Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-07-13
EOIAA'S WORK.
RADICAL VIEWS OF A CORRESPONDENT
ON THE SUBJECT.
A well-written Communication Based
Upon an Entirely False Founda-
t1on-The Old Story.

! The following communication is from
the pen of one of our most esteemed cor
respondents. 1t is largely statement of
facts which no thoughtful person will
deny, but the error in it all lies in the mis-
understanding of our position In regard to
the employment of women in the various
walks of life where she displaces men and
does for from $50 to $50 per month that
for which he formerly received from $3.50
to 5000 per month. Our friend would
make it appear that the RECORD UNION has
been fighting the battle of the Lords of
Creation against the weaker sex, whereas
our whole argument has been for the best
interests of woman, without taking the
male sex into consideration. We have
found no fault with women becoming
clerks and typewriters if their circum-
stances in life make it necessary for them
to engage in those pursuits, but the day is
at hand when even our esteemed CORE
spondent will have her eyes opened to the
state of affairs which is being brought about
| by the wholesale entry of women into the
| pursuits from which men have heretofore
been able to earn enough TO support them
| selves and their families, and which made
| it possible for them 10 rear families and
| educate children, to whom to bequeath
| this glorious country instead of turning it
| over to the hordes of foreigners who are
swarming in upon us from all quarters of
| the globe. Many of the clerical positions
| in this and every other city are now held
| by the daughters OF well-to.do and even
wealthy people, because these young ladies
wish to show their Independence of spirit.
1t is these women, and not men, who are
\ driving their needy sisters to starvation, for
they are reducing wages so that no young
man can marry and support family, and
| other women cannot secure decent re-
Enumeration for their services Our cor
respondent has only touched the surface of
the question. Deeper study will modify her
views. 1t is because the RECORD UNION is
| the friend of women that it does not wish
to see her trained away from domesticity
into walks of life in which she is already
becoming slave
| EDS. SUNDAY UNION: Several articles
| bave appeared in your paper recently in
| regard to woman's work and what she shall
| do. The articles in question have been
principally on ore slde and that side op-
posed to women entering the business
walks Of life, or, in other words, doing the
work that is supposed to belong to the
other sex. There are always two sides to
| question, and though my ideas may be
somewhat crude, l will venture to give
them for the other side. While opposed to
anything that would unfit girl for the
| position of good wife and mother, l do
not see why she should be shut out from
any honorable work she can do whether it
be as clerk in toffice or store, typewriter or
telegraph operator. teacher, seamstress or
domestic. All girls are not by nature fitted
for housekeepers, any more than all men
are fitted to follow one vocation. Domes-
tic service is honorable enough, and often
| the work is easier than clerking or teach
| ing, with the advantage of comfortable
home, but though it should not be SO, it is
a fact that hiring out to do homework does
lower girls socially in the eyes OF some very
| good people. No self-respecting American
| girl is going out to do Homework if she can
| avoid it, unless it is to obtain the means to
prepare herself for something better. She
does not choose to be put on level with
Chinaman or any other low class foreigner.
And who can blame her?
Boys are generally allowed to choose their
own trade or profession, and there is no good
privilege. They are certainly Just as capa-
BILE of choosing for themselves. 1t is ad-
mitted that girls may become teachers in
art, in music and in the schools. But how
| many parents are there that can afford to
give their daughters thorough education
in art or music? There would be nothing
in it if they could; both are drug in the
market now. To become a teacher in the
public schools requires more time and
money than most parents are able to ex-
pend. In the msjority of families, partie-
| " 0v al r;rlo
they are fortunate if they receive first grade
grammar school education, and il is not
unreasonable if parents should then expect
them to do something for themselves.
And why should being a clerk in store
or Office unfit them for the duties of a
wife and mother, any more than being a
| teacher. dress maker or milliner? |
do not believe in women marrying
just for the sake of being married, or Just
ior home. II they are earning their own
| living in an easy and honorable way, and
are independent, girls will be careful who
they choose for life companions, and they
will not be apt to marry, unless they truly
care for the man they have chosen, and in
that case they will always make good
wives. When there is less marrying in
hsste and repenting at leisure we will not
hear so much about marriage being a fail
ure, providing, OF course, the husband is as
good as the wife. You talk about women
filling the places of men-crowding them
out. Well, isn't the world large enough
for bothp If the men cannot hold their
own against the weaker sex. let them
stand aside and give place to superior in
telligence. If young men are working TO
, found new homes, girls help to keep the
old one together. None but the mother
knows how much better girls are generally
to help the family than boys 1t is not
that boys are less generous. but they are
less thoughtful. That is probably owing
to their early education. Boys work,
even when at home, take them from the
mothers side, but the girl, almost from the
time she can walk alone. is the mothers
companion and helper, and when she be-
gins earning money for herself, and has
few dollars to spare, none are so willing or
know so well how to spend them for the
family in a way that will do the most good
as the daughter.
agree with Bishop Spaulding that girls
must get rid of the idea that marriage
should be their main object in life. Why
should they not be independent, start alone
and battle for the prizes of lite? If young
man marks out career for himself, and he
thinks marriage will interfere with his
plan of action, he will not marry. Why
should women be restricted in their choice
of work any more than men? We are not
Fall cast in one mould.
Women control newspapers and maya
zines, OWE and manage farms. No one
says anything about its being unwomanly
for them to wash and iron, milk cows,
make butter. gather fruit or pick hops. A
woman may do all of the work for large
family, which does not mean eight hours
for days labor with ten hours pay, but
unremitting toll from five o'clock in the
morning until far into the night. And a
woman may run a sewing machine from
early morn until dewy eve, earning scarcely
enough to keep soul and body together, and
that is ali right. But if she tries to fit her.
self for some position that will be little
easier and command better pay, nv lord
of creation is up in arms. He is afraid he
will be crowded out by the weaker vessel.
If men would indulge in fewer strikes
against long hours and short wages, the
chances are that women would not so often
be compelled TO work out of what is con-
sidered their sphere. Who ever heard of
women parading the streets demanding
] higher wages for their work, while their
children were starving. No, indeed; if a
woman thinks she is not earning money
fast enough she will work all the harder to
earn more.