Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1911-11-25
sse~~e~e~eeee.ss

which. aciuated ~ humanitarian ron
sons, has fought h. modify the unnec.
essary hnrdships Incident To christ
mas shopping. For two weeks before
christmas most department stores do
"a capacity business and the pres
sure IN intensified at every point. Au-
thentic records from the lives of
clerks. delivery boys and wagon driv-
crs show that ms u result the season
% christmas festival and of charity
for the lame, tho halt. and the blind
reduces TO Illness aud exhaustion the
YOUNG and faithml who serve u. seen
and unseen.
\ Kind OF msanncss in human re-
lationa was Witnessed by Mlsa John.
son. an inquirer Tor the Consumers,
league, ~ho worked In one Of ths
stores during The week ~ Christmas
goodwill Her actual experiences are
told In u volume entitled Making
10th Ends Meet" By Sue Alnslec CLARK
nnd Eiiih Wyatt. % which Tho Mac
milan company Is the publisher.
The rush had begun when Miss
johnson was Transferred In this
Christmas week from the ncckwear 10
the muller Department on the first
floor OF ono 81 the cheaper stores. An
the girls stood all day lonR---from
eight TO twelve aud from one 10 eight
Mt nishi on the frat days; from one
at noon to ten and eleven ~ nlrhf. "A
the season progressed: and. on the
last dreadful niahts. from noon 10
the Following midnight. The airls
had % cents supper money. Except
Tor that. all this extra labor was UNI
paid FOR.
The work was inccasani The girls |
were nervous, hateful. spitcfui with !
one another The manager, a b, au-
tiful and extremely rough girl Of nine
teen. swore constantly at All OF them.
The customers we're grabbing. lnslst-
ont, unreasonable from morning to
evening. from evening 20 midnight.
Behind the counter. with the advance
qf the dag, the place became an In.
fert.o ~ nervoua exhaustion and cx.
iNnsrntion. In the two weeks OF Miss
Johnson's service one customer once
thanked her and one tipped her ave
cents for' the rapid return OF a parcel.
Both theee acts Of consideration tool.
place In tho morning. Miss Johnson
snid that This wits fortunate for her
~, az one word 81 ordinary eonsld.
aratioH toward ne end os her long
fay's work. site thought she must
have burst into fars.
There was little oundier in the
catriona Maiatosla. a
White. hungry looking little North
Italian OF fourteen With thin chin
ind q dark-Shadowed worried face.
The had an adorcd sick sister 81 four.
'esides six othst younger brothers
nd sisters and q worshipped mother.
. whom she gave every cent OF her
'agns Of three dollars and half a
foek. An older brother. q day labor !
r. paid the rent AMI provided food
or all Of them. Every other family
Expense Was met by cstriona's three
oilars and hHif.'s that she was In :
he habit Of spendinx only ave cents y
pr her own lunch, and. on TIE nlahts
. overtime. five cents for bcf own Z
inner. In order to take home the ex. 9
ra thirty cents: and every day shet
'okcd whittier and older. r
81 the beginning OF the week he. y
,rc Christmas. the store raised cat =
onn's wage "a four dollars. Her
lother told her she might have the q
Stfa half dollar for herself for y
hristmas. Though Catrlona had
orNed for some months, this nne In. r
rst money of her own she had ever =
nd. With pride she told the depart .
Icni how It IVES TO be spent. she was I,
ping TO surprise her mother with a y
w waist for Christmas. a waist cat =
ona had seen Ia the store marked J -
'wn TO foriy-nlne cents A ten per y
mt discount vas allowed 10 en-
oyes, 80 that the waist would cost
riy-iive cents With the remaining w
ie cents Ceiriona would buy her sick "'
osn a doll Al her life Rosa had ~
anted doll, Now at least She ~
uld have one. 80
on the daS when she received the -
on'N, cairions kept Il close az hand, i,
little worn black leather purse, W
shabby bag hanging from her ~
m, aud not cul Of sight for an ms y.
mt. IN
Her purchases we're 20 0q made IN u,
'hree-quartors Of on hour allowed ~,
? supper The time catrlona con- :.
m"d In eating her live cent meal =
y never Iona 20 that even allow "A.
for prolonged purchasing. her aa. vi
nee Of an hour waA strange. II,
D. your soul. whsre In he'll
We you been ~ this time. Cntie9" ea
Z manager scrcamed ~ her. anRrily, or
'hout glancing 1T her. when ahe "a
me back al last on
'airiona looked more anxious and lct
l'e Than ever before, Her face wac pa
lined with weepinE. n lost my thl
re, she said ia dazed. unsteady an,
&C. IN was soae when ! opened ald
bag In the lunch room. iva look mi
for Il eycrywhe7e.7 has
here WAS suddent brcethless sat
nEc In tie air Of thf department. ell
could have heard a pin drop. wei
hettor go down 70 the basement soil
wash your face. said the man- tina
=, awkwardIy, with unbelievable con
tleness. iIln
Well she coptinued suddenly. the y
ute catriona was out 81 ear-shof. mel
2 not ~ poor hut I can help 20 nee
&c tha' IN" She took dollar thai
from her nnekaf. hook Every Pms