Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1889-10-26
WOMEN AND SOCIALISM.

The growing organization of labor,
and the increasing deiiniteness of labors
aims, render it more imperative than
ever that the great female wing Of la
boris army should be in touch with the
main body. Hitherto the women work,
ers have been the despair of their male
comrades; their lack of organization,
their readiness to work for starvation
wages, their promptitude to sacrifice
themselves personally to get bread for
their children, coupled with their hest.
tatiOn to make sacrifices IN the interests
of their class when temporary loss was
inflicted thereby on the individual
home, their docile submission to oppres-
sion, the natural outcome of the subser.
viency enforced on them by their male
propretors, whether husban DIS, fathers
or brothers-all these things, accompau-
led by a plentiful lack of business
knowledge and capacity, made the
problem of the industrial organization
of women one Of the most compromising
of social puzzles The employing class
were quick to take advantage of this
unorganized and subscribe mt female
labor. II prefer women to men as 0pe-
ratiyes," said a cotton master in evil
dence before a Parliamentary Commits.
sion, 'and prefer the married women,
FOR THEY ARE MORE D0CILE. Anyone
who has seen the painful eagerness with
which the mother of little children
clings to work under conditions which IA
man would strike against, Will appreci-
ate the point of the cotton masters re-
mark. This host of "docile" women
have been the masters most useful al
lies in their struggles with the men, and
they have been utilized to beat down
and to keep down wages with the I'M
scrupulousness which marks the at
tempts of capital to cnSave labor IN
happily men, in dealing with female
labor, have been as short sighted as
women have been In dealing with labor
interests generally; they have recog-
nized the immediate Danger of this
competition as driving down wages, and
they have striven to exclude women
from the labor market instead of inCOr.
porating them in the fighting forces of
the workers. 1t was their policy to in
clude them in their unions, TO insist on
equal pay for equal work, to make it
their interest as well as their duty to
combine with the men again IT the mas
tiers instead of allying themselves with
the masters against the men, and so
from, tho Crrn NJ s.al
weapon. This course is now being
adopted in some trades, with the happl.
est results, and the forlorn hope of la.
Dor is beginning to change into con
querlng force.
The preaching of socialism, among the
workers is at the root of this happy
change in the aspect of affairs. Women
have been attracted by the hope of so
cial change held out by the socialist
propaganda; they have recognized the
fundamental justice of the socialist
contention; and they feel that socialism
offers them what no other system ha,
hitherto done, complete freedom anC
economic independence, and with thes,
endless possibilities OF growth and o.
development. Already there are sign
that women are beginning to transfer t,
socialism the devotion and enthusiasm
they have hitherto laviShed ON religion
and that they will be ready to make 70
the cause of human emancipation tn
sacrifices erstwhile only made 10
creed. But the devotion to socialism
will be intelligent instead of blind 70
the training of the intellect will come t
guide and utilize the emotions of tn
heart. The education of women vii