Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-15
WRITTEN FOR THE. DISPATCH,

1
Woman fin de steele is no adjunct, but an
entity. No matter who she may be, daugh.
ter or wife or sister, she has her own per.
sonality, is recognized as an individual
force, and more and more assumes the bur
den of herself Fifty years back she got
her opinions and beliefs ready-made and
gave her whole mind to the manufacture of
her undergarmerts. Nowadays she gets
her lingerie ready-made and makes up her
own mind, that whatever is or is not, is
right.
Notwithstand ng, there are still women q
plenty, to whom the thought of selfmain-
| tenance brings a thrill of horror. Aside
| from the physical pains and penalties of
| work, they fear the loss of social CASTE
| quite as much as the vague possibility of
| starvation. To this legion of timid souls,
| what follows must be full of refreshment-
| almost OF inspiration-for it tells how some
of the fortunate women, who, like the lilies
of the field, 'ttoiI not, neither do they
spin" would meet and conquer such an
emergency.
They were asked categorically: What
would you do if you had to earn your
living?
Mrs. Harrison and Her Brush.
What the wife and daughter of the Presi-
dent of the United States answered is GER
tainly of great interest When they were
asked. Mrs. Mckee said for both:
81 think there is no doubt as to what nv
mother would do in such a case. With her
talent for the brush it would be most nat
ural for her to supper: herself by her art in
painting. She has, I think. a livelihood in
that gift if she cared to earn it, and in these
days, when art is everywhere in demand, no
one with such gift needs despair of sue
cess
CAS- to myself" continued Mrs Mckee,
81 have often wondered what should do if
l were ever driven to earn my living: for,
indeed, have no talent whatever. I think
that every girl, as well as boy, should be
educated to follow some profession or trade,
and should be thus prepared for the every
day emergencies of life"
The next to answer was Mrs. Roger A
Pryor, born Rice, who traces her pedigree
through Blairs and Ap- -Rices in quantity
back to the royal Cymrii, the kings of
South Wales. Born heiress to great wealth
and bred in the social tradition that bounds
woman's sphere with the four walls of her
home. it is bit surprising to find her vice
president of half dozen great organiza-
tions-notably the Daughters of the Amer
ican Revolution and the Mary Washington
Monument Association. This and much
more greatness has been thrust upon her by
her fellow women-a piece of eminent good
taste on their part. This is how she answers
the question.
Literature, Not journalism.
'T would earn a living by writting-and
choose literature rather than journalism.
An educated woman, tenderlv reared, espe-
cially if she had borne children, it seems to
me, must always choose some occupation
not requiring manual strength, but bringing
into play the capacity that experience has
brought her. 1 think, too, that no woman
of good brain can live great while without
becoming urconsciously so trained and de-
veloped in several directions, or to have
more than one door open to her, if need
came TO enter it. Certainly I would choose
and endeavor so to use my mental gifts as to
help the generations that shall come after
us to understand its fore-fathers-and how
well and worthily they struggled for free
dom and the right
Everybody has heard of the Dodge family,
with its habit of being at once millionaires
and philanthropists. Everybody has heard
of Miss Grace H. Dodge, once member of |
the Board of Ed cation; friend of working |
girls and their clubs, and generally given to |
also is her personality. She is tall and |
we'll made, with a strong, oval face, fresh |
colored and full of a radiant wholesomeness |
that warns your heart. 1t is the uniikeliest |
thing in the world that she will ever have |
to earn a dollar; but if she should, this is |
how sheswould so about it.
What Grace Dodge Would Do.
"I would try first for the place of organ
izing secretary in some association-as |
have both capacity and liking for the work. |
Failing that do not think should fail
my aim would be to secure the place of ma
tron in some Institution. Next to that,
would be my resource.
Neither place would bring me any loss of
social caste-provided always, of course,
that the necessity for it had honorably
arisen. Indeed, in my judgment, society
holds out its choicest favor to the woman
whose cunning of hand or brain makes her
thoroughly independent. Men so wise
as e1-Mayor Hewitt and Bishop Potter,
have given each of their daugh-
tiers trade OF profession; il necessary, they
are still secure against hardship. In fact,
80 general is the disposition to work among
women who have no need to do it, that it is
q question if they are not carrying it too
far. Very few are now willing to depend
even on brother or father-and very
shortly they may put husbands in the same
category. To me it seems that tie right of
rich women to crowd the labor market and
diminish the chances of necessary wage
earners is one of the incest social problems
Of the day. Until settle it to nv own
satisfaction shall not 60 out unjustifably
hunting place"'
Russell Sage. ESQ. snot the yerv richest