New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-29
ABOLISH NEEDLE INDUSTRY.
Mrs. Kelly Says Rapid Machinery Ruins
Health of Girls.

There was quite sensation in the Women's Con-
ference OF the Society for Ethical Culture yester-
day afternoon when Mrs Florence Kelly who had
been announced to speak on Women in Industry
said that 1t broke her heart to see women in the
needle hades. and expressed a desire to see all
work or this kind swept out OF existence.
Inc term women in industry is. 10 q great
tent msnomer. said Mrs Kelly THE women in
our factories are not women at all. but girls at
the foolish age. and when industry comes into the
home the home perishes"
80 far as industry in the home is concerned the
Sthical Culture women did not disagre to any
extent with the speaker. but as regards young
women in factories, they at a loss 70 under
stand how the time between school and marriage
was TO be occupied by the daughters of the poor
II they were not allowed work in factories Mrs
Kelly did not have time to explain as she was
NJ 91ns 10 Keep another engagement aDt-vny
SAD That the change would have 10 be accom-
Pilshed by changing the present system of public
school education. She has promised however -
give later address on this subject and then the
h'hcal culture women expect to ask her a lot OF
questions
Mrs Kelly believes that factory and sbop life ara
uniting the rising generation Of women both
physically and mentally for The du+tas ~ vie
hood and motherhood, and by way OF ilIustra ton
she referred particularly to the injury 10 heath
resulting from the too rapid operation of ma
ch.4ery
Sewing machines in factories are run 50 rapid
" sho said that you cannot see the needle
only by the help OF an electric light hung over the
machine can a blur OF light. which indicates the
presence of the needle, De seen. How 90 you think
your eyes would feel after you had watched that
blur for Ten hours? 1t affects the eyes Of tne
Iacory grI IN the same way. and the result is that
seIl IN our pest factories there is body Of girls
VINO have become what they call slow They ca n
ed by he machine. and after that it is not long
before they are not worth the room thcv and their
weeks to learn to operate machine and sfter she
mas become skilled Il IS only about six months be-
lore she begins the q pett SlO ,i~b
simply means a relaxation Of ali her powers
mus II happens That girls continually marry
vcus. energy and peculiarly liable TO ali the lis
which beset people wearied in their youth
As Tor the work OF women in the tenement sub
stitutes for homes" Mrs Kelly declared il 70 be
an absolute and unmltigated evil involving inevI-
tably the utter neglect OF children
The earnings Of the woman who works at home
lack of tine said Mrs Kenv The ~S ebef ad
vantage of such work those who do It is that il
worthy There is superstition that the woman
VINO seEs Is better than the woman who doesr :
sew ard many OF the women who take IN sewing
Mr ne KsnGGTts are Perfecty awgre OF this fact
Spencef VINO took an entirely different view of the
People in the habit Of talking" she said.
as II the SUBJECT OF women in industry were 4
new one In rea " women are still doing the
few who have gone out into the world only about
per cent nave followed the work that they used
doing in many cases the very work that they used
10 40 under other names Woman has always been
roT getting hysterlcal because she does her work
Referring TO the details of Mrs Keuy's address
Mrs. Spencer said that men were injured no less
than women by too rapid machinery and that there
ne regulated by law, as in England She also said
tory in better condition than when they entered It,
Referring to Mrs Flora Ma cdonaId Thompson
said that 1t would have been impossible in tha
ing rentT 5'5ner ~ a az
ferences or expressions Of ignorance"