The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-03-22

custom; but hallowed low by q tbo1saud
/ fances, sacred with the idea OF endless love.
its old import is all forgotten. But the in-
herittd and trained disinclination 10 stand
| uTon her own feet, protect, provide. snd
| care for heIself work for herself, out from
| under the dominion or shelter OF Steiner
| power, Is a survival Of the unfittest legacy
| from The rast. carried by the woman OF to-
/ day TO her hindraDce and disadvantage.
The world is changing last, however, we
| are ruled by ideas. The pen il mightier
| than the sword" The constant tendency is
to squslize the chances of the weak, physic
ally, with those Of the strong; and woman
| with liberal education and useful work
| within her grasp, hollis in her hands the
forces that move the world. a little while
and she will no longer beg protection aud
/ SUI D RI. She will project herself and be her
own visible means OF support"
One reason that what is called the"Womsn
| Question" is so peIsisteDtly misunderstood
Il that women are looked upon too much,
| studied, criticized, and advised too much,
| with reference solely to one or two OF their
| relations or duties in life. To regard women
| &c wives and mothers only, taking for gran
ted that ali their interests aud emotions, sll
| their hopes. fears, aspirations, ambitions,
| struggles, triumphs. and defeats are connec
| ted with their interests in me \ as wives and
| mothers; TO confne the observation TO one
| phase OF woms ms existence aud conclude that
it Is ell OF that existence, is to make sure the
Il
| This arrow, and often sentimental view
| lie what makes some Of the most chivalrous
| men the n Ost potent enemies to the real,
| practical vel being of the mass OF women.
a recent writer raises some very pertinent
| conjectUres az 10 the fate OF the novel heros
mother, after he has married the heroine,
and is gone from home. She can not indulge
| forever in her former constant occupation,
4 that Of signing and weeping oyer her sons
stockings anc shirt buttons, for another has
| contracted to undertake that tender duty.
/ 1t is impractics BILE and unnecessary for her.
after her sons wedding, to steal into his
room, after ne Is asleep, and run the risk,
| nightly, of giving him an influenza, by her
| favorite practice of believing nis pillow with
I ner tears. What indeed becomes of the fond
| and devoted povel hero's mother. after the
ringing of the ineviteb!e wedding bells? The
| question is esHily answered. Boy, stockings
and shirt buttons being properly cared for,
| the mother vanishes into thin air, having no
| longer any excuse for being. However real
| and true the life of the heroine may be- the
mother leaves upon the reader the
in preston arrived at by sairy Camp
| about Mrs. Harris that there
never was 10 SIGH person." The common.
stnte. every day NOTION is, that men rule the
I world, 60 its wSrg, make its laws, and take
good care Of their wives and children as in
duty bound TO do. the wives and children
being their most precious possessions. No
/
| theory of life is false but our whole social
| structure Is built on the assumption that the
| men OF the country Will support its women.
When ever woman applies for work,
| avowedl for her bread. she first of all apollo
gzes for the absence of q man 10 support
her. No one who receives a large number of
| applications for work can fail to notice how
much time is consume by the women ap-
plics nts, in telling the pitifnl story OF the
loss of IA her, husband. or brother, upon
whom they were all APP arently content 10
depend SIS long as lie remained in the poor
man. How different is 8 mans application
He wants work, gives his experiences and
| references, and is very respectfully yOlrs.
No apologies from him. No regrets, no CON-
plants. He has always, if an American, ex-
pc ct<d TO earn his own living, and IS the
world has always expected as much he
would be ashsmtd lot TO 10 so; bat
the woman has never expected TO
work, and from under the shelter OF
her fathers or husbands roof the world has
never expected it of her, and in many cases
she is ashamed to do il.
| No hing short of re volution could shake
the ic cas- OF the mass of women in regard to
work, but the revolution is being accom-
plished, with no explosion, no grand up
heavel, but by The patient LABOR OF hundreds
| of thousands of women. quietly ana firmly
| treading the read that leads 10 ildepend-
ence.
| Necessity has taught her stern and whole
| some lesson in these latter years. to many
| buDgling and faint hearted pupil, and to
some of them let US look for view of wo
men, not alone as wives and mothers, al
| though many of them are such but also as
breao winners for their families as well as
| for u mselves.
Before We give our attention to wage
workers, there is a word TO say of class of
| women the ost useful in society, but who
do not figure for their work in the pages Of
| industrial statistics. They are the hardest
| woI king, most care-laden members OF every
| community. ! refer to the home makers
and home keepers of the country.
| In the United States there are, according
| 10 the last census S 955 SD dwellings aud
| 945 9l6 families. II may be assumed that
| in every enc of tbs 5, 955, S12 dwellings there
is q woman wbe has charge of its domestic
arrangements ard work, if she does not her.
self perform the labor. The number of
| women employed as domestic servants, &C.
coYdipg to the 1880 census. is 93S go. The
| number of men so engaged is 1856 745; total
| 1919, 600; so that, allowing that IN LOIS 605
dnebings OF our country there is one servant
| for household works 100 liberal allowance
there remain $50 157 women who do the
work of their own houses. To do ones own
| fou sework in the United States entails more
| work than such an undertaking in any Euro
pesn coui try. The American housewife
who undertakes domestic WORK must maze
and bake the bread. scruo, cook. wash ana
Il
nurse and constant companion of her chill
dren, she makes her own clothes those of
her children, prepares the household linen,
and often In country districts cuts, fits and
sews her husbands garments. In older
countries, where the division of labor has
been perfected, the housewife is relieved from
the baking of bread, and often from our
great national institution of the week Y
WISH. Here the hoGseEeeper Who has no
servant must meet every task single
handed and alone, aud if there is
any days work more hard. varied add
exhausting that of an American farmers
wife, with no assistants. it is beyond ordi-
nary experience. These 7,SS0,157 American
women, seven twelfhs OF all OF whom are
over eighteen years OF age lead lives OF har 1
labor, and often pTivation. They receive no
wages, but they piodocs much and make a
large part OF the wealth of the country-they
are too often overlooked ana forgotten. How
ridiculous in the presence OF his great army.