The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-08-26
Chicago Letter

Chicago, ILL.,, Aug. e6.---Frve hun.
dred girls and women wifi partic-
ipate In the Labor Day parade on
september 8, as representatives of "a
organized bodies OF Chicago women
worekrs, In occupations ranging from
vaudeville artists and corset ms kers
TO teachers, stenographers and. horse
nan makers. and will embody a flesh
and-blood plea for motherhood and
homes, for babies. and for the ,pro-
lection OF women. Earnestness or
purpose of these girls and women
hnds no possible wet blanket In, tho
probable prospect OF walking over
the proposed route of four miles be-
cause OF hte scarcity OF unoin team
sters and the difficulty and expense
In securing automobiles. Mrs. Ray
mond Robins. president OF the wom-
ans National Trades Union League
of Chicago, Miss Mary T.. Mcdowell.
OF the University of Chicago Settle
ment House and the vice president
of the Chicago branch, Miss Erma
Steghagen, the secretary, and Miss
Agnes Nestor. the treasurer. will d.
rect the woman's section OF a parade
that Will comprise over $4,000 men
and Will add high light with its
pennants of white and gold and its
bright-eyed girls to the grim pha-
ianxes OF the toilers. The picturesque
maypole of last year in which dog
ems OF white garbed women mounted
In a tallyho held the ends of a cam
opy OF vari-colored streamers bearing
such notices as equal Pay for
Equal Work." mo Child Labor"
Educate. Agitate. Organize will
be repeated with an additional cry
Fellowship is Life" supplementing
the eight aphorisms of last year. The
Chicago league founded in 1904 by
Miss Jane Adams, Mrs. Charles Hem
rotin. Miss Mary e. Mcdowell and
other pioneer champions of the wom-
an who works, is but twelve months
the junior of the National body,
which made It's debut In 1903 under
the guidance of two delegates from
Great Britain. To the crusades wag-
cd by this organization is largely due
the progress of industrial emancipa-
ton for women in Illinois. Fair
wages, decent working conditions and
shorter hours, above all the eight
hour day, rate the present demands
of the League which even now is pre-
pairing for another onslaught upon the
Illinois State legislature, arguing tho
4S-hour week for women workers
Adequate protection of machinery
and the employment of steam and
electric power whenever possible are
further subjects of agitation with
surgical statistics ably recruited as a
forclble campaign lever Examination
of medical reports and summary re-
veals an appallingly high registration
of girls and women united for wife
and motherhood and home making.
and permanently broken in health as
a consequence OF various crimlnally
exhaustive Industrial occupations
carried on under conditions that
should be judicially termed Illegal.
aFHG, ssE IrE
Hitting the ice trust between the
eyes with the brass knuclsles of ap-
piled scientific invention, and saving
Chicago's slum babies-i I'm the face of
the unequaled advances In the price
of ice and the milk rise this season,
and the CONSEQUENT forced economies
and un-iced and soured milk for many
babies, has been successfully accom-
lished through the use of thermos or
vacuum bottles as Ice eliminators, In
the day nursery of the Esther Falk-
enstein Settlement House, located in
the pitiably poor Ghetto district. This
Is the section of the city where 72 per
cent of the infantile deaths in July
occurred this year as against 81 per
10 aat a, tx,.t MT
Of the city's population dwells there.
the second week In August In
this district the baby death toll
Ieaped TO 1914 as against 142 on the
preceding week, an increase even
above the heavy mortality record OF
The same period last year. "Indlvid-
lals in this quarter have queer ideas
of economy, Just like the municipal
declares Mrs. Esther Falk-
enstein, head resident of the Set
Llement, "they appear to think It's
cheaper to buy collins than Ice or re-
or even milk saving de-
vices. Increased cost of living and
wage scales have cut of
from many what are the sanitary
comforts and common conveniences
81 life. Destitution near our creche
IS as severe in the summer as In the
winter. One poor girl, barely 20.
by her husband before hes
babe was born. brings the child, now
) months old. to us every day and
hen the poor young mother. deaf
md lamed from her husbands bru-
alities goes out TO clean by the day.
We have from rs to 80 babies daily
hough the creche has been opened
,nly a month and our room is linn
ted. The icing problem was griev-
,us tax upon us the first two weeks
,ut by shaving down this expense we
ave more money for food---can spend
nore for the milk and less for the
means TO keep II sweet and that's an
tenn with milk adyancing q cent