Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1869-12-09
From the Western Rural
The InefIiciency of Girls-The
Coming Man"
by MRS. JENNIE t. HAzEN.

A wood engrayer being asket
why he did not employ women, re
piled; 81 have employed womel
very often, and / wish | could fee
more encouraged. But the trutl
is, that when young man comes
to me and begins his work he feels
that il is his life's business. lie il
to cut his fortune out Of the little
blocks before him. Wife, family
home, happiness, are all to be carved
by his hand, and he settles steadily
and earnestly to his labor, deter
mined to master it, and with every
excitement squirting him on. lie
can not marry until he knows his
trade. 1t is exactly the other way
with the girl. She may be as poor
as the boy, and as wholly depend.
ent upon herself for living, but
she feels that she will probably be
married by and by, and then she
must give up wood engraving. Sc
she goes on listlessly; she doesnot
feel that her happiness depends on
it. She will marry and then hel
husbands wages will support her.
She may not say so, but she thinks
so, and it spoils her work"
This is not only true Of women
engaged in wood engraving, but
of the majority of all women en-
gagged in any kind Of labor, or no
labor, Ninety-nine out of every
hundred women are waiting, eX'
pecting, hoping to be married.
They are only at work for them
selves, for the time being; only
waiting for the coming man." who
will house, clothe or feed Them
Each woman dreams ard sees Wis
ions according to her station in
life.
The uptown belle sees brown
stone front upon the avenue, in 4
fashionable quarter; sees elegant
carpets, whose velvety surface gives
back an answer to her footsteps ;
sees costly curtains looped in grace
full festoons over French plate glass
windows; sees magnificent mirrors
whose polished faces reflect her
beautiful person in graceful atti-
tudes sees all the luXuries which
wealth can purchase; sees dear
"Augustus Fitz Foodle," her hus-
band and sees herself the most
envied woman Of all snobdom.
She is the daughter of a broken
down merchant; father in a sui
cide's grave, mother inefficient and
helpless, moaning over the glories
of the past and the miseries of the
present, too proud to beg, and too
weak and useless to work. The
daughter takes up the burden, and
chooses to teach a class of music.
But she does not intend to make
this the business of her lite. Oh,
no This is only a temporary ar
rangement to keep up appearances,
until she can marry some one who
can elevate her to her former SO
cial position. AS it is not to be
the business of her life, she neither
acquires nor imparts a thorough
knowledge Of music. 'Tis only a
makeshift, till something else turns
up for her; the something else" p"
to be married to an eligible party :
"eligible" meaning rich, and able
to put her in a position above la
bor
Girls enter dry goods stores as
clerks, and instead of having an
ambition to learn their business
perfectly, hoping to advance from
under clerk to head salesman, from
head salesman to partner, and from
that to the highest position in the
commercial ranks-instead of max
ing an effort in this direction, she
is content to obtain but a superb
cial knowledge of her business,
hoping and praying to be released
from seryitude, by marriage with
one of her fellow clerks, mayhap (;
but if not thus, to some one who
will remove her from her irksome
position to one more pleasing, if it
he only housekeeper in suit Of
rooms, knowing that, as the world
goes, it adds to her importance So
cialy to be married. .r.
just so with girls who enter
printing offices to learn the art of
printing. Very few of them as
pire to proficiency, to be the best
in their several departments, but
arc contentcd with mere mediocri-
ty; with just sufficient knowledge
of their art to enable them to earn
their daily bread, and they are
ever on the look out for a good
offer"
Talk with any of these girls
about the permanence Of their po-
sitions, and their prospect of adj
vancement, and they will tell you
with a shrug of their white shoul-