The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-06-27
THE HERoIsM OF THE GARRETT


the National women's Trade Union
League, who has a winter home IN
Brooksville, and whose husband was
A former citizen of Ocala, and who
has often visited this city, in a recent
article showing the connection be-
tween low wages and the social evil,
pointed out some incidents of heroism
OF the garrett that came under her
personal observation. which must
make one have a higher admiration
for the sex which has made woman
hood so glorious and lovable.
Mrs. Robins says:
But If there Is the darkness of trag-
edy here, there is also the light of he
roism There are girls by the tens
OF thousands who have maintained the
integrity of great personal suffering
and self-sacrifice, as we'll as in the
face OF grave temptation.
Il know girls who have lived twelve
in room, on twelve mattresses, be-
cause their earnings did not permit
them better sleeping accommodations,
and who have lived for three years at
a stretch on rye bread and olive oil,
unless invited out for meal. I know
girls who have simply paid for the
space of half bed during the night,
when the same bed was not only shar-
ed by them during the night with an
other girl, but had been used by two
other girls during the day time, these
other girls being night workers.
Il know girls who take it as an ev-
ery-day. matter-of-fact experience of
working girl life that they should dali
" 90 without their luncheons. l know
girls who have entered a saloon be-
cause they could there lget bowl Of
soup as well as a glass Of beer for five
cents. receiving in that bowl of soup
better nourishment than any other ex-
pendture OF five cents could bring
them
Il know other glr;s vino, with equal
matter-of-factness. never think of
spending money for car fare or lunch
es or laundry or outings, and never
dream of earning enough to make life
halfway decent and comfortable, or
giving a chance for any realization of
aspiration or ideals or education, or
sweetness of fresh air in the noun
tains or by the sea; and yet these
girls, by the tens of thousands, in the
face of such constant denial of all
hat makes life worth while, have held
their womanhood intact.
To the courage, the grit, the fine
ness of character. all can testify who
know intimately the daily life of the
working girls But we'll may We ques-
ton the civilization. the democracy,
the Christianity of community toll
Grating such conditions ! We are de-
in the everyday life of our
working girls the stuff cut of which
heroes and martyrs are made. Some
OF us would like to see the conditions
OF industry so arranged that every
day folk like you and me might have
a chance of earning our daily bread
on the square. The question of the
wage is not whether a girl can or can
not hold her own in the face of suf-
fering and poverty and Temptation;
but whether any able-bosiied, intelli-
gent young woman is tOs put all the
years OF her girlhood and lwomanhood,
all the possibilities of the joy of her
motherhood. in jeopardy because she
is giving her all in service without
receiving sufficient rempneration to
make possible decent nutrition, decent
decent living conditions for
herself-conditions making for the ed
ucation and development of all the
fine powers hidden and held within
her"