White Slaves

od an' wholesome

ef the mind gi

LL LOWELL: B

the poisonous air of the quarters where they work, and listening to their heart-rending stories of cruelty and oppression, it would be an appropriate summary of our observation. It is my purpose, at this time, to take you with me on a tour of observation. As well-lighted streets are better than policemen to insure safety and good order, so I believe that the best possible service I can render the public is to turn on the light, and tell, as plainly and simply as I can, the story of what I have seen and heard and smelled in the white slave-quarters, whic

the powerful and wealthy firms who employ them. In these cases the firm itself has learned the sweater

er sewing has been confined to two lines-cloaks and aprons. For some time she has been making white aprons-a good long apron, requiring a yard, perhaps, of material; it is hemmed across the bottom and on both sides, the band or "apron string" is hemmed on both sides, and then sewed on to the apron, making six long seams. For these she is paid fifteen cents a dozen! And besides that, this great, rich firm, whose members are rolling in wealth and luxury, charges this poor widow fift

nts, and the firm retails them ordinarily at twenty-five cents apiece. On cloaks she did better, receiving from fifty to seventy-five cents apiece, she furnishing her own sewing-silk and cotton.

PORTUGUESE WI

cut out and basted up, ready for making. Looking at the card, we are astonished to find that it bears the name of one of the largest firms in the city of Boston, a firm known, perhaps, as widely as any. Three pairs of these pants are custom-made; they are fashionable summer trousers, with the names and addresses of the men for whom they are made tacked on them. The other three pairs are stamped with "New York" as customer, from which we infer that they are made for a New York house, the Boston firm acting as sweater. This woman and her little children must finish these pants by the same hour to-morrow, when the messenger from the store will bring a new lot and take these away. She receives ten cents a pair-three pairs being custom-made pants! In order to finish the six pairs in the twenty-four hours, she must get to work at

am insatiable, and will go on. Let me give you th

finer coats, lined with handsome satin; of these she can complete only five a day, and receives eight cents apiece. There are three in the family, and they p

mmar-schoolboy size; she receives sixteen cents a dozen p

dozen. She has two dozen brought to her from the sweater's shop every day about two o'clock. She works from two in the afternoon until ten at night, and from six in the morning unti

ould drive herself through six pairs a day; but now, with a little babe to look after, she can get

g from seven in the morning till ten o'clock at night,

ts apiece; and with nothing to bother her, working sixteen hours a day, she makes fifty-four

ng till very late in the evening, she can complete four pairs a day, and thinks it would be almost a paradise if she could make her fifty-two cents every day; but it is one of the characteristics of a sweater to sys

ying to keep the wolf from the door by carrying on the sewing. They are all hard at work; they carry the pants back and forth themselves, and so for the most of their work receive twelve cents, though for some they get only ten cents a pair. They have only two little rooms with the most meagre furniture; the rent is one dollar and a half per

PORTUGUESE WIDO

ITTLE CHILDREN F

not more than 10x10; the others are much smaller. In these three little pigeon boxes eight people live, at least sleep-five men and boys, and a mother and two girls. The men are off most of the day, and work at such jobs as they find; the mother and little girls make pants for another leading Boston clothing house. The two little girls, the younger only three years, are both overcasting seams. The three make on an average sixteen pairs of pants a week, for which they get thirteen cents a pair; the young pigeon fancier

on: INVALID

ning to me in three minutes, and yet there I found a man on a little cot (that had been given by the charitable missionary who guided me) who has been lying there for more than three years. For two years and more he had not even a cot, but lay on the floor in his dirt and pain. There are two children, too young to be of much assistance; the wife and mother sews, finishing pants for a rich Washington Street firm. She gets twelve, and sometimes, on fine, custom-made pants, thirteen cent

paid thirteen cents a pair, ordinarily, and for the very finest custom-made pants they receive as high as twenty cents, but complain, as it takes so much longer with the f

ion: POSTA

or these same uniforms being made by Italian women at nine and a half cents a pair! They received them from a Jewish sweater. One of these women says that, by beginning at four o'clock in the morning and frequently working until twelve o'clock at night, she can make six pairs of these pants in a day. She has five children; the rent is two dollars per week. The husband has been out of work for eight months; the only

niforms were being made, the cockroaches were crawling, and i

for which she receives the gross amount of five cents, out of which she has to pay the carrying to and fro. If she goes after them herself, she can bring only two dozen at a time, which will cost her ten cents car-fare, going and coming. When sent by express in a package of five or six dozen-the number she is able to make in a week-she is charged fifteen cents expressage each way, so that the expressage eats up the making of six pairs. In addition to this, the stiff cloth is very hard on machine needles, and she will break about ten cents worth per week. This woman's story is a sad one. Her husband, who was a strong, hard-working man, fell ill through an over-strain, and died after fifteen months' sickness, two months ago. She has three little children, the oldest four years and the youngest a

ere now giving a great part of this class of work to the public authorities in charge of the House of Correction, to be done by the prisoners, and that a daily stint for a woman in prison is only eight pairs. This sick, discouraged girl, in a most heart-breaking way, said she thought she w

artless rate that no woman can work at it and keep out of prison, unless she is assisted by charity? This same South Boston firm gives out men's shirts to be made at sixty cents a dozen. The material for one of these shirts c

h that old song of Thomas Hood, as appropriate now, in the latter part of the nineteenth century

ers weary

ids heavy

t, in unwo

r needle

stitch

y, hunger

h a voice of

e "Song of

work!

cock is cr

rk-wor

rs shine thr

h! to b

the barba

has never a

is Chris

-work

rain begin

-wor

yes are he

*

stitch-

, hunger,

ce, with a d

as well a

do I talk

tom of gr

ar his terr

so like

s so li

f the fas

bread should

and bloo

-work

r never

its wages? A

of bread

d roof-and th

-a brok

o blank my s

imes fall

-work

ry chime

-wor

ers work

e it stronger yet, for among us the good, honest sewing-woman must work at least one-third harder than the

o breathe

lip and pri

sky abov

ass beneat

y one s

as I use

new the wo

lk that co

for one s

e, howev

eisure for l

time fo

ping would e

their b

st stop, fo

eedle and

ers weary

ids heavy

t, in unwo

r needle

stitch

y, hunger

a voice of do

voice could r

is "Song of