been very far-reaching. Manu-
facturars, it is said, actually consid-
cred whether it would not be as wen
for them TO go out Of the business
as FAR as the beating itself was con
cerned. II they had done so the price
OF gold picture frames would have adj
vanced at least % percent on ac-
count of that tariff on gold leaf. Art.
lists would have felt this very serious
", since their frame-maker's bills are
heavy enough as It Is. Decorators.
painters, sign makers, bookbinders,
cabinet makersa dozen trades Would
have been affected. All on account OF
about 100 women-or rather on ac-
count Of the ungallantry of about 500
men towards those women.
Gold beating is ono OF the few han
Gicrafts left. In Germany some ma
chincry has been introduced, but the
work accomplished is inferior. The
knack OF striking exactly the proper
blow has not yet been transmitted to
a steam hammer
The gold, % carats fine, is melted
and run through heavy rollers, com
ing out a ribbon about an inch wide
and Of the thickness of plotting pa
per The ribbon is clipped into inch
squares and placed between the
leaves of parchment book three
inches square. This book Is called
the clutch. and contains two hundred
leaves. When it has been placed IN
heavy parchment envelope it Is Civ
en- to brawny workman with arm
and shoulder muscles like a gladiar-
or. He stands before a pounding
block of solid granite. and, with an
iron hammer weighing Is pounds.
beats the Clutch until the gold within
is three inches square instead of one
inch. The blow struck is not the
crushing blow of a butchers ak; It
must rebound lightly The effort is
expended In the upward swing of the
arm and not in the stroke Women.
Of course. have no part in this work
The gold is next cut in quarters and
placed in another book called the
shoda, which contains some $50
leaves This book consists of a pe-
cllliar substance made from the en-
trails of oxen II is as fine and
smooth and flexible as the lining Of
an eggshell. It is very costly the price
of a single book being $50. A book will
stand $50 beatings, after which it is
sold to manufacturers Of imitation
gold-leaf
Tho shoda is beaten with lighter
hammer and more expert stroke
The idea is to make the leaf a little
thicker on the edges than In the mid.
die This is in order that when he leaf
is finally trimmed and sold the manu-
factiTer and not the buyer viii get the
part.
The man who beats the shoda was
really the cause of the strike. Up 10
this time all the work is in the hands
of men. The transferring of the leaf
from the shoda to the next book and
the final beating has always been the
work of women. A light touch and a
def hand arc required to do this with
out breaking the leaf, which has now
beer beaten to the thinness of the
thinnest tissde-paper Some OF the
men say they wanted to take the work
away from the women because they
knew they could do 1t. and they
thought they ought to be allowed more
chance to sit down and rest from their
severe labor. Others admit that they