The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1872-02-23
0'e Marietta gournal
Marietta, Georgia, February 90, 1879.
OUR YOUNG LADIES.
snoulD THEY BECOME SELF sUrPoRTING3

Mr.. EDITOR: A day or two pre-
viously, in conversation with a frienc
the question arose-"Shouid OH
young ladies become self-support
ing ?"
May | ask the use of your valua
bic columns for the purpose of cluci
dating in full my views upon this
subject.
There i, a serpent in the world as
willy as the one which obtained &C
cess to the garden of Eden. 1t has
nestled trcacherousIy in the mobiles
hearts. 1t has whispered in til,
ears of Ewes fair daughters anC
Adams sons pleasing talsehoot
which has caused immeasureablc
harm. 1t has said "All women were
made to be supported by men; mar
riage and maternity are the only
duties of women and any other &C
cupation for the purpose Of earning
a support is disgracoful,"
There has never been one hour il
human history when existing facts
would sustain this theory.
If all fathers were rich and yener-
Gus; if all women could marry mer
of their choice, and those men were
magnificent in pocket and heart, and
never died, never failed in business
or health, never deserted Their
homes, and trouble never come in
any shape, we might half believe
this serpent.
But what are the facts? Fathers
are not always able or willing to
support their daughters. The no
blest daughters do not like to be de-
pendent upon their fathers. AL
women do not marry. Do not start
in surprisc-it is even so. There
are this day in England four hun.
dred thousand moe women thar
men to marry them! one and a hal
million Of single women between the
ages of twenty and forty. There
are in the State of Massachusetts
alone, thirty thousand more women
than men to marry them; and those
who do marry, do not always get
supported. They do not all marry
generous men nor prosperous men,
sober men, industrious men, nor
healthy men. Husbands some times
get sick, sometimes die, sometimes
desert or neglect their families
sometimes squander their means ;
some are lazy-so that take, socie-
ty throughout, more married women
are compelled to support themselves
and their little ones than are com
fortably supported by husbands. |
know these are not poetical senti-
ments-they are facts, and ugly ones
at that. | know it disturbs the de-
licious theory of loving, protection
of tender women by brave men and
call that" which chivaIrous hearted
men love to dwell upon, and which
they assert is the basis of human
society; but we have to deal with
facts which confront us, and not
with charming theories.
Our young ladies should become
self-supporting-the consciousness
of independence is absolutely essen
tial to womanhood, as it is also to
manhood. What would be the
character of that young man who
never expects to earn his own livli-
hood, but hangs around home doing
little jobs, and goes to his father,
even when he is five and twenty,
and explains that he needs few
dollars to buy coat or pair of
boots ? Such beggary has precise
ly the same effect upon a woman's
character as it would have upon a
mans; but we are SO used to the
effect upon Coman'S, we have come
to think it is Gods stinting, and not
human bungling. Every woman Of
any spirit deteSts this dependence,
this everlasting asking for money.
Any woman or girl who has earned
few dollars which she feels is her
own, to use as she will, without quos-
ton or criticism, is prouder and hap
pier than With fve-times that sum
handed reluctantly from fathers or
husbands pocket with the taunt
"women use so much money !"
Then, the discipline to the whole
character which comes with self
support, is: of itself, a liberal educa-
ton.
[ questioned a lady of a man