The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-09-23
WOMEN WORKERS OF
CHICAGO GAINED MUCH
THROUGH UN10N1SM.
Continued from Page I.

crept shamefacedly back to their seats
murmuring; Il didn't complain; dlon
saw anything; it wasn't me that want
ed to raise a fuss" Soon the steam
was turned on and every girl was
working away for dear life NO one
smoke to us; no one had a word OF
sympathy, gratitude, Or regret Tor u.s.
each one thought only her own little ooo
and how she could best "stand In with
the boss" But, after all, Mr.. 3 FOL
lowed me to the door, and said con"
fidentially:
"Now, Mrs. Swank, I recognize your
ability and want to gift you some eooo
advice. You let all such things alone
and you try to make money. You re
Smart enough. You come back to WORK
in a couple of weeks; I gifts you your
place again."
was foolish. perhaps, in those days.
I answered:
"Mr. S. can you not imagine any one
using their talents and strength LOT
better purpose than making money!
And then felt him staring after me IN
puzzled sort Of way.
The other two sisters, learned alter
ward, went back to work, and the OBJ
noxious rules were changed and some OF
the appallingly low prices were slightly
raised. They reaped the benefit of the
protest, and we the disgrace. Such was
one of the crude attempts at lettering
conditions. It must be remembered that
we had not then succeeded in organizing
permanent unions among women.
NY work as statistician of the assem-
bly, was attended with great difficulty.
It seemed impossible to induce work.
ing girl to inform anyone how much she
earned, how many hours she worked,
what were the sanitary conditions OF
her shop, or. If there were any unjust
rules. I had the advantage Of being
worker myself, of being with them and
among them on an equal footing day
after day; and yet it was only by
shrewd watching and some strategy that
I could gain the least information from
them.
Mrs. Florence Kelly, inspector of fac
tories in Chicago, often spoke of the
same difficulty. Women would not tell
her the truth about their work. no mat
ter how kind or how tactful she was
with them. It is hard to account for
this strange secretiveness at first
glance. but it was comprehensive when
one came to know them better.
These women, most Of them, were
Americans who had been carefully look
ed after and protected In their own COM
Portable homes, and whose mothers and
erandmothers before them had been
similarly treated. Perhaps they had
worked as hard in the home and es
thoroughly earned their living as now,
but it had been in manner that the
world knew nothing about.
With these traditional ideas. they still
considered that their affairs were their
little for it, it was nobody's business.
They preferred to bear their privations
alone. and allow others to think that
they were comfortably situated, quite
well off, and needed no ones sympathy.
As yet each worker considered only
her own case; she did not remember
that she was one Of great throng, all
with interests, needs, trials, hardshfps,
very much alike, and that some know
ledge Of her particular case might lead
to benefiting the whole.
They were slowly to grow into this
realization, for when the time came in
recent years that working women were
ready to unite in trade unions. they
forgot that they had ever been utterly
opposed to the idea. But at this time.
however, they religiously kept their at
fairs to themselves, as though it were a.
sin to divul8e their real condition. To
sink her love for privacy in personal
matters for the good of her class was
something not to DO though Of for q,