The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1894-03-16
THE SURPLUS GIRL.
Retter for Her to Work Than to be
Thrown Into the River.

Thrown thC AAA'CA~
The tendency of an increasing popu-
lation is nearly always to an overpro-
duction-or at least to what is gen.
erally considered an overproduct1On-
of girls, and the result is problem
which has been the cause of much vex-
atious and unsatisfactory thinking IN
all ages. says the ST. Louis Republic.
The Chinese have solution which
thew look on as final, but in many'other
countries there is such objection to the
idea of throwing surplus girl babies
into the river that it can hardly OPP
crate with the same success which at
tends it in China.
As they are not thrown into the river
they grow up and then they must get q
living in some way. This has occurred
to Lady Emily Dixie, and has moved
her to make an Investigation OF their
condition.
The picture she draws in the Fort
nightly Review is a gloomy one. She
concludes that the secret of England S
manufacturing supremacyis the cheap
labor of women and girls. and she IS
also of the opinion that the results OF
setting the women and girls to work to
exc out the earnings of the head of the
family ARE simply suicidal"
1t is no doubt true that the success eff
English manufactures depends largely
on the cheap labor Of women and girls,
and we venture to say that 1T is to
some extent true of every successful
manufacturing country. 1t is certainly
true of the New England states, which
are notorious for their OverprOductiOn
of girls.
1t is not necessary to dwell on the
evils incident to any industrial system
which relies mainly on such labor.
They are apparent. But the assump-
ton that they outweigh the benefits is
rash indeed.
The increa sing employment Of
women and girls IN production means
that through the advance Of civiliZa-
ton, resulting in the invention Of
highly improved machinery, work can
now be done by women that was for
merly far beyond their strength.
When one girl can operate q machine
that will 90 the worl. of five fully de-
velOped men it isuscless to expect that
the five men will bc employed in place
of the one 3irl and the machine.
1t is also illogical and ahort-sighted
to look on the Improvement in machin-
cry which increases the demand for fe-
male labor as an evil in itself.
The .Engli3h or the German peasant
girl who works on the farm does much
harder and more brutalizing labor than
the girl of the factory. Many evils at
tend the employment of girls in oper-
ating machines. No father who can
support his daughters should allow
them to go into Il factory. The girl is
most fortunate who can afford to grow
up with no Other business than that of
''houScWiic. But as all are not SUI
prcmoly fortunate it is we'll to recog-
nlzc that what may seem an unmiXed
evil may be really minor benefit.
1t is better for girls to work in fac
tories and stores than to be thrown
into the river, as happens to them in
China, or to be obliged to use the mat
took and spade in the fields, as thew
are IN Europe.
We are not doing nearly as we II as
we might in this matter or in any
other, but still we are doing a great
deal better than professional pessimists
are capable of understanding.