Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/644

 630 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

1897 1898

Total cases (all causes and all occupations) 1 - 3,088 2,364

Need caused by sickness or death - 589 576

Need caused by insufficiency of earnings - - 730 460

Supposing that only one-half of the cases where need was caused by sickness or death and by insufficiency of earnings were among the garment-makers, that would be 659 cases, or 21.35 P er cent., in 1897, an d 518 cases, or 21.91 per cent., in 1898 ; while only about 6 per cent, of the 1,918 cases studied, as reported by the Bureau of Associated Charities, were strictly sweat-shop workers. The marked falling off in the number of cases for insufficiency of earnings is possibly due to the fact that business in the gar- ment trades has been better the last year or two than for some time before. Of the 344 men who asked for work at the employment bureau, twenty-eight, or only 8.1 per cent., were garment-makers. 2

Even before one has become familiar with the facts about present conditions in the garment trades the question arises : "What is the reason for all the abuses, the maladjustments, the ill coordinations in these industries ? " The answer cannot be given in a sentence, nor can the fault be laid at any one man's door.

Perhaps the causes most generally recognized and understood are those due to the character and situation of the workers. First among these is the absence of American ideas and sympathies. It was in New York, where the tide of immigrants enters, that the system first gained a foothold and reached its most acute form. The foreigners, as has already been seen in the case of the Russians, not having money enough to take them farther into the Land of Promise, settle down in New York. Their standard of living is so low that they are willing to work for wages which an American would not accept.

Through living with others of their own nationality they fail to come into touch with American life. It is almost impossible to speak of this without mentioning their ignorance also.

'The occupations are not differentiated in the report, and it was impossible to gain access to the case records.

"Report of United Hebrew Charities, p. 29.