Omaha daily bee., 1886-08-01
WONAN'S INVENTIVE POWER,
Her Pluck Under Adverse Circum-
stances,
Earning Fame and Fortune in Hith.
erto Untrodden Ways-Instances
of Managerial Capability
in the Sex.

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that hundreds of thousands of the women
of our land are self-supporting, and that
perhaps half of the number of self-sup-
porting women are the sole breadwin
ners of their families, there are still men
of acknowledged intelligence who cling
to the theories as to woman's sphere"
The sphere" as they are pleased to un.
derstand it, is bounded by the home, and
her duties within it comprise little else
than the service she can render man in
the capacity of wife, mother and house
keeper. Some of these male fanatics,
for | can think of no other name so APP
plicable, 20 still further and assert un-
hesitutingly that intellectually in woman
is Il sort of supertluity and in no wise
necessity to the fultillment of her mission
To them she is merely an animal-link in
the chain of life. and worthy of consider
alton only so far as she eaters TO their
comfort To the credit of the lords of
creation, however, 1t must be confessed
that the number of these superior"
male creatures are gradually narrowing
down, and by and by they will be known
no more,
But there are still other men, and there
are great many of them, who, while ad-
miring a woman of mind and genius,
will acknowledge that the fibre of
woman's brain IS the same as that of
man. They still hold, IN spite of all the
evidence to the contrary, that woman
has no originality, no creative genius,
and that her skill does not extend beyond
that OF imitation. One of their pet argu-
ments, and one which they invariably
advance as a clincher, is that no woman
has yet written great opera. In their
divine egotism and self-satisfaction they
forget that there has been work wrought
by women of vastly greater import TO the
world at large than the composition of
the grandest opera. But this is not the
point | started out to talk about. l own
that l am always little netled when |
hear woman'S inventive power ques-
toned, because it is unjust, as long list
of valuable devices which women have
given to the world is abundant proof
And if this be not enough, the genius of
woman in finding out ways and means
for herself may be thrown into the bal
ance.
1t must be remembered that the need
for women to think for themselves is rs
yet a child IN swaddling clothes rs COM
pared to the same need in men; but
women are proving themselves equal to
the emergency, and showing a degree
and quality of pluck, perseverance and
originality in the teeth of obstacles that
would dismay the proverbial stout hearts
of many OF the sterner sex. Take, for
instance, the women who are thrust out
by adverse circumstances from comfort.
able and often luxurious homes into
life of self dependence: The inquiry,
What can | do for myself? or, What can
do best? is not an idle one, but honest
and thoughtful. And it not infrequently
results in her finding out a way new
and hitherto untrodden. What man
would have thought of finding
fortune in angels food, or Saratoga chips
or chicken pies? And yet there are three
women in the city of Chicago, as / am re-
llably informed, who drive lucrative
business. each in her particular line, by
supplying these edlbes. Another woman
is earning fame and fortune by loayes of
homemade bread. This is essentially
wornan's work; but the happy thought
which led a woman to make money by
the sale of "angels' food, to say nothing
of the mundane bread, and fried potatoes,
and chicken pies, is not to be scotfed at.
When it comes to the experimenting of
farms and maintaining establishments
ments women aptly demonstrate their
ability. The founder, proprietor and
manager of one OF The largest establish
ments in the country for supplying wo-
mems and1 children's underwear is n
woman land she is complete mistress of
the situation, even to the running of the
enSlIe WHICH supplies Iiie lHoolNc power
for the sewing machines. Another wo
man Is at the head of large boot and
shoe manufactory. She manages" her
business and makes money. Still an
other woman, whose name deserves to
go upon record learned her husbands
business of broom making after his
death, supported her family from the
start, paid off a large legacy of debt, and
at the end of three years had enlarged
her establishment threefold. The fallacy
that 'any one can be farmer" no one
understands so well as the practical
farmer himself; but many of the model
farms of the land are owned and exclu-
sively controlled by women, and as a
rule they are quite as successful in the
business as are men.
The Illinois session laws, which are &C.
cepted as authorities by the juries of that
state, are arranged, edited and published
by woman. Another woman does legal
printing, which, it must be understood,
must be absolutely correct and punctu-
ally finished. And so | might go on in
terminably citing cases of individual wo
men who have not only earned their 'liv-
ing but have worked out the way to do
it, all of which go to prove that woman is
not lacking in originality when it comes
to the practical things of life.
John Stuart Mill says that the standard
of the education of women in any country
will be the measure of the education of
the men of that country, Is it not possible
that education" did not refer to mere
book-lore in this instanceY And does it
not stand to reason that when the mothers
take an interest in and have some knowl-
edge of business greater proportion of
the sons will be more thorough and
practical business menY The balance of
heredity is acknowledged to be from the
mothers side. And this suggests another
question. III men were more capable and
Industrious, and did not neglect, to pro
vide for the rainy day, would not the
need of women to work out the bread
d-butter problem be largely done away
with? 1t is quite safe to say that to the
great majority of women workers the
battle is distasteful one. However
bravely they may wage the warfare, they
are yet women, with womens instincts
and women's weaknesses. But, SO long
as the necessity exists, they will do their
utmost. The grand operas may never be
written by them, but their ballads will be
heard IN the homes, and will find an
echo in the hearts of the people.
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