davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1905-12-24

r H. Macy & Co pay much attention to the
health of their employees as any other firm ee'eIa
sad cases of destitution and neglect III Ilne oi
sickness are responsible for the present excellent
system One girl was missed at her place IN the
store for several days. and she had neglected.
to 5oin the relief association no one Went TO see
her When her continued absence was caIieo TO
the attention OF the firm the inspector sent 10 ook
into the case found that she had been SICK IN hef
lonely ballroom in tenement house lot 'H4e0
days without food medical assistance.
After this experience membership In the reAeI
association made compulsory An absence oL
a single day will bring visit from representative
of the company. Each employe is also provided
With = postal card which is TO be mailed imme-
diately in case OF illness There are two doctors
a man and woman--and trained nurse IN al
tendance at the store, and there are three rooms
provided as hospitals The doctor visits all sick
employees at their homes at least once day. ste
has from five to seven thousand patients year.
He is required to make a formal report on every
case.
The most interesting feature of the welfare work
at John Wanamakers establishment 1s the wan
amaker Woman's Club. in which every woman VINO
works in the store is eligible for membership. 1t
is social and literary organization in It's original
form, with interesting department devoted 10
class work Last winter lessons were gwen III
French, German English. elocuton. dressmaklng,
cooking and millinery The teachers employed are
the best that can be hired; for last Easter the
millinery class of hundred turned out one hun
dred hats which were pronounced as stylish and
beautiful as any that could be purchased in the
millinery department. The classes for this year
are now organized and the attendance and interest
promise to be larger than ever. Only one evening
a week Is devoted class work, as il is considered
that the strain of six days behind the counters OF
the store would make any more night work mad
visable.
For time the women had club house to them
selves on the site of the new Wanamaker store
They now meet in outside hail. but 1t s said that
New-York tribune., 1905-12-24

jamin NfeoH and Lawrence Gillespie.
The weather has been so pleasant that the golf
ers have planned to hold two tournaments in the
holidays. Play in the Christmas tournament began
with the qualifying rounds to-day. Handsome sill
yer cups will be awarded to the winners of this
tournament and the one to be held on New Years
Day. The links Of the Pine Forest Golf Club have
been thronged with players this week. The balIny,
springlike weather has freshened the turf and
greens until the course is in as fine condition
as in midsummer.
Mrs Marshall Field, jr., of Chicago, arrived in
Lakewood with her children this week. and will
occupy the Beard cottage. in Private Way, for
the remainder of the season. Marshall Field has
been seriously iii the death Of his son. and he
has planned to spend part of the winter here with
his daughter-in-law and grandchildren.
Mrs Minturn Warren, Of New-York who mas
rean staving at Seton Inn. taken Mrs. Grouse
cottage in Kent Road. for the season ,
Mr. and Mrs William c. Duncan, OF New YORK
have taken apartments at inc 110he''OOu AAO'A w.
One of the principal affairs in Lakewood society
this season was the dinner which Mr.. ana MIS-
William Arthur Hamilton gave on Iuesday even.
inc in the palm room of the Lakewood tiolei- II
marked the beginning Of the social actvltes or tne
season Mrs Hamilton is a cousin of Mrs. George
and crystal candelabra. Berger's 'Hungarlan Or
chestra played gypsy folksongs ana Inelooles a.
fhe dinner and this feature was greatly enloyeq
The guests included Mr. and Mrs George ). 1oqla
Art+nr r Clahfn, MI and Mrs w. Ross PROCTOR
Mr. and Mrs Henry Lloyd Herbert Mr. and MRS.
Henry S. Kearny. Mr.. and Mrs Sheppard Knapp 1aI
De Forest. Mr and MIS-, LEWIS Sso D. ii"e'''
The theatre Of the Lakewood Hotel was
crowded on Monday evening at the performance OF
New-York tribune., 1905-12-24

tion for there undoubtedly an odor, when
rose high above the odor of the dyes. But there
must be some method of sweetening cat pelts, for
the reports Of the auctions in London the great
fur market of the world, always include mention
Of the sale of large lots OF the common house
cat" A melancholy item, to one who has tender
heart toward cats, is in a recent issue of The
Fur Trade Review: House cats doing well, and
selling readily at satisfactory prices 1t IS grew
reflection that may be wearing part OF
q cherished freSIde pet, lost last year dthsHhs III
little tails supposed ermine scarf
Dogs pet dogs, have 50 far escaped; though oc-
caSionaly automobile coat Which looks
Newfoundland puppy. But furriers declare that 1t
is not done: though one when asked If the do
mestc dog might not be levied on for fur, perhaps
raised for the purpose IN the future, repHeO-
There's no telling what may to-
One hears of good many new Kinds or furs-
always among the cheap furs-but they are not
look differently and with new names. One well
known furTier said: They viii take a goatskln
and make it pass for anything by dyeng it'-and
though this was by way of exaggeration, it is
furs Some of the small dealers on the East Side
are so accommodating that If they do not know
the fur you ask for they pretend TO- one little
dealer on Houston-st., when asked If he had muffs
of jennet fur produced nondescript gray article,
'!The iennet fur? Oh, yes, that iss the mole
skin. The mole ISIS a small animal found in the
mountains of Africa. and ISIS named after the man
who first hunted ii for fur
If and then among the cheap furs,
piled in perhaps with muffs and scarfs of plate
something that looks really genuine. the chances
that 1t is stolen article made from stolen
fur The ways in which furs stolen vari-
One of the big importers on University Place
misses crate of furs; it may be the teaMster who
is guilty it may a be a thief the sidewalk, it
may have been stolen on the piers. At any rate it
New-York tribune., 1905-12-24
MANY INVITATIONS,

The prevalence of dyed furs the East Side is
certainly startling. and the number Of limitations
there are in the market seems endless Mink, now
is pretty likely TO be musquash, or muskrat. and
to come from the streams of New-Jersey. 1T iss
easy to sell a mink muff for S. said furrier
with a chuckle when the animal iss found right
in the neighborhood." In little shop down
town sets OF white lynx" and 'black lynx were
offered for something like s6 79. They were prob
ably made Of the skins of the French or Belgian
rabbit-dyed,. of course. The fur of this animal is
also used to initiate ermine but for this the hair
must be clipped close. The fur Of the common cat
New-York tribune., 1905-12-24

,~ -s-fod IN the history OF civilization
.to,r with diamonds and few things like
-. s.iopged, as IL WERE 20 the aristocracy Of
sheI- IT, Tbsv were among the articles which Lycur-
oIe .,s leyygfver of the Spertans. prescribed as
kesss,s,ies kess IN the reign OF Edward III of Eng
- an net was passed in that country forhidding
=. wearing Of furs by any person with an income
,tass than f100 yesr. In America, until recently
% - -,sra = sign of riches. a fashion item printed
i ..r-o5sy's Magazine about 1850 remarked that
ugh women Of wealth could no longer distin-
- themselves from the poor in public places by
e,.h.s OF velvet and silk. since those fabrics hao
,env limitations, they could DO so by means OF
80 which no one without good deal Of money
,suld afford.
60 - ali that is changed In the course OF a
Ty in East Broadway one will meet as many
xonen wearing furs as one viii ih 6th-ave. All
is- the East Side little shops peer up from the
soapts displaying mink sets at 50 7S' and
.rine scarfs for s6 90" In the holiday time Hous-
st and Grand-st- lined with pushcarts load
= -i4r flrs which are pressed the passer-by at
soh1,lo,sly low prices This would be satisfactory
enough if this influx Of cheap furs had been
,-ouvht about by good and sanitary methods.
unfortunately, it is not Two devices are re-
-+ed 70 by the firms which make the cheap furs
ond mostly control the pushcart trade and the
s-,sl shops They buy up the refuse scraps Of fur
ann the factories. and hire girls for few dollars
week 10 sew the scraps together into plates or
v-hole SKINS out of which muffs and boas are cut,
and they use skins Of inferior animals dyed with
sniIue dyes to initiate rare ones. A third source
e the traffic in stolen furs of good quality. a
Tr5bune reporter last week made tour Of certain
small factories where furs are made up and of the
hsunts OF the plate" makers. under the guidance
Of Hebrew boy who works in one of the shops.
and the things that we're seen were enough TO con-
vince one that a fac-simile of room where many
.pste' makers work would have fitted in appro-
vrately at the tuberculosis exhibition just held in
tte Museum OF Natural History
New-York tribune., 1905-12-24
AIR FULL OF HAIR.

How much is that sorter paidE the reporter
asked the guide afterward
Maybe five six dollars a week And he works
nights sweeping up the fur after the place ISIS
closed II iss not skilled labor But 1 would not
de the work that man does-no, not If they PAID
ne 500 week"
AND no one would. unless necessity compelled
Tbs air around that sorter as he sat on his STOOL
was full OF fine floating hairs; one drew them IN
with every breath of the nostTils. This breathing
IN Of the fur is one Of the most harmful things
about work in fur sweepings. One man. fur
ssBer in East Broadway, expressed IL graphically
IA conversation at the meeting place Of the
furriers' International Union, in Broome-st
4 hsf trouble by my nose, he said laying an
expressive finger on that organ. II 60 to doctor
and tie say. You are all full Of the fur inside.
yoG must haf an operation So haf an opera
ton. but" shaking his head, my nose iss not now
goat"
Broadway and the Bowery one finds a good many
rnsats'' makers, though there are more IN East
Broadway. They busy hives, these sitting
rooms where girls-the workers are mostly girls
few men, some older women-sit at the whirring
machines piecing together ininitesimal bits Of fur
with dexterity one marYels at. This branch OF
the work. however, is considered very simple and
Is poorly paid. Few Of the girls look healthy, but
ons sometimes sees a very pretty one.
One daTk-eyed, sweet-faced little Austrian Jewess
sat at machine making a piate" OF Persian
insudible but she volunteered the information that
she was going home 'in vacation time
20 my parents in Austria she said
~ II they not come hereE
1t iss eoot in the old o5untry,'' she said MY
parents iaf some land we work in the fields"
New-York tribune., 1905-12-24
AFRAID OF THE BOSS.

7 IS not easy TO get into conversation with the
workers at least when the boss is around. As
The reporters guide remarked Sure. Everyone IS
afraid for his job But in one place the boss hap
uaned 10 be absent. II of six or seven
little fur garment factories in a building on a
street off University Place; not one of the shops
where they do plate making, but TO which
Jews OF the lower East Side come to buy refuse
eur Two men at table in the front room were
cutting pelts Of Isabella fox-which is common red
fox dyed q beautiful brown-into strips less than
third Of an inch wide. These strips are sewn
together aternated with strips of plain leather or
cloth: thus doubling the size Of the skin. 1t is a
ruse followed with many of the long, thick furs.
The men were silent at first, but, when the re-
porter asked If the work were healthfGl, one OF
them raised his head with jerk.
The people go ferry fast in trade he said
THE young people-aIl Thsy go NIT the con-
sumption, NIT the asthma. I myself affected"
and, indeed. the man looked il; his face was as
white as a bone; ''but"-he spread his hands apart
children vat vii you do? It iss the-vat you call
it-the paint that iEs used
Dyes" the other corrected
That iss #, the dyes haf poison IN them, they
make Us 10 be sick. The city could stop IT. with
sharp glance upward. he bent over the furs
again. IF the city would"
The back room was perhaps fifteen feet square
Three small and stunted men were cutting out
rnuffs at a table There were four fur machines
placed back TO back IN the middle of the room. and
at each of these young g1Tl sewing Dlts OF gray
scarfs This was not by any means the full quote
OF workers, for, bosses everywhere explained
TT iss the end of the season now alretty-" The
men were all smoking cigarettes. the windows wers
closed. and the air was thick with the ooof. OF
nicotine. with the smell of dyes and the hying fuz1
chimes was piled knee high with discarded frag-
rnents of squirrel fox and musquasn fur, con-
glcuerate heaD.
New-York tribune., 1905-12-24
THERE'S MONEY IN IT.

There is money TO be made in cheap furs. II one
is not souearnish about methods. There is one olo
graybeard who went into the business on the East
Side few years ago with a capital of $780, and
not enough education to write his own name He
cannot yet write his name, but he has fortune
of 100000 1t is simple. The man ambitious to
have factory" has only to rent e room in some
building of which the or lessee has OBTAINED
q license from the State Department of Labor, per-
rnitting factory work to be done in that building
Then he buys or rents a couple of machines, buys
some refuse fur, hires girls to do platemaklng LOT
what will keep body and soul together, and there
he is Perhaps at first he only make the
refuse into whole skins and sell these TO the
makers of fur garments. But pretty soon he viii
he manufacturing sending out a pushcart in charge
of his SON perhaps. and running shop in the front
room of the building. Making up furs for mer-
chants is profitable, too. A dealer will pay the
boss 80 cents-and furnish the fur-for making
1nuf At least 20 cents of this is clear profit to
the boss,
Wages for skilled workers in furs, in the better
shops are good A cutter viii get anywhere from
$50 to S35 a week. a woman fnisher gets, say d4
in the season; she may take work home in the
evenings and make more. Ten dollars week is
the average for the hundreds of girls who are
working at muffs and boas throughout the East
Side. It be remembered that TINS Is a sea-
sonal trade and there is longer or snorIer perioo
in the winter when there IS no work Two or three
of the men asked what they did when the
shops shut down. One of them said: Veil, We safe
vat We can ven We work. 'Do?" another repeated,
q platemaker whose wages are near the zero point
I'VE lif bel any JOB We gets bel der street
New-York tribune., 1905-12-24
Conditions Surrounding MANY Workers on
the Cheaper Grades of Furs Sold from Pushcarts.

is gone and cannot be traced and ultimately it
finds its way TO fence" which is maint aimed
somewhere in New-York. and which fur dealers Of
a certain type find it profitable and convenient to
patronize. Then. of course, the pawnbrokers
gather in fair amount of genuine fur garments,
and the auctions of the pawnbrokers are always
attended by these same dealers.
This however is a matter of not much moment.
except to the importer who is robbed. and TO the
unfortunate individual who must pawn his-or her her
and plate made furs and furs put together In
small unsanitary factories, is of great moment, for
1t affects the health of workers and the health
of those who wear the products And there is no
immediate nrospect of reform.
New-York tribune., 1905-12-24

not more than sixteen: but when asked II she liked
the work she replied 1aconicaly
ST like the mon.
The boss of this shop was of better type than
most of them He had almost sensitive. large
eyed face and he appeared most willing TO ADMIT
visitors He said the work was not hard-thougn
~ ,ou are not strong here he admitted laying
hand ON his chest 'it iss not goot His factory
was fairly clean. and not so crowded as some OF
them, where there are twenty workers in a room
not big enough for ten
In some of the workshops enc encounters the
boss stolidly blocking the door with his own BODY;
there is no admission. Those are such places,
said the reporters guide, where they buy on the
factory inspectors. 1t iss serious charge you
say? But 1t ss true. They gif out so. maybe and
It iss all right, In these places htte' young
girls work, but when the inspector comes 1t iss
known. and when he comes into the room the girls
they are not there"
It is only fair to say in this connection that a
deputy factory inspector a woman, Wholn tne me
Tribune reporter was permitted TO accompany 21 1L
her rounds through some of the fur factorles, ulq
her work thoroughly and seemed TO have a 'feal
T fN
New-York tribune., 1905-12-24

But VIII you come back?"
No; I stay nit my parents"
But you can earn more money here7"
Maybe but" fingi1g her hand out with dra-
matte little gesture what iss q little money
Rnsn ! would be nit my parents?'
Near her sat q girl OF a different type. She had
osat shoulders ana saox curiously old-shs was
New-York tribune., 1905-12-24
LAKEWOOD FESTIVITY.
Golf Tournaments for Holidays
C0aching TRIPS.

Lakewood, Dee % (speciaD.-Mr and Mrs. George
]. Gould entertained a small company of friends
at Georgian Court over the week end. Their guests
included Mr. and Mrs Henry s. Lehr Mrs. S>'E-
vesant Fish, Mr.. and Mrs. James W. Gerard. Ben
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-17

Not the poor widow alone. but even the
big, able-bodied. hungry tramp comes in
often to share the drummer's generosity
A friend once told me Of a good turn he
did for Weary Willie" in Butte.
Now. IL there Is any place on earth where
a man Is justified in being mean. 1t is in
Butte. It is a mining camp. 1t rests upon
bleak. barren hills; the sulphuric fumes
arising from roasting ores have long since
a sprig Of grass This smoke, also laden
with arsenic, some times hovers over Butte
like a London fog. More wealth is every
year dug out of the earth in Butte, and
more money is squandered there by more
different kinds of people than In any place
of its size on earth. The dictionary needs
one adjective which should qualify Butte
and no other place. Many time while
there I've expected to see Satan rise up out
of hole. Whenever l start to leave feel
1 am going away from the domain Of the
devil.
"One morning went down to the depot
before 5 o'clock said my friend. Il was
to take a belated train. 1t was below eel o,
yet paced up and down the platform out
side breathing the sulphur smoke. 1 was
anxious to catch sight of the train. Through
the blush haze the lamp in the depot cast
I went over to him. supposing he was fell
low travelling mdn. But he was only
tramp who had been fired out of the walt
ing room. / wore a warm chinchilla, but
1t made my teeth chatter to see this shiv-
ering .hobo'-his hands in his pockets and
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-17
American Life.
From Atlanti

From Atlantic.
It Is a drawback in American life for pur-
poses Of observation and comment that we
ara a people indistinquished to the eye, I'M
classified to the understanding. Your cas-
uaI stranger may be a bank president or
floor walker. bishop or a broker. Pres
byterian or Christian Scientist. or be by
birth OF Iowa or Maine. or live In a hall
bedroom or a mansion with a park front.
He bears few marks Of his opinions or be-
liefs, political or religious. You can make
but broad congratulations about him. More
over his opinions and beliefs are not OF a
piece. 1t is likely that he was born into one
set of conditions, passed through others,
and has come out a mixture. his makeup
composite, his outline tndistinct Our clergy
are mainly unfrocked, our officials ununf-
formed. We have no kings. Our beggars
are unsatisfactory. You cannot tell gov
ernor from a congressman. Your COLLISION
with package-carrying youth may be
right contact with student of the schools.
an academic rebuttal. or but AN Hliterate
encounter with some mercantile adoies-
cencee some conveyor of parcels. There Is
nothing absolute about his garb. counte-
nance or motions Society moves before US
disorderly, and our eyes are bemused with
the clutter
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-17

I was hungry myself and told the waiter fI
give him what he wanted.
Cup O. coffee an sandich-t'ick slat
o de pig. cap'n, please said my hobd
friend
II saw some Strawberries behind the
counter and / said TO the waiter: Just
start us both in on strawberries and cream,
then let US have coffee and some OF that
fried chicken
" Sport. you are in on this said to
the tramp.
HE unpinned his coat and looked with
longing eyes on the waiter as he pulled the
caps of the berries. He never said a word,
merely swallowing the secretion from his
glands. When he had gulped his berries
told the waiter to give him some more.
:" Ever hungry, major?, said the hobo.
OATS kind a feather weight for my ap' lite.
Let me have a ham sand'ich stead
No. go on; you shall have a good.
square meal Here. take some more ber-
ries and have this fried chicken I an
and big dish with half a dozen cooked
chickens on 1t. Help yourself like It all
belonged to you
1.-The hobo ate two halves of chicken.
drained his cup of coffee and started to
get down from his stool. But he cast q
hungry look at the dish Of chicken.
Have some more. old man. said l.
It's been slong since had a good
square meal that could stan a little more.
major: but let me go up against a ham
san'Ich-its got longer reach.
NO; nave chlcken-al the chicken you
want-afld some more coffee said I.
"Eat How that fellow did go for It
five pieces of chicken! ia rather see him
repeat that performance than go to min
strel show. He slid off his stool again, say
ing: Major, I guess I'm all in. Tanks
"'Oh, no; have some pie said.
Well he replied. Major, Is you shift
the deck, guess L will play one more frame.
Cash % apple said Weary to the
walter.
when 1 insisted upon his having third
piece OF pie. the hobo said: No, major,
tanks. l got to ring off or I'll break tho
bank
He, for once, had enough. I gave him
cigar. He sat down to smoke-contented.
1 thought. l paid the bill; things are high
In Montana, you know-hls part was 81. So.
My hobo friend saw 1855 rung up on thu
cash register. Then I went over and sat
down beside him.
Feeling goodT said I.
"'Yep. but chez! Dat feed spread out,
would lasted me clear to Sam Paul."