The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1881-04-14
{ ESTABLISHED In
I MARCH, IS45.
IN. Y. Tribune.1
Knowing Our Bounds.

We still receive letters Of inquiry
from women in every part of the coun-
try concerning their chances of earn.
ing a living in this or that occupation
They always write to know the high.
est income possible in each of them
and the best ways or place in which tc
make the attempt. But most of al
they are urgent in stating their OWL
necessities. The stories are usually
pitiful enough. They have them.
selves or helpless children or parents
or husband to support; they are will.
ing to go to work at any honest bust.
ness which will bring them in money
But there is one singular omission in
the letters which explains why these
and so many other women, have failed
| in the attempt to support themselves
They do not state, and, it would seem
never have inquired of themselves
what business they are fitted for
Apparently they think they are fit fol-
any. A man in going about a job OF
work looks to see if his tools and ma
terial are suited to that work. He
does not try to make fine bit of jew
elry with an axe, nor cut down tree
with turning lathe. But in this, the
biggest job Of work which can fall to
the lot of any human being, the occu-
patton by which to earn livelihood,
men, as we'll as women, seldom look to
their tools. They do not examine
their own brains, physical skill or dis
position, to find out what they really
can do. A woman discovers one day
with a shock that she must buy her
own food and clothes, and straight
way goes to work writing verses or
working table-covers, not because she
has any peculiar fitness for poetry or
crewels, but because they are popular
and genteel ways Of earning money.
The way before woman who wants
to earn money reputably in this coun-
try is full Of difficulties; their letters
and every newspaper we open are full
of hints Of their terrible anxiety and
almost despair. One word of advice
we can give to them all which will
make their first step at least successful;
it is to study their limitations. Find
out the bounds which nature has laid
down and keep inside of them. That
woman sees her hungry children
about her, andis educated and thought
full, is not enough to make her pop
ular writer. The very realities of life
which she has had to face, grim and
sad; the hard, monotonous line of
reflection in which her brain has
moved so heavily and long, may have
gone far to destroy the light thoughts,
the foolish, airy fancies which pub
fishers and public want and will pay
for. She reads stories which she
justly calls trashy" in the magazines
with famous names attached, and
hopefully sends her own MS; "she
has more sense than is shown there"
But the MS. comes back with thanks.
The fact is she probably has too much
practical sense to write stories at all.
She has precisely the energy, shrewd-
ness and tact which would enable her
to succeed as the keeper Of dry-goods
or grocer's shop; in France she would
go directly to such work. But here
she makes sad messes with heroes and
villains and odes to spring, and besieges
wretched publishers with them. Un-
fortunately, too, the occupations which
women usually attempt are those
which require specific and rare qualifi-
cations-creative power, imagination,
capacity for prolonged and unfagging
work, the artistic eye. Not one wom-
an or man in thousand possess these;
and not one man in a thousand tries
to earn his living by them. Men go
into trade-they raise wheat, flowers,
pigs, poultry, they hang paper, run
laundries, control manufactures of
candy, bonnets, all kinds Of women's
gear. In many cases they are doing
work, and growing rich at it, which
women could do just as well. Whose
fault is this? The public would be
quite as well satisfied to pay women
for the same service if the women
would undertake it. But they will do
nothing except attempt to embroider,
paint, lecture and write for the maga-
zines. Efeminate men carry on the
retail trade and Cinnamon the laun-
dries; they at least know their imita-
tions and keep within them; women
do not. There is the key to the whole
difficulty. Now let any woman who
wishes to support herself, who reads
this, decide dispassionately what kind
of work she could do best, if she were
a man, and then go at it, regardless of
what the world says. The world will
not trouble itself about her. 1t does
not care jot whether Polly or Peter
writes its books or weighs its sugar,
provided book and sugar are genuine.
There are a good many other folk
besides poor struggling women who
would do we'll to examine the work
they have taken up and see if it is
within the inexorable bounds which
nature has laid for them in their intel
lect and temperament. Men with the
purest motives and highest aims set
about accomplishing a reform or con-
trolling body Of other men, or they
write, or preach, or practice, and
break down in the prime of life with
paralysis or softening Of the brain, OF
some other nerve disease, simply
because they did not examine at first
the tools with which they had to work
Other men, under the influence of a
passing passion or freak, marry, when
they have not a single quality which
fits them to be husbands or fathers
The result is miserable homes and
vicious, neglected children. There are
others who have chosen to be artists
or lawyers when nature meant them
for mechanics, CT mechanics when
they should have starved during theil
youth to gain the education which
nature demanded. There are on every
hand good, high-purposed men preach
ing to the world in the press, the pull