Year: 1867

New York Shop Gir1s-Miseries and m1ste.
| ries Of Sewing Women.
correspondent of the Watehman and Reflector
is presenting some pictures of life among the
lowly in New York, some of which are enough
to cause any friend of humanity to weep as well
as tremble in view of the temptations to which
thousands of the innocent but unfortunate are
exposed:


| Last week 1 gave a description of the every
day life of one of the 80 900 sewing girls OF New
York. / shall this week present another picture
"a different phrase of the same sad life-for the
contemplation of the philanthropist and Chris
| tian.


One day last winter there came into my Office
q young girl whom had know when she was
little child, lght-hearted and happy, on her
| fathers farm in New Jersey Misfortune over
took her father, and she eventually left an
orphan. Having uncle in New York, she
came here to live. They were in good circum-
stances and made Minnie welcome but few
months later the uncle was led into speculation,
and lost everything he had. In this position of
affairs Minnie sought for employment and found
| it, but such employment She came to me,
having learned my whereabouts, to solicit aid.
Sac now eighteen years old, and remarkably
beautiful. 1t was pteous to listen to her story.
| ~ get up at six clock, " in substance, 'dress



little enough there is to eat-and hurry to the
shop. We are not allowed to warm ourselves
| by the fire, no matter how cold or wet we may
be, and all day long am shivering My work
is making paper bags at thirty-fye cents q thou
sand.'


" And how many can you make in day ?''
"One thousand, when l work hard"
| Thirty-fv cents for whole day of hard la
Dor, in cold room, surrounded by girls who
are prohibited strictly from conversing with each
other, and among whom it is grave oifense to
look out of the window or stand q moment by
stove.


"The first day was there said Minnie, "1
felt so bad that couldn't keep from crying and
when turned and spoke to the girl who worked
next to me, she started in alright and made no
answer. The overscer of the room is cross
man, and he came and told me to go home if l
wanted to talk-they didn't allow any Cabling
! there"


put on my overcoat and walked with Minnie
to the shop where she worked, to for myself.
1t was long, barren room in the fourth story of
the building, with chilly air upon it that sent a
shiver through me. It was about noon time--a
little after-and the orerseers CHANGED 10 be
away. About score Of girls from ten to tf-
! teen years of age, were seated at long tables,
with piles of brown paper and pots Of paste be-
! fore them. Great their astonishment when
| l took my place by Minnie's side to watch her
work, for there was card on the door which
said, Positively no admittance." These faces
were, without exception, sad and sickly, and
they bent over their work with weary air that
touched me almost to tears.


The most expert of these girls is able to earn
| about three dollars a week, was told many earn
less. None of them pay less than three dollars
week for their board. How, then, do they
live? How clothc themselves? Can you unrid-
die this puzzle Good men and women arc
shudderng over it every day.


1t was Minnie's misfortune that she had never
been taught to work. How could her parents
have forseen her destiny? | sought long in vain
| to find her employment more remunerative, in
which she was capable of engaging While thus
seeking, | heard from her occasionally First
there came the pleasant tdings that the cross
! oyerseer treated her with especial kindness
spoke to her cheerfuly, and gave her the lightest
work to do that the place afforded.
| She gladdened by this, in the inno-
cence of her heart ! And then, not long after,
came another word he had grossly insulted her,
and when she repnlsed him had turned her from
the shop with curses.


Does my reader understand what all this
means? ! have related the incident only to il
lustra.e, as modestly as may be, the pcrils which
beset the shop girl


You will fail of recognizing the ghastliness of
| this subject if you lose sight of the fact that
those who suffer thus and tempted thus
who lead life of frieudliness only exchangeable
/ lot u UICtIlef HOlIOT, Vi hunger uNu COiQ anu
exhaustive toll, the release from which can be
bought but with death or shame are q vast
army in numbers. There are thousands who
want even for the miserable privileges of such
toll as have tried to picture--who perish by
the wayside year by year. No night passes over
your head that does not cover with lis darkness
some poor girl wandering the streets Of New
York hungry, weary, frendless, utterly forlorn !;
| who has no refuge but to give herself into the
hands OF policeman to be taken to the station
house that she may sleep on its bare noor in
, company with thieves, drunkards and shameless
ones of both sexes.


Much attention is of late being directed to the
subject Of woman's rights, in the nobler mean
ing of the term, and it is well that this is so.
The more fully the rising generation of girls are
taught TO be sef-helpful, the better it will be for
the future welfare of the land--the more narrow


will become the spread of distress among the
sex they become widowed, orphaned, or 9th
erwise protectorless. Meantime, here in New


York is The existing evil of the hour, which


ought no: to be, must not be, overlooked. God
speed the work of all who labor in this field.
| THE SABBATH - The longer | live the more


highly do estimate the Importance o. proper
observance of the Christian Sabbath, and the
more grateful do / feel toward those who take
mains to impress sense of its Importance on tue
4 Community The Lords day is the day on which
the Gospel is preached; it is the day OF puoiic
Worship throughout the Christian Worid, ana,
| -, = ,:ra in a reading age, and in read