The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-02-11
A FEW REFLECTIONS.
| The Helpless Condition of the Average
"Well-Educated" Young Woman,

Your old friend Brown died Few
days ago and you were naturally very
much distressed to learn that he left
nothing, absolutely nothing, behind
him. He had been tolerably prosper
Gus all his life, had always lived well,
but not extrayagantly, paid his bills
promptly and was esteemed by every
tradesman with whom he had dealings.
As you and Smith were talking OF
Brown last night you said: :'Such a
pity he did not have his life insured!
Then his widow would be sure of few
dollars to support herself while she was
planning for the future. There's one
comfort-his two boys are smart, steady
little fellows, and l don't believe there
are three more talented girls in the
State than his three daughters"
That's so! Brown gave his children
every advantage; he sent the boys to
Latin school just as soon as they could
get in, and know he planned to have
them go to Harvard. My daughters
tell me, too, that the Brown girls play
on one or two instruments, read three
languages and are up in all sorts OF
artistic fancy work"
80 I've heard o, they'll get on
first rate; the boys can't earn much for
year or two, but with the combined
earnings of her family Mrs. Brown will
be quite comfortable.
And you and Smith honestly believed
every word you said. You forgot, or
did not know, that in every city and
| large town in the land there are hun
dreds of women, just as accomplished,
| just as well educated, as those young
people are, who are elbowing and jost-
ling one another in their efforts to hon.
estly earn bare pittance.
Did Brown, and the hundreds of
other recently deceased Browns, do all
that was necessary for those girls? Did
either father do his duty by his daugh-
ters when he sent them hither and
yon to acquire ''every accomplish
ment?" 1 say no; he failed, and failed
lamentably.
No one puts higher value than do
on liberal and sound education for
girls as well as boys; do not agree
with the Diogcnes who grOwls that one
tongue is enough for a woman. She
can not understandingly read a book
or journal of the day if she is CONVEX
SAINT only with English. l like to see
women interested in beautifying their
homes with embroideries and with lit
tie paintings, and l heartily envy my
more fortunate sisters whose musical
taste have been cultivated. Also do l
appreciate a bunch of ripe grapes at
the close of my dinner, but / would
not appreciate them were my midday
meal grapes and nothing else.
What can Browns daughters do to
make themselves useful? Everything.
What can they do which will prove
pecuniarly satisfactory? Nothing.
What demand is there in the market
for art work, for painted trinkets, for a
translation, however excellent, from a
foreign book or magazine, for any or
all parlor accomplishments? None,
absolutely none, save in rare cases, so
rare as to be the exception which proves
the rule.
What can these four women do to
earn their living?
In the olden times man, quite as a
matter of course, provided roof and
crust for all of his dependent feminine
relatives, but nowadays he does it
grudgingly even for his wife and his
widowed mother. The average woman
expects and is expected to look after
herself if she is unfortunate enough not
to marry as soon as she leaves school;
therefore, it seems to me that it is the
duty of every parent to see that the
daughters, as well as the sons, are
competent to do so.
Lizzie Brown is deft with her needle,
and can remodel an old dress in a most
cunning manner. Why didn't her
mother take few hours that were
given to music and let the girl study
practical dressmaking? And why, too,
was not Mary Browns knack at twist
ing loop of ribbon and pinning down
an obsteperous feather turned to ac-
coun8tby some able milliner, who
would perhaps be glad to employ her
now?
Of course, girls sometimes get office
writing to do, which pays well; but
there are a hundred applications for
every such place. Some who have
''inf1uence" procure positions in one of
the departments in Washington, where
pay 10 tne WOI
short. But these fortunate few are so
very few that they may be left out of the
reckoning.
Parents, you who are to-day well-to-
do, perhaps very wealthy, what surety
have you that a backward turn of the
wheel of fortune will not leave your
daughters penniless and fatherless
before this time next year? And if
they are so left, what have you done,
what are you doing, to enable them to
battle with the world? You have
brought them into this world without
giving them any option in the matter;
now it is your duty to fit them to live
in the world in seemly manner.
Suppose your daughter does marry,
as every girl hopes to do and ought to
do, will this trade that she has learned.
this pro Ofession that she has mastered
(not coquetted with), render her a
less devoted wife and mother, less
cOmpanionable woman to journey down
the hill of life at her husbands s side,
less valuable member of the community
in which her husband makes his homef
Fathers, you can answer the question.
Think it over, and then glance ahead
few years at the future of your own
daug Frances E. Wadleigh, tn |
Philadelphia Press.
CONSIOERATE.