Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-05-03
81 Don't Work Now-..I'm Married. I"

This was the remark Of lady (g) We re.
Gently met on the street, whom we had for.
merly known as shop girl" But from
her dress and appearance She had evidently
graduated from the shop, and was now living
a life Of elegant leisure" And to whom
was She married the reader will naturally
ask to some millionaire doubtless, or at
least to a man whose ample fortune rendered
it unnecessary that she should exert herself to
bear part Of the burdens of life or prac.
tice any of those domestic economies imposed
on most Of us If we would have the balance
on the right side Of the ledger at the end Of
the year. In this shrewd guess the reader
is all wrong She had married shopmate
as poor rs herself, whose weekly wages had
hitherto just served to pay for his board and
clothing, cigars and theater tickets, and other
little indulgences he deemed essential to his
enjoyment. But in an hour Of thoughtless-
ness he had married, and taken upon himself
the burden Of supporting two instead of one,
while she thought there was no necessity for
further exertion on her part, because she
was married. There would be little signif-
canoe in this circumstance, if this woman
was not the representative Of a class which
is becoming far too numerous among us.
The girl, as soon as she is old enough 10
work and earn anything, instead of going
into the kitchen to learn its secrets and its
economies and fit herself to become pru-
dent housekeeper, goes into the shop because
she can obtain greater wages there. She
succeeds in earning enough TO pay her board.
dress herself fairly, adorn herself with lit
Tie cheap jewelry and other finery and waits
her chance TO catch beau who will be fool.
ish enough TO marry her In this she gen
orally succeeds, and then she thinks her life
work is done. There is no longer any need
for her 10 work, for she is married. Is it
any wonder that nottingham, paired with
such a wife, should be poor is it any
wonder we hear from them the constant com.
plant that they cannot live on their wages,
or that any temporary loss of employment
or eyes reduction of wages should bring
them to actual want and suffering There
may be many causes for the present stagna-
ton in business, but for the actual suffering
it brings to thousands of families, the want
OF domestic economy is largely responsible,
Our present industrial system is training up
a large class to become wives and mothers.
with no qualifications for the responsibilities
Of such position. They know not the first
thing about housekeeping, or making and
taking care Of their own or husbands clothes.
The only thing in which they are helpmeet,
is in spending his scanty earnings This
they are sure TO do faster than he can earn
them.
This state Of things affects more than the
parties Immediately concerned. The pros
perity Of any community depends in a great
measure on the condition Of the working
classes. If they are thriving and prosperous,
able to buy what they need and pay for what
they buy, the merchant, the manufacturer
and almost every other class of society, share
in their prosperity. If the interests of the
working classes are depressed, every other
class suffers with them. And it seems to
us something more deep and radical than
fringe and feathers lies at the seat of the
evils under which we are now suffering and
something that requires a more radical rem
edy. Our girls must not only learn that
they will have somethingt to do after they are
married, but that it is the most important
part of their education, to secure that do
nestle training which will fit them for the
duties and responsibilities of married life.
And the first step toward this is to convince
them that there is no contamination in the
kitchen, and no disgrace in knowing, at
least, how TO do the work and manage the
affairs Of a family so as TO secure both com
fort and economy. This alone would relieve
the embarrassments of thousands of men,
who now find it their most difficult problem
how to find means to pay the expenses of a
thriftless and improvident household. II
was formerly supposed that this helplessness
and uselessness of women as housekeepers
was mostly confined to the wealthy classes,
whose circumstances raised them above the
necessity of imposing on their daughters any
labor for their support. But the popularity
of the shop and the unpopularity OF the
kitchen, is rendering the daughters of the
poor quite as unfit for domestic duties as
those of the rich, and on them the burden
and misery, occasioned by their incompe-
tency, most heavily falls.-SPriaQfeid Union,