Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1874-01-29


why girls do not learn mechanical
trades as well as boys; they do net ex-
pect TO follow them for a livelihood
They expect to marry, and this means
that their occupation for life will be the
care of the household. But why is it
they do not learn this household trade
thoroughly? They have every reason
to excite their ambition and interest in
this that a man has in learning his
trade or business. Yet there is gen
eral confession that the women of the
cities are not as well trained in that
part of the domestic economy which be-
longs to them as men are in their part;
and when housekeepers talk on the sub
iect of the hired girls, their common
cry is of their ignorance of household
work, and their inefficiency. "a
Housekeeper" writes us letter to elu-
cidates this "mYddled" problem, and
gives us chapter of the same old cry
of the ignorance Of work girls; and
she proposes to remedy it by establish
ing schools for training girls for house.
work. SCI
But every household is training
school for girls at housework. Boys
learn the mechanical trades by work
ing at them with those who have learn
ed them in the same way. Every house
hold ought to be a place for girls to
learn. The combina tions of skilled
workmen to protect their trade have
even to make rules to prevent boys
learning it. Girls2eneounter no such
obstacle in learning housework. If it
were understood and practiced in house.
holds, would they not learn it NATURALLY !?
Is net the Ireason1of the ignorance of
the girls who are Ihired for housework,
in the fact that housekeepers them
selves do not understand it. The girl
is expected to know more than her en-
lployer; but how is she to acquire this
skill? And why are housekeepers ig-
nsrant and incompetent? Is it not be-
cause they despise woman's business,
and class it as menial, and think il
hould be left to menials?
There should be as much dignity in
household duties as in the busines:
which earns the money that support;
the household; but there is not. The
women of society are not ashamed tt
have it known that their husbands Ia
Dor hard at their business; but they are
unwilling to have it known that they
exercise the same care and energy IL
household duties. The man who lei
his business to hired assistants woult
soon come to bankruptcy; but womel
think that hired assistants should carr.
on household duties without any sucl
supervision or instruction as men mus
constantly give to keep their busines
from ruin. There is much talk of ell
larging woman's sphere of labor; bu
, is it not true that in the sphere she ha
always held exclusively, and which
natural to her, she does not, in larg
class in the cities, have the training il
her duties which men must have il
theirs
She may think that mans business
more dignified than hers, but how di
it become so? There is intrinsicall
neither honor nor dishonor in labor {
any sort, manual or mental, for none,
Men give respectability to it; VIII
,, sh ould not women to theirs? The
have attached 2indignity to their ow
: occupation; would they not to. otlit
occupations, if they took possession
them? Their households do not trai
!. successors or assistants, would the
J business offices? Is not the incomp
S tency of household workers for wag
due to the incompetency of housekeel
: ters, and to their chasing their own d
d les as menial service, and the worke
IS n it as class beneath their sympathiel
!, And therefore is there not sOmethii
r. for women to do besides complaint
hat their sphere or labor is limited?