New Resource: The Woman Who Toils
Being the Experiences of Two Ladies as Factory Girls
With a dedication to Mark Twain and an introduction by Teddy Roosevelt, this story from 1903 of two sisters who went underground to observe and expose the working conditions of “factory girls” is at once an absorbing, informative and thought-provoking insight into the early struggles of women in the American workplace. It sets the stage nicely for today’s continuing debates that cover many of the same issues that existed more than 100 years ago. It provides plenty of perspective on how very much has gotten better for “the woman who toils,” and how very much things have stayed the same. Each sister writes about her own experience, effectively making this a small book (132 pdf pages) comprised of two short biographical stories. Generously illustrated, with 19 well-drawn depictions of the experiences and observations of its authors.
From the original introduction:
Now concerning this unknown class whose oppression we deplore we have two sources of information: the financiers who, for their own material advancement, use the labourer as a means, and the philanthropists who consider the poor as objects of charity, to be treated sentimentally, or as economic cases to be studied theoretically. It is not by economics nor by the distribution of bread alone that we can find a solution for the social problem. More important for the happiness of man is the hope we cherish of eventually bringing about a reign of justice and equality upon earth.
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This book, converted from the original edition, has been added to our curated library of classic HR and management books. The collection is available to paid subscribers, who may comment on the book in this substack. Subscribers to the free version of this substack can find the original copy at archive.org, and also may comment on the book here. The curated copy available to paid subscribers is searchable, contains modern commentary comparing the issues in the book from both a historical and contemporary viewpoint, and is suitable for downloading to your reading devices.