The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1897-02-19
WOMEN WAGE FARMERS.
PROF. Braudrup Reads an Able Paper
Thereon Before the S. S. Club.

Thereon Before the s. S. Club.
At the Social Science club Tuesday
evening, s. B. Wilson and w E. Free
man were elected as members of the
club. The paper of the evening on
"Women Wage Earners," was read by
Mr.. j. 4. BrandIup, and was fine re-
view OF the subject. He said that the
great question that today agitates
the whole civilized world is an eco
nomic question. 1t is the distribution
OF wealth, not its production. No
where do We find any suggestion that
capital and the landlord do not re-
ceive their share. Instead. the world
cries out that capital and the land
lord are enslaving the rest of the
world. There is no fight over produc-
tion, The conflict is over distribution.
1t is no longer war between nations,
but an internecine war destroying our
defenses and making enemies of those
that should be brothers. The most
dispassionate or Indifferent can not
blink at these facts. We may pro-
claim that there is no antagonism be-
tween capital and labor, that condi-
tions and opportunities are always
better. Practical thinkers and workers
deny this. Wealth has increased at a
far greater ratio then has the ropula-
tion, but the laborer does nos receive
his due proportion. Distribution
should be reOrganiZed and haste should
be made to discover how. The wage
problem is that with which we have
to deal, and the question this evening
is "WomenWage Farmers. "IJ is often
asked why men receive greater wages
than women, and we might say that
custom, the law of many centuries,
has so ingrained it's thought in the
constitution of men that it is natural
ly and inevitably taken for granted
that every woman who seeks work is
the appendage Of some Liam, and there
fore, partially. at least, supported.
There are also many other conSidera-
tionS. The girls education is gener-
ally less practical then that Of the boy,
the work is often regarded as make
shift to be used as a crutch till hus-
band appears, and the work involved
is done in a more careless manner. and
with little or no interest. With this
introduction which we have briefly
outlined he entered review at some
length of the wage question as relates
to womans work, quoting from re-
ports of labor commissioners, showing
that the wages of women run from
81. SO per week up, the general average
being about $3.50. Among sewing
women in the large cities under the
sweating system, it has been found
that piece work had yielded return
in some instances of only Is cents per
day of 16 hours length. Commissioner
Wright found that that the average
wage of working women in large
cities, twenty-five cities being re-
ported, run from 1888 per week in
Richmond, Va, to 1892 per week in
St. Paul. In spite of low wages and
all hardships resultant, working
women and girls as whole, are found
to he as honest and moral as many
other class of the community. Mr..
Brandrup said that on recent visit
to Chicago he made inquiries in several
stores as to wages paid,
and treatment received, and found
the wages were 81 and upwards, and
the clerks said they were treated
kindly and had no especial fault to
find. Other features of the question
were touched which we have not the
space to refer to, and question Of do
nestle service was also referred to.
He had no particular suggestion to
make as to remedy, and looked upon
the trouble as one of the outgrOwths
of our present progress in civilization
that only time can cure.
The paper was followed by general
discussion in which various features
of the question were touched upon,
but all seemed at a loss as to how the
troubles complained of might be
cured.
The next meeting of the club will
be held on Tuesday evening, Feb. 23d,
when DR.. H. A. Cleveland will read a
paper on "The Methods of Sociological
Study"
Judge Mead yesterday made the