Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-01-28
w, G. T. u. COLUMN.
INCOMPETENT WOMEN.


ter helplessness of many women who,
through some sudden freak Of adverse
fate, are thrown upon their own re-
sources for their support. The writer
has in mind a woman of this class who
through unfortunate investments was
suddenly reduced from a state of
plenty to condition of almost actual
want. She declared that she must
edo something's to earn her own liv-
ing. She went to lady of philan-
thropic turn of mind who had real
interest in these unfortunate and US
ually inefficient women who have
"seen better days"
"What can you do?" asked this lady.
ooh, am willing to do anything."
Anything is a limitIess field in
which there is little chance of sue
cess" was the reply. ''Isn't there
some one thing that you can do better
than another? Do you know how to
bake and COOKE"
mo, never had anything of that
kind to do. I never learned how to
do such work because never suppos-
ed that it would be necessary for me
to do anything OF the kind. The fact
is I never made loaf of bread in my
life. I never made pastry of any kind.
Indeed do not know anything about
cooking"
''That is unfortunate. A good cook
can generally turn her talents to ac-
count, particularly in a large city
where there is a steady demand for
the home made food sold at the'wom-
ans exchanges. I suppose that you
have made preserves and jellies and
pickles?''
"No, never made anything of the
kind. have no idea of how to make
a jar Of preserves Or glass Of jelly"
care you skillful with your needle?"
''No sewing was always distasteful
to me, and never did even my own
mending. We kept a seamstress who
did most of the sewing, and my dress
es were made out. Of course 1 never
supposed that it would be necessary
ing, and SO I never learned"
MILLINERY is very profitable if one
has any talent for it, or if one can Gull
tivate ability in that direction"
81 have thought of that, but you see
I know nothing about it and [ could
not afford to serve an apprenticeship
at it because must earn money right
away"
But what skill, what training, what
experience, have you that has a COM
mercial value? Something must be
given in return for this money that
you need. What do you want to do?"
''Well, as [ said before, am willing
to do anything to earn an honest liv-
ing.'
And the philanthroplc woman of
experience said when her caller had
gone away manifestly disappointed
and even offended because she had
not been given something to do:
''There is no woman so hard to help
as the woman who is ready to do
anything but who is utterly incapa-
BILE of doing ssomething' I'll had ten
millions of dollars my three daugh-
tiers should be taught to be self-sup-
porting. They h ave never had to
earn their own living, and L have no
reason to think that it will ever be
necessary for them to do so, but there
is no kind of homework that they do
not know how to do. Any of them
could prepare and serve the most
elaborate dinner exactly as it should
be prepared and served. One of them
has served a regular apprenticeship
with milliner, another knows all
about stenography and both double
and single entry bookkeeping, and
she goes to her fathers Office a day
every week and helps to make out
bills and goes over the books to keep
in practice. My other daughter has
spent two years studying kindergar
ten work. 1t is simply criminal to
rear girls in utter ignorance of any
useful occupation"
Those who have had experience in
trying to be helpful to ladies in reduc-
ed circumstances are of this opinion.
It is not easy for even the capable
worker to secure a position, and the
absolutely inefficient woman is not
wanted anywhere Union Signal.
Obituary.