The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-09-07
SARGE PLUNKETT.
The Old Man Talks More OF the "Womau
Problem"

SARUE PLUNhEII.
The Old Man Talks More OF the "Woman
Problem"
atlanta Constitution.
I get 80 many letters about what I had
to say last week that I decided to press
the "problem" of woman workers little
more.
Some of these letters we're kind and
many we're abusive and chiding. I no
ticed though that the kindeAt letters were
the best written, best composed and
showed the finest feeling-that consoled
me.
The first one of the letters that I
opened was from regular spit6re sort of
girl. She wanted to tear my eyes out
and my hair out and told me mean things
about myself that I didn't know soul
knowed of but me and Brown. Beyond
question this spiteful little vixen takes
me for Brown, for she says that I drink
and play thunder generally. Now I
happen to know who this little weasley
writer is; she has wart on the left side
of her nose, is as straight and slim and
as clear of bumps as fodder stack pole,
and giggles in Church, never has beau,
and, all in all, has right to grumble at
everything, for nature made her so, is
what the young men tell OF her.
Another class of letters were sorter be-.
twixt and between. They didn't fire
right in like they hated me, but they had
a contempt for a man who could not
compete with poor working woman in
the struggle of life, and pity for one SO
low as to be willing to see them "ser-
wants." I expected this. knew that
word servant" would CRATE on their
ears, but they are young yet and may
outgrow such foolish notions.
Then came class of sensible letters
and these were all kind to me. Some
were from housekeepers who said they
would be glad if they could employ these
Southern white girls to help them in
their house work and nurse and sew, etc.
All expressed themselves as being we'll
wishers Of these gfrb and assert that they
would do all they cou:d to make it home.
like to them, and watch over them with
motherly care and pay them well-more
gladly than what they now pay negro
girls and women for the same service.
A few of this class of letters were from
men and they join in the wish that such
q state of things could be brought about.
X r
Girls, you don't know men as know
them, and you don't know life as I know
it. You all want to marry, you all ex-
pect to marry some time, and when you
do the man that you get will expect you
to keep house somewaat'on the order
that be- knows his mother kept her house.
You will not be equal to the occasion,
for you will not have the training, and
trained up in the way that girls are now
being trained the care of children and
the hum-drum of mothers life will
make you miserable and in turn you will
make your household miserable, and at
last you will lie down and die with the
firm belief that life is all failure.
Surely marriage will be failure to this
class, and the courts will be crowded
with divorce suits, the disposition among
men to stay single will grow, and the
world will be in bad fix morally and
physically, for it is the marriage ties that
keeps health and morals up to the proper
standard.
Now you needn't put out your lips and
say you don't expect to marry. I know
you do aud T know you ought to. 1t is
the natural thing and you can't get
around it. And it is the natural thing
for you to love and want some little
babes after you do marry, and you should
have the training now that will suit you
for their care.
I have watched baby children heap
in my life. You watch them and you
will see the nature of male and female
crop out at very early age. A boy
child will want for plsythings such toys
as hammers, wagons, knives and guns.
What does little girl want?
You know. She wants d "doll," and
she wants to make it little dresses, and
will sweep her clean place at the root
of some tree and gather up all the broken
crockery she can find and carry there
and what fine time she will have keep
ing house.
This is right. It is nature and when
you warp this tendency you iDjure all the
world. The world can't stand without
mothers-pure mothers who are keepers
of the houses. To these will always be
song praises. These sharp girls, clerks,
stenographers, bookkeepers and such
will never have much praises sung Of
them. The men fatter you while you
are young and pretty, but you will soon
lose your bloom and others will take your
place. Men are curious creatures; no
matter what they may tell you, they had
rather marry homely housekeeping girl
than to marry dippaut butterfly of the
counting rooms. You can look mighty
nice now and your stock in trade is your
good looks. When changed conditions
come you will gee that it's mighty hard
for one girl to compete with better
looking girl taan she is-much less a
poor, whining man. This as rule is
about the state of this "woman's prob
lem." Of course there are plenty ol
girls at work who are sensible enough to
keep their equilibrium, aud there are
some who are compelled to do the best
L,,k tood m