The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-29
WILL THE WORKING GIRL WRD9
JUST ASK HER-A POINTED Br-
PLY TO MRS. VAN worst.
And As for Race Suicide. Count En-.
Chicago Woman VINO Ought 10 kn.~
Says the Poor Folks Are Doins ms,
Full Share. but How About the MA.


started the race suicide" agitation IN.
Chicago Inter Ocean asked Miss Sonbi.
Becker. organizer for the Chicago Fedsr,.
ton OF Labor. what she thought abou,
IL. This is part Of her reply:
Another false alarm has been so,.s,,
The cry Is heard from one end Of the Land !.
the other that the working girls are shunnIn,
marriage. that the factories. shops and N.
fees are becoming filled with old maid.
hopelessly past the counting age The Was,
earners are declared to be committing racs
suicide
1t IL a silly cry. Nothing could be ,ur,hs,
| from the truth In the great communitlss
| where there are tens OF thousands Of was.
earners. In Chicago such cry is almost
| idiotic.
More working girls are marrying to-d,,
than ever before Many employers CON.
| plain that Cupid Is working havoc In the rank,
| OF their employees. There are very IA
| old maids. as they are called By far IN.
greater number OF the older women wag,
| earners arc married women, doing what
| little they can to add to the comfort OF thei,
families. and 1t Is a good guess that th.lr
families are large ones.
Matrimony is q two-sided affair, and thu
persons who stand awed at the danger OF
race suicide declare the reason for the al.
legged great number Of old maids is the atti.
tude OF the men wage earners who fear and
shun the responsibilities family would place
upon them. Neither Is that true Ts
whole scarecrow-and a mere scarecrow It s-
Is the silly Pigment OF silly ina Rinations
The deductions drawn by Mrs Van vorS
In the Fast are not applicable to Chlcaee
To one who has come In contact with The
great body OF Chicago wage earners. aI
have. It is clearly evident that the tendency
Is to run into rather than to avoid marriage
II Is not In the sections OF the city whers
the wage eirners live that you find the girls
who have forgotten their ages. the husband
hunters. and other like them. These per-
sons are indigenous to the aristoTatc 80.
tions. In the latter places. too. you find the
small families or the married people who
are childles There you find the club-trained
bachelors. the society-tired young women.
who, with the aid and guidance Of shrewd
mothers. have chased the will-o' -the-wisp Of
a fortune for perhaps more than decade.
Half a dozen sisters who are wage earnen
will all be married before they are rs yean
old
1t takes rich wardrobes. much travelling.
much patience. and a good bank account TO
marry on pair Of daughters who belong 10
what is called the smart set" This may
seem little harsh. but II Is as true as Gospel.
Despite the poverty from which many wage
earning young women spring. and despite
the fact that they frequently are denied
many comforts, the working girl 10 q happy
creature. and when she gets married. q thing
she Ia pretty sure to do. she makes the best
housewife on earth.
Do you often hear OF scandals among the
working population? How about the wealthy
class? Who Is 1t that piles up the fortunes
OF the divorce lawyers? II is not the man
or woman who is or has been the wage-earner.
II is to the mansions and not TO the cottages
that Mrs Van Worst and the other blind in.
vestisators should direct their attention.
Many people are wont to look with pity
upon the working girl. whether che tolls at
a machine In factory or stands on her feet
all day behind a counter. They do not realize
that she Is the most care free Of all people,
She il healthy. she 10 balan ced she 10 bright.
In all my experience in dealing with working
girls have known but one to take her own
life.
do not recall a single working girl whd
e a confirmed old maid. have not heard
Of single working man who is . confirmed
Did bachelor. unless he may be one who had
,ettcr remain 40. not only for bis own good.
out for the good Of everybody else.
And these young people to-day. II the
oreien element be excluded for the time from
make up the majority Of the
'istors TO she license clerk In the county
,uilding Il Ii q shame. IL In untruthf,i. It
. A slande- TO accuse the working girl OF the
hinrs Mrs Van Worst accused her Of Let
hat autho' and self-styled investigator come 4
= Chicaro and live for awhile In the parts
4 the ,1ty where the wage-earners live She
rill retract what she has said.
90 not Know OF nneie Worhns KIT
rho does not look forward to being married
ONE day. Does that look as II she were
rying TO avoid matrimony? Nine-tenths OF
hose who do marry marry for homes They
re not silly enough IN expect rreat THINGS
he dime novels and cheap dramas have not
ill., .ne. ue" - ,o,s
ONES OF 'her own iney iooh ioi war
D II. plan for ". ana when they once get
,ey are happy
=. 4. o., ..,do,, ,h,n. thu, v,,,. Ate,
" ~ ~ -. =,
hey marry are oompeheo AZ uihes 70 WOE.
len are not all constantly employed Ihers
rent TO pay and food and clothing to buy.
=" 80 ~ , a. ,,.,
ave her nome ana 20 PACK 70 the counter o'
,e machine she forsook. Then alons comes
4 inves'icator and SAYS. Look a. the old
aid. uha, ara % cominy tbs The s,fls :
!. ali stunning marriage
u the women who marry and quit The shore
nd ofices would remain away from them
Ier afierward and moi again accept position.
"a, rirh,iully belong TO nen. the nArras"
No, long AGO J .,epned into factor and
unn vWthr ~, No''.h VIM '"' wv"
WV wss ia sSs sa" ;o Ss' Scf. married