btaining a situation for my sister, whom I instructed
in the use of the machine until she became as expert an operator as
myself.

The certainty of employment, even at moderate wages, relieved my mind of
many domestic cares, while the employment itself was a further relief.
It was, moreover, infinitely more agreeable than working for the
slop-shops, or even for the most fashionable tailors. Our duties were
defined and simple, and there was no unreasonable hurry, and no
night-work: we had our evenings to ourselves. As usual with
sewing-women, the pay was invariably small. The old formula had been
adhered to,--that because the cost of a sewing-woman's board was but
trifling, therefore her wages should be graduated to a figure just above
it. She was not permitted, as men are, to earn too much. My sister and I
were sometimes able to earn eight dollars a week between us, sometimes
only six. But this little income was the stay of the family. And it was
well enough, so long as we had no sickness to interrupt our work and
lessen the moderate sum.

They paid off the girls by gas-light on Saturday evening. As we had a
long walk to reach home, the streets through which we passed presented,
on that evening, an animated appearance. A vast concourse of work-women,
laborers, mechanics, clerks, and others, who had also received their
weekly wages, thronged the streets. There were crowds of girls from the
binderies, mostly well dressed, and sewing-women carrying great bundles
to the tailors, many of them, without doubt uncertain as to whether
their work would be accepted, just as we had been in former days. As the
evening advanced, the shops of all descriptions for the supply of
family-stores were crowded by the wives of workmen thus paid off, and
the sewing-girls or their mothers, all purchasing necessaries for the
coming week, thus immediately disbursing the vast aggregate paid out on
Saturday for wages.

The quickness with which I secured employment on the sewing-machine,
because of my having qualified myself to operate it, was a new
confirmation of my idea that women are engaged in so few occupations
only because they have not been taught. Employers want skilful workers,
not novices to whom they are compelled to teach everything. But what was
to be the ultimate effect on female labor of the introduction of this
machine had been a doubtful question with me until now, I worked so
steadily in this establishment, the occupation was s