Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-12-26
AIMS OF BOSTON GIRLS.
HOW THE HUBS SURPLUS WOMEN
MANAGE TO LIVE.
They would Rather wait on other
Won en- Behind the Counter Than In
the Kitchsn-Thsif Self Reliance

pressing demand in Boston, Is elsewh here, Tor
good girls" 10 work at domestic service in
families. Such may get from % to a per
week, board included Most American girls
do not like TO work in families. They like
better 10 enter stores as clerks. They would
rather wait on the mistress behind the
counter at les wages than at her house
There is still Q stain attached to going out As
help" The American girl h told that all
honest labor il honorable, and that she can
elevate and dignity her calling as hired
tske the ides- It's too much to expect Of
her. The theory is good, and true But the
general practice in society docs not point
that way. Besides, good mistresses and house
keepers are scarce good girls The
mistress may have ber moods, her lenses and
tempers as well A. the girl Human imper-
fection drells in the psrlor as well as attic
The good girl is expected to put up" with
the mistress -out Of sorts" spells. The good
mistress cannot, Of course, put up" with the
girls changes OF temper -sturs and variations
of compass. Ladies in Boston speak depre-
cstingly Of the tendency Of girls to seek the
nlpsid positions In shops and stores rather
than sccep. better paid position. in families,
where they could have "good home" But
the girl has also her idea as to good home
IL may differ from that OF the mistress. The
girl, for instance, may want 10 90 out every
night, when her days work is done. Tbs
mistres, may be able 80 to do We are all
imbued with terribly troublesome, turbu-
lent desire for freedom It extends to maid,
n1sstAr and rDiafra.u Tp fbe cir
among other things a good home implies
some freedom, recreation and change II
you are free, white and 20 or 81" do YOU
want your going out 10 see your ehums lin
tied TO one evening q veeki have heard
ladies blazing away at the folly and e1trrva-
gance Of girls Of lo~ly estate a few hours
after losing an amount equal TO a girls six
months wages in stock gambling. How hard
it is for any OF us TO ind that :.vel consist
ency. and wear it consistently after We have
found IT,
The female stag, supernumerary gets IS
per week. Out n this she must in part
furnish her costume For time and labor pre-
viously eIPendei, at rshearsals before the
play is put ON, she gets nothing. Preparatory
TO q spectacular piece have seen eighty
supernumersries -rehearsing" for two weeks
from s in the evening till in the morning
Next morning rehearsals were called for at 10
and might last till 2 in the afternoon. Re-
hearsal for tbs Supernumerary means thres
hours OF waiting 70 one Of doing She may
also have the opportunity OF realizing the
temper Of an irritable stage manager without
being his wife. Swearing at the girls is 81
common on the stages Of some theaters a.
swearing Al the boys on the decks Of some
merchantmen. All stage managers. how
ever, are not sliks. Some are swine and
some arc gentleman. The ma jority Of girls
who go on the stage in this humble capacity
never make up their minds 10 do anything
They have no special aim save to get on the
stage and drift" Consequently, as in the
other walks Of life, they drift A purpose in
any life is what the burning glass is to light IL
brings ones strength TO a focus and sets at
least some part OF the world on fire. No aim
less life ever sots the world on fire. When q
girl on the stage begins to do anything well,
she begins to manage the manager She
waits less and drudges less, and IL she be wise
and her pretty little head doesn't run away
with her las in two-thirds Of these cases il
does shs may have an assured position and q
fair salary. But there are all sorts of slips
twiIt cup and lip.
The decorative art line seems pretty full
here. In all manner Of show windows are
seen specimens Of painting from female
hands There are paintings on plaques, on
shells, on academic board framed and un-
framed. These are left on sale, and often
are not sold. There srs 80 many here who
paint" as TO give rise 10 the expression,
Everybody paints- Now everybody does
not paint But more do paint than ever
painted befors. Rarely do / hnd here
private family but some member thereof
paints
One trouble Is there Is too much paint and
too little push. There is more room here for
this artistic talent could il be applied TO other
fields Few men arc now needed who could
give suggestions 20 people in the matter Of
furnishing and decorating houses. There is
still left in Boston an immature element sud-
denly risen TO wealth and having more money
than taste. These need artistic women to set
their house in order, and such women could
find profitable calling here, were she first TO
resolve in mind that she would never cease
pushing until she did find it
There are men hers who would hatter out
Immediately were they TO lose the wives they
bully and think the weaker vessels They
are as dependent on them as Is your big brute
of boy, who thinks he runs the universe,
while, were not his fond and foolish mother
looking out for his clothes and his feed, he
would b as ragged a. any tramp and as
starved as the guest at some New England
country hotels aftsr supper.
What is the outcome Of the surplus woman
herei With all the pain and privation ac-
vipr n. condition ~ F.fr q.
good working out Of it, More women in Bos-
ton than perhaps in any other American city
are being taught TO depend On themselves and
their own powers More women here than
elsewhere are, through these hard paths, be-
ing taught the error Of marrying simply for
q home and an assured support Women hero
are commencing to find out that their rights"
are their own powers: that talent, executive
ability and other forces OF mind, Of which the
many now know little, belong to woman as
much as 20 man. They are finding out that
actresses in the drama Of life are as necessary
as actors, and that the play cannot 20 on
without them. There Is to-day in Boston
generation Of younger women, whose charac-
ter Icing shaped by the present condition of
affairs, have determined almost unconsciously
to paddle their own canoes The infu-
ence Of these girls will be felt ten years hence.
The girl today Of Is or 20 Is TO be in 1895 the
woman Of 25 or 50, and great advance over
her sex Of that age to-day. There will be q
great awakening for the masculines when .
few more women prove their ability TO man
age large business operations. No man can
do it Every woman who manages well her
household governs well q small empire. As
she can govern we'll under the roof Of a dwell