Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 15.djvu/359

Rh system. Matthew Carey, the early philanthropist and publicist, in an open letter of remonstrance regarding "the inadequate payment which females receive for their labor," said that the work for which women were notoriously underpaid both in New York and Philadelphia, included the folding and stitching of books, the sewing of carpet rags, the work done for the army and navy, and the binding of shoes. These were what one might call the "sweated trades" of the first half of the nineteenth century; and it is clear that, so far as working conditions were concerned, there was little in common between the shoebinders of the Massachusetts towns and villages and the shoebinders of the cities. The condition of these women was pictured as one of extreme wretchedness, and the "garret bosses" under whom they worked were undoubtedly heavy taskmasters.

But the work of women shoebinders everywhere, together with the work of the shoemakers, was destined to be completely revolutionized. In the year 1845, the first important labor-saving machine to be used in the manufacture of boots and shoes was introduced, and the third period in the history of the industry may be said to have begun. This period has been marked by a long series of remarkable mechanical inventions, the long-delayed establishment of the modern system, and the bringing to an end of the old primitive methods of work in the shoemakers' shops and binders' homes.

The machine which was invented in 1845 was for leather rolling, and was therefore not directly connected with the making of shoes, and did not in any way affect the work which women were doing. But within a few years the invention of the sewing-machine brought about the most radical change in the industry which has affected their work. It was soon discovered that the sewing-machine could be successfully used with dry thread for the work of "binding and stitching" which women had been doing by hand, and in 1852 the first machine for stitch-