American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-10-23
Women and Work in Paris.

LONG ago women's work, which in it.
self is so profitable, was estimated at its
true value in Paris. Wider fields of &C
ton are daily opening out for increasing
wants, develop increasing resources, and,
whilst waiting for the fruits expected from
the technical schools fast multiplying,
each woman who has a vocation or tai
ent of one sort or another employs herself
in earning something for her family.
In days gone by hand labor implied In
most cases a certain degree of ignorance
on all points outside itself, the worker be-
ing considered n mere tool; hut now we
have discovered that every trade is more
quickly and protitably exercised when
general education goes hand in hand with
technical training, becoming, as it were,
kind of skylight through which pene-
trate air and light. The result of this is
that well-bred and well-educated women
no longer look upon work as disgrace,
and that an increasing number of them not
only accept but seek it as a dignity. The
nature of my own work has brought me
for several years past into intimate rela-
tions with crowds of women who live by
the work of their hands. Before l took
up my work shared to a certain degree
in the prejudice which attaches stamp
of inferiority to manual labor; but l was
soon cured of this by Observing women
engaged in hand labor who, by their edu-
cation, their good manners, their talents,
were the equals-often the supcriors-of
women who never worked for money.
In order to work probably one must
not only be in need of work-one must be
able to do it we'll: and this consideration
alone should suffice to inspire non-work-
ing women with respect for those who are
sufficiently intelligent to exercise pro-
fessiOn. With the exception of few
whose dull minds find it easier to accept
ready-made prejudices than to think for
themselves, we Parislans are no longer
imbued with the false idea that one wom-
| an is superior to another simply because
she is incapable of helping to support her
family. So entirely have we vanquished
this prejudice, and SO thoroughly is the
necessity of giving every woman the
means of earning her own livelihood I'M
| derstood amongst us, that many of our
richest girls study hard to obtain the di-
| ploma which in case of need would assure
them a good position as governess. 9th
ers learn painting Oh china, not after anna
teur-that is, second-rate and useless
fashion, but thoroughly, so that they could
keep themselves by it; and, now that such
training is becoming a la mode, others be
| come firstrate milliners, dress makers and
plain sewers. This movements altogeth-
er a good one, and it is impossible to
encourage it too much, especially by join
ing it. If it had no other results than
| that of making work respected whenever
have been useless; for it is impossible to
deny that the absurd and unjust sneers
bestowed by idlers upon workers have
| excited and envenOmed class antagO-
nism.
But, besides this, work has virtue Pc
culiar to itself: it satisfies, Gains, or it
] may be consoles, those who know how to
rtv liz,
well we delight in our work, and nc
longer wish to give it up. 1 am perfectly
well aware of what will be the result OF
these remarks. A week from the date OF
the appearance of this article l shall be
| inundated with letters from all parts OF
the country entreating me to provide the
writers with work. OF course this is an
impossibility. In the first place l am SC
busy the day rarely suffices tor my own
affairs; and in the second there are plenty
of hands in Paris who can do Partisan
work far more conveniently than it could
be executed by people at distance.
There is large class of very small
novelties and third-rate novels which al
ways put me in humor, because they
| spread the most untrue, most impractical
ideas on this head. In their pages are
found those wonderful women and young
girls who keep their families not only in
|
secret, or by spending one or two hours q
day in working embroidery for the Paris
| ian shops. There are in these stories as
many mistakes as words. Save in the
case of a very few workshops, Partisan
work is done in Paris. There are, how
ever, plenty of industrial occupations
which can be pursued, and profitably, too
in the provinces; but l know very wei
what my correspondents would say If
told them so: at is impossible for us tc
work in our own neighborhOOd, for We
should lose caste; so we must come tt
Paris, because it is large enough and mys
| FERROUS enough to hide the shame of work
What would Miss say if she knew
worked for pay? and what airs Mrs. -
would put on if she knew had profes
sion" Now, what matter does it al
make? Can it be possible that we have,
and do not hesitate to avow it, more vani
ty than pride? Those people who all
capable OF respecting the idle more thai
the industrious present us with the meas
ure of their minds and souls, and it is sucl
a very small one it is of no account.
In these days it is not only amongs
teachers and artists that we are exposed t.
meeting our superiors; it is now absolute
ly necessary, as well as useful and right
to be polite to tradeswomen. Have you
high opinion of the aristOcracy? l know
dressmaker, a milliner and plain sew
er, each of whom has a title and yer,
authentic De- Doyou honor services rem
dered to the State. Take care! Nothin,
more likely than that your dressmaker i
the daughter of an officer in high posi-
ton. Do you appreciate talent! You
plain sewer and your corsetmaker ar
first-rate musicians and draw splendidly
Then why, you will ask, are they dress
makers, plain sewers, corset-makers AM
milliners? Because, let me whisper il
they find they can, when really clever il
these branches, make a good deal NOR
than if they gave lessons in French, must
and drawing.
The truth is that women's work is onl
profitable when exercised openly an
when a sufficient degree of perfection
attained in it. The work that is ashame'
of itself, the work which hides itself, dc
string to live incognito and anonymously
brings IN nothing worth having. Let us
then, give up all subterfuges, all mystery
Amateur work can never be really II
munerative because the preference will
always be given to professional work
women.
In conclusion, let us relegate to dream
land that pretty vision of fabulous sum
earned by working one or two hours a da
unknown to our neighbors) at any oc
cupation whatever. If large sums ar
earned in Paris it is not only because sal
aries are higher but because people wor
harder. Here women do not do thei
work in the intervals between a coupl
of calls, dinner party, concert an
one or two walks; they work all day
leaving dinner paaties and walks to thos
who are not obliged to work. And i
doing this they are not more unhappy