The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-07-16
New Orleans Picayune. J

New Orleans Picayune.)
One of the most interesting, as well as
important factors in The labor problem to-
day is the employment of women in the
various departments of labor once re-
served for men, and the competition of
women with men in the struggle for life.
There were some 22,OOO,OOO persons of
both sexes engaged in gainful pursuits of
all sorts in 1890. Of these, about 1000, 900
were females. There were, according to
the same census, about Is ,O0O, 900 families
in the United States. In 1860 there were
about 100000 workers of both sexes,
and of these one-twen tieth, or SOC, 600,
were females. These were engaged chiefly
In clothing factories, cotton mills and in
shoe-binding, and were found almost
wholly in New England States, whose
men had gone away to sea or to the new
lands of the West, and left their women
dependent. In the West and in the
South woman seldom went away from
the home to work, or, if so, they were &C.
cupied with household duties in families
After the Civil war the situation was
vastly changed. A million men lost
their lives, or were so disabled as to be
incapacitated to support themselves.
The South suffered more than any other
section, and many women were left self
dependent. 1t was new thing to see
white women in the Southern States start
out to seek work in avenues that had
been previously closed to women. They
could not take domestic service, because
such places were monopolized by the ne
groes who had been brought up to that
Sort of work. The post of teaching the
young did not afford places for all who
were forced to work, and thus the white
women of the South emulated their sis
tiers of the North and West in seeking the
means of earning livelihood in every
honorable work within their capacity,
and, however much the necessity for such
a state of things is regretted, it must be
recognized.
1t must be noted, however, that not ey-
cry woman who is forced to labor outside
the home is driven to it by reason of hav
ing lost her male protectors and pro-
viders. The simple fact is that the men
of the present age are rapidly deteriorat-
ing. They will not work, and they de-
mand to be supported by their mothers,
sisters, wives or other female relatives
The number of such cases is not only
very large, but it is constantly growing.
If is not only humanity, but it is outra-
geously unjust for men to complain that
women are driving them out of employ
ment. The depreciation Of the male sex
is going ON at SO rapid rate that, unless
it is checked, the women will not only
occupy the chief posts of business, but
they will also get possession Of political
control. 1t all comes to this, that if the
women are driving men out of the places
they once monopolized, it is because the
men have developed such weakness as
that they could not hold their own.
This, of curse, Is not true of all individ-
uals, but it is Of classes. 1t is true as
general proposit on, butts subject 10 many
exceptions. Probably the most marked
feature in this wonderful development in
industrial economy and social change is
that the women themselves are passing
through development t hat will modify
to an extraordinary degree their social
life and characteristics. Women are be-
coming independents of men, What then?
Social instincts and the demands of
nature will remain, but there will be radi-
cal changes in the social system. 1t is
impossible to foretell what will be the re-
suit of an evolution. 1t can only be
guessed.