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——
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