The Jackson herald., 1903-08-20


| felt relieved as she planned her work
| with Mrs. Wards hearty cooperation
10 see as many working girls as pos
sible for information. and to learn
from them the story of their choice
of life labor. and fits relation TO her
own purpose so far as helping solve
| the servant question was concerned.
What Barbara learned during the
next three weeks would make vol.
ume in itself. She did not know that
she had any particular talent for
| winning condolences, hut few days
| experience taught her that she was
happily possessed of rare talent for
| making friends. She managed in one
way and another to meet girls af
work in q great variety of ways. ln
the big department store of Bond
man & Co.. in the long row of fac
tories by the river. in the girls re-
freshment rooms at the Young Won.
ems Christian association, in the Of
fees Of business friends where the
click of the typewriter was the con
stant note OF service, in the res
taurants and waiting-rooms about
the big union station, in the different
hotels and few OF the boarding.
houses OF Crawford, Barbara met rep.
resentatres of the great army OF
young women at work in the city:
| and out of what seemed like mcager
and unsatisfactory opportunities for
confidence and the sharing OF real
purpose in labor she succeeded in
getting much true information. much
of which shaped her coming plan and
determined the nature OF her appeal
to the mistresses on one hand. and
the servants on the other.
with n few exceptions, then" she
said TO Mrs. Ward one evening after
she had been at work on this per.
sonal investigation for three weeks.
"all this army of girls at work repre-.
scnts Il real need in the home some.
where. found some girls working
in the offices, and a very few in the
stores and factories. who said they
were working for other reasons than
for necessary money. Here is n list
Of girls in Bondman's. ! told them
did not want it for the purpose of
printing IL, and il is not necessary.
But there are over 900 of these girls
who cannot by any possibility save
any money out of their expenses. ana
few of them"--Barbara spoke with
a sense of shame for her human kind
and of indignation against un-
Christian greed in business-"a few
of them hinted at temptations to live
wrong lives in order to earn enough
to make them independent And yet
all of these girls vigorously refused
to accept n position offered to leave
the store and go to work at double
the wages in a home as a servant. | Of
fered over so of these girls four dollars
week and good board and room at
Mrs. Nane's. and not one of them wa S
willing to accept il, even when. as in
many cases, they were not receiving
over three and half week. out OF
which they had to pay for board and
other necessaries."
"And the reason they gave was?''
Mrs. Ward, who was an interested lis
tener. asked the question.
They hated the drudgery and con
finement of house labor. They loved
the excitement and independence OF
their life in the store. OF course.
they all gave as one main reason
for not wanting to be house servants
| the loss of social position. Several OF
the girls in the factory had been
hired girls, They all without excep-
| tion spoke of their former work with
evident dislike. and with one or two
exceptions refused to entertain any
proposition to go back to the old
work. | think one of the girls in the
Art mills will 90 to Mrs, Nane's. She
worked for her some wears ago. and
| liked her. But what can the needs OF
the home OF to-day present to labor
in the way of inducement TO come
| into its field? must confess l had
very little TO saw to the girls in the
way of indncement. Not Oh account OF
my owneXperience, =" Barbara FASTENED
TO say, with grateful look at Mrs
and Mr.. Ward, for you have been
very. very kind TO me and made my
service sweet: but in general. | must
confess, after these three weeks con
tact with labor outside the home,
see somewhat more clearly the
reason why all branches of woman's
labor have inducements that house
labor does not offer"
"And how about the prospects for
| pupils for the training Mr.
Ward asked, keenly. He had come
to have a very earnest interest in
| the proposed building.