March 26, 1863, Peoria Morning Mail (Illinois)
The London Times thus speaks of the condition of sewing women in London and represents a state of things truly deplorable:
The young female slaves of whom we speak, are worked by gangs in ill ventilated rooms, or rooms that are not ventilated at all, for it is found by experience, that if the air be admitted it brings with it “blacks” of a kind which damages the work on which the women are employed. Their occupation is to sew from morning to night, and night to morning–stitch, stitch, stitch, without speech, without a smile, without a sigh. In the gray morning, they must be at work–say at six o’clock, having a quarter of an hour allowed for breakfast. The food served out to them is scanty and miserable enough, but still, in all probability, more than their fevered systems can digest. From six o’clock, then, till eleven, it is stitch, stitch, stitch. At eleven a bit of bread is served out, and at one twenty minutes are allowed for dinner, a slice of meat and a potato, with a glass of toast and water to each. Then again to work–stitch, stitch, stitch, until five, when fifteen minutes are allowed for tea.
Their needles are again set in motion once more, stitch, stitch–until nine o’clock, when fifteen minutes are allowed for supper, a piece of dry bread and cheese, and a glass of beer. From nine o’clock at night until one, two and three o’clock in the morning, stitch, stitch! the only break in this long period being a minute or two, just time enough to swallow a strong cup of tea, which is supplied lest the young people should “feel sleepy.” At three o’clock A.M., to bed; at six o’clock A.M., out of it again, to resume the duties of the day. There must be a good deal of monotony in the occupation. But when we have said that for certain months in the year these young persons are worked in this manner, we have not said all. Even during the few hours allotted to sleep–should we not say a feverish cessation from toil?–their miseries continue. They are cooped up in sleeping pens ten in a room, which would, perhaps, be sufficient for the accommodation of two persons. The alternation is from treadmill (and what a treadmill) to the Black Hole of Calcutta. Not a word of remonstrance is allowed, or is possible. The seamstress may leave the mill no doubt, but what awaits her on the other side of the door? Starvation, if honest; if not, in all probability, prostitution and all its consequences.