The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-08-30
A WORD OF PROTEST.
APEssIMIsTIc VIEW or THE BUSINESS
sWoMAN,s DILEMMA.

and InsIncerity--How woman's Dress
Influences Her Success.
By direct statement, written and oral,
and by implication, l have been made to
feel guilty during the past seven days.
1t has been pointed out, gently but firmly,
that even II one does not believe In the
capitalization Of woman 1t is common pru-
dence to pretend to do SO In order not to
lay ones self open to the charge OF lack Of
consideration for the sex.
In the humble opinion Of hardworking
woman, women would succeed better In all
branches OF industry II less consideration
were extended to them.
About six years ago rejoiced in my first
newspaper assignment" ! was sent to
interview q woman-she Is now dead
whom for her character. talent and achieve
ments had long worshiped afar of. This
idol was about to entitle herself to a new
pedestal. My paper wanted pedestal sto-
ry. The idol refused to give It to me. She
sent me away shamed, humiliated, that I
should have dared to think q really, truly,
absolutely genuine and no bargain counter
imitation idol would talk about her throne
seat or the chances Of getting more and
higher steps to It,
/ lay awake and adored the idol that
night.
Next morning in my mail found check
for money to pay for several hundred copies
of the edition that should contain the story
the idol assumed would have the COM
mon sense to write, she having taken Il for
granted that had the wisdom to see she
was talking for "buncombe" and meant
not one word OF the fine things about hat
ing newspaper publicity she had so glibly
ratified of to me.
This was dash of cold water upon the
warm enthusiasm OF q woman who had
begun newspaper work with the single pur-
pose of putting into print the progress OF
women.
Nevertheless persevered. For four or
five years / know myself to have been the
most industrious collector in the city Of
items about women's work especially In new
lines. Ibclieve myself to have been the best
informed woman in the city about women's
Industries, not In detail In any one branch,
but In general, overlooking the whole field
/ have substantial grounds for an opinion
when say q second time that, always reck-
oning out exceptional individuals, wom-
ans work In its more conspicuous phases
Is apt to be himsy-more show and news
paper paragraph than substance-and in its
obscurer lines It's main characteristics are
not more than average faithfulness and a
conspicuous lack of ambition.
This is not set down for any particular
love Of setting it down, but because it is
time 1t was said.
Woman's work won't be good work and
can't be good work SO long as woman
maintains the attitude of little Jack Hor-
ner, who put in his thumb and pulled ont
plum and cried, "Oh, what great boy
am l."
What are the exchanges for woman's
work doing? Trying to induce people to
buy pretty rubbish made by women who
don't know how to make anything that
people need.
What are the women's clubs doings Civ
ing women a fine time, which is more than
all right. and inducing peculiar belief in
the growing wisdom of the sex in general
and the club members in particular by pa
pers" and long winded discussions upon
nearly everything that is not of interest to
wideawake nineteenth century human.
What are those women doing who pro-
pose through various committees to clean
up the city and regenerate it in various
ways, physically and morallyf
Talking to themselves and to other peo-
pie who haven't SO much time.
What is the woman doing who has her
living to earnp
Fretting because she does not get mans
wages and usually not earning them. II
she's of the industrious sort, she's paying
tithe of mint, anise and cummin and neg
lx.ct ttv,ev h~~ 49, .l.ssx - Al
fussing over triaes where q man would be
mastering principles.
What's the reason that saleswomen are
rude In dry goods stores, that girls behind
telegraph and soda counters flirt when they
ought to be attending to your requests, that
typewriter girls are weak on geography and
spelling, and that factory girls faint in the
heat and have to go homer
It's partly clothes. Is there any helps
Not in sight at the present time.
Can you expect common sense of wom-
an whose street dresses trails Can you ex.
pect common sense Of u woman whose street
dress doesn't trailr
In other words, can a woman be physical.
ly sound and wholesome who violates every
law of hygiene in the dressing of her bodyf
Or can woman be mentally sound and
wholesome who violates every law of Gus
tom in the dressing Of her body!
The corset question is good many hun
dred years DID, but here is little illustra-
tion of the difference it makes. A woman
who does not wear corsets and who does
upon occasion work l2 hours per day tells
me that she bought some silk blouses few
weeks ago, and it occurred to her that it
would not be seemly to appear in one of
them without close fitting arrangement
under it. So she procured-save the mark
IA dress reform" waist, with just few
whalebones. She went without her dinner
for two or three days before she discovered
what was the matter; then she went home
sick. In day or two she pulled herself to-
gether without the bony garment-well
She makes her choice, and she knows IL,
between physical comfort with mental dis
comfort, and mental comfort with physical
discomfort. The two disagreeables IL Is i'm.
possible to escape from at the same time.
It's not wise TO pretend to be business
woman when you are outraging every bust.
ness principle OF digestion. and it's certain
ly not wise TO pretend to be n business