The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-01
OUT AND ABOUT.

A very remarkable book, and one that
no person who is interested in the
higher phases Of social life in the Unit
ed States can afford to ignore, has just
been published by Small, Maynard &
Company of Boston, under the title,
Women and Economics" The author,
Mrs. Charlotte Perkins Stetson, is wide
ly known both in this country and
abroad through her work in connec-
ton with the labor movement and
with various reforms. She comes of
q notable family, being the great
granddaughter of Lyman Beecher, and
the grandniece of Henry Ward Beecher
and Harriet Beecher Stowe, and like
all Beecher blood. she has given herself
generously TO public affairs. she has
also inherited the family ability for
broad and original thinking, for keen
feeling, and for trenchanL and courage
Gus speaking.
The subtitle Of Women and Eco
Monies" is: "A Study of the Economic
Relation Between Men and Women as
q Factor in Social Evolution" In
writing this book Mrs. Stetson's pur-
pose has been to point OUT, explain and
justify the changes now going on in the
relations of women to society. The
subject is one that inevitably comes
home to every household and to every
woman in the country, for none can
read the book and not feel that 1t ap-
plies to her and to her concerns.
Mrs. Stetson's position is, in brief,
that women have for centuries been
economically dependent on men, and
that as a, result women have been tend
ing to become more and more feminine
and less and less normal human beings
The tide is turning, and women are be-
ginning to take their place beside men
in the arts and sciences, the trades and
professions, and to develop those ra,y-
ial qualities which they have always
possessed in common with men, but
have never before been permitted to
develop. Mrs. Stetson follows up her
argument through every branch of So
cial activity with fearless courage and
admirable originality, and it may safely
be said that no volume OF recent years
has treated the confused subject Of wo-
man with so much intelligence, earn
estness, fairness and good nature.
Much in the book strikes one as very
radical; many will deny Mrs. Stetson' s
premises and repudiate her conclusions.
The fact remains that Mrs. Stetson has
produced a work of extraordinary in
terest and power.
A unique feature Of the fair to be hello
by the Lend-a-Hand Club, Friday after
noon and evening from till o'clock
in the vestry of the First Unitarian
Church, is a limited number Of Edward
Everett Hale calendars to be found on
the art table These calendars are got
ten up by the Lend-a-Hand Club Of
Boston and contain twelve fine cuts Of
DR.. Hale, and are sold exclusively by
Lend Hand clubs.
There are to be fancy, domestic
flower, candy, art ice cream, grab tea
and chocolate tables at the fair.
The most engaging thing about Me
nier chocolates is the dear little boxes
they come in. One is tempted to eat up
the chocolates fast just for the sake
of accommodating the stalWart sturdy
saucy things.
If NJ Menier We're an American in
stead Of a French manufacturer We
should have our chocolates in boxes Of
cardboard decorated, may be, but brit
tie and fiimsy and cheap AS it is, he
encases his little fiat, brown discs in
boxes Of wood that are made as strong
ly and nicely, with as many precau-
lions as to corners and creyices, as IL
their lives were to be reckoned by de-
cades instead of months.
Goodness only knows what a choco-
late Menier box is good for after the
chocolate Menier is out of it, but thrust
be good for something. Such charming
bits Of picturesque Worldliness
0uRht not to be allowed to go to waste.