The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1912-09-21
Perpetual Famine and its Horrors
Haunt the Homes of Thous-
ands of Toilers.
Young Girls and Old Women Sacri-
ficing Their Lives for a
Beggar's Living.
The Hope Offered by Religion is the
Only Consolation Many of
Them Have.

Harold Begbie writing in the Lon
don Daily Chronicle on the horrors
of Orange rule in Belfast describes
conditions that are truly pitiable.
You may see, he writes, stout mat =
rons of 40 and SO in the linen mills,
but the average life of the stunted,
anaemic, skinny little creatures who
compose the immense army OF mill
workers is 3s years Of age. They be-
come sallow and dull. Their teeth de-
cay and fall out, their lungs break
down, and they wind up their expert
ence of terrestrial life with a digni-
fed funeral.
It is said that the business pros
perity of Belfast - one single rirm
made a profit of $4,000 last year
is built upon credit. A serious rise
in the bank rate, 1t is said, would
bring the commercial glory of Belfast
tumbling to the dust of bankruptcy.
In some cases at least this advertised
prosperity Is certainly built upon the
slavery of women and girls. No man
can say that the life of these girls
is good. No man can pretend that 1t
is desirable. No doctor could do any.
thing but denounce it. At IA years
Of age they may earn Is a week, and
in their decrepitude at 3S they may
earn los or 12s a week; but even If
the rs had grown to hundred, who
can say that to die broken and tired
at eight-and- thirty, with no expert
ence of joy, with no enthusiasm Tor
beauty, with not the faintest knoWl-
edge of the boundless universe that
enfolds the mystery of human life. is
a reasonable existence. is a just des-
tiny? From such loins what posterity
can spring?
And If life in the mill is dreadful
, and wicked, it is scarcely less lnhu-
man in the home of the outworker,
even the country outworker. "A gen.
tleman," says Miss Margaret Irwin,
who was given special attention to
this question, speaking of the evil
conditions of the work. and the seri-
GUS results it was having on the
health of the girls. said, The girls
carry in heavy burdens Of shirts. say
on the market day, which Is Tuesday.
They may get lift on the road; If
they do not it means a three miles
walk for them each way, which they
have to undertake overweighted and
underfed. Consequently they arrive
home at night in perfectly exhaust
ed condition, and without any whole
some appetite. Their day is some-
thing like this. They get up badly
rested and unrefreshed after night
spent in an unsanitary, ill-ventilated
house, and make boil Of tea," say
ut 6 o'clock, for breakfast. Then they
do a little housework. second
breakfast, also of tea, may follow an
hour later. Sewing may begin at 10
and six or seven of them may Club
together in one house to do this, as
of course, they get through more
work that way. If there is a man ir
the house, something in the way Of q
dinner may be made between IL and
/; If not, it is tea and bread again
Tea again at s, and once more tee
at 9. They work on this food some.
times up to IL or 10 at night wher
they have a big order on: go to bee
after midnight, it may be; rise unre.
freshed in the morning, and 5egir
again da capo."
Life Of tho outworIker.
Miss Irwin herself gives a strikinf
; account Of visit she paid to young
woman, probably the most highly
skilled worker l met with in my en-
) quiry.
When visited she was embroider
, ing a silk parasol with colored silks
The work was exquisite and demand
ed high degree Of skill. She was Il
receive Is for the parasol, and
would take her three days stead.
l work. She showed me a blouse piece
} finely embroidered. which would talk
/. two days steady work from eight ii
!. the morning till ten at night-for thi