The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-05-24

"self-hood" in such leisure time as they can
command from these necessary occupations.
Every girl should have q good education,
especially in biology and housekeeping.
and the more she knows of the science of
life the better will she be prepared to full
I'll her part In society.
Another aspect of the question of wom-
ans entrance into the industrial field as a
competitor to man requires more space than
i can give to it here. 1t is the fact that
wecssn. not being responsible for the sup
port of her husband and family, can afford
to work at some occupations for much w
wages than man can accept. This is one of
the reasons for the lower rate of women's
wages; and it is not due, as many
t~houghtless agitators assume, to the par
simony OF severe taskmasters. The advent
OF this cheap labor into some fields has
driven men out of them, and if the range
OF such work Is to be much extended q
larger number of men will be thrown out
of employment. This state of affairs is
said to exist in some departments of iron
manufactures in Pittsburg and in some
other industry in Scotland. Under such
circumstance men must emigrate or cease
to marry, since they can support them
eelvee alone on their reduced wages. Any
thoughtful person may follow this state of
these would be the diminution in the num-
Der of marriages and the substitution of q
system in which women would be the chief
sufferers. So that their success in some of
buo likut0I uciQS Vi inuuStIY uOco uOb TO
d0und to the benefit of women at large.
do not wish to be understood. however,
to deny in toto the advantage of more or
less industrial occupation for women. For
temporary purposes and under peculiar
conditions it is often not only desirable
but necessary that women should have re-
muuerative occupation. But / merely
wish to point out that this state of affairs
does not represent the fundamental organ
ization of society, and cannot alter 1t in
the l0aat IL in 0nlV nacaaaarU whara fhara
is . surplus of female population.
IL has occurred to me that it would be
well to reinforce the fundamental fact on
winch my position rests. viz. the disad-
vantageous relation to man occupied by
woman in an UNPROTECTED and unaided
struggle for existence Some women do
not appear to realize this fact. and some
men support them in this mistaken opin-
ION. Nevertheless, the real state of the
case il known to. or suspected by,
the majority Of mankind. To such
rs do not perceive IL, it may be q
help to refer &c the fact that every
pursuit apart from those connected with
maternity and the teaching of children may
be as we'll done by men as by women. n
Q majority of the pursuits of men cannot be
followed BY women at all; The fact that a
number Of women succeed for a time in oc-
%cnpations usually filled by men does not
alter the general principle. Indeed, it is
often entirely proper and necessary that
they should do 90. provided that they
understand the general law of social equi-
hbrium and act accordingly when occasion
arises. But of this law they sometimes do
not hear. but are taught by alleged reform
ers in the press and on the lecture platform
doctrines that falsely assert that in the
nature of things the world is as epsn for an
independent career to q young woman as
to q young man. If / shall have prevented
q single young woman from spending the
best years of her life in learning the truth
in this matter my purpose will have been
served.