Page:Appeal to the wealthy of the land.djvu/22

children to support. The recompense they received averaged about fifty cents per week, while they took out work. Few of them lived in the city. The greater part of them came from Kensington, Northern Liberties, and Southwark.

⁠"Mr. M. Carey."

The pernicious consequences of the inadequate wages paid the women of the classes in question, is strikingly displayed by the state of the out-door paupers in the city of Philadelphia, in 1830. Of 498 females, there were,

Seamstresses,			-		-	142
Washerwomen,			-		-	62
Spoolers,	-		-		-	28
Shoe-binders,			-		-	10
——							242

Being nearly one half of the whole number. There were 406 widows.

It may excite wonder how the seamstresses, spoolers, &c., are able to support human nature, as their rent absorbs above two-fifths of their miserable earnings. The fact is, they generally contrive to raise their rent by begging from benevolent citizens, and of course their paltry earnings go to furnish food and clothing.

I stated that there are two honourable exceptions to the low rate of wages paid to seamstresses. They are entitled to a high degree of applause, and are worthy examples, which ought to be generally followed. The one is "the Female Hospitable Society of Philadelphia," the other "the Impartial Humane Society of Baltimore." The former, although its resources are very slender, too slender considering its usefulness, has uniformly paid 183/4 cents for making shirts and duck pantaloons, and in the same proportion for other articles. The scale of prices of the latter is as follows:

cents.												cents.
Linen shirts,		-		-		-	75 to 87			1/2		Gentlemen's shams,					-		-	18	3/4 to 50
Gentlemen's pantaloons,						-	62		1/2 to 75			Children's	suits of clothes,							50 to 87			1/2
Roundabouts,		-		-		-		-	75			⁠Do.	cloaks,				-		-		-	62	1/2
Linen collars,		-		-		-		-	10			⁠Do.	mittens,				-		-	10 to 12			1/2
Unbleached	cotton shirts,					large,		-	25			Women and children's aprons,								6	3/4 to 31		1/4
⁠Do.		do.				small,		12	1/2 to 18	3/4		Women's plain dresses,							-	43	3/4 to 50
Bleached		do.				large,		-	31	1/4		Bonnets,	-		-		-		-	25 to 75
⁠Do.		do.				small,		-	25			All other articles in proportion.

It is deeply to be regretted that in such a wealthy and public-spirited city as Baltimore, this institution has but three hundred subscribers,^[1] although the subscription is but one dollar per annum; whereas for so glorious an object as rescuing such numbers of interesting females from penury and distress, and all their demoralizing consequences, had the annual subscription been five dollars, there ought to have been one thousand subscribers.

The following is the list of prices paid by the Female Hospitable Society of Philadelphia:^[2]

1. This fact must excite a high degree of astonishment and regret. There are in Baltimore citizens whose liberality may, in some cases, vie with the illustrious examples set in Boston, which stands pre-eminent above any other city in the world (London perhaps excepted) for displays of munificence on the most magnificent scale. That citizens of such a calibre should overlook the claims of this noble institution—should not make a liberal provision for it, so as to place it on high ground, and to enable it to extend its usefulness to a degree commensurate with the demand upon it, can only arise from its merits not having attracted a due degree of attention. I venture to hope that this state of things will not be allowed to exist much longer, and that the institution will have in future that degree of support to which it is fairly entitled.
2. The observations made in the preceding note respecting the Impartial Hospitable Society of Baltimore apply with equal force to this Society. Its objects, and views, and merits, are the same. Too much praise cannot be awarded to Mrs. Snyder and Mrs. Silver, who have devoted many years to this institution, and contributed largely to its success.