The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-06-27
SHE HAS A FAIR SHOW
COMPETITION BETWEEN MEN AND
WOMEN IN BUSINESS.

a
Woman Generally Gets as Good 81
Chance to Earn a Living as Ser Own
Conduct Merits.
From the Springfield Republican.
Women's advance into all manner of nro-
LESSONS. trades and occupations heretofore
pursued only by men is a subject of too
great Importance to be fairly discussed pro
and con in the space to which this article
must be limited. But, nevertheless. nav
be able to express the nature of nv opin.
ions upon the question, and to explain the
causes which led me to form these views.
Every question has its two sides.
When l see an ambitious, brainv and
hard working woman tied to an ipdolent
idle and easy-going husband, whose onlv
achievement is in being the father of an
ever-increasing family which he cannon
cothe or educate. I find it difficult to. OH
iect if the wife takes the reirs Of business
into her own hands.
have in mind several such cases. Ona
woman suffered absolute poverty and need
for long years with a miserly and man.
bilious husband who refused an invalid
daughter the comforts of life even during
Der last pain-burdened days It was this
which spurred the wife and mother to final
action, and she left her home and husband
in the care of relatives, went out into an
active business life among men, and to,dav
has retired from business with an independ-
ent fortune.
1t would be absurd to say that such 81
woman should have been satisfied with her
domestic life and that she did wrong to
leave her home and children in the care of
others while she sought for a career.
There are innumerabIe individual cases
of this kind which can but win our admir-
ing respect. But 50 far as | am concerned
il is q respect mingled with sympathy.
1t is not in the natural order of things
that the women should be the burden
bearer and money maker of the family. To
educate her for money maker, and to give
her ambitions for business or professions
seems wholly unnatural and shocking to
me. Yet have but to look about ma TO
fud the unforeseen and sudden necessities
which arise for scores Of happy mothers.
wives and daughters in the sudden stroke
of misfortunes which send them forth nm
prepared to fight the battle of life alone.
20, If only had been taught to do some
thing practicalp these women cry, as they
look about them, frightened, helpless. and
inefficient. The advanced and the pro-
gressive woman Of the day will point to
these examples and tell you that the only
way out of such difficulties is to educate all
our girls for business careers. But | am
not of her opinion. In spite of the marked
progress of woman in all departments of
business during the last fifteen years, in
spite of the brilliant proofs she is more and
more giving US Of her ability to do and to
achieve l am confident that there is bet
ter and more universal method of aiding
society, and providing for unforeseen ne
cessities, than in educating girls to compete
with men in business.
II am going to prepare my girls for adj
versity," said a mother of two daughters to
me one day. ~ want them to be able to
earn q living independent of their hus-
bands should they marry" l was visiting
in their home at the time, and noticed
that the mother made herself a servant TO
her daughters, waiting upon them in the
smallest matters. lin order to give them a
chance to study" she said. But this very
treatment was rendering the young ladies
inefficient, shiftless, characterlees. With no
idea of thrift, of money saving, of practical
economy of time or forces, with q disdain
Of small duties pertaining to the home life
inculcated by the mothers mistaken treat
ment of them, they were being educated for
thrftless, unsuccessful wives and wasteful
bousekeepers.
would have every mother in the land
begin at the cradle to teach her daughters
sef-respeot, self-denial and thoroughness
IN small things. l would have wee tots who
grow easily blase with an embarrassment of
toys, taught to deny themselves playthings
for the benefit of poorer children. would
have their young minds early instilled with
the beauty of self~sacridce; and instead of
importing costumes for their dolls, would
hau -. l.
whole outfits for their dolls, and would
bestow prizes and rewards for neat and sue
cessful work. In all such early matters
would train the childish mind to pride
in practical achievement l would
have them taught to mend, darn.
and fold clothing nicely; and above and
beyond any praise for great progress in
music, drawing or elocution, would give
them praise, medals and public honors for
keeping their rooms, their clothes presses,
their bureau drawers and their personal
effects In perfect order; and I would permit
no servant to do for them what they could
do for themselves. Constantly would l keep
before them the need of self-denial in small
matters, the necessity of doing things which
were distasteful and doing them well. if they
would possess character and stamina to meet
the inevitable hardships which life presents
to every soul. sca
Let any woman who has been reared IN
this manner be suddenly thrown from the
lap Of luxury into poverty and she will
Snow herself capable of self-support. with
out any previous Cuisines training" or
any preconceived idea or preparation for a
career. But instead of this, the idea of the
day seems to be to teach girls to despise
small duties-to leave their stockings to be
darned, and their rooms for servants to
keep tidy while they study for the stage,
for the lecture field, for some profession or
some business sphere.
TO earn money" seems to be the ambi-
tlous girls craze now. not TO save money by
thrift and efficiency in the use of il. That
the whole system is utterly wrong and its
influence upon society detrimental, grow
every day more certain. While there are
here and there to be found in each genera
ton few socially gifted women who are
called by higher powers to follow some
career, as florence Nightingale, Charlotte
Cushman, Rosa Bonheur, Maria Mitchell
and Others lave been called TO follow theirs,
1t is factbeyond controversy that woman
was mean by nature to be. wife, mother and
housekeepr; and any system which tends
TO separas her interests from that triple
sphere isAn unnatural and unhealthy sys-
TEN for ne sex in, the aggregate and for
society 6 large, however beneficial 1t may
be for aSew individuals.
UEde the surface of the buoyant tide
whereo woman is now sailing in seeming
serenit to business success, any one who
will log will find much TO ponder and think
over. 6uoyant tides sometimes overflow
or,A n