Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1895-06-14
OFFICIAL PAPER BuRlE|GH co.
THE f WO

The census bureau report on Occupa-
tlons. which has just been published,
gives much information as to the in.
creasing tendency of women to earn their
own living and to invade almost every
field of labor in doing 50. The bureau
gives list of 22l occupations, and women
figure in all of them with two exceptions.
There are no female army or navy officers
and no female soldiers or sailors.
The total number Of females 10 years
old or over engaged in gainful toll in
1880 was nearly 100000. While the
number of working males was 81 per
cent greater in 1890 than in 1880, that of
women who worked increased 40 per
cent. AS might be expected, domestic
service is the chief occupation of women.
Five years ago over 100000 were en-
ployed thus. The number was much
larger in 1890 than in 1880, not merely
on account of the increase in the mum.
Der of families, but incomes were larger
and more people could afford to hire ser.
vaults. Hard times, on the other hand,
lessen decidedly the number of those
thus employed. Next in Importance come
Farmers, planters and agricultural labor
ers." Only a few of these, however,
actually work for wages Most of them
own or have an interest in farms.
What are called the manufacturing
and mechanical industries give work to
more than a million ome There we're
2SS, 900 dressmakers, 49, 900 seamstresses,
and $4,000 milliners. There we're also
$4,000 operatives in cotton mills, and
63,000 tailoresses. Great numbers of
women were employed also in wooden
and silk mills, in tobacco factories. shoe
shops, book-binderies, etc.
No one will be surprised to learn that
in 1890 there were 245,23O female teach
erE. But it will be a cause of surprise
to learn that 22S,30O women were en-
gagged in "trade and transportation" Of
these, however, $4,000 are saleswomen,
27,700 bookkeepers, and 21,0U are stem
ographers and typewriters. A short
hand writer in a railroad office cannot
be said to be engaged actively in "trans-
portation," but it appears that in 1890
there were four woman who we're loco
motive engineers and iremen, 237 who
drove hacks, drays and teams, twenty
nine who were sailors, and one who was
a pilot. There we're 8,4O0 telegraph and
telephone operators. Other women
worked as commercial travellers. agents
and collectors, peddlers, linemen and
electric light employees, and livery stable
keepers.
They were apprentices to blacksmiths,
carpenters, masons, machinists, painters,
plumbers, tinsmiths, and wagonmakers.
They were coopers, distillers, gunsmiths,
harness. makers, stonecutters, molders,
brewers, butchers, boat-builders, and
boiler-makers. They were we'll repre-
sented in other occupations calling for
more head work and less hand work.
There were in 1890, $500 woman actress,
es, 10000 artists and teachers of art, 81, 800
musicians and teachers of music, 1900
physicians and surgeons, and 1,2OO
clergymen. Women figured also among
the lawyers, the dentists, veterinary sur
geons, BARRIERS and theatrical managers.
These statistics show that there is no
field of labor which men can call exclu.
sively their own, says the Chicago Trib-
une. And yet half a century ago there
were hardly a score of ways in which a
woman could ear a living. They at
leest have no reason to complain of
modern industrial conditions and sigh
for a return to the good old times"