The Dickinson press., 1889-08-10

They Have Been Mothers of Good Men.
Tribute Something Concerning Little
Men aud Womcn-uousehold Hints,
The rapid changes in social habits Indicate
that women are destined to share more and
more the work of men. 1t is now common
to meet women in places where formerly they
were never secn-in postoficcs, libraries, lab.
oratorics, observatories, counting rooms, cd,
ltorial rooms, lawyers Offices, md so on
indefinitely. In great buildings created cx.
pressly for mems work, which formerly were
never troddcn by the foot of any woman but
an occasional scrubbc of floors, the %opcninc
OF any door may how reveal a modest clerk
or typewriter, and nobody stops to criti-
clse the Invasion y change of habits so
great necessarily involves other unconscious
changes. The employer of women in all
these cases is apt TO become Il little more dec.
cTous and orderly, to exercise more control
Oh temper, moro propriety of speech, than
where he had mel alone rs compauions or
observers.
on the day when women were first TO vote
Tor school officers in Massachusetts, | hap
fchcd to meet one of the leading political
managers in my w ward, who had never
favored their voting. leXpccted to find him
shaking his head over tho innovation . but
he was, on the contrary, wholly absorbed in
making the ward officers clean up the voting
place and put out a sign. mo smoking al.
lowed here" He said, Tho ladies are
coming. we must make it decent for Them
Aud soon after tho state passed IL law for.
bidding smoking at the polls, to the great
relief of the ward officers. Men cleared their
decks, i'll Il manner. before admitting women
to share their undertakings, just as the order
Is given Oh naval vessels to clear the deck,
before going into action.
But 1t Is not men alone who need TO do
this. Women have Il right to demand that
all should be done which is fitting in the way
oil moral rropEicty and reasonable courtesy
When they enter the countin =, room or the
workshop On the other hand. it is for them
to remember that business is business. compe.
tltion very great, and the demands of em
ployers are necessarily exacting. Men do
not commonly employ IL woman rather than
n man for any particular work, because OF
cNlfaiiy or 4 SENSE OF justice, though that
may occasionally happen. They employ her
as beng more convenient, more economical,
or III some way mor0 useful. Having thus to
compete as Il woman. She must try us Il WON
an TO make herself as useful or available us
loS1ip.t. tliii ~ icttiCc 10 u IHIllll!luil uI III
conrenienccs that stand in the way There
is the matter of dress, for instance
Many men really like to have women about
them as employees, We're it only because they
usually look heater and tidicr than youn,
men i'll the same station. So far their mode Of
uress Is an advantage. But VIXEN, on tho
other hand, the employer desires to post a
letter at the street corner, and knows that Il
male clerk would simply throw his hat on
and go u nc and back while the young lady
was ad jus.ing her bonnet, he is stricken with
DOUBTS as TO the advantage of employing wo-
men. y young lady studying in a college
town complained TO me that she had to give
more of her daily time to the buttons on her
gloves, in order to SO to and from her rccita-
tions properly, than her brother in college
gave to his whole wardrobe.
Far be it from me to recommend any dur-
ing changes in female COSTUME, hut the first
study of any young woman WHO has her own
living to make should at least be To dress in
such "a way as to reduce all these discomforts
to a minimum, that She may be, wilc!' Ell it
Is possible, Us alert, as free, as ready for
action as If she We're Il man.
And in the same way Il young woman WHO
has her own living to lnahe needs to disem-
barrass herself of all false pride, keeping al
was closely. OF course, TO true self respect.
! rei!!eiiibcr an Old fashioned employer WHO
used To say THAT he would never employ u
young woman until sio was as willing as a
young 'nan would be to gothrough the streets
with a bundle. Most women, le thought,
would only do this at Christmas time, this
beng, respect to bundles, u sort of carnival
season when all rules seem to be suspended
Haller's Bazar