Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1911-11-16


The uncertain, hit-or-miss program
Of woman's erstwhile destiny has
been largely responsible, believe, for
lack Of organization among sewing
women. ut has seemed to us that
the sewing trades are most in need OF
help" said Jane Adams several years
ago, and later skirt makers and
cloak makers union was organized at
Hull House. But that did not reach
the needs Of the state street needle
woman those who fashion the beau
tiful gowns. They are. refined, intelh-
gent, womanly women. No danger OF
a lady getting out of her sphere"
| with needle and thread. Sewing is a
quiet and wholly unmasculine craft
i and Mrs Grundy and most men have
/ been willing to let the women have it.
Pen pictures of the poor seamstress
4 who has piled her nedIle by tie VIM
4 dow. with sad, pensive face, while ex-
i pectantly waiting and watching for
/ the ship that never returned and the
letter thai never came, have adorned
lpages of our sentimental literature.
i No one ever seemed to have thought
i that she was making money While
she waited, or that if not, why not, as
raiment has always been very much
in vogue; and as heretofore stated,
women and needles and thread have
I been for the most part the construct
ing agents, whether in factory or else
where.
OF course when we girls learned to
sew our doll clothes, it was play that
pushed the needle. When we fash
Toned our first Bingham dress. for
school wear it was girlish pride that
pushed the needle. When we went
into the shop to make gowns for
living, capitalism pushed the needle,
and in our mad haste to make the
needles fly half the sewing girls are
afflicted with "thimbleitis." Never
heard Of that disease? Well, it is
, caused by too much STOPPING in cold,
: draughty work rooms, too much hur-
nv, too little time for lunch, too much
overtime, too little fresh air. 1t is a
nervous trouble to battle the Wier
iMitchells of the profession, because
the fashionable prescription for wo-
mans nervous troubles is complete
, rest and change; and the doctors
know when to give rest-cure advice
and when to give capsules. Personal
} ly, it was bad case of thimbleltls
/, that brought4me to Socialism, though
: I had a good case of Socialism some
! | time before l knew it. 1t was like
81 this: A few years ago sat in great
j store in Chicago and did "pfece work
t on beautiful gowns to earn llVell-
Ihood. and incidentally to help add to
: the millions of the two young grand
t sons of the merchant prince who had
/ stipulated in his will that they should
inherit. the principal until they
, were SO years of age, the income alone
i Ibeing quite fabulous. In the interim
t ihundreGs Of women-clean, decent,
r sldlful-are annually adding other
II thousands to the principle by accept
/ ling a scale of wages that is scandalous
lily low. In that store we all shivered
Tor four days late in october without
lyestige of heat-the steam pipes
, were being laid-while the trains
coming in from the North were cover
i ed with snow. The health of every
, woman-and there were about CO.
!, could not help being affected by such
| exposure. And still we didn't walk
out!
Truly, sewing women are psychol-
: ogical studies.
I talked in an undertone to those
| near me about what tools we were.
The great cloak and suit sale was on,
and they could not have carried on
!. 4 their tremendous sale a single hour
i. without the skilled alteration help.
And yet they sat and sewed in mortal
terror lest Miss B, the forelady,
should appear with a new crouch. !
have seen girls who were earning $12
| per week and receiving but So, actual
lly tremble at the approach of the
terrible Miss B. Psychological
puzzles, / should say So On the event
Of my second pay day ! had it out
with Miss B. on the subject Of
wages. Before / was through deliver
ling my opinion about her and the firm
| / had an audience of about 20 women
who followed me to the cloak room
with exclamations of wonderment. An
inspector said to me: Il wanted to
say every word you said to Miss b