St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-09-12
VOICE OF THE PEOPLE.
EMPLOYMENT FOE WOMEN.
Correspondents Takes Exception
ia the Globes Position


To the Editor of the Globe.
During the past week an article accredited
to the ST. Paul GLOBE has been published in
the Chicago Daily Tribune, dated Aug. II,
which is so false in it's reasoning that we feel
compelled las woman) to refute, as far as we
are able. The statement that large number
of women are obliged to be sef-supporting is
correct-that pride keeps them from going
into families as domeStics" is not true alto
gether! We can take small army OF girls
into the great West and Northwest who would
be willing and glad to be helpers IN any
honest family, where their labor was appre-
ciated and decently remunerated. But intel
llgent women, young or old, do lot care TO be
considered servants" with oftener than
otherwise mistress who is ignorant and
careless and who has by good luck'O, cher
own, or husband) come to 'mOney and posi-
| ton" "a very large proportion of the places
! offered, where the cry is loudest for help"
are of this sort. Another class are the ''in-
tellectual women" who deep in the
mysteries of reform, perhaps the
elevation of their own SEX" neg
lect their home duties, or ignore
trusting them, at least TO some hired ''dOmes
tic, while they give their valuable thoughts
and time to the world at large. Platform
speaking has an attraction for many, and the
travel of attending conventions gives vari-
ETY. to life which the housekeeper does not
find. These women thinking themselves set
apart for especial work. with holy (?) pur-
pose, treat a helper in the home as far below
themselves in the human scale, depend
euts'' or grovellers only, and too often the
husband usually an appendage to the
madam) accepts her estimate and u poor girl
is subjected to snubbings or insults for which
men would commit murder and go unScathed
thereforl Then the changes which have come
| to the monster called society since 1.-The
fhn fn of oitx n,,1
try alike. Not alone was the currency in
fiated, but ideas and individuals are unreal,
nothing has au assured basis" We are
drifting without guide or compass, only the ALL
Father knows where. We have many "teach.
ers and preachers lecturers of either sex,
still with the combined wisdom of the thinkers
we are Strangled by the ridiculous forms and
conventionalites of a centralized power of
which as ''descendents of our fOrefathers"
we should be ashamed. To us, it seems, the
remedy for this condition lies with the
home keeping of the country, and
as women are largely responsible
for the "manner and morals of a home Gf
they assumed with them lie the general So
cial health. Their influence is unbounded
for good or ill-all experience proves.
Let but one honest, self-respecting woman
in neighborhood take into her family any
one of the needy, waiting employment, and
carefully stand by the golden rule (which has
the first pure lips), and my word for it,
she will find her investment sound for her.
self and those directly interested, and the
good seed thus sown by example will find the
soil for termination in abundance 1t re-
quires no long prayers or exhortations to
touch an earnest soul, but ''little deeds of
kindness, little words of love make of earth
an Eden" etc., etc. Being ourself one of the
multitude of self-dependents. lacking the
brains, perhaps, or taste for public life
with the old-fashioned ''love of home strong
| in the heart-have tried to fit ourself into a
home by the side of other women, but dis
cover to our amazement that with all our
ability, capacity and disposition to be useful
there is no middle ground, it is ''ser-
want" dependent" etc etc., implied if not
| spoken.
| These are hard facts for educated, intelli-
| gent women to face, but meet them we must
since all are liable to misfortune, and each
| life knows its 'dreary" day. 1t may be ques-
| toned whether what we call "mis fortune is
really that il one has the wisdom to see life
| in the shadow as the sunshine, and read the
| s'hidden meanings" Begging pardon for
many words, would assure you in conclusion
| that it is not ''pride' alone which puts so
many girls behind counters and into stores"
| 1t is the degraded, lonely condition which the
average home Offers the utter want of SYM
| patty which saps the vitality from the hui
man nature, and ten chances to one this is the
| indirect cause when the divine spark grows
dimoris for time) obliterated. Who is re-
spOnsible? &
The old charge still stands. The'voice of
| thy brothers blood crieth from the ground.
And the same cowardly response-am thy
| brothers keeper? G. +. G.
Chicago. Ill.