Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1886-10-30
Wnman,s snhere.

/ And what is wOman's sphere? De
cidedly, in the present day, it is a very
undecided thing. Every few weeks some
new writer comes to the front and en-
/ beavers 10 establish a fixed standard.
/ But ''thus far shalt thou 60 and no
! farther" does not seem to have the de
sired effect upon constantly advancing
woman. And now We ask again, who
Will or can define a wOman's sphereI
That sphere was once considered to be
bounded on all sides by the circle drawn
round the domestic hearth. Nobody
seemed to reflect that there were some wO-
men so unfortunate as to have no special
domestic ties Of their own. Such miser-
able creatures were directed to seek wO-
manly employment among the families
of their married relations. Why should
a single woman unsex herself by going
OutintO the world when her brother or
sister had a housefu1 Of ObstrePerous
children to look after? Why indeed?
In these times all is changed, however,
thanks to the persevering ones who have
hacked and showed a way to competence
through thorny paths, leaving the road
comparatively clear for those that follow.
'ENO head for business" says some
man, "a woman's proper sphere Is house
keeping" Let US see No head for
business Very little head for accounts /
Well, perhaps the last proposition is true
IN the main, but It is purely for Want OF
practice Ask any business man who
employees a woman bOOk-keeper whether
his accountant is competent or not?
This is certainly one point on which
the women can yield the palm to the
men, (no doubt they viii do it graceful
" and willingly and that is the number
Of betrayed trusts. Let him who reads
the daily papers say what per cent Of
the women employed as accountants and
handling large sums Of money, pocket
the half Of It and fee to Canada.
"No head for business" Leaving
aside the scores Of women employed in
business houses there is hardly a thing
in the world that calls for a clearer head
for business than the intelligent manage
ment Of a household.
Not the scrubbing and the securing,
though even in these the more brains one
can bring to bear upon them the better,
both for the occupation and the persons
engaged therein. But the management
Of all the details, the being able to con
slider each separate detail, and see the
result Of the great whole, at the same
time.
Why to be a successful housekeeper a
woman must understand, let us see
baking, washing, ironing, cooking, sew
ing, that is four trades without the
minor acts OF dish-Washing, sweeping,
busting, etc. But a woman to be true
mistress Of her house must absolutely
be accomplished In four trades that 10
quire no mean skill, any one OF them,
and three Of them trades that many men
practice. Men bake, men cook, men sew.
Do they unBex themselves when they
practice three Of the trades Of house
keepers, or do women unsex themE elves
when they practice in their households,
three Of the trades in which men have
been successful How Is It anyway?
Taking all the facts into consideration,
We think ''WOman's sphere" is the same
as that Of man, I. e., to do cheerfully and
well the work that comes to her hand,
whether It be with a pen, q surgeons
knife, a dentists drill, pair Of scissors
or a broom