The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-02-28
THE Death
BED OF
INDUSTRY
That Is What Mrs. Gilman Says
Of the Home at Crltas Club.
Wants Public Nurseries.

New York, Feb. @.-Mrs- Charlotte Per-
klns Gilman, whose addresses on "Wo-
man and Social Development" have been
interesting the members of Brooklyn's
Civitas club this winter. aroused con-
fourth in her series on woman and
Work"
Mrs Gilman argued that, as women be-
longed TO the sex that first did the work
In the world and are as able today as
men 10 work. the actual work OF the
world should be Jointly shared by both
men and women. because human life Is
human work. and the human race is
modified and developed by what II does.
I'VE women work at home for our own
families just as did the antedlluvian
squaw." said Mrs. Gilman. Il know you
won't like that word antediluvian, but
the only difference is that we have
houses. dishes and utensils.
why is It we are all so ignorant OF the
laws OF domestic economyP Because we
have embalmed, enshrined, preserved for
ever the ideals that we have had since we
began at the bottom in the beginning OF
time. We have preserved the primitive
egoism of the animal largely by main
tanning half the world to be servants Of
the other half"
SCoRNs HOME AS WOMAN 8 SPHERE
Here Mrs. Gilman referred scornfully 10
the popular belief that the home Is wo-
mans sphere, but she said there was no
more reason why woman should stay at
homo all the time than that she should
stay In bed all the time. and the fact OF
her doing so Is the reason her work has
never grown.
She called the home "the cradle of HUI
man love. but the death bed OF industry"
IL was not because OF maternity, she con-
tinued, or physical or mental unfitness or
lack OF time that women did not work for
their living, as men did but because OF
that other bugaboo her dependence upon
man and having him prefer her TO work
for him.
1.-The work that women do now" said
Mrs. Gilman, 1.-The housework, has no
place in industrial development. 1t Is an
economic injury TO the whole of society
to have any kind OF work still in a prmi-
tive condition. The amount of time or
WEAKNESS expended does not mean that
it is the right kind Of work for her to
do.
Woman is certainly overworked
enough. but she is not exercised enough.
and the higher her development and edu-
cation today. the more she rebels at
| spending her time in these inferior do
| mestic duties.
ITS this that makes the farmers wives
go mad in greater proportion than other
| women"
LISTENERS FAIL TO UNDERSTAND.
Questions were asked OF Mrs Gilman
| thick and fast, for many members OF the
Clvitas either resented or did not under
stand the speakers arguments. One wo-
as a day nursery had ever been founded
! for the wealthy classes.
mot that know Of" she replied, but
II is one of the crying needs OF the time.
| The wealthy woman today prefers TO let
| her little ones trail along on the street
in the hands of ignorant servant girls
why doesn't a mother have her own
baby garden?" was another question
asked.
Because they can't" Mrs Gilman re-
| piled, emphatically. 'for motherhood Is
one thing. education another. The
/ modern mother IL no more able to give 10
her baby what II has a right TO require
! than to give a college education to her
| college age sons and daughters"
A chorus of protests greeted this re-
mark.
II don't expect that any OF you will
start right in TO earn your own living -
| said Mrs. Gilman at the close OF the
| meeting. but you can bring up your
I daughters with this idea in view"
! A protest against the Marshall amend
ment to the Tenement House bill was
signed by the Civitas Grub members.