New Britain herald., 1915-05-12
Little Sewing Girls of Paris Need
 Help of Fashionable Women of World
War Has Caused Them to Turn Into Pale Silent Army With Faces Distorted By Destitution
 and Despair.

The rnidinettes of Paris need our help. The women of America-in fact, fashionable women of the whole. world-owe these little people great teal," says Mrs. Edna Wooln,an Chase of New York, who is doubtless enc of the best informed authorities on fashions in this country. f@
 Right here it may be explained who tee m1dlnettes are. They are that gay, chattering flock of little sewing girls who used to emerge -rona the subway in the morning and dart down the Rue de la Paix with the swift graceful m ovmnts of tn swallow and the joyous laughter of irrepressible scuth,'' to use Mrs. Chases own words. And they have recently been turned into a pale, silent army with faces distorted by Restitution and despair. %
 These girls were the first to lose employment when the war broke out, ard obviously they will be the last to regain employment, inasnuch as the making of gowns is an industry de luxe. After the strain of enforced i6leness. the heart breaking losses of
 
 girls now find themselves confronting The most awful predicanent that can befall an earner of small wages, namely, the obligation of supporting the older women and the children of the family when not earning even sufficient to support themselves.
 A fund known as 'tThe Sewing Girls of Paris or "Le Lover de lOuvriere." has been organized, of which Paul Egcudier, former president of the Municipal Council of Paris, is presi- dent, and Condo Mast chairman of the fund in America. The objects of the fund are to pay the rent of the unfortunate working girls: aid sewing women who are soon 10 become n1others: establish loW-priced and healthful living quarters for the sew ing girls and give the girls moral sup port, medical aid, food and outside interests.
 Production of "Carmen'' in Increase
 American Fund.
 Mr. Mast with the cooperation of Mrs William K. Vanderbilt, Mrs. Harry Payne Whitney. Mrs. Ogden Mills, Henry Rogers Winthrop (treas- urer), Frank Crowninshield and others, has arranged for t special per- for1nance of "Carmen.' to be given at the Metropolitan Opera House. New York, Thursday, May IS, Miss Farrar will have the title role, Mime Aida will sing Micaela; Anato. Escamillo: MartinelH Don Jose. The others in- clude De Segurols, Leonnardt, Reiss, Sparkes. Braslau and Defrere. The production will be in French and Tobacco will conduct. @
 A ne rcaliza rf,e roifi a t,le 1.iight of these sewing girls" says Mrs. Chase, who visited Paris a short time ago. Their delightful genius which once supplied the whole world of womankind with fashions has now only one market--America, including sL few cities of South America. There is no gayety in Europe these days. Even in the countries not actually en- gagged in the war, the weeping and mourning for friends and relatives of neighboring states go on and keep in- crea sing Fashion is q dead word abroad, and with its passing the mi dinette has become superfluous. Only military values count now; in every branch of industry expenses are cut to the lowest. In despair, these little sean1stresses have applied for work for days, and the bulk of them meet with the disheartening answer: We have had to lay off all cur own people. We cannot use your services
 Some Earn Twenty-Five Cents a Day.
 I'm France the daughter or sister Of soldier is entitled to no financial aid from the government. Some of the couturieres are. it is true, making clothes for the soldiers. For this they are paying their sewing girls twenty five cents day. Out of the twenty five cents the girls must buy their E thread (which has risen in price to about eight cents a, spooD, pay their fares to and from their homes, and perhaps support a mother or sister as we'll. Some of the girls have been nourished entirely by the charity soup kitchen, which sprang into being as a result of the war. aa
 Bear in mind that the very cour