The Sun.
London, England, 1859-11-24 00:00:00

EDUCATED FEMALE LABOUR.

(From the Mechanics' Magazine.)
It is far easier to sneer at the " rights of woman"
than to show why the wrong: of woman should not
be redressed. We Englishmen, to whom "home"
is the sweetest and most precious possession, are too
much in the habit of seeing in woman only the raw
material for conversion into wives and mothers.
We think of women as the attendants and helpers
of men, and nothing more. Or if more, then only
when

" Man is.the hunter; woman is his game;
" The sleek and shining creatures of the chase,
" We hunt them for the beauty of their skins."

But in all this we men are wrong—stupidly, blindly,
heartlessly wrong. Doubtless the great and pri-
mary office of woman is that of being man's "help-
meet." But as doubtless this is not, cannot be, her
only calling. To many a woman the hope of mar-
riage never comes; to many more the dream of
wedded life dissolves before its realisation is
attained I to others, scarcely have the bridal bells
ceased clashing ere the husband is tolled to his
tomb; others put on with the weeds of widowhood
the burden of providing for a numerous family;
and so forth. On all sides we are surrounded by
women whom God and Nature have cut off from
man's immediate aid, and who by brain or hand
must win, for themselves at least, their daily bread.
It would be rather late for us now to attempt to
show how few are the means by which women
thus circumstanced can at present obtain liveli-
hoods. It is well known the one chief calling
which is open to them—that of a governess—has
gradually been so brought down that we have come
to consider it but little, if any, superior to that of
the humblest menial service; and it is equally well
known that scarcely any other outlet for female
activity has hitherto been deemed respectable.
These facts have lately been much considered by
the public, and many measures have been taken for
bringing about a better state of things. The latest
movements are, first, the establishment of " regis-
ters of women's work," to be managed by commit-
tees of ladies, and in which may be registered the
names of any ladies who wish to become candidates
for remunerative employment in charitable institu-
tions, such as nurses in hospitals, matrons in work-
houses, teachers or superintendents in industrial
schools—likewise for those who desire to obtain
situations as secretaries, clerks, or book-keepers,
while other kinds of employment will in all proba-
bility gradually suggest themselves in accordance
with the needs of society; and, secondly, the esta-
blishment of a society for promoting the employ-
ment of women. The committee includes several
ladies of title; Viscount Itaynham, M.P., is the
treasurer. A statement has been published in
which various objections to the employment of
women are answered. It appears also from this
statement that it is the intention of the society to
establish a large school for girls and young women,
where they may be specially trained to wait in
shops, by being thoroughly well instructed in
accounts, bookkeeping, &c. ; be taught to fold and
tie up parcels, and perform many other little
acts which a retired shopwoman could teach
them. The necessity of politeness towards cus-
tomers, and a constant self-command, will also
be duly impressed upon them. Girls educated in
this school would be capable of becoming clerks,
cashiers, and tick-et-sellers at railway stations. It is
also contemplated to establish workshops in connec-
tion with the school, where the girls might be taught
other trades—trades well suited to women, but now
almost exclUsively in the hands of men, such as
printing and hair-dressing, for instance. As the
means of the society inci eased so would the number
of workshops and the variety of trades taught. No
girl would be admitted to either school or workshop
who did not bear a good character; nor, on leaving,
would she be recommended for employment till she
had passed such examinations as proved her to be
competent for it.

This is all most gratifying ; and in pursuance of
the good work we would urge upon the promoters
of these movements the immense importance of mul-
tiplying lady mechanics ! We want all our men for
our heavier trades, such as engineers, builders,
shipwrights, blacksmiths, and so forth—trades to
which wo can never put a woman ; and we may very
well hand over our lighter mechanical crafts to our
poorer females. It is, of course, simply disgraceful
to see the young women of our land forced by thou-
sands into vicious courses for mere want of employ-
in:mt, while equal numbers of our young men are
draining away their manly qualities behind drapers'
counters, in hairdressers' rooms, and in scores of
other occupations for which women would display
equal, if not greater, aptitude ; and although light
mechanical trades arc less obnoxious to man's man-
liness than such occupations as those just mentioned,
they may doubtless be entrusted to women with ad-
vantage to both sexes.
There is one trade in particular for which woman
is eminently adapted, which should not be lost sight
of in this discussion, viz., that of the watchmaker.
Mr. John Bennett, of Cheapside, has very nobly
advocated the introduction of female labour into the
watch-manufacture, at the expense of much personal
odium; and so effectually has he stated his case,
that some of those•watchmakers who denounced his
labours in this matter, aro prudently bringing up
their own daughters to the business. Mr. Bennett
tells us, not only that women arc in all respects
competent to make watches, but that we British
people are absolutely importing large numbers of
women-made watches every year.
The Paris Exhibition must,'he says, have opened
the eyes of all but the wilfully blind to the startling
fact, that quality, strength, and elegance considered,
the Swiss are nearly 40 per cent. under our prices.
" So striking was their superiority, except in our
first-class watch," he remarks, " that I took my
own eyes for a month through their principal manu-
facturing districts. There I found causes in active
operation that explain the whole matter. From
three leading manufacturers I learnt that 1,500,000
were made last year in the Neufchatel district, and
this over and above the produce of the Geneva dis-
trict. They declare, too, that their powers of pro-
duction have doubled in the last seven years. The
marvellous ingenuity of their tools and their skil-
ful economy of labour fully confirm this statement."
So prosperous has been the handicraft of these in-
telligent-mountaineers, that thousands of men and
women engaged in the trade people all the hills and
valleys far and wide, from the Val de St. Imier, in
Berne, in the North, down below St. Croix, looking
over the lake of Geneva. Compare the thousands
there, from north to south, with our manufacturers.
Within the London district, including every dealer
who professes and calls himself a watchmaker, we
had in 1851 but 4,800 in the trade. And what is
the result ? That we have become customers to
these very Swiss for watches for our own use at
home. Thousands of women are at this moment
finding profitable employment at the most delicate
portions of watchwork throughout the district
round Neufchatel. The subdivision of labour is
there wisely made so minute as to adjust itself pre-
cisely to the special capabilities of every woman's
individual dexterity. It is impossible to believe
that the women of London will do badly what the
Swiss women are doing so well. Thousands of the
women of London, now in dire distress, have the
power to equal and perhaps to outstrip their Swiss
sisters in a rival race for an honourable and abun-
dant means of subsistence. "I know the realization
of my suggestions to be within their reach, and I
believe," says Mr. Bennett, " there aro few men of
any worth who will refuse to join me in the wish
that Heaven may grant that this desirable means
of rescuing so many from their present misery may
be speedily removed from the necessity of,news-
paper discussion."
We agree with Mr. Bennett; and if Viscount
Raynham and his colleagues would do their work
effectually, they should inquire closely into this..
watchmaking question, which lies ready to their
hand. In their whole movement we wish them the
most perfect success.

CAPTURE OF A KAFFIR IN HIGHGATE WOODS.—
A Kaffir, who was in a very wild state, and who could not
speak one word of English, was charged before the sitting
magistrates, Mr. Folkener and Mr. Bodkin, at Highgate,
under the following peculiar circumstances :—On Sunday
night information was received at the Highgate Polico=sta-
tion that a black man was in Highgate Woods, where ho
had made a cave and was roasting a sheep. Sergeant
Aylett, 15 S, Daniels, 30 S, and Martin, 20 S, with a large
body of constables searched the woods, here they found the
greater part of a sheep, and some of it had been roasted.
Upon further search a scythe was found with which he had
slaughtered a sheep in a field adjoining. By daylight the
inhabitants of Highgate had got the information, and a large
number of people went into the wood. After a long time
the man was seen by several of the people, when ho imme-
diately darted into a thick part of the wood, but so nimble
were his movements that he was more like a wild monkey
than a man, and it was very difficult to get near him.. At
about 10 the following morning the man was seeumd by
police-constable Bishop, 384 S, and Ridley, 124 S, and after
a hard struggle he was taken to the station. In addition
to haring storm the sheep the prisoner had also take n a
quantity of articles of clothing. The prisoner while before
the magistrates behaved in a very wild manner, -and Ni as
remandcd for further inquiry, The coat was crowded to
MCP,