davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1919-06-04

Lieut.. W. P. Keesler, son of Gen
md Mrs. S. R. kee;ler, has sale
rom France and will land in Newpor
Jews within a few days. Lieutenan
Aeesler is with the S1st Division
j16 Heavy Artillery and sailed from
France June l on the minnesota"
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1919-06-04

Prof. L. S. Rogers was in the cit
yesterday from Schlatcr.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1919-06-04

Lieut.. +. l.. Whitman has arrived
in Greenwood from Columbus and viii:
be the guest for a few days of Mr..
and Mrs. S. G.. Bedwell.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1919-06-04
ATTEND PARTY AT WEBB

Mrs. Sam Gwin, Mrs. Lucius Gwin
and Mrs. C. Dunn were guests yester-
day afternoon at a delightful bridge
party given by Mrs. E. V. Catoe at
Webb.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1919-06-04

Mrs. Warned Holt of Indianola, was
a visitor in Greenwood yesterday.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1919-06-04

Miss Charlotte Keesler has return
ed from Agnes Scott College, Deca-
tur, Ga, where she attended the past
session of that institution.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1919-06-04

Miss Ruth Anderson left Sunday 70.
Whiteapple to spend her vacation.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1919-06-04

Miss Edith Rhyan of Durant, was
the guest of Mr.. and Mrs. J. H. Ell
lington for the week end. Miss
Rhyan is a niece of Mrs. Ellington,
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1919-06-04

Mr.. Chas. M. Pitchford has given
p his position as assistant Cashie,
f the Bank of Cruger and take,
barge of the office work with tn.
Pitchford-Lundy Auto Co.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1919-06-04

Mrs. Lenora Rector Crook of New
York, is the guest of her grandfather,
Capt. P. w. Shearer. Captain Shear
er and family have rooms with Mrs.
Joe Barnwell.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1919-06-04

Mrs. M. S. Hobson of Charleston
was a shopping visitor in Greenwood
today.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1919-06-04

Mr.. Samuel Jones, of Winona, a
his Greenwood friends today.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1919-06-04

Mr.. Carl Oehler has returned from
| trip to San Antonio, Tex. .
+ = i X + s.
Mr.. Ray Elliott has returned fro,
1 trip to Hot Springs.
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-26

ting S.. She is. clever with her needle,
and besides making clothes for her sis
:er's family she manages to make over
her old clothes SO that they will last
until absolutely worn out. Last year
she spent only $Ss5.G5, as the cost of
everything had advanced, and she hoped,
by holding off, she could buy better
later. But now she is at the end of her
rope and clothes are no cheaper. She
also has bought all the clothes for her
father, who is seventy o years old;
but he now has a job which pays him
something, thus relieving her.
A woman of forty five, who had been
forewoman for one firm for thirty years,
reported that she was getting $12 q
week. Two other skilled workers who
had been with one firm for sixteen years
are now earning $40 and SLIPS, having
had a raise of 81 last year with which
to buy Liberty Bonds.
How much must they pay for rent.
food, clothing and other necessities?
The answer is to be found in the mini
mum wage budget prepared by the Con-
sumcrs' League.
The working woman can get a room
for $3.50 a week. To be sure, it is
neither large nor attractive at this
price, but still it is a room. If she
lives Mt homo and shares the expenses
of the family, her room, including rent,
furniture, heat, light, ETC., as estimated
by the Bureau of Municipal Research,
might cost her twenty five cents less.
If she pays less than her share, she
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-26

-- E.fEft' IL Z. "a E-aHE-H.Nf 2ts-t
Before the new minimum rates can be
nut into effect a public hearing must be
held, after a thirty day period of adver-
Using, and then a sixty day period
must elapse to permit the employers to
adjust their payrolls.. This will bring
the new rates into operation probably
some time in August. 1919.
The minimum wage law Of the Dis
trict Of Columbia Is mandatory. and
the failure of any employer to pay the
prescribed minimum renders him subject
to fine or imprisonment.
Nation wide Legislation
Two states, Texas and North Dakota.
have passed the minimum wage bill this
year, following the example Of twelve
others. Massachusetts, came first, and
then eleven: Of the states Of the progress
siye west, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kan
sas, Nebraska, California, Oregon,
Washington, Colorado, Arizona, Arkan-
sas and Utah. The more conservative
east and south are now following suit,
and bills were already before the Legis.
laturc at the opening Of this years
session in New York, Delaware, Rhode
Island, Virginia, South Carolina, Con-
necticut, Montana and Louisiana, while
in many other states, including PENN
sylyania, bills have been prepared ard
are being presented. Tho National.
Catholic war council and the British
industrial conference are supporting the
measure. In England and New Zealand
there are laws reiatins to@minimum
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-26

this leads to illness. Then they econo-
mize on sickness. The working girl who
earns less than a living wage for a well
person cannot afford to be sick. The
Health Insurance Commissions of Phila-
delphia, after a thorough investigation
of the subject, writes: Because most
wage earners cannot afford to be i'll,
many develop chronic illnesses and
greatly reduce their future earning
capacity"
One girl working for $40 a week says
that she manages because Of the help
of her mother, but she does not feel
that she is really self supporting. II
started four years ago on S. and am
now earning $1O," she said, "but /
have had to fight for every raise I have
had II was one Of those chain stores
and the foreman Is allowed only q GER
tain amount for salaries, so that he
must keep them down low or else hire
too few workers. I now have Z good
position and am replacing . $18-arweek
man - window decorator; but I only
get SO. / have been going to business
college in the evenings. Ny mother
does my sewing and Laundry and also
gives me 81 lweek for car fare, recrea-
ton and toilet articles. I work In .
cafeteria for two meals-that is, ! get
the meals for the work I do. A GOOD
many girls earn lunches and dinners
that way. Others wait on table Satur-
day nights and Sundays to earn extra
nsney."
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-26

and women who are working for from
IS to SO, from one half to two-thirds
Of this minimum" wage, manage to
get along?
Many of them live in q state Of per-
petual bankruptcy. There are women
who have accounts in the large stores,
and the girls buy clothes on credit. The
agent pays the bills and the girls pay
her on the installment plan, with COM
mission for her services. The result is
that they are always in debt, and are
living on what they will earn, rather
than on what they have earned. IL
sickness or other conditions keep them
from work they find themselves in a
serious pfedicament. One saleswoman
Of twenty years. experience, who is
earning $12 a week, reports that she
owes a Doctors bill and is quite a bit
in debt besides, but sees no prospects of
being able to save enough from her
wages to pay mp.
Bsairuptey System
Another worse phase OF the bank
ruptcy system is illustrated BY the type
Of girl who stays in one place until she
is overwhelmed and then o on.
One instance Investigated by the Con-
suners' League shows how a girl left a
bearding house where she owed 80 for
food and lodging, owing one girl 312
and awnHhnv nnn 90,
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-26

wages and they are found to be very
practicable. In England at present the
law relates to only six industries and
the British industrial conference is at
tempting to extend its scope. The mini
mum wage is set by a commission ap-
pointed for the purpose, and is increased
or decreased according to the increase
or decrease in the cost Of living.
The lowest paid girls are not gem
orally found in the organizations, ac-
cording to Consumers League visitors,
for even the small dues are a tax to
the. girl trying to support herself on
half a living wage" In spite Of this
fact, however, of the 500 girls in or
carnations whose conditions were in.
vestigated by the Health Insurance
Commission, it was found that one
third was receiving less than SO a
week, and this was at the period Of
highest war wages. OF the 500, over
% per cent had one or more persons
entirely dependent upon their earnings.
"High Wages"
At this same time of ''high wages"
reports of the United States employ
ment service in Pennsylvania cities
show that the average price for sales.
women was So; for laundry operators,
from So to 50: telephone operators,
from $3.50. to $40; for cleaners and
scrubbers, So to ST.. A few individual
cases present the problem in concrete
form: A ~saleswoman, after three years.
experience, is paid $3.50; another, after
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-26

-, 4. - =-s-< h. aH.E-y.fs ~ ~
Another woman, who has been q
saleswoman for five years, says that
last year she received 81. so for twenty
three weeks and SO for seventeen weeks.
She first lived in a 81 a week room,
which was absolutely cold. She now
has a $3.50 room and does her own
cooking and laundry, as she cannot at
ford to pay s. per week for meals.
There is other method by which
the working woman manages to get
alonE-by receiving charity In the
recent investigation Of the Consumers
League it was found that many girls
who were doing good work, healthy and
capable of supporting themselves, were
obliged to procure from charitable or
carnations clothes for themselves and
their dependents.
Speaking of dependents, in the Wash
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-26

In oIr national cas:i.a! tho mini
:nsne tcaSe ::sr az experienced Woman
soorkcr ~ se: at $3.50 BY fnpestiga-
t"ss ss::sc cndsr tbs District Of Co.
ivmbs's ncc minimum .page lao.
Ias smallest sum Upon .rhich she
ss.' i:te &c ft.;.21, according to an
1rscsitgo:::n trio the eepense &C.
>co2nts OF soomen rorkcrs in the state
Of PemnsptVan;a by sac Consumers
!Lsa0ae. yhis sum does not allo,o
jor dependents, nor emergencies, but
n offered as a basis for actual er-
penses ~ vhich to reckon.
OF 600 Nomen Uorking in stores,
factories and laundries, taken at
random for statistics collected last
year BY a government Office at
Washington, rs per cent .oere receiu-
ing less than So q Week and So per
cent less than SO.
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-26
Thumbs Index of Character.

"YoU can't suck wisdom out Of
your thumb" is no longer. true.
The thumb is the hieroglyphic Of your
personality. know thyself" is con.
coded to be the highest goal Of human
wisdom; therefore, If it can be shown
that by learning to know your
thumbs you acquire the most intimate
knowledge possible concerning your,
self, it is no exaggeration to say that
it is possible and even practicable to
suck wisdom out Of the thumb"
metaphorically speaking. at least.
Few persons ever give their thumbs
any further thought beyond the hope
that they may serve some day to be
stuck into a fine, big, lucrative "pie,'
filled with fat Office plums or golden
windfalls. The truth is that the
thumbs are, to those who can read,
them, the most exact index Of ones
character and mind; and are infinitely
more accurate than the indications
furnished by the facial features or by
the bumps on the Uranium.
Moreover, 1t is not. only other PEG.
pies characteristics that are laid bare
to you by their thumbs. but the more
hidden traits in your own heart and
brain are revealed to you by your
thumb. as soon AZ you are able to de.
cipher its language.
What" you exclaim, ARE /my
thumbs wiser than my mind? Can a
couple Of pieces 81 bone, covered with
muscle, sinews and skin. penetrate
farther into the mysterious laboratory
Of nature than the human intellect and
lay bare the secrets which have es-
capped my powers Of observation and
reasoning?"
To which the calm response is.
yes"
just why it is 50 is a question that
belongs either to the higher reaches
Of psychology, which may be able to
show some channel Of physical cor.
nection between mind and character,
on tho n hand. and their expression
In the conformation Of the thumbs and
fingers. on the other; or else to meta
physics or to theology, which may be
able to explain tho phenomenon as in.
dicative Of q design prescribed by an
intelligence higher than that residing
in the mind OF man. Suffice y here to
show that such a connection actually
does exist and that the language
spoken by the thumbs. and the other
fingers 10 not q haphaxard ono dit
fering in different thur1bs, but rather
a language Of ~unchapging and un.
changing values. the knowledge Of
which. once acquired. enables one to
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-26

draws down the family standard Of
living. Such is the case of two women
of thirty five and forty one years, who
have worked eight and nine years re-
spectively as chocolate dippers and are
now receiving so a week. They live
with a friend, sharing one room and
paying her SIS a week. But the friend
makes no money from this arrange
ment, and thus she is giving her work
for nothing. Although the expression
may seem harsh. the women are receiv.
ing charity from their friend.
Charity Helps Pay Rent
The same is true Of girls living in
the boarding homes" of the T. w.
@. A. and other organizations, where
they pay from $4.75 to Sc a week for
room and board. The per capita sub.
sidy of these homes, according to the
statements Of the organizations con-
Quoting them, is 81 per girl per week.
This means that some one-call it pub
lie charity if you willis paying 81 a
week for the support Of these women
who are supposed to be earning a living
wage. These houses are always
crowded, and each one turns away from
one to five applicants daily. They
have accommodations for a very small
percentage of the girls who would like
to-use them.
For breakfast, supper and Sunday
dinner So is allowed as the minimum
for which suitable food can be OBJ
tanned. Twenty cents a day is allowed
Tor lunch and ten cents for carfare. Az
for laundry, the working woman may
be able to spend thirty five cents 4
week for a few starched articles, If she
does some of her other clothes in her
room, thus mourning the displeasure Of
her landlady. They often discriminate
asainst women. eve take only men,"
some landladies say. Women do too
much cooking and washing in their
rooms"
Twenty five cents q week is not much
for amusement, and il she takes q sum
mer vacation, the working woman gen
orally loses her pay. For health, we
allow her $15 . year, which includes
doctors. oculist's, denust's bills, medi-
cine and any special care, ana sne
loses her pay while she Il. sick. The
United States health services siyes
nins days o. the ayerase los of work
from illness Tor 4 persoa = Tie isdus-
trial 6eA.
Suitable clottiss fof ~ wertfng
gtsl - eEten so4easential TIT - vMl
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-26

read all the secrets they reveal, wheth.
err the thumb belong to .Englishman,
F~renchman, German, Spaniard, ':or
Chinese. whether to Caucasian, Malay,
Ethiopian, Monaghan or Red Man.
Perhaps you would like to mako
an impromptu test of..the truth of
these statements. Do you know any
who possesses an invincible will,
q determination which overcomes
every obstacle. and whose mentality
at the same time is .proportionately
powerful? Observe his thumbs. They
are very large, and the first phalanx-
the n where the nail isis about
evenly balanced with the second h
lanx; both %phalanges beng unusually
long.
Or, do you see yonder %hesitatins, /
vacillating individual, who does mot
seem to know what he wants to do,
Ask him to perform some kind Of
work which requires the exercise Of
strong willpower.. He will smile at
you pathetically. shake. his head; and
tell you that he could never, never sue.
coed In accomplishing the task. He
is right. He never could; for his
thumbs are small, the nail.phalanx es.
pecially being dwarfed. The fact that
ne realizes that he Isl too weak.willed
to succeed in anything recurring
strong determination indicates that he
has, at least. some judgment; and this
again is reflected in the second pha. !
lanx Of the thumb, which is consider. !
ably longer than the nail.phalanx, but
not long enough to redeem the thumb
from being too SHORT.
just watch that sputterer who ..v.
he is going to do this and that. ana
never doe anything except5taIk. WhaA
Is the matter with him? His thumbs
will show wherein he lacks. The NAH.
phalanx Is absurdly short, while tia
second phalanx is proportionately lonx.
He has too little determination for 20
much mentality. He is the person who
sees what is right ana what wound
bring about a reign Of joy and hapni.
ness, but is unable to take tie initia.
tive. to strike the first blow necessary
to achieve Il.
Character pr will:power and men.
tally are the driving force. A person
may be endowed with ever so many
graces and talents and yet never sue.
coed In making them available unleas
ne possesses the driving force IN :
SUFFICIENT measure. Tho talents Z.
natural aptieudesi are shown by the ii.
d!vidual fingers. What each finger
pepresents and how the driving forces
{ Indicated by the thumbs are appllSd
TO each Of them viii IS told in 90
~nec
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-26

upon whom they can fall back to exc
out their slender income, then what
happens?
That is the question the Consumers
League of eastern Pennsylvania tried to
answer by a personal investigation of
many cases, taken at random from the
working women of experience. The in
experienced woman or girl presents a
different problem.
"How do I manager" The woman
who was considering the question was
thirty three years old and had been
working for twenty four years in a
Philadelphia printing house. She started
at. the age Of nine, for at that time
child labor was common After twenty
four years she was making $13 a week.
II teach handwork at night" she says;
embroidery before the war, and then
knitting. I can make quite a bit extra
that way"
Then she asked If it were true that
the Consumers League was working
toward the abolition of the trolley car
skip stop. She was SO afraid that Civ
ing up the skip stop might mean a rise
in fare to six cents, and she did not see
how she could meet the demand for two
cents a day additional expense.
Necessity Of Scrimping
Imagine working for twenty four
years for one firm, and then being seri-'
pusly alarmed at the possibility Of hav-
ing to spend two cents a day extra!
lhe incident shows how closely she cal
fulated on each penny she spent. And
yhe is described as 4 bright, enterprise
Ing woman.
Another, working in a department
store. told how she had solved the prob
EN- Of buying a daily paper. The mat
ter may seem trivial, but it illustrates
he hardness Of the working woman's
struggle.
For . long time I did not buy Z
eNspaper," she said, "for with the
No cost ~ofiliving ! decided I could
~ akoyd it. Then 1t last I said to
&5self, Whist il life worth IL Z work
wonan can't afford 1 Newspaper?
made m arrangement with my
I6ndlAdy to subscribe with her, and w
~ 4 cent : day, sharing the
&6spepef andkths cxpsnss.
Ansther sjd lives with . married
~ ~ makes tie clothes for tie
ex'alkfxseh iI@rsn daring liz crossings,
earnlng paSt Of her boaid. she
~ 49, AAE1EL
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-26

partment store for thirty years, is now
being paid $12. A hemstitcher, after
SIX years. work, is getting $3.50.
Machine operators, after one or two
years. experience receive So to 81,
while n woman, who had been with
the same. firm for sixteen years, is
making from S. to 50 each week. A
twister, after seven years, receives
81, and a reeler at tho end of six ID
paid $7.25. Many clerks are listed
at 81 and So, and the highest paid
saleswoman in a certain fve.and- ten
cent store makes $S.S7 weekly. Salaries
of day workers in one laundry are
$S.42, although n woman, who has
been an ironer for five years in n
firm, is receiving only IS. Other
ironers are listed at $40, after having
worked five and ten years respectively
in the same firm, while the highest
paid worker in another laundry, who
has had fourteen years. experience, Is
receiving $14. A core maker in a
plumbing company, a widow with
three children, is earning 50, and a
supervisor in a bindery, with eleven
years. experience, had now a salary Of
$11.
Before the war, So was considered
the minimum on which a working
woman could support herself in health
and deccncy. In Philadelphia today.
$40 buys less than Sc did in. 1914.
AS early as last August the cost Of liv.
ing since the beginning of the war had
increased over 81 per cent. That IS,
the same. series of goods Common
working class necessities) had gone up
over two-thirds. This means that the
working girl who was starving on So
in 1914 is in an even worse plight on
$40 today. The United States bureau
of labor statistics show that clothing
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-26
HAT IS LEAST ON WHlCH W50RKIMG .W0MAN CAN UKEs
Average Of Fifteen Dollars Weekly Answer OF Investigations Mde in National Capital
Washington and in PHILADELPHIA the Nations Birthplace 3 Mninunn Wage Investigators
Copyright. 1918. BY Public Ledger o..


as long as possible. But they will not
hold out much longer, and the girls are
now confronted with the question Of
buying new ones or losing their posi-
-tions because Of their shabbiness. One
girl managed last year to get along on
before the -war clothing, spending only
$21.79 for wearing apparel. Now she
needs clothes badly, but cannot afford
them on her $11 wage. Her board is
Sc a week, with laundry extra, and she
owe a doctor $50. II. for recent illness.
What is she going to do?
Two items which are the first to be
struck out of the working woman's
budget are lunches and doctors, They
find that they car go. without lunches,
thus saving fifteen or twenty cents a
day, an economy of more than 10 per
cent of their salary. In many cases
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-26
BY MARGARET C. GETCHELL

NlSCONIENT among women work.
II crs, whose wages were mcager
enough in 1914, has been increasing
steadily as the value of the dollar has
decreased to the present state, when
ten dollars cannot buy what six dollars
would before the war. The women are
not earning enough to support them
selves, and if there are men in the
family they must help out. This makes
the discomfort still more widespread.
If there are no brothers or fathers
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-26

seven years, receives 1925; another,
after the same length of time, is get
ting Sc; while a fourth, after fifteen
years, is earning only 81. Two others,
who do skilled hand sewing in the al
terations department and have had
thirteen and sixteen years experience,
are receiving $10.25 and $40. The fore
woman, who has been in the same de-
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-26

has increased 107 per cent. !; furniture,
1O6 per cent; food, 6S per cent. fuel
and light, 80 per cent, and rent, 10
per cent.
What is a woman who works eight
or ten hours a day for So, IS, $40, or
ever $12 going to do to keep body. and
soul together and to maintain her
self respect? ,"
Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-26

ington investigation Of conditions re-
fcrrcd to above, it was found that So
per cent of the 600 women whose cases
were recorded were entirely self sup
porting, and 81 per cent. had depen-
dents. The minimum wage law was
passed last year in the District of Co.
lumbia and the Investigators have set
the minimum wage on which a self
supporting woman can be- expected to
get along as $3.50. The budget is: