Evening capital., 1889-10-09
WIVES WHO WORK 0OT.
MARRIED. WOMEN TAKING THE PLACES
IN SHOP AND OFFICE.

iers Wear Wedding Rlngs--An Interest,"
ing Wage Problem which Labor scian-
tist. May Ise Called Upon TO Solve.
10 you ride down town in the street
cars in the morning" asked an observant
merchant Of Times man yesterday.
Well. If you do and you have reached
that age Of mature infancy where you
begin to take notice Of things. you cant
help having been struck by the fact that
many Of the women who happen to be
your fellow passengers wear wedding
rings.
.Of course, very few women come
down town before o'clock in the morn
ing on shopping expeditions. and you
won't he far wrong in your guess If you
put down those who come cityward Of
an earlier hour as workingwomen. They
are such, too. The reason called your
especial attention to the wedding ring
feature of this particular class Of women
is that the ornament indicates that the
wearer is married; so that the prevalence
of wedding rings on the hands of the
lady patrons of the early morning street
cars shows that great many married
women work for living; that is. outside
the home that is popularity supposed to
be the sole proper province Of the mar
ried woman
AN EMPLOYERS OPINION.
IF you so into the great stores and
shops and offices where women are em-
ployed you will be surprised at the num-
Der of wives and mothers you will find
there working at various vocations. In
fact, they are to quite an extent COM
peting with the unmarried female work
ers in the struggle for employment. It
seems sad and strange that such should
be the case, butit is a fact that the num-
ber Of deserted or neglected wives in this
city IL painfully large, and it Is increas
ing.
"Thus a new danger to the man who
can not do some special work has arisen.
Not only has he to compete with his own
and other fellows sisters in an endeavor
to obtain work as clerk, bookkeeper or
salesman. but other mems wives now
crowd in and swell the ranks of those
who can do only simple work and who
must have work at any price. The re-
suit Is the lowering of wages of this
class of work people.
A visit To some of the places where
many women are employed confirmed
the statements of the observing mer-
chant. The manager of a big State street
ssssv goods store said:
Yes, we have good many married
women here, and we have applications
for places from many more. Indeed, 1t
seems that there are more wives than
mai lens now looking for work.
And such women are always more
persistent in their efforts to get work
than their unmarried sisters. Usually
tiWy do not start out to find work innhis
way until driven to It by necessity nd
then they are prepared to do anyt
and take the smallest wages No
the women who apply here are l
whose husbands have either left the
provide 80 neagerly for their su
that they are compelled TO do somel
to support themselves ann astoni
at the number of perfidious hush
who are or have been in this town.
one thing can say. very few Of
are native Chicagoans or even
cag6aas By virtue of long residence
They are usually young men who
come here with their wives and 81
families from other cities or coui
towns. and finding the burden OF ca
for family in q big city rather he
cowardly hy and leave the poor woI
to do the best she can.
YOUNG HUSBANDS DON'T LIKE IT
but deserted wives are not the
married women who work down to
Hundreds Of women, both young
old. think they can aid the common
chequer better By outside work than
housekeeping. and SO they find emp
nenk In some kind Of business and t
and their husbands board
Most of this class OF out working Wi
are young women who before their u
riage were engaged in occupations
CHS kind. School teachers, clerks,
nographers. typewriters and saIeswon
who have never done any domestic wc
find themselves untitled for It and una
TO do IL Besides. It IS disagreeabIe
them. They marry and are anxious
help their husbands. They had .gd
positions and pay before marriage, and
naturally they 60 back 10 the kind of
work they know best and at which they
can make the most money.
The young husband generally objects.
He had vague, indefinite idea when he
was roring blade himself that pretty
typewriter girls and 60 on.lwers very
naucll ihclined.te flirt, and he had rather