Year: 1874

(From the Chicago Journoll


THE WORKINGWOMEN OF NEW YORK.
The Creator designed men and women to dc
great many things which they do not DO
Chief of all, He evidently designed that every
woman should be tho wife of some man, and
that the man should be capable of protecting
her and her progeny from destitution. 1t can
scarcely'be said that He designed that these
two should never marry until they had become
satisfied that there was living ahead for them
He endowed them with reason, however, and
reason certainly teaches them the necessity Of
this piece of prudence. If every man who il
capable of supporting q wife would assume
that responsibility, much Of the poverty that
exists in the world would disappear, and more
of it would disappear if those who are not able
to support wives would refrain from marrying
until better situated. The great demand for
employment, on the part of the woman, large
ly arises from violation of these simple rules.
Many men who can support wives abstain from
doing so; and many whose poverty should pre-
clude them from such a step, take it, never.
theless, and bring families into a world that
proves little better than hell to them. The
result is that thousands of women are annually
driven to vice and shame from sheer despera-
tion. They must either die or succumb to the
bitter terms. They can get living in no other
way. A man can fight or steal his way through
life; a woman can not.


A New York newspaper reporter has been
endeavoring to ascertain how working. women
manage to exist in that great metropolis, espe-
cially in times as hard as these. His report in
full would prove of interest to the disciples of
Malthus The most fortunate women he came
in contact with-the patricians of the working
class-fare sumptuously on 81 a week, and
large numbers Of them support families. Those
next lower down average 81 per week, making
paper boxes and other articles Of the kind.
These he describes as bright, active and in.
dustrious girls" just such as would make good
wives for honest and steady mechanics Even
ut these figures their places are not always
permanent. The reporter mentions that 105
of them were discharged in one day, and their
after.fate is easily imagined. How do they
live on S4 a week1 The reporter explains that
five or six of them club together, rent dark,
filthy and half:flrnished room, pay So week
apiece for their board. and out of their remain
ing one dollar per week, pay for their washing.
care.fare, and other little necessities, and clothe
themselves beside. Some Of them keep warm
in the winter by wearing cast.off masculine ap-
parel concealed by their skirts When they
get sick, they depend upon the charity of their
associates, or go to the public hospital. In the
case of widow with children, dollar per
week pays for room in vile tenement house
and the other three dollars must pay all other
expenses. Married women who get situations
of the kind are usually discharged as soon as
circumstances compel them to be absent from
their work. rooms once or twice. Next lower
down come the girls who strip tobacco. They
average IS cents day, but have the encour-
agement of knowing that smart girls can
make 40 or so cents" The reporter saw one
of these "smart girls" who makes 81 SO a
week, and on this pittance supports her sick
father, helpless mother, crippled brother,
who is grown man, aud two little children.
It is doubtful if Grace Darling was greater
heroine. This class of women do not live
they 20 halfnaked and gradually starve.


There were still other women whom the re-
porter visited, but they were more like beg.
gars and outcasts than regular employees. In
answer to his inquiry as to how they get liv-
ing, they replied that they fish for it," 1t
must be confessed that the degrading destitu-
ton we have always considered peculiarly
characteristic Of European cities, is fast max
ing it's appearance in the cities of this country.


A WESTERN orator said recently, rather
prettily, Gas the Gulf stream is the creator Of
Ireland carrying the warm air Of the tropics


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