The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-12-02
Boston Transcript.

A remarkable book entitled 1.-THE
Long Day." purporting to be 1.-The
true story of a New York working
girl, as told by berself." is issued by
the Century company. The author
describes the life she led and the
life she saw about her while fac
tory hand in various establishments
in New York and elsewhere. She
herself and the publishers vouch for
The absolute fidelity of the story to
facts. Some IDEA of what American
working girls are and what they must
endure may be gained from these ex-
tracts taken from the last chapter In
the book, which takes final account
of the authors experiences.
When l met Minnie Plympton on
the street corner, that hot summer
night, I was dead broke" not only
in purse, but in body and spirit as
we'll. She took me home with her
to the two small rooms where she
was doing light housekeeping, and
where we continued to live together
until her marriage year later broke
up our happy domestic partnership.
A few weeks after Minnie took me
home with her got position In the
notion department of one Of the large
stores. I received only 81 a week;
but, as our rent was small and our
living expenses the very minimum
was able to meet my half of the joint
expenditure. I worked four months
at selling pins and needles and thread
and whalebone and a thousand and
one other things to be found in a
we'll stocked notin department.: and
then. by a stroke of good luck and
Minnie Plympton's assistance. I got
place as demonstrator Of q new
brand Of tea and coffee in the gro
Gerry department Of the same ''em-
porium." My new work was not
only much lighter and pleasanter. but
it paid me the munihcent salary or
So a week.
But did not want to be a demon
strator Of tea and coffee all my life.
I had often thought I would like to
learn shorthand and typewriting. The
demonstration of breakfast foods at
the next counter to mine was taking
a night course In bookkeeping; which
gave me the idea Of taking similar
course in stenography. And then the
Long Day began in earnest. went
to night school five nights out Of ev-
cry week for exactly sixty weeks,
running consecutively save for q fort
nights interim at the Christmas holt
lays, when we worked nights at the
store. On Saturday night. which was
the of night, did my washing and
ironing, AMI on Sunday night made,
mended and darned my clothes
that is, when there was any making.
mending, or darning to be done. AS
| ny wardrobe was necessarily slen-
Ter, had much time to spare. This
>Sare time on Sunday nights I spent
in study and reading. studied En-
glish composition and pnctuation,
both Of which I would need later on
when I should become q stenographer.
I also brushed up on my spelling and
grammar.
Al Tor reading, which was the only
recreation my life knew. it was Of a
most desultory. though always mer-
cenary sort. read every book I
could get out of the circulating lib
rary which, from its title or general
character as summarized in the news
paper reviews, thought might help
me to solve the problem Of earning
good livelihood. The title Of one
book which was so much in demand
that had to wait a whole six months
before I succeeded in getting it thru
the slow and devious process peculiar
to circulating libraries. That book
was up From Slavery" and 1t
brought home to me as nothing else
could have done what was the real
trouble with myself and all the rest
OF the struggling, ill-paid. wretched
working women with whom I had
| come in contact during my appren-
| ticeship. What that trouble was
shall revert to later.
When 1 had thoroughly learned the
principles of my trade and had at
tanned a speed OF some hundred and
odd words a minute, the hardest task
was yet before me. This task was
not in finding a position. but in flll-
ing that position satisfactorily. My
first position al $40 week I held
only one day. I. failed to read my
notes. This was more because of
I a "a ~