% —— GOOD WORK DONE ATEDISON'S | BY NIMBLE FINGERS. Plenty of Delicate Work at Which Women Earn Very Good Wages-- ‘Sketches of Girls at Work, The train slowed up and entered Orange so easily and quietly that I gat still, never dreaming we were there yet. Iawaited the accustomed tooting and snorting of the engine, halloing and yelling by the brakemen, | the pushing «f people bahind to get | out before the ahead, and sudden stop of the car, for whichone braces his feet in expectancy. ss Phis is Orangs, madam,’ said the brakeman mildly, and I hurried for- ward, all in a flutter to hail a boy who stood gazing sleepily at train, ‘Say, young man, tell me quick i%: Edison's laboratory is He looked startled, batted his eyes and | stared at me. * H because I must take at the next station,’’ nD one the Ww the ere trey, won't you > ta v a slowly, picked up and handed to mo. | Bo still! surely I am in the wrong | place. There cannot be hundreds of men and women working here. Ding, sounded the bell, in answer to my on the outside of the immense gate that separated me from the great build- ings in the inclosure, . “Here, Bob, take this lady down to Superintendent Young; she wants to the girls at work,” said a pleasant man in the laboratory. “Never mind putting on your hat sun won't hurt you.” The bare-headed, black-eyed boy hid his hands in his trousers pockets and sauntered smilingly beside me. “We have a hall holiday to-day and you'll see the hands goin’ out pretty was the startling in- mee KOON, “Come, then, let us hurry,” I mut- tered. hastening but that boy nor ceased Onn, Through ne- lagged, and fell into the regular, easy swagger of my guide. ‘Yes, his sunshiny smiling women here,” we o iploy “We like women eae i {11 ductor, as he g hin { lessly around ore : aeld up the wide vera: } here. manner hand, and out, ti disapp + Catching 1 ‘Down brakes, voung are going too fast for th n old man » and way to the lal » Drowsily he car that was block away. the door,’ breath turned street near were 10box iy talked reaming y one seemed uncomfortably hot in ange. was pec in a over 3 The melody floated out in sweet, low, clear notes that, one’s nerves, set everyone to think- ing. The cars travelled along with- out making the accustomed clatter and whizzing of city cars, and people took their time getting on and ofl. The conductor read a newspaper and seemed so comfortable I wondered if it was right to disturb him and tell him where I wanted to get off. Grouns of men lounged aboui the corner stores; some were thought fully chewing tobacco, others whit. | tled and three were reading the morning papers. A man carae out of a butcher shop, threw into a buggy a sack of meat, and, taking up reins, drove away without : i Or Some one blowing a cor- room ry store. i} Frye a gr the | [heir fin with met me *ourteous manner be happy,’ said a woman they ealled Ella; don’t wo have everything to be glad about? 1 like the work immensely vy. The work once lnarned, and one has great satisfaction in becoming an expert in anything. Now did I know how? Why, I had a teacher, of hed to learn the trade as boys do who go in machine shops. I thoughs 1 ought to be able to do the work. Three is no heavy “We aught to t pends on judgment and deftness. in Mr. Edison's omploy for years there is wore to do. “1 make Lrushea « she continued, i § i i * ing ‘‘get up’ to his drooping horse. A peculiar restful feeling came over me and | wondered if people did not live twice as long in Orange as they did in the city—I felt that I had beei going 200 miles an hour, and was suddenly brought down to ten. What relief it was and how oddly my muscles relaxed; how dreadfully tired I was—strange I had not realized it before. “The laboratory !’’ called the con- duetor. “Take your time; don't hurry.” Ah, yes, I had forgotten again, for, with a rush, 1 had left a bundle, dropped my p and lead sap a i pencil, ali MAKER, AS SRA SARA rising to show me just what she did. “See. 1 figet unwind the wire from | the spools, straighten it, then cut it with this implement into one-haif inch lengths. Next comes the wol- dering. That is done this way.” She heated a rod by the aid of a gas jet arranged for the purpose, and when hot erough, the wires were all soldered tight into place. “This kind of brush is ealled a vernor; 3 cun make two hundred n ono day. These larger ones are known as eocmmutators, and are twice as large as the governors, eons sequently 1 make onl Ella is a plump, round-faced young woman with clear, frank eyes that look straight at you. Her heavy brown hair showed care and neatness. fier quick business movements de- noted thorough understanding of her work, and her pleasant manner and particularly bright smile explained why she was such a favorite in the Wala room, At another bench, where the cool 8 circled, sat girls make ing | Cheerfalness, calm gay- ety and content seemed the greatest virtues of the hands in this room, ] work, very,’’ ex. plained E tall, willowy girl, naturally serious face lighted wonderfully when | belts the phonographs from Yes, 1 do piece mind stopping to [ take the i enlfskin, dressed of and then I cut it into strips he leneth and width 1 wish, Oh, ny trouble, for the Now, look. machine: 0, and place thie lapping one breezes alway welts, t is pleasant \ ln, a whose i ) se Spose, { make for morning till night work, don't sh w vou. First, a Ww hole »iy he other—then glue the pretty part. thread silk glee sted wom. A rie handles with brush the machines are of other things nimble fingers Hs Wenis 3 in doing the Japanning Al Japanned, and a I —work that only the of women can execute swiftly There is no use talking,”’ said the superintendent ean do many things better than men Mr. Edison favors their employ purely from a business standpoint. When we were working on the dolls we had over 200 girls employed. The ma- chines were so arranged that when i 8 55 woman can make more. Mr Young is a re- markably kind and considerate man. We all like him. He never forgets what we are doing--he never fails to know whether we ought to be extra weary or not. He never overworks or is unkind. We would do anything for him.’ “Do you make such employment?’ “Oh, yes; quite enough. The wages range from $3 up. Ella over there for a while made $18 a week on piecework. Aun expert at her bench can accomplish much. One has learn the trade before being able to do anything. It does not seem diffi- cult to wind these spools, yet every thread must be just so, or the whole One act of ness might undoa whole day 's work. “What are you doing? I inquir- ed of a fair, sunny-haired girl oppo- site at the same much money at to 1 : 1 thing is useless, CATreieoss. table, “Covering graph. The spools are brass, and must be covered with velvet, It ensy after you once know how,” she said, and raising her head exposed te my admiring gaze the curliest *‘bang’’ I had seen in weeks. spools for the kineto- is Of course, I would like to know all about the spools,” I remarked, ‘but first te ll me where you get such “he It mat autifully, and 3 : es the arid the Fg are few gis dayvs—work for ti fort in Bi need Jem be time |} KEIVeR Yery inate to in the few retained. This vear there were sixty of us we numbered over 900) Mr. BE nover gives the men what we W hen that K Comes women are to piense say something nice perintendent Young, he is such a good cotild talk all day about the officials are to us’ M. Westover in the N.Y. Can do. ind in, it. Oh, about Su- called do exclaimed man. Wwe how kind —{Cynthis Recorder. one. He Paid Millet's Bills, child, Ella over there was invalu- the machine shops. Wide doors and windows were stretched open; parti- tions were cut through =o the breeze could have a full sweep along the whole length of the building. Every- thing was made with a view to com- fort as well as business. “The more comfortable we ean make the work- men, the better work they turn out,” came pouring in, who from seven in the morning till 6 at night, winds armatures, “No, I don’t get very tired,’ she replied to my question. At first it had to get used to sitting and holding the wire, but now I can wind five armatures a day. There ars 700 yards on each. That makes a lot of the wire go through your hands during the ten hours work. We have to be so very careful too, to get each round just so.’ “Ia there no machinery that could do this?’ “Mr. Young says it could be done by machinery, but it would cost more than by having it Qgne by hand, and I am rather glad of That, because machinery wo throw me out of employment.”’ Do you work by the day or by the piece?” *' By the week just now, but Monday mence by the f M. Ziem. the Paris painter, relates a story of the brother of the present President of the French Republic and Corot, the artist. M. Casimir Perier, jr.. was an intimate friend of Carot. On a visit which he made to the great artist in 1875, in his home at Verdizon, in the forest of Fon- tainebleau, he found Corot putting | the last touches on his *‘ Biblis | (* Nymphs in the Forest at Sun. down.”’} The masterpiece filled | Casimir-Perier with enthusiasm, and he begged the artist to sell it to him. “I'll give youmy canvas,”’ replied Corot, “'on one condition—that you pay the butcher and baker bills of my friend Millet.”’ “Taken,” answered the wealthy Frenchman, In Chailly, where Millet lived, the | butcher and baker were asked to make out their bills and send them to M. Casimir-Perier. The art-lover was somewhat surprised when he | found that Millet had lived on credit for twelve years, and that the bills amounted respectively to 22,000 and 24,000 francs, over $0,000, M. Perier paid the bills according to agreement, and carried home the Corot. The price at that time was considered enormous, as the purchaser could have bought the painting in the mar ket for about 1,500 francs, less than $400, The bargain, however, after all was a good one, as the picture to day, it is estimated, is worth about $30,000, It is still in possession of the Casimir-Perier family, {New York Tribune. Accorpixa to an old English ballad he that wooes a maid must come soldom to her sight, but he that wooes a widow must woo her day and night. The suggestion is not war ranted, but it is given for what it is orth at the experimenter’s risk. | i . Tenior's pletures of p THE JOKER'S BUDGET. | JESTS AND YARNS MEN OF THE PRESS. Truthful Johnny-.No Bias--Foiled Again-~-Slightly Absent- Minded «=His Landiady, Ete., Etc. } 1 + you been? wet Is it?’ i exclaimed cheerful expression vanishing Ht certainly is. and face been for a week, “Well, 1 jes washed 'em.”’ Ex . i isn © Yous are cleaner is ' said the boy Of George tiful Wi which you and mother have story “Then | guess I’ -{ Texas Siftin lilet you have it.” ig “ re OXLY A DREAM, Here is my love,”’ gaid the husband ‘I don’t want any,’ wife. Come now, darling, take this fifty- dollar bill and go shopping ’ “Thank you, dearest; but I really don’t care to; I would rather stay at home and help the hired girl.” Then the husband awoke and found, as the reader has already suspected, that he had been dreaming. —{ Boston | some money, replied the TURNED. Her voice was full of laughter And hereyves were merry, 100, But when she went into the surf They say she got quite blue, —! Life. A REPORT OF THE SERMON, Grandpa~—Well, Willie, you have been to chiureh, haven't you? Willie==Yes, sir. Grandpa—Well, what can you tell | us about it? Willie==Why, sir, the man that sat | in front of us had ears that wasa't | alike.~{Chicago Inter-Ocesn. THAT TIRED FEELING. “Oh, dear!” she exclaimed, as she | threw herself into a chair upon reach. | ing home, *I am almost tired to death,’ ! “What is the matter, love? Where | have you been?’’ asked her husband. | “I've been shopping all day long.” | “Shopping? And what did you buy?’ “Oh, 1 didn’t buy suyshing. I only went to see the styles and get the prices.” ={Texas Siftings. THE GIRL'S OWN, “Has your daughter really been studying to fit herself for occllege next year?" : Mother—=Yes: she's read nothing but fashion books the whole summer. ={Chicag> Inter-Ocean. ne BITTER LOGIC, ’ Small Boy (ir. fish market)—Have you any dry fish? KOT A MAN OF HIS WORD, “He said he would die il 1 refused “And did he? ¥ “No; I saw him at the picnle yes POOR “Well,” “this world SHOW anid % iio nresent the pe pt o dyer ris vy dogzgons money NArria afterwar Schaolmaster—But pay you. Boy (triumphantly )—Then I’ em at ten cents, Schoolmaster—=But they would not fetch ten cents. Joy {Row rendered Then I'd eat "em mysell. Recorder. deaperat £m —{ New York A TERRIBLE EXAMPLE, “Beautiful scenery here, isit not?" voung man of a solitary traveler whom he found pacing along “Well, can't no.” agree with replied the stranger, you. I think it is nosuch “Your mother's ocean was super- jor, then?’’ “Oh, yes; vastly superior tumbling breakers! What a magni. ficent sweep of view! What ampli. distance! What fishing there was in my mother's ocean!” “But the sky is magnificent here, What “Too low and too narrow across “1 hadn’t noticed,” said the young “Yes.” said the stranger, *'it is too either. Besides, it doesn’t sit plumb over the earth. It is wider from north to south than it is from west to cust. 1 call it a pretty poor sky. It is no such sky as my mother used to have. “Pardon me, bat did your mother have a special sky and ocean of her own?" Hore an old resident came up and drew the young man aside. “Don’t talk with him,’ said the old resident. “He is a hopeless luna- tic. He is a man who always used to teil his wife about ‘the biscuits my mother Jed to alka,’ ‘my mothers os,’ mother's ings,” and ‘my mother's dio. The Linbit grew on him so much that he became a confirmed lunatic, and now does nothing but compa ry
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers