The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-08-20
SIXTEEN GIRLS
Who GAN COOK
They Hold Diplomas as Proof OF
Their Skill With the
Skillet and the
Dish Rag.
COME FROM FACTORIES
Experiment With Working Girls
Proves Success for the Factory
and For the
Girls.
limited Press Special.l

united Press Speclal.l
NEW YORK, Aug. 20.-There are
at least sixteen girls in New York
City today who know how to cook
and sew and who are qualified in ev-
cry way to take care Of homes. Six.
teen special diplomas signed by the
city superintendent OF schools and
countersigned by four manufacturers
of New York, distributed at the an
nual closing of Public School No. at
test to this fact. The manufacturers
signatures are there because the six
teen girls were chosen from among
their employees and sent to school at
their expense.
The graduation exercises marked
the successful conclusion of an ex-
pertinent undertaken some time ago
by the cotton goods manufacturers Of
New York whereby girl employees were
permitted to leave the FACTORY for
school every other week and were
paid their regular wages during that
time
The idea OF inducing manufacturers
to educate girl employees to greater
efficiency and personal usefulness
originated with Dudley D. Sicher,
president Of the Cotton Goods Manu-
facturers association Of New York
and with the aid Of the board of edu-
cation was carried out by him and
his associates, Herbert S. Martin,
Aaron Rather, Abraham Gussow,
Frederick Newmark and Abraham
Iserson.
Four girls from each Of the four
factories were selected for the expert
ment and special classes we're held
for them. In the mornings they were
taught to read and write English. In
the afternoons they learned how to
make their own clothes, how to buy
and prepare food economically and
were trained in gymnastic exercises
and in mental, moral and physical
hygiene. The girls range in age from
sixteen to eighteen years. They are
all delighted with the house-wifely &C
complishments they have acquired in
their weeks at school as well as with
their greater proficiency in adding flg.
ures and in signing their names. 1t
is particularly important that factory
girls should add accurately as their
work is under the time system and
they must sign the pay book showing
their earnings at the end of each
week
~ can make underwear and waists
and dresses for children and can
make soup and roast meat and pud
ding and cookies said Rose Liebo
WITT, a pretty little. black-eyed girl
! from Hungary, and ! make more
went to school. I have learned SC
much English that l can enjoy the
plays l see at the theatre"
The point of increased earning ca
pacity was emphasized by all of the
sixteen girl graduates. They were
paid during the school work a sum
equal to their earnings for the week
before and they were astonished to find
that they gained in efficiency fol
work, as we'll as for home duties by
going to school.
! There are persons in New York who
/ view this novel undertaking Of this
Cotton Goods Manufacturers associa
| ton as the solution of the problem OF
/ the relation between the employer ant
the employee. They declare also thai
it will go a long way toward solving
the minimum wage problem. The cot
ton organization is only few month:
old and last week It took the unpre
cedented step of hiring Mrs Sarah w
H. Christopher, widely known as +;
fire prevention expert, to drill tn,
$4,000 girls IN their employ as .
measure Of precaution against disas
tiers like the Triangle and Binghamp
ton fires.
II consider the money spent il
sending those girls to school goot
i investment" Sicher said THE girl,
reached by our educational plan ar
the new arrivals in this country VIII,
know little If anything of the Englisl
language when they reach New York
/ We feel that we are helping ourselves
by any method that increases TIL,
happiness of our employees, since hap
piness always increases efficiency"
/
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