The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-01-10
zxs The Woman without Capital.

all.-New York Times.
1xH The Woman without Capital.
The woman quoted In this column
yesterday has suggestions as well az
complaints 10 make apropOs OF the
wage-earnlng women and the woman
who wishes she was a wage-earner.
As the women who don't have 10
work are not yet bauished from the
field. other ways OF relieving the con.
gested condition Of the labor market
must be considered One remedy I.
the extension Of the profitable fields
Of activity wholly suitable TO women
MANY suggestions" says this won.
an, given 70 me from time 20 time as
TO new openings evince a singular
want OF common sense and practical
foresight The other day | was urged
20 recommend women 10 take up archi.
lecture as paying profession But
apart from the difficulties and costly
nature or the training. rendering II,
like medicine. impracticable for any
woman unprovlded with an adequate
income for the first five or six years
Of her career. surely architecture.
which involves the ascending OF scat.
folds, the inspection Of drains. under.
ground supports, etc, Is not particu.
skirts remain their traditional gar.
ments.
mo such objection can be raised
to artistic dressmaking, which offers
wide and varied fields for the capa.
blllties Of clever women Of taste and
education. There is scarcely n single
town, country district or suburb where
a really expert woman would not be
welcomed and assured of a good liy.
ing within n couple Of years. The
wealthy woman who Is clothed by an
expensive dressmaker getting her
models from Paris is we'll catered for
today; but the average woman with
good taste. willing TO pay a fair price
for her dresses, has no alternative TO
the average tasteless. incompetent
dressmaker. whose sole notion Of the
are Of dress Is derived from the fash.
ion plates, who knows nothing Of the
laws Of line and color and fitness, and
cares nothing for individuality and
that harmony between dress and wear
or which is the secret of beautiful
dress. There are hundreds OF women
Of taste who detest the hard tailor
made costume. and would gladly and
gratefully see evolved graceful, fcmi
a sgf A vp1p
for SO or $50. There Is simply an i'm
mensc continent here; but the artistic
drcssmaker must be Il woman OF real.
ly artistic ideas and feelings. with an
uncrring eye for color and personality,
and she must be trained
Then. again, most Of the sugges.
tions for employment for women ne.
cesstate too much capital In nine
cases out OF ten the would-be wage.
Garner has no capital at all, and, hay.
ing no security, can get none. So all
kinds Of excellent little enterprises
have To be left aside by capable, re-
liable women for want Of a few hum
dred dollars. 1t seems to me that il
the organized charities can get thou.
sands yearly for the purpose OF in.
vestigatng the genuineness of cases
of distress there ought to be a sutti'
cient number of rich men and women,
or. indeed. of women only, who would
create a loan fund and make it avail
able. so far as it would go. for enter.
prlses that seem likely to be success
full. So much is done to-day for the
Industrial classes, so little, practical
ly nothing. for the educated middle
class. which cannot easily avail itself
of the same advantages. Without
some capital the artistic dressmaker
would have to compete with the fifth
rate dressmaker working for low
prices and able with a different stand.
ard of life to live comfortably; and
she would have too many disadvant-
ages even to be n successful rival;
whereas. with few hundreds for
rent and wages Of workgirls, she could
create her market and am convinced,
make an excellent income. New
York Commercial-Adve