Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-07-29
THE NEW WOMAN.
She VIII Soon Have Her Choice OF Com
Portable Boarding Houses.

She VIII Soon Have Her Choice OF Conn
Portable Boarding Houses.
The average boarding house has long
been terror to the workingwoman
who had only small wages. Wherever
she went the grim legend Gentlemen
Boarders Only" has stared her in the
face. She has had the door slammed in her
face and been driven from pillar to post
in search Of even hall bedroom till it
has seemed there was no spot on earth
where a woman was wanted. In self
defense women began to make plans to
meet this state of things. They could
not hope to overcome the small wages
or the prejudices Of iron faced boarding
house women who turned against their
own sex. First, / believe, the Y. w. @.
A. took up the matter and opened lodg-
ing houses for women temporarily out
of employment. Then the women's
clubs, organizations of ladies who have
time and perhaps some money to spare,
established homes where for a sum suit
ed to their means working girls might
get permanent board and lodging. At
first these homes were so hampered
round about by Grundy rules of behavior
and theology that it was like going into
a convent or to Jail to live in one of
them. But the plan has broadened and
the rules have been relaxed. 1t has been
found that women who work for their
living can take care of themselves and
that they conduct themselves with the
utmost propriety. They are proud in
their way and lead lives of perfect pu-
rity and refinement Now the country
over there are springing up in the large
cities homes for working girls without
trace of charity or theology in them.
They are business enterprises and pay
like anything else of the kind. In some
cases a considerable number of business
women, clerks, stenographers and 9TH
ers have dubbed together, rented a
house, hired housekeeper and made a
home for themselves. Their natural
womanly tastes have made the home a
beautiful one. In other cases homes for
independent, self supporting young
women have been established by stock
companies. In all cases the cost of liv-
ing is placed as low as is consistent
with small profit under good manage
ment. Thus clean, sunny, steam heat
ed room and bath are brought within
reach of many girl who earns no more
than 81 a week. These comfortable
business women's homes are increasing
rapidly and paying we'll. They are the
outcome of the prejudice of the average
landlady against women boarders.
Be clean and sweet tempered, and you
will be happy. If you are not good tenn
pered naturally, make yourself SO.
Women make half their own troubles
by spiteful, uncontrolled tempers. Bad
temper makes us ugly, old and sickly.
Men jeer at women who are afraid of
a mouse, but the bravest of men are apt
to turn towards when it comes to stand
ing up and facing the woman question
fairly in church meeting. They try q
dozen ways of beating around the bush
and dodging,
In some respects the lot of the Zulu
woman is more enyiable than that of
the Christian lady in the freest state of
America. Miss Colenso does not consid-
er the Zulu women at all downtrodden.
Many of them have ruled as great
chiefs. They do not let even their own
husbands come into their houses unless
they wish to. The field crops, which
the women mostly raise, belong exclu-
sively to them. This is not at all bad
for heather.
MISUNDERSTANDING is its name. 1t is
township in Russia ten miles square.
In 1861 there was famine in the town
ship with the short and easy name, and
the people were starving to death. Then
Saschka, the Joan of Arc of Besuk.,
etc., appeared. She assembled the
people of the township together, and
then she and several other brave, strong
women commanded all the men to leave
the township and go to the city to find
work and so stop the famine. The men
obeyed till there was not an ablebodied
masculine creature left. Saschka and
A1CA WOLAOA tHCA uhQCAU UOCh tAC OdCh VA
running that township themselves. 1t is
an agricultural district, and these wom-
en- did all the work of telling trees,
planting and reaping crops and tending
live stock. To this day the management
of that township has remained the same.
The women elect one of their number
mayor, others as subordinate municipal
officers, and they transact all the local
government affairs. So we'll do they
manage that the township has no debt,
something almost unheard of in Russia
There are seven villages, consequently
seven women mayors. As special favor
the men are allowed to come home for
brief visits and during holidays, but
never to remain. They must go and
work III the cities So strict is the rule
that as soon as boy is large enough to
leave home and earn money he is ship
ped off at once to the other masculines.
There isn't any foolishness about those
women municipal officers
ELIZA ARCHARD CONNER.