The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1898-08-23
WOMEN WORKERS.

The last census Of the nation showed
some curious figures:
"There were some 22,000,0O0 persons
of both sexes engaged in gainful pur-
suits OF all sorts In 1890. OF these
about 100000 were females and 49,
OOO, 900 males. There were, according
10 the same census, about 100000
families in the United States. In 1860
there were about 100000 workers OF
both sexes, and OF these one-twentieth,
or SOC. 900, were females. These were
engaged chiefly in clothing factories,
cotton mills and In shoe binding, ana
they were found almost wholly in the
New England States, whose men had
gone to sea or to the new lands OF the
West and left their women dependent"
The increase OF population. during
the last twenty-five years has increased
the number of women dependent upon
their own exertions for living. In.
stead OF an increase in wealth that en-
abled larger number OF women to live
without daily labor, this increase is ac-
companied with a larger number OF fe-
male laborers who are in competition
with men.
Over a million of men, in the North
and South, were disabled during the
great Civil war, and their disabilities
drove their female relatives into the
labor market. At first they were in
capable. Experience and necessity ed
ucated them. The hope and expecta-
ton of early marriage led them to take
no serious views OF business methods,
and their services were generally in
ferior to those OF men. Even II as cap
able, as they often were, the prospect
of abandoning labor for matrimony,
kept them inefficient. II does SO at
present with many thousands OF the
more ignorant, who, yielding readily
to womanly instincts, desire home OF
their own, however humble 1t may be.
But there Is now an army OF women,
Intelligent, educated, conscientious,
and industrious, who have found work
congenial, and are enabled to maintain
independence. Finding marriage not
q divine institution, SO far rs matches
are made in heaven, and broken on
earth. and that Its physiological abuses
cannot be reached or prevented by law
or reason, they prefer to remain single.
after the manner Of st. Paul. and grad
ually 1t ceases to be their miserable"
refuge from the ills OF life, and Is only
acceptable under reasonable conditions.
There has been, and is. just COM
plant that the compensation Of women
y not equal to that Of men. This is
due to the fact that, on the whole, their
services have not been equal in value
to those Of men. owing to the reasons
already mentioned. But the economic
laws adjust these differences in time.
and in many occupations they grad
ually disappear, as they should.
The arguments in favor OF the in
feriority Of women as wage earners, or
brain workers is met with the sta
tistics Of the colleges and schools
which show, not conclusiyely perhaps.
that women hold their own in scholar
ship. 1t is evident, beyond dispute.
that In the medical nrnfes sion they ara
in certain branches Of 1t, more capable
than men. The fact that women, ow-
Ag to the race habits of thought, and
the traditions about their inferiority,
have been for centuries in a state OF
arrested development, and their facul-
ties have been neglected and unframed,
has prevented them from rising. Even
what is called the "chivalry" and the
pride of men has worked against
them
1t Is said that IL Is an unnatural and
most imperfect civilization where wo-
men do any labor beyond that OF the
household. This is true. but SO long
as civilization Is imperfect, and its
forces badly adjusted, women must
live In unnatural conditions. But what
unnatural conditions are has yet to be
determined.