This book is a pioneering study of the conditions and struggles of working women in the United States in the late nineteenth century. It focuses on the textile mills, the garment factories, and the domestic service, and exposes the long hours, low wages, and harsh environments that women endured. It also highlights the efforts of female labor activists to organize unions, strikes, and educational programs, and to demand better rights and dignity. Written by a sympathetic and insightful journalist and social reformer, this book is a landmark in the history of women's labor. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.