The Washington herald., 1913-04-19
WHEN WAGES ARE
AT ROCK BOTTOM
Girls Who Earn Scarcely Living Wage
Need Help More Than
Criticism.
BY FRANCES SHAFrER.

by FaAnCES ShAH n HAs
In the abundant discussion regarding
the question Of woman's wage and won-
ans morals some strange comment
comes to light, along with some practical
evidences that there are appreciative
folk who grasp the depth OF problems
not their own and who understand that
life may grow pretty dificult at times
when the wage is down to rockbottom
and when moral energy sinks with it.
A woman writer, inspired no doubt by
the discussion, took up the case of the
girl that does not go wrong" and to
emphasize the fact that it IL easy enough
to stand ON ones own firm feet II one
only wills 1t SO, she declared, that, as
for her. she had always wanted furs-
OF a certain kind-and had Gone without
them. And that woman writer's salary
pleasantly futteB up In the clouds
where high figures abound. and the furs
that she longed for were Of the variety
that most OF folk can do without and be
quite happy. Perhaps II she had earn
ed all of IS q week she might not have
thought OF making comparison.
IT Is very true that there are thou
sands and thousands Of brave-hearted
girls who do without the little Injuries
they long for. turn aside pleasures, even
skip the things needful for health and
comfort, as skip them they must on their
modest wage-all because their own true
lives are worth more to them than any
kind OF furs or any kind Of comfort,
when pride in themselves is gone. And
il never occurs to them to do anything
different for that is not their way.
Lnck of Appreciation.
But ii displays a woeful lack of ap-
probation when a high salaried woman,
or a woman who never has felt the need
of earning a dollar in her life. talks
about the things she has done with
out" in the name of her standards. In
deed. some folk must feel the pinch of
hunger before they know it hurts. And
others must drop their luxuries, and
get down to the real poverty-grind be-
fore they realize that there is differ
ence. ,,
And they must be reminded that there
are some firm souls who will walk
straight up to the mouth of a cannon,
while others, frazier, more feltering. de-
liberately turn away; and that 1t Is the
test that tells which is which.
And when We think and talk Of the
girls and the women, the boys and the
men who do fall in one way and an
other, 1t might be well to think, too,
OF comment once made by Jane Ad-
dams. She was discussing the Grant
girl, who, as everybody knows has won
the active. practical sympathy of this
broadminded woman and instead Of tell
ing how easy ii was to walk in the
clouds If ones purposes were turned that
way, she wrote:
Every human being knows, deep down
in his heart. that his own moral energy |
GIBBS and flows, that he could not be
Judged fairly by his hours of defeat, |
and that after revealing moments of
weakness although shocked and fright |
ened, he is the same human being. strug- |
Cling as he did before"
And when there is not the help. of a |
living wage to sustain one through these |
hours of defeat, the naturally weak go |
down, and stay down.
BY a Different Measure.
But while some are thinking of their
own comfortable salaries and the big
things they want and cannot buy there ,
are Others who are measuring up the
low, low wage of girls who are always
lowering on the brink Of actual want.
From Cleveland comes the story of
a band of women who have offered to
open their homes to low-paid working
girls, that they may have the advan-
tages of real homes at very moderate |
cost. 1t seems they were stirred to
that action by the case of a young wom-
an twenty years old. Her parents are
dead, and she works in a department
store Tor very meager wage, with a
slight bonus for extra sales; and a wom-
an who guessed what it meant offered
her room and board in her home for
s. week as a temporary solution Of
the problem that faced her.
And the clubwomen there are plan
ming to open lodging-houses for girls
who do not live home and who have a
weary struggle to keep on firm, true
ground. For there are some who look
out from their own pleasant shelters to
figure a bit-they need not figure long,
on the way life runs for girls whose
earnings are down to the lowest notch.
The whole world knows that there are
other influences to draw girls down,
knows, too, that nothing can suffice to
lead some to drop one inch away from
their own true selves; but il seems sort
OF big and fair for women who have
no real money problems of their own to
set their imaginations, their sympathies,
and their hearts at work to figure out
the difficulties of the low-waged work.
ing girl. who must win her fight with
practically all tho odds against her
but-herself.