The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-07-25
WOMAN AND HER HOME.
THE BACHELOR GIRL AND HER EN-
PLOYuENT AND WAYS.
To Help Mill Girls-Bc Economical
Children and Parents-iiOw She De-
came DOctOr-Mrs. Judd's Laun-
dry-WOmaR and Poverty.

Our fathers knew nothing of her. In
the Old Old days she who would have be-
come one under favoring conditions went
into a nunnery. Later on she looked
after her sisters children or became an
erudite maiden lady, much rejoicing in
the conversation of sober men of learning.
II she was forced to earn her own living,
she was a governess or companion, the
primmest of the prim and the farthest
of all on earth from the female bachelor
who is now so frequent.
The female bachelor has a latchkey.
That is an essential. she lives alone or
shares rooms with a "chum." and she
goes everywhere and at any time un-
chaperoned. Sometimes she has money
of her own and has only taken up with
the new way Of life owing to the back
wardness of men and the absence Of ap-
probation at home. Maybe she has a
mother who is not so advanced as she
or a sister who is more attractive.
The latter cause has driven many an
elderly girl into female bachelordom.
She DEVELOPS a mission" does little
public speaking and is honorary secretary
to something or other-for preference
something which has to do with the
woman problem and the discussion of
it in mixed company. Her friends have
put UP with ii as best they can, but
there is nothing particularly interesting
about her to the rest OF us. She labor
iously wastes her life in deliberately
worked out unfemininity and occasionally
marries a. professional philanthropiSt VINO
suffers for the sake OF what he can do
with her money.
With the poorer kind 1t is different.
The fairly well educated daughter of in
digent parents often takes the first steps
toward female bachelOrdOm without
knowing whittier they tend. An editor
has generally to answer for her earliest
deviations from the straight and narrow
path. He prints some little tWaddle OF
hers. and she proceeds to lombard him
and his fellows with unremitting indus
try day and night Perhaps three out or
thirty chance contributions get into PRINT
before she discovers that fashion reports
and descriptive "pars" are hers to write
If only she can get the opportunity oil
writing Them There is a living to be
earned by this but it has to be attended
to assidu6usly and worked at manfully.
She slips into it gradually and claims
mans freedom (which, indeed is more
or less a necessity TO her unpreposseSs-
ing oalling-abOut the time when she
finds she is doing the work of the hum
bier kind of hack male journalist for
in and go out when she likes, or when
her employers like, without having to
account for her proceedings, and indeed
it would be hard 10 deny her right TO
do so. She sees no reason why she
should not get such solace as comes her
way. so she does not hesitate to go to
the pit of a theater with some brother
of the craft whom her parents know not.
She will not always spurn music hall.
She smokes a cigarette after days
toll is over QOr no woman can smoke
sensbly like a man over her work., and
she comforts herself for many of the
unpleasantnesses of her surroundings by
pretending to think that she is living
her own life" To do so more effectively
she talks eagerly on subjects that used
not to form any part of conversation in
which women joined She is strong on
the rights of a woman to be and do any
thing she chooses, and her conversation
is apt to be a little embarrassing to old
fashioned men. But she is far from
meaning any harm.
Society not having made up its mind to
accept the working female bachelor. she
gets no ladylike dissipation. She goes to
many fine functions and gorgeous
dwellings to do the dresses, but she is
only there on sufferance. The servants
regard her as a young person." and their
betterS are a little afraid of her. Be
sides they are not quite sure that she is
not a rather improper young woman.
Mice" mammas in slightly lower circles
cannot countenance her or permit their
daughters to associate with her. Manners
are contagious, and the female bachelor
lets her men friends visit her at her
rooms. Yet her morals are the conven-
excitment or forbidden joy out of her de-
fiance of the ordinary rules which regu-
late the conduct of well bred women
London Saturday Review.