, 1873-03-08

mate children acknowledge and discharge much
more extensive obligations in regard to the sup
port of children, than is, for instance, the. case
in DeDmark-the legal providers of themselves
and their children; how, now, are they to full
fill this duty without working lit could not
be expected that the Estates would be willing
to allow a woman, who perhaps years in success
sion continues getting children, TO remain there
without any obligation to work for the Estates ;
and what would she be able to find elsewhere
Chat is to say in town to gain support for her.
self and children, with less exertion or work on
her part ?-and, where would we find any or
ganised society allowing a woman, having no
other proper resource than her own labour, to
go about during that whole period of her life
time, in which she continues getting children,
doing nothing but caring her children j.? 1t ap-
pears to US, that it is a natural right the Estates
have to claim, that as long as a mother of chill
dren continues her relations to the Estate, and
as long as the estates furnishes her with free
dwelling, provision ground, and other
dations, she must also fulfil her obligations to
work for the Estate, as far as SHE can do so
without harm to herself or of$prjmg. To the
mothers exemption from compulsory work there
should then be a corresponding exemption for
the Estate to provide for their children which
would be much the worse for herself. But the
exemption from work might perhaps be confined
to married women only to them and their hus-
bands it might well be left to Judge whether
they and their family could be supported with
out the wife's partaking in the work nor
would the interests of the Estates to that degree
be affected. But, as the number of children
born in wedlock does not form the plurality,
such a distinction on the part of the Public
Legislature, if it even were admissible under the
present state of things as they are here, would not
appear to be warranted when the question is of
finding means to preserve the lives and pro-
mote the healthy growth of young children.
Besides that, the support of a labourer-family
will generally require that both the husband
and wife must work, and it is pretty certain that
1t would not be the most industrious of mothers,
nor those having most concern for their child
rem, that would avail themselves of such an
exemption from the compulsory work, just as
little as those mothers who after child birth
now stay away longest from work are the best
of mothers.-When hereafter married women
are to have their own separate contracts of la
bour, there will be so much less reason to make
the exception for their sake.
1t is in this instance as in many others, and
not least where the question is of emancipa-
ted slaves, that demands are raised in the name
of freedom and humanity, which, if they were
fulfilled, would by no means serve to liberate,
in other words to develope the individuality, or
to humanize the parties for whom such demands
are made.
AS it is not always the case that work in 1.-THE
small gang,'' although requiring less amount of
physical strength, is the most Appropriate sort
of work for pregnant women, We have, instead
of tho provision to that effect in the old Regu-
laiions, heresproposed that women in that state
shall be given light work not likely to be inju-
rious to them.
Instead Of the 7 weeks exemption now allow
ed after childbirth, it is here proposed that
mothers be allowed 10 weeks exemption from
work after confinement. We beg to observe,
however, that the rule for z weeks has only
been applied very exceptionally ;. generally 9
to 10. weeks are suffered to elspseI before the
manager takes any steps to get the mother of
q young child to come to work; very often,
almost always, he does not do 50 unless she
either remains absent a very long time or IN
less she is met occupied with other work
equally as f~atiguing as that which the estate
would require of her.
The provision regarding the working-hours
a pregnant woman, sgreeably (Which she
will during the first year after confinement only
have TO work g hours at a time. wherebv she