The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-06-06

One Of the papers that is a credit to club
work as well as to the writer, Mrs. c.. L.
Atwood Of st. Cloud, was presented at the
annual convention Of the sixth district of
the Minnesota Federation OF Women's
Clubs. Mrs. Atwood In introducing her
subject, 1.-THE Educator and Economic
Evolution Of Woman, !" reviewed the edu-
. cational evolution OF her sex, showing
what concessions along educational lines
had gradually been given to women; the
flower OF co education In full blossom was
displayed and the fact that three-fourth
of the teachers Of the school system are
women was pointed out. Her competition
with men in the field of advanced educa-
ton, and finally her invasion Of the indus
trial realm formerly occupied by men was
shown. The economic evolution of WON ;
en- was then taken up and treated by Mrs.
Atwood in this wise:
1--WE have reviewed women's educational
development and have also seen the truths
of learned professors general economic
axiorns as applied to her case. She has
been endowed with wealth earning power
and she is going to use it. There is no
holding back the forces Of evolution; rath-
er let us study them that we may wisely
| assist in the trend. Women have SO far
| in our country received the identical edu-
cation that men have received in schools
originated by men and planned for men.
AS a logical consequence we have Wom-
| en- entering the same professional, COM
| mercial and Industrial lines Of work.
Woman is a blind, unconscious agent in
! this great change, no more knowingly for
saking her spheres, than did man know
| ingly intrude when he opened the can
i Ming factory or when he invented the
/ power loom.
/ Outside Interests Beneficial.
| Mrs. Atwood went on to say: "The
| world is better that woman has identified
herself with the social good; that he1
thoughts go with the children to the
| school and Its management, that she cares
for the municipal environment of houses
| the identifying of parks and streets, the
city sanitation; that her syrnpathies are nc
longer bounded by the four walls Of he1
| own home, but go out to protect those
| other homes where children and women
are laboring under conditions that beggal
description and she tries to secure legisla.
ton regulating child labor, and the sweat
shop system"
! The speaker noted the fact that womer
in her emancipation had followed the line
Of least resistance, which has been away
from the, home She went on: I'm the
rapid economic changes there have ariser
new demands and some friction. and the
aim now should be to remove the evil:
incident to the evolution without sur
rendering the gains. To foster domestic
life by instruction in domestic arts ant
science is one of the imperative dutie
Of the home. Give the subjects an edu
cational value, train the girl from the kin
dergarten thru all the grades till sh
finishes the high school, and believe w
will no longer be confronted by womel
wage earners toilirg as unskilled opera
tives in factories for pittances when the,
! are already skilled operatives in domesti
work with good wages awaiting them
When every girl, no matter what her sta
ton, learns thus to employ her hands
} house work will no longer be esteeme
mental service and the factory wage
earners, the Industrial aristocrat, the so