St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-05-08
A Gratifying G lrpIus.

IL appears by the last census thai
there are fifty thousand more womer
tnan men in the state of New York
lhoughtless or inaccurate person.
might say that New York had fft,
thousand superhuous women, OF
nifty thousand women to spare, bu,
neither of these modes at all ex
presses the condition of the state
Possibly the state has some super
fuous women whom she can spare
but that does not appear in the
statement of the census, nor does it
follow naturally or by compulsion
upon the fact that she has fifty thou.
sand more women than men. Years
ago, when New York was one of the
Middle States" we who live in it
were wont to read with something
ike CONSERVATION, of the disparity
IN numbers between men and women
IN Massachusetts. We felt called
upon to bewail the lot of thousands
OF maids in that commonwealth, for
whom in the penuriousness of nat
ure, no yoke.fellows had been pro-
vided. We were sorry for a state in
which such conditions could obtain.
We were sorry for so many women
necessarily unhusbanded. We won
dered who would support them, and
rather pitied the Massachusetts men
what there was of them for hav-
so considerable burden put on their
shoulders. Are any such sentiments
entertained today about the un-
married women in New York? Is
anyone sorry for New York, because
OF this discrepa 1cy9 Perhaps so.
There are always people who laugh
IN the wrong place, and mischance
their lamentations with the same
obtuseness. But certainly no one
ought to fell sorry for New York,
and NO truly sensible people do feel
so, Fifty thousand extra men in
the state might be fifty thousand
men too many, and people might
6dget with some reason over such a
preponderance of males. States
wherein there are extra men are not
very comfortable to live in; every
one knows that. But state which
sees all its men provided for, and has
fifty thousand women left over, is
felt nowadays to be in a condition
of comfort as to the present, and of
hopefulness as to the future. An ac-
emulation of women is regarded
with complacency, as an accumula-
ton of capital might be, and conf
dence is felt that neither one will be
allowed to rest idle.
Single women, especially those
who are in some measure confirmed
In their singularity, have come to be
so very handy as to seem practically
indispensable to comfort or pro-
gress. In all walks of life, as house
maids, shop girls, typewriters, cash
iers, trained nurses, school teachers
or reformers. they are a luxury and
a blessing. They have a peculiar
value in being the freest class OF
adults that exists in America. They
do not earn as much money as their
fellowmen, but as a compensation
they enjoy increased freedom. If
they have means of support they are
much less bound than men are to en-
gross themselves in business or a
profession. A young man, even if he
has enough money for his own main
tenance, is considered to be under
moral obligation to put himself in
the way of getting at least, enough
money to marry on. Not so with
young women. If she has income
enough to maintain herself, she need
not worry about providing for the
support of possible husband. So
ciety expects much of her, but not
that. If only her income is sufficient
for her own needs her time is her
own, and she is quite at liberty to
give it away. She does give it away
too, often to great advantage. AS a
member of the very limited American
Leisure class" she has almost a mo-
nopoly of certain activities. How
many American families will bear
witness that the only real visitors
they have ever had are spinsters!
Men occasionally stop over night,
and hurry back next day to their
work; married people look in and
hurry home to their children; but
spinster comes now and then and
really visits, bringing a new atmos-