New-York tribune., 1910-07-31
;fRO ;1f262ROF [I]NTEREST to
.Sfudy of Working Women
investigations Inspired by Miss Grace H. Dodge
Published by Y. w. c. A.

this. YET the ultimate effect of such con-
tinued assistance must he deleterious to
morals Cooperative undertakings on a
se!f-supporting basis are not open to this
criticism Working conditions can never he
called good while wages do not permit the
woman self-respecting existence Every
effort TO brighten the lives of women wage
earners should be commended. but futile,
indeed. will such efforts be if they disre-
gard the urgent need for a living wage,
without which women can never rise"
The women who don't like their work. yet
cannot do anything else, are a melancholy
fact In the problem. One girl who sorts
postal cards all day was asked why she
did not seek other employment when this
appeared so distasteful, and her reply was:
This is all ! can do: nobody else wants
me-
Here are conditions that good many
good people viii deplore-
Women are entering the breweries in
several Western States. and they seem
to be employed almost entirely as inspect
OTIS bottle washers, i2beIlers and wrappers.
L. river town in Iowa we found about
sixty working in ore establishment and
the firm had heen employing women for
seven years The Ut .izirg of women in
this particular occupation seems TO meet
with severe condemnation in some quar-
ters. It is feared that they will be unduly
ccmoraiiaed by familiarity with drink and
Inevitable contact with a low type of men
The industry. therefore, assumes a local
Importance out Of proportion TO its nu-
il.erical rank 4 few hundred women at
re.0st are found. but the tendency is toward
an Increase. CuTiously enough, a certain
closing law resulted in an increased num-
Ter of women in the breweries, owing to
the greater consumption OF bottled beer
and tls consequent need of more women
10 get bottles ready for the market, One
brewery employing tllirty-eight women in
1895 had sixty during the summer Of 1907.
one imagines that everybody is COM
Portable and happy in sunny California, but
women who work in fruit industries are
not
Little or nothing has been done by en-
ployers TO improve surroundings or add
comforts for he benefit of the women en-
ployed. Dr.. M9cLear writes. The hours
are lanG. and most lines Of work require
constant standing. In December and Janu-
ary the open shed-like houses in use become
very cold Women sometimes keep on
their wraps and stand in boxes partly filled
with hot bricks. or simply endure the cold
as best they can. II takes a very hardy
constitution to survive the strain of many
wears in the fruit industry. In order TO
earn s. or SO q day even experienced per
sons complain of great nervous strain.
These who earn as much as 81 work with
tense nerves and q feverish haste that
means physical breakdown eventually"
There is so much talk about settlements
and similar undertakings nowadays that II
seems as if the uplifting that is going on
must touch everybody. But it doesn't. The
! investigators found that thousands OF
girls never come in contact with any up
lifting agency. They know the niche
theatres, and the dance halls, and the glare
! of the streets, but they know nothing Of
the pleasant entertainments open to then
! in places entirely safe in character"
Many girls Were found in Chicago who
! had never heard of the public library
Girls in New York looked bewildereG wheI
! told about social settlements, and ther.
were girls in New England towns who die
! not know that there were places wher,
/ hey could have good time and remain
decent