The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-12-21
OUR WOMEN.

What Shall We Do With Them?
A great dispute is raging in the news
papers over a speech by DR.. Samuel G.
Smith, of the Peoples Church, St. Paul,
in which he urged that the women give
| up their employment in shops and fac
tories, and-starve.
We fail to see how the reducing of the
women of this country to the direst ex-
| tremity of poverty and suffering is 60
ing to increase their virtue.
The great poet says:
Women are not, in their best mo-
ments, strong;
But want will perjure the ne'er-
touched vestal."
Turn all the women, who are now
earning honest livings, out of their en-
pioyment, and the men could not safely
walk the streets-there would be such
| rush for husbands
Here Is part of the debate, from the
! Chicago Times Herald of Dec. 18th:
The sermon preached Sunday evening by
Rev DR.. s. g. Smith, in st. Paul, and print
ed In the Times Herald Of yesterday, in
which the divine decried the employment Of
5ect of much discussion in Chicago yester-
day among physicians. and ministers and
others who have given tho matter some
tnoueht. In his sermon. among other things,
Or. smith said: THE tendency Of the time
toward the enormous increase Of woman
labor and labor by immature young women
| is the economic, social, moral and physical
evil OF our time. and 1t 10 the most serious
menace to the nations life,
Rev. Dr. William N. Lawrence. pastor of
the Second Baptist Church. has made con-
siderable study OF the question of the en-
ployment Of women and girls in factories
and stores, and in commenting ON DR..
Smiths sermon said
Il most heartily indorse every sentiment
uttered by DR.. Smith, whom have had the
pleasure OF meeting a number of times
There is no doubt in my mind that the sys-
tenn OF employing women, as it obtains to-
l-day, will greatly injure coming generations
and make our descendants, comparatively
speaking, race of weak and degenerate
beings.
mot only the factories, but the big stores
are aiding in making slaves of the women
for in most of the stores the conditions are
nearly If not fully as bad as in the factories.
l have in mind a case which came under
my own observation, and which 1 am sure
is but one of many thousands in Chicago
alone. 1t is of young woman at whose
several times.
She works In one of the down town stores
no harder probably. than other girls. but her,
energy is gone and she Is weak and deli
cate, and l am sure will not live to attain a
great age. She is soon to be married. ana it
is question in my mind whether she has a
right to do SO. Her Offspring, II she has any,
certainly cannot be strong and healthy, for
1t Is not in the nature Of things for the
child of such a mother to be strong. If
this is kept up for q few generations what
wi ha Ia kA
Then take the moral side of the ques-
ton. These girls who are employed In fac
tories and stores are paid but small wages
at the best. When they got home from
thing for them to do is to seek recreation.
This they do for the most part in cheap
theaters and other cheap places. and this
many times leads from bad to worse They
90 to the best they can afford. but. earning
small wages, the cheapest is the best they
can afford
DR.. Frances Dickinson. one Of the best
known of Chicago women practitioners
takes exception to Dr. Smith. In that she
believes the factory life not at all injurious
to women, II the factories are conducted
properly. She said:
There are factories and factories, and
am glad to say there is q fast growing
tendency toward lettering the conditions Of
conditions, where good sanitary rules are
observed, and where good nutrition 10 sup
piled, is, in my opinion. vastly better for the
| women and girls than life in the homes Of
many Of them"
Dr.. Julia Holmes Smith says that instead
of the race being weakened by the work of
women In factories, it will become stronger
and expressed not little Indignation over
Rev. DR.. Smiths manner OF expressing him
self. which she termed an insult to the sex.
Said she:
THE opinion Of any man who can compare
a woman who works for an honest living in
factory to a woman harnessed up with
cow is not worthy Of consideration. Women
In general should protest against this public
degredation Of the sex by a minister in his
pulpit"
Mrs. Stevens Of Hull House, factory in
spector, also disasrees with Rev Mr. Smith
She said:
81 think he is greatly mistaken. 1t is, in
my opinion much better for women. es-
pecially young women. between the ages OF
IA and %, to be employed in factories and
elsewhere, than 1t Ia for them to be idle.
When l say employed. mean In good,
healthy surroundings. and at wage that
will enable them to take care OF them
selves.
Honest work never hurt any one,
male or female.
can idle mind is the DEVILS work
shop"
Labor is not a disgrace. The great
est laborer in the universe is God. He
keeps the whole machine going-from
} the microbes to the solar systems.
Give the toilers fair pay, and plenty
to eat and wear. For this just laws are
needed; and these cannot be had from
those venerable shams-the two old