The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-05-10

q right to existence, and as It works mus
be fed and nourished-
Via could be more human and NOR
simple and less ultra than what I quot
to you-that the surroundings in which sh'
must pass most Of her life shall be rea
sonably clean and reasonably healthful?
Is It not also a little pathetic. even Will
reasonable and devoid OF sentimental pie:
for sympathy?
The courageous. splendid creature. tn.
American working woman. asks. first o.
all. to be properly fed and properly en-
vironed as she tolls.
I think 1t is a surprise to US all that shorl
hours should come even third in the list.
Thirdly, then. the woman asks for time.
Let me show the charitable man and
! woman and the benefactor and philan-
thropist that for q moment We must all
stand aside.
The question IS lifted by the great law OF
harmony out Of our hands. It remains in
the hands OF the ones who should reason
ably answer 1.-THE manufacturer can give
to his employees the things which they IN
macs demand.
Please do not think for a moment that I
undervalue the beauty of effort made by
every man and woman who seeks to help
or to better the working people, nor Is
there any reason why honest effort should
| cease.
Be assured that when decent conditions
exist in the lives OF the factory gir.s. when
| their hours are shorter. when their pay Is
better, they will eagerly extend their hands
| and open their minds to the advantages
| that their more leisure brothers and sisters
| pine 10 give them.
There is another thing which seems very
| much TO discourage the worker among the
factory girls.
| Over and over these people have COM
| planned to me that the only way the factory
girl seems to care TO spend her evenings
Is with her young man."
And why not?
| May / ask simply here, Is 1t an unnatural
| thing that, after her day of toll. the fac
| tory girl, once free. should seek what seems
| to her the most agreeable and restful thing
that a woman's mind and nature can know
the companiorship of the opposite sex?
| That this companionship Is always for the
bad is very far from the case.
The amusemen,s, when they have them,
l Of these people. certainly in the North. are.
| for the most part, decent and innocent; and
| those helpers who really seek to make the
evenings of the factory girls enjoyable ana
a success will not act anitss II they COM
eine clubs which include both sexes. and
entertainments where the young men and
the young women are both invited.
Every situation in the world can be Inn
| proved when its natural coho'tons are thor
oughly understood and when its sequence
Is logically carried out
1 Wl1l 10 Spe1h Ntic AtA Tic u
the factory girls food. At noon the tagged
body and the exhausted nervous system
demand, unfortunately. something that
will stimulate more than something that
will nourish.
OF course, in our country the luncheon OF
a French working woman would not only
be misunderstood, but would not be toler-
ated.
The French girl takes at noon a piece Of
wholesome and coarse bread, a glass OF red
wine, possibly a bowl of vegetable soup.
Some of them eat a stew. This food costs
in France only a few sous
In our country the girl takes a piece Of
| Die we'll powdered with cinnamon, a pickle.
some candy possibly, and 1 knew one work.
ing girl whose lunch consisted Of a glass of
ice cream soda Scarcely necessary to say
that she was an unhealthy specimen; she
said she was ..too tired to eat"
also know a young woman who. day in
and day out. makes her midday meal from
lettuce salad and a piece Of pie.
All this is in the North. and I am now
speaking of those girls who go out at noon
% get their repast.
The ..haud'' who, at her machine, eats
1er lunch, takes often a sandwich and an
apple. Horrible as is the Southern mill
sands food II is more substautiaEporx,
corn bread, molasses and hominy.
This at least makes fiber There. Is NO
more absurd scphistfy, 70 my thinking,
than the plea that these people are used to
what they have. - -
;hey represent to US as individuals? They