The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1905-05-12
(By Rose Schneiderman.)

(By Rose Schneiderman.)
Miss Schneiderman led the women
capmakers in their recent success
fu strike for the union shop. She is
small, quiet, serious, good looking
young woman of twenty years, already
a member of the national board, and
fast rising in the labor word.-Editor.)
My name is Rose Schneiderman, and
l was born in some small city of Rus
sian Poland. 1 don't know the name
of the city, and have no memory of
that part of my childhood. When l
was about five years of age my parents
brought me to this country and we
settled in New York.
So my earliest recollections are of
living in a crowded street among the
East Side Jews, for we also are Jews.
My father got work as a tailor, and
we lived in two rooms on Eldrige
so well as in Russia, because father
and mother both earned money, and
here father alone earned the money,
while mother attended to the house.
There were then two other children
besides me, a boy of three and one of
| FIVE.
| 1 went to school until 1 was nine
years old, enjoying it thoroughly and
| making great progress, but then my
| father died of brain fever and mother
was left with three children and an
other one coming. So l had to stay
at home to help her and she went
out to look for work.
| A month later the baby was born,
and mother got work in fur house,
earning about IS week and after
ward 50 week, for she was clever
and steady.
| 1 was the house worker, preparing
the meals and looking after the other
children-the baby, little girl of six
years, and boy4of nine. .mana8ed
| very well, though the meals were not
| very elaborate. l could cook simple
things like porridge, coffee and eggs.
and mother used to prepare the meat
before she went away in the morn
ing, so that all l had to do was to
put it in the pan at night.
The children were not more trouble
some than others, but this was a
hard part of my life with few bright
spots in it. I was serious child,
and cared little for children's play,
and l knew nothing about the coun-
try, so it was not so bad for me as
it might have been for another. Yet
it was bad, thought I did get some
pleasure from reading, of which l was
very fond; and now and then, as a
change from the home, l took walk
in the crowded street.
II Mother was absent from half-past
seven o'clock in the morning till half
past six o'clock in the evening.
1 was finally realeased by my little
: sister being taken by an aunt, and
the two boys going to the Hebrew
, Orphan Asylum, which is a splendid
. institution, and turns out good men
One of these brothers is now a student
in the City College, and the other is
page in the Stock Exchange.
When the other children were sen:
away mother was able to send me
back to school, and 1 stayed in this
school (Houston Street Grammar) till
had reached the sixth grammar
grade.
Then 1 had to leave in order to helT
support the family. l got place Ill
Hearns as cash girl, and after work
ing there three weeks changed to Rid
ley's, where 1 remained for two and
q half years. 1 finally left because
, the pay was so very poor and there
did not seem to be any chance of ad
q vancement, and a friend told me thai
could do better making caps.
So 1 got a place in the factory o.
: Helm & Fox. The hours were from
s a. m. to p. m, and we made al
sorts of linings-or, rather, we stitch
v ed in the linings-golf caps, etc. 1
>, was piece work and we receive from
n 31s cents to 10 cents a dozen, accord
f ing to the different grades. BY work
!. ing hard we could make an average o
Y about SIS a week. We would have
# made more but had to provide ou
own machines, which cost us $45, W,